Which specialty?

[hey_you]

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I'm pretty sure I don't want to do FM. But beyond that, I have no idea what I want to do. Most people have some clue by mid-2nd year, but I'm still clueless as ever - absolutely clueless. Is anyone feeling the same?

What is your PRIMARY reason (just because someone has a primary reason for something, doesn't mean that other reasons don't exist) for wanting the specialty that you want.

 

[DarksideAllstar]

Just because you have a "clue" doesn't mean that's what you will enjoy doing. I (and many others) had a "clue" and it changed. Just go through 3rd year with your eyes wide open and do your best.

 

[Leukocyte]

Sometimes people have two primary reasons that conflict with one another. For example, I love General Surgery, but I also want a good life-style were I can sleep for 8 full hours/day. I know that I will never be able to achieve these two primary goals (unless I become a breast surgeon or something along that line...not realy very interesting).🙁

 

[dutchman]

someone actually voted for respect

 

[andros]

As you can tell from the poll results already, I think it is VERY important to have an interest in what you decide to do. You have to be able to at least tolerate the "bread and butter" of that specialty.

I wouldn't worry about being part-way through second year and not know what you want to do. As a previous poster said, you should keep an open mind and look at the different fields you see in clerkship.

It was at the end of 2nd year when I came to have an interest in the specialty I am applying to this year. Don't be discouraged by classmates that knew they wanted plastics from the age of 5. I know there are different "strategies" for timing clerkship rotations, but I think it's a good idea to do what you think you might want to do early in clerkship so then you know if you would like it or not (or at least have an idea if you would like it... I think once we hit residency/practice we will see many things that as clerks we did not see). If you do that rotation early, you can still have time to get involved in research and get known in the department.

I was quite fortunate, and my 2nd rotation was the specialty I was interested in. I got invovlved in a number of research projects, attended a national conference, got to know people in the dept, etc. I still kept an open mind and thought about other specialties but nothing compared to it. Doing research in clerkship took up some of my "down time" but it's well worth it.

Even if you don't know a specific specialty, try to figure out if you want surgery or medicine. Throughout 2nd year I thought I wanted internal. Now I'm applying to a surgical sub-specialty after suffering through internal med in clerkship.

Good luck!

 

[Faebinder]

A percentage of people will go into a specialty because they are forced to pick it as a second career compared to what they really want... but the poll doesnt account for that.... Wanted derm and ended up doing internal medicine? Wanted surgery and ended up doing family med? Wanted radiology and ended up doing nuc med? etc etc etc....

 

[sonso]

lifestyle & interest tie for first for me, then money making potential as a distant second for me


I was shocked by the respect vote as well

 

[Hurricane]

I am curious to know what fields the people who picked respect are going into...

 

[billydoc]

I am curious to know what fields the people who picked respect are going into...

They must be going to a respectable field (pont intended)😀
But wouldn't it be nice if the doctors were respected and admired again?

Aahh, the good old times....gone with the wind 🙁

 

[Tired]

What about ego? There have to be people who pick certain fields because they want to be a badass, and it appeals to their ego.

Not that I'm saying that's me . . . 😉

 

[hey_you]

I am curious to know what fields the people who picked respect are going into...

I would imagine something that has to do with the heart or the brain? neurosurgeon, cardiology, cardiothoracic surgeon?

 

[Leukocyte]

I would imagine something that has to do with the heart or the brain? neurosurgeon, cardiology, cardiothoracic surgeon?

I just got a great idea for a series. Follow a medical student dude who chooses a specialty because he wants respect...This should be a great idea for Comedy Central!

This song is dedicated to the dude who uses his specialty as an ego defense mechanism...

http://www.carlosmencia.com/content/videos.php?id=66

 

[hey_you]

I just got a great idea for a series. Follow a medical student dude who chooses a specialty because he wants respect...This should be a great idea for Comedy Central!

This song is dedicated to the dude you chooses his specialty as an ego defense mechanism...

http://www.carlosmencia.com/content/videos.php?id=66

I'm surprise that respect as a reason is such a surprise for everyone when medicine is traditionally view as a very noble and respectful job.

I'm also surprise that the reason for choosing a specialty based on interested is overwhelmingly winning 😀. I was so discourage by the essential of lifestyle and money discussed by classmates/med students/SDNers that I was starting to eliminate options solely on those reason - not that lifestyle and $$$ is not important.

 

[Leukocyte]

I'm surprise that respect as a reason is such a surprise for everyone..

Respect as a PRIMARY reason???!!!! Hell Yeah!

Well, who do you think is MORE LIKELY to be HAPPIER, and BETTER at what he does:

A) A doctor who went into his specialty PRIMARILY because he wants respect? (Talk about insecurity )

B) A doctor who went into his specialty PRIMARILY because he is interested in what the specialty is all about?

As a patient, would you rather go to "doctor A" or "doctor B"?

Tough questions, right? 😉

 

[hey_you]

Respect as a PRIMARY reason???!!!! Hell Yeah!

Well, who do you think is MORE LIKELY to be HAPPIER, and BETTER at what he does:

A) A doctor who went into his specialty PRIMARILY because he wants respect? (Talk about insecurity )

B) A doctor who went into his specialty PRIMARILY because he is interested in what the specialty is all about?

As a patient, would you rather go to "doctor A" or "doctor B"?

Tough questions, right? 😉

I guess respect applies more to medicine as a whole rather than specialty choice - I thought the main reason for medicine was money, sex, and power😉

 

[Faebinder]

I know one female colleague that went into surgery for respect. I am not surprised. Some people go to med school altogether for respect.

 

[im do 08]

i'm currently a third year, and i still have no clue what i want to go into. i mean, i know what i DON'T want to get into, but that still leaves me nowhere.

people have told me all sorts of different things, but what i think was particularly useful was someone telling me that 'its sometimes even better to not know what you want to do... then, as you're going through rotations, you might just fall in love with the one thing... you know you can't go wrong if you love what you do!'

o/w, if you love everything by the end of your third year, just pick lifestyle and respect! 😉

 

[docB]

What about ego? There have to be people who pick certain fields because they want to be a badass, and it appeals to their ego.

Not that I'm saying that's me . . . 😉

I think those would be the one's who voted for "respect."

 

[H_Caulfield]

I think length of residency and fellowship is a pretty important factor. I know it's kind of taboo to say so, and it certainly isn't the main thing that has me choosing my field, but it certainly is shining a wonderful light on otolaryngology when the other thing i'm interested in is neurosurgery. May even be the thing that tilts the scales the rest of the way.

 

[salmonella]

i'm currently a third year, and i still have no clue what i want to go into. i mean, i know what i DON'T want to get into, but that still leaves me nowhere.

people have told me all sorts of different things, but what i think was particularly useful was someone telling me that 'its sometimes even better to not know what you want to do... then, as you're going through rotations, you might just fall in love with the one thing... you know you can't go wrong if you love what you do!'

o/w, if you love everything by the end of your third year, just pick lifestyle and respect! 😉

If you don't know what you want, just go into internal medicine. It offer good flexibility in terms of career goals and fellowships. Plus, if you end up deciding to do other specialties later on (ophthalmology, PM & R, neurology, etc, even general surgery), being board certified in internal medicine would never be a waste.

 

[hey_you]

I think length of residency and fellowship is a pretty important factor. I know it's kind of taboo to say so, and it certainly isn't the main thing that has me choosing my field, but it certainly is shining a wonderful light on otolaryngology when the other thing i'm interested in is neurosurgery. May even be the thing that tilts the scales the rest of the way.

I thought ENT was about 8 yrs. From talking to the resident, I got the impression that it's 5 yrs residency, 1+ yr research (at the institution that at) and 2+ yrs fellowship. and I thought neurosurgery was about 7 yrs.

 

[Tired]

I always felt like the only important distinction to make as a student was Medicine vs Surgery.

I really think that there's actually a lot more wiggle room for what we would be happy doing than we are comfortable admitting. I would have been happy getting into any surgical field, and unhappy in any medical field.

If you start with the basic division between Surgery and Medicine, then go from there, it makes it a lot easier to figure out. And if you're ambivalent about both, go do Psychiatry.

 

[MD Dreams]

To the OP, check out the book "The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Medical Specialty". I think it's a good starting point and it helped me.

 

[docB]

If you don't know what you want, just go into internal medicine. It offer good flexibility in terms of career goals and fellowships. Plus, if you end up deciding to do other specialties later on (ophthalmology, PM & R, neurology, etc, even general surgery), being board certified in internal medicine would never be a waste.

I don't think that's a good idea. Internal medicine does have a number of fellowships available but thinking you can do IM and than switch over to Optho or Surgery down the line is not realistic. Someone just had a thread about what's possible and they were ignoring what's feasible. Doing a surgery residency after IM is not feasible for the vast majority of docs.

 

[aggernodi]

Back when I was a medical student (1990s), a very wise surgical resident gave me this advice on choosing a specialty. The advice was quite perceptive and I thought to share it with you all.

Do NOT choose a specialty based on how miserable or long a residency is. Residency is NOT reflective of what life is like after you finish. Keep the end goal in mind, but not the process. 5 years (+/- a few years) is a small price to pay for a lifelong career decision.

With that in mind, think about what you want your call to be like once you are done with residency. Do not answer these questions as a medical student or even as a resident, but answer these questions by imagining yourself being 45 years old with a family and kids.

1) Do you like (or don't mind) emergencies?
2) Do you like (or don't mind) call?
3) Do you like a regular, planned schedule?

These questions determine what the rest of your life will be like and its quality regardless of the specialty.

If you answer yes to 3, and no to 1 & 2, pathology, dermatology, radiology are for you.

If you answer yes to 1, no to 2, yes to 3, than ER.

If you are ambivalent to 1 & 2, and yes to 3, than ENT, ophtho is for you.

etc etc etc.

 

[hey_you]

Back when I was a medical student (1990s), a very wise surgical resident gave me this advice on choosing a specialty. The advice was quite perceptive and I thought to share it with you all.

Do NOT choose a specialty based on how miserable or long a residency is. Residency is NOT reflective of what life is like after you finish. Keep the end goal in mind, but not the process. 5 years (+/- a few years) is a small price to pay for a lifelong career decision.

With that in mind, think about what you want your call to be like once you are done with residency. Do not answer these questions as a medical student or even as a resident, but answer these questions by imagining yourself being 45 years old with a family and kids.

1) Do you like (or don't mind) emergencies?
2) Do you like (or don't mind) call?
3) Do you like a regular, planned schedule?

These questions determine what the rest of your life will be like and its quality regardless of the specialty.

If you answer yes to 3, and no to 1 & 2, pathology, dermatology, radiology are for you.

If you answer yes to 1, no to 2, yes to 3, than ER.

If you are ambivalent to 1 & 2, and yes to 3, than ENT, ophtho is for you.

etc etc etc.

While I completely agree with you on not placing a strong importance on residency length/difficulty (i'm a traditional student), I think it's hard for someone to ignore it if they're finishing med school at ~35. Assuming that you'll work until 65, and training is 8+ yrs, that's almost a 3rd of the potential working (as an attending) time. Although, I must admit that many people see residency as the beginning of their career.

 

[aggernodi]

While I completely agree with you on not placing a strong importance on residency length/difficulty (i'm a traditional student), I think it's hard for someone to ignore it if they're finishing med school at ~35. Assuming that you'll work until 65, and training is 8+ yrs, that's almost a 3rd of the potential working (as an attending) time. Although, I must admit that many people see residency as the beginning of their career.

Ahhh. You are correct. My mistake. I made that post really geared towards the twenty-somethings crowd. Sorry about that!

 

[H_Caulfield]

I thought ENT was about 8 yrs. From talking to the resident, I got the impression that it's 5 yrs residency, 1+ yr research (at the institution that at) and 2+ yrs fellowship. and I thought neurosurgery was about 7 yrs.

Nope it's a 5-year integrated program now. You're thinking of the way it used to be, I think. Extremely competitive now, though, and I don't even think the general surgery route can get you there anymore.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

I'm surprise that respect as a reason is such a surprise for everyone when medicine is traditionally view as a very noble and respectful job.

I'm also surprise that the reason for choosing a specialty based on interested is overwhelmingly winning 😀. I was so discourage by the essential of lifestyle and money discussed by classmates/med students/SDNers that I was starting to eliminate options solely on those reason - not that lifestyle and $$$ is not important.

I'd rather be feared than respected.......