Tips on Choosing Your Ideal Medical Specialty
What do you want to be when you grow up? Perhaps the answer
was always easy for you: “a doctor.”
Well, now you’re in medical school but might still be trying
to figure out what type of doctor to be. You’re certainly not alone. menfashdesign
You know you want to help people. Heal them. But what will
that look like? As you narrow in on the type of specialty you want to pursue,
it’s important to consider factors such as your passion, preferred level of
patient interaction, and ideal work environment, among others.
Let’s take a look at what to anticipate as you figure out
which medical specialty is for you and the considerations you should make along
the way.
Tips for choosing a medical specialty
Evaluate your interests and passions
It’s essential to start by considering your interests and
passions. As you navigate the process of narrowing in on a specialty, you may
notice that you’ll receive many opinions from people around you. While it may
be helpful to consider outside perspectives, you must prioritize your goals.
This is an excellent time to reflect on your clinical work and which
opportunities ignited your interests and passion. Consider not only what you
enjoy right now but what may also continue to challenge you and spark interest
for years to come. Remember that you are shaping your future with this critical
decision.
Prioritize decision making ethicmenvoguee
While you’ll likely narrow in on a decision with more
education and clinical experience, you want to be sure that choosing a
specialty stays on your radar. If your selected schools allow you to explore
different specialties as electives, then seize this opportunity. You may not
know your true interests until you have some experience working with them
first-hand. If your school doesn’t allow for electives in various specialties,
then you may have to find opportunities during school breaks. Reach out to your
fellow classmates, professors, and other professionals to learn about
opportunities for experience. Remember, learning which specialties you don’t
particularly enjoy can be just as valuable as finding the right fit.
Be flexible
It’s not unusual for medical students to start their studies
with an idea of what they want to specialize in. Occasionally, people will keep
the same goal, and it will come to fruition following graduation. However, more
often than not, medical students change their minds several times before
finally narrowing in on the right specialty. Changing your mind is normal and
expected. Keep an open mind as you gain more experience and discover your
passions. You never know where “changing your mind” may take you.
Consider patient interaction businessdirectorypc
People enter the medical field to help others. However, not
every medical specialty has the same level of interaction with patients as
others. Consider how much face-to-face interaction you would like to have with
your patient. For example, a pediatric specialist will have a considerable
amount of interaction with children and their families, while a radiologist is
more likely to interpret images and relay their findings to a medical team
member rather than directly to the patient. While both of these approaches are
helpful and patient-centered, communication varies considerably. It’s important
to consider your communication style, personality, and long-term goals when
evaluating the type of patient interaction you would like to have.
Determine your time investment
It’s important to note that different specialties require
different levels of time commitment ranging from three to six years. You should
be prepared to put in the time it takes to complete a residency application
(including the personal statement, updating your CV, and any other special
requirements). Evaluate if you have the time and energy that it takes to do the
work of a specialty program.
Define your ideal work environment
Your work environment will have a significant impact on how
you feel about your career long-term. You should ask yourself what type of
environment you thrive in. For example, do you enjoy the hustle and bustle of
an emergency room, or would you find it overwhelming? Would you prefer a quiet
doctor’s office with more routine and structure, or would this become boring
over time? You should consider why you chose the medical field in the first
place and the type of work environment where you can perform at your best.
When do medical students have to decide on a specialty? allinternetbuziness
Ideally, a decision about what to specialize in will be made
by the end of the third year of medical school, because that is when students
generally begin preparing residency applications. Students pick up experiences
throughout medical school — whether it’s in the classroom, a volunteer
activity, talking to classmates or mentors, or milestone life events — that
help them make the decision.
“We want students to use their time in medical school to get
exposure to all the different specialties that are out there,” says Christine
Corral, PhD, director of student professional development at RUSH Medical
College. “At RUSH our curriculum is designed that way. You’re doing career
development and career exploration activities each year of medical school.”
Every medical school is different, but here is what a
typical experience might look like for a medical student at RUSH:
First year (M1)
After adjusting to the rigors of medical school, you may
begin to think about how to best make use of your summer. Perhaps you have an
interest in global health and want to take a service trip abroad, or you’re
engaged in community health and want to volunteer locally. If you’re fascinated
with research, you may use the summer to help out in a lab. Programs exist that
help give you exposure to your interests while continuing to follow the
curriculum.
You may also decide to take the summer off for self-care.
Taking time to decompress throughout medical school will keep you refreshed and
help you make a sound decision about your specialty.
Second year (M2)
You will want to update your resume with details from your
summer experience. Then, there will be school-sponsored events throughout the
second year that will showcase different medical specialties. Program
directors, physicians and residents from various specialties at RUSH University
Medical Center speak at these events and answer student questions. In the
meantime, you will be completing the remainder of your basic science courses.
Third year (M3)
The third year is when your choice of specialty will likely
get clearer if you don’t already have your heart set on one. The third year
will be entirely clinical, with students gaining exposure to the following core
specialties: pediatrics, primary care, OB-GYN, internal medicine, psychiatry,
surgery and neurology. You will also have a total of six weeks for elective
courses.
In addition, third-year students will have more
opportunities to connect with physicians from different clinics at RUSH.
“When I first started med school, I thought I’d be
specializing in pediatrics, but I felt like something was missing,” says
Jessica Chin, a fourth-year student at RUSH Medical College. “Then I did a
clerkship in general surgery and thought I’d absolutely hate it, but I ended up
really enjoying working in the operating room and solving problems with my
hands. That’s when I knew general surgery was the right path for me.”
Fourth year (M4)
By the start of the fourth and final year, you will
hopefully have decided on a specialty and have identified residency programs to
apply to. Advisers at the college will help you prepare for questions you will
be asked during residency interviews, which take place from the fall to
January, and work with you to learn more about your specialty through clinical
rotations.
What are the different types of medical specialties?
FAQs About Becoming a Doctor
What are the most competitive medical specialties?
The specialties that medical students are most interested in
often change from year to year, but currently some of the more popular and
competitive specialties are emergency medicine, dermatology, surgery,
orthopedics and psychiatry.
What considerations should a medical student keep in mind
when choosing a medical specialty?
Make sure you really take time to pause and reflect on your
experiences before making a decision. You might get so caught up in the process
of choosing a specialty that you don’t listen to your inner self.
“We ask students, ‘What type of doctor do you really want to
be?,’” Corral says. “Some students will get emotional and say, ‘Nobody has ever
truly asked me that before.’ Let’s unpack everything you have experienced
through your curriculum and other activities, and figure out what makes the
most sense for you and your well-being.”
Perhaps the work environment or geographical location is
really important to you. Do you want to work at a major academic medical center
or in a smaller, community-based setting? What type of patient do you want to
work with?
“A good chunk of us in medical school end up liking
something we never would have expected,” Chin says. “Do everything you can to
learn about every single specialty and lean on physicians for mentorship during
your clinical rotations. You never know what specialty will end up being your
true calling.”
When should a medical student settle on their medical
specialty?
It’s important not to allow pressure to negatively sway you
into a specialty before you’re ready to commit. In reality, there is no hard
and fast rule about when you need to settle on your decision. With that said,
there are some things to keep in mind to help bring things into clearer focus.
It’s important to keep an open mind during your pre-clinical
years. The first and second years should be focused on exploring the infinite
number of possibilities in front of you. This season of learning is also going
to lead to a lot of self-discovery. Students will be able to get a better sense
of their likes, dislikes, strengths, and weaknesses. This will help them better
assess their fit later on.
Core rotations that happen in your third year of medical
school will give you real-world exposure to a host of different specializations
and the settings they take place in. Most students tend to settle on a
specialty during this time.
Still, there are some that won’t figure it out till their
fourth year. Some students will even add an additional year to give themselves
time to finalize their decision. When it comes to the ideal time to choose, it
comes down to what works best for you.
What if I can’t choose a specialty? Should I wait to apply
for a residency or just choose multiple specialties?
Be sure not to hit the panic button. Medical school is an
incredible investment of time and resources that have brought you to this place
of decision. You have several options if you are at the point of applying for
residencies and have yet to settle on a specialty.
Some students will opt for the most accessible specialty on
their list of considerations and be done. Others will dual apply, choosing
multiple specialties and taking on the additional hurdles that come with it.
One of the best options recommended by many advisors is for
undecided students to take an extra year, pursue an advanced degree, and defer
their decision for another year.
