Blog Post Focus
This post will focus on some of my thoughts regarding questions to ask for someone starting to think about medical specialties. Each medical specialty is quite unique. Hopefully some of these questions can provide some clarity. Thought alone is not enough though—get some experience as well.
Introduction: Determining a Medical Specialty Can be Intense and Time-consuming
Determining a medical specialty can be a very intense and time-consuming process. Many people who think they know exactly what sort of physician want to be when starting medical school end up going into something.
Question One: In what setting do you want to practice?
There are many practice settings and these settings have different environments, different patient populations, and different goals for patients. Your practice setting should be one you are comfortable in or thrive in. There is no sense practicing in a setting where you are always stressed and anxious.
Some practice settings include outpatient, inpatient, operating room, surgery center, urgent care, emergency department, rehabilitation, and a mix–most specialties practice in more than one setting. Additionally, you don’t have to practice in just one setting if there are multiple you enjoy.
Question Two: What patient acuity do you want to handle?
The rapidity required of your response in your profession varies on condition. Some acute conditions are emergent, necessitating immediate medical intervention. Other acute conditions are urgent, time-sensitive but not emergent. Patient conditions can also be non-acute. These non-acute conditions will be found with more stable and healthy patients.
Question Three: Do you want to primarily perform surgeries or procedures? Or none?
Surgeons perform surgeries, and a few other specialties can perform “minimally invasive surgeries.” Only certain fields really are proceduralists. If you want to perform surgeries, what sort of surgeon do you want to be? If you want to perform procedures, what types of procedures do you want to perform and how often do you want to perform procedures?
Or, do you want to avoid surgeries and procedures? Perhaps the thought of them has no appeal or is anxiogenic. There is no requirement to become a surgeon or proceduralist.
Question Four: How much patient contact do you want?
A medical specialty can vary dramatically with patient contact. Some specialties have a lot of patient contact. Some have a little. Some have virtually no patient contact. What amount of patient contact would you prefer?
Question Five: Do you need to be the most respected person in the room?
Not all specialties are equal in respect. If you need to be the most respected person in the room or the one in charge then take that into consideration. Many specialties support other specialties. Many specialties are not particularly glorified.
Final Thoughts – Questions to Start, but Need to Take Action and Get Experience to Choose a Medical Specialty
If you have no idea where to start determining your medical specialty, think about these questions. If you have a pretty good idea, think about these questions again.
Beyond these questions, get experience. No thought experiments can replace actual observation and experience. You may think you want to be an anesthesiologist, but when you get into the OR you feel extremely uncomfortable. Or, you think you want to be a radiologist, but you can’t stand being in a dark room and isolated from others for prolonged periods of time. You may think you want to be an emergency medicine physician, but shift work wrecks your sleep and mood.
Don’t Just Choose Something That Sounds Good
See what makes you the most fulfilled and the least miserable. Keep determining what setting is best for you. Don’t just choose something that sounds good or others tell you to do. It is your life.
Resource Link
Note: At the time of posting I do not currently have an affiliate relationship with this product. I simply liked it and found it helpful and want to share the link for anyone interested.
Check out the link below to The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Medical Specialty, which I found insightful when trying to figure out what medical specialty I should pursue. https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Choosing-Medical-Specialty-Fourth/dp/1260019500/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2XI4WES9ME8A9&keywords=ultimate+guide+to+medical+specialty&qid=1703200377&sprefix=ultimate+guide+to+medical+specialty%2Caps%2C106&sr=8-1&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.17d9e15d-4e43-4581-b373-0e5c1a776d5d.
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