One of the most difficult decisions in medical school isn't your rank list or what order to complete your clinical rotations; it's deciding on what your forever specialty will be.
For some, it's a decision they made years before. To others, it's a decision they thought they'd made, but changed with rotations.
With third-year clerkships really only giving a glimpse of certain specialties, it can be stressful to try to decide the rest of your life in such a short timeframe. I was someone who thought I had everything figured out when I entered medical school and that my mind would never be changed about which field I wanted to pursue.
I made it to the middle of my third year of medical school until I realized that my clinical and personal priorities in what I valued in a future career were much different from the specialty I thought I would pursue.
I think there are many important things to consider when trying to decide a future specialty. One thing I heard consistently throughout my third year was this: "To cut, or not to cut?" What this meant was, do you need operating in your future practice to be fulfilled or not? For me, the answer was yes. However, this isn't the case for everyone.
Once you've answered that question for yourself, I think it's important to "find your people." Which group of people do you feel you fit best with in clinical practice? Maybe you have a mentor who inspires you and is a cardiologist. Maybe you rotated in a dermatology office and felt immediately like you were a part of the team.
But finding your people isn't just the people you work with. Which group of patients do you see yourself caring for? Maybe you're interested in a subset of patients ages 0-18. Maybe you want to care for anyone who walks through the door regardless of insurance status, chief complaint, or prognosis. Recognizing your people, those who you will work with and those you will serve, is of upmost importance when deciding upon a specialty.
Last, I think it is very important to take a step back and think about what your own priorities and wishes are for your future. Don't make a life decision based upon what you think others want you to do. Don't make a decision based upon what you think is the most prestigious specialty. And just because you thought you knew what you wanted to do when you entered medical school, it doesn't mean that you can't change your mind.
Ultimately, you know what's best for you. Heed the advice of those who care for you, including your advisers, mentors, and dean. Maybe the decision of choosing a specialty was an easy one, or maybe, like me, it wasn't realized until scrubbing in to my first few surgeries. The good news is that with a little bit of time and introspection, it is possible to make the lifelong decision and fall in love with what you were meant to do for the rest of your career!
The views expressed by the author are those of the author alone and do not represent the views of any company or entity.
Join Medscape's new blog initiative! We're looking for physicians, nurses, PAs, specialists, and other healthcare professionals who are willing to share their expertise in one to two paid blog posts per month. Please email Medscape-Blogs@webmd.net for more information.
Follow Medscape on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube
© 2022 WebMD, LLC
Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.
Cite this: Abigail Schirmer. Choosing a Specialty: The Biggest Decision in Medical School - Medscape - Mar 02, 2022.
Comments