Some people enter medical school certain that they want to
become pediatricians and never waver from this decision. Others
fall in and out of love with one specialty after another as they
do their third year rotations. Most students, however, feel that
the decision about specialty choice is one they are forced to
make too soon, and on too little information. If you feel that
way as well, here are some suggestions for gaining more
information about specialty training and opportunities.
There are several books available that can give you a quick
overview of the range of medical specialties. You can find them
at most medical bookstores or or other book retailers.
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Getting Into A Residency by Kenneth
V. Iverson, M.D., Camden House, Inc. |
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How to Choose a Medical Specialty by
Anita D. Taylor, Saunders Company |
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Choosing a Medical Specialty, Council
of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS), PO Box 70, Lake
Forest, IL 60045, Phone: (708) 295.3456 |
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Medical Graduate's Guide to US Medicine:
Negotiating the Maze by Louise B. Ball, Galen Press
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Surf the Web
Most specialties now have their own websites, which can be
valuable sources of information about manpower trends, specialty
board information and medical issues related to practice within
the specialty. Many of these specialty websites also provide
information about residency programs or provide a list of links
to residency training programs. Use one of the many powerful
search engines to find the sites of interest to you by typing in
initial key words such as "science and health," "medicine,"
"medical education," then narrowing down to the specialties of
interest with successively narrower key words such as "residency
training programs," "pediatrics," or "internal medicine."
Talk to People
Current fourth year medical students who have already matched
(Match results are announced in mid-March) are great sources of
information about residency programs and the details of the
application process. Current residents are also great sources for
information about what training is really like. Physicians
currently practicing in the specialty can also be helpful,
particularly if they are willing to put you in touch with
colleagues who help train residents.
Assess Your Own
Competitiveness
An honest review of your academic performance in medical school,
licensing exam scores and clinically related credentials is
critical to making a decision about specialty choice. Specialties
that are very popular will be harder to get into, and residency
programs in desirable locations will be competitive even in the
less sought-after specialties. While it's important to go after a
position in a field you really want, it is also important to be
realistic in assessing how you will match up against others who
will be applying for positions in the same field or program. This
is especially true for International Medical Graduates.
Ultimately, you may have to make some compromises based on a
rank-ordering of the factors that are most important to you. Seek
out individuals who can assess your credentials and give you
honest feedback about your competitiveness as a residency
applicant (medical school deans, residency program staff, current
residents).
Think About Specific Skills and
Daily Activities
Each specialty has a unique set of demands and challenges. You
might find it helpful to make a list of the kinds of things you
want to be doing, such as using medical technology, hands-on
procedures, patient education and counseling, dealing with
patients over a long span of time, etc. Compare your list to the
descriptions of the specialties you find in written, human and
internet-based information sources to see what fields best
overlap your list. You may find that a specialty you never
considered offers more of what you want to do daily than the
specialties you were initially inclined to pursue. Consider the
employment trends for the specialty-will the US need more or
fewer doctors in the field five or ten years out? This will
impact your satisfaction level down the road, so it's important
to look at in your decision process now.