Having many options can be both a blessing and a curse when it comes to choosing a specialty in medicine. Here are 5 things you need to consider that will help you make the right decision for yourself!
Lifestyle outlook
Lifestyle is hot on everyone’s lips these days. Google ‘lifestyle specialties in medicine’ and you will find enough reading material to last a lifetime. The real question behind this, is: How easy is it to maintain a healthy work-life balance in said specialty? The specialty you choose can play a massive role in this. If ‘lifestyle’ is a priority for you, think carefully before signing up for neurosurgery residency. That being said, it is important to think long-term. Look beyond residency. If the lifestyle post-training agrees with you, then sticking out the gruelling residency hours might be worth it.
What is the bread and butter?
You have to be happy with the routine part of your specialty because it will form the bulk of your practice. For example, if you want to be an ENT surgeon, you might do that occasional facial re-animation or orbital exenteration. But you have to be cool with the endless grommet insertions and tonsillectomies! Remember that time on your plastics rotation you saw a hand transplant (me neither)? Pretty cool right? Don’t base your decision to do plastic surgery on that though. Make sure you are happy repairing tendons and excising skin lesions. Don’t pick a specialty based on the rarities. Make sure you can live with the bread and butter. Bottom line: Don’t do what you hate.
What parts of medicine fascinate you?
If like me, you’re someone that’s interested in anatomy and procedures, perhaps a surgical specialty is for you. Or something cooler like interventional radiology! Do you enjoy physiology-in-motion? Consider anaesthetics. Take time to think about what fascinates you the most in medicine. What do/did you find easy to study? What did you always study last? Write them down and make a list of specialties that most align with this list.
What are your personality traits?
Success will be easier when your career aligns with your personality because things will feel less like work and more like fun. Are you interested in forming long term doctor-patient relationships (think family medicine/internal medicine) or would you prefer little patient contact (pathology/microbiology)? Do you like to see immediate results for your efforts (procedure-based specialties)? Or do you prefer a more cerebral, long-game approach to medicine (internal medicine and medical subspecialties)? Of course this is overly simplifying things. In reality most specialties require a combination of the above, only to varying degrees. The best way to choose a specialty is by getting to know yourself first.
Financial compensation
I placed this last on the list because while I think that it should certainly be a consideration, it shouldn’t be the first. The reason is, every specialty in medicine will allow you to be financially secure. Even the least paid specialties. Obviously, you want a good return for your hard work and to pay off your student loans ASAP. If specialty salary is a big priority for you, there is a plethora of data available. Quite consistently amongst the top earners are neurosurgery, orthopaedics, gastroenterology, cardiology and plastic surgery i.e procedure based specialties. It is important to note that job satisfaction and salary do not always correlate. Here is a breakdown of physicians specialty salaries! Make of it what you wish.
Finally
Choosing a specialty in medicine is an important decision. Considering the above will help you narrow your options. Follow this up by spending time working with the specialties you are considering. Don’t feel pressured into going into a specialty based on people’s expectations. Don’t be afraid to change your mind. And above all, don’t do what you hate!
