“Pay attention to the things that you are naturally drawn to. They are often connected to your path, passion and purpose in life. Have the courage to follow them.”
Ruben Chavez
It is now finally 2021, the year I graduate from medical school. I have two more interviews remaining before I submit my program list and eagerly await Match Day! It’s surreal that the moment we’ve been working toward for the last four years is almost here. I cannot wait to see where all of my classmates end up for residency. My friends in the third-year class are now beginning to decide on specialties and considering where they might do rotations outside of our institution. I remember facing that decision last year and wishing desperately there was a sorting hat to tell me which specialty was for me! Looking back, these were a few of the factors I considered when choosing a specialty.
- How do I want to practice medicine in the future?
It’s important to be honest with yourself when you’re going through rotations. Can you see yourself doing this work long-term? Do you enjoy long hours spent on call, or is a shift work or clinic schedule more your speed? Do you want to see patients, or would you rather be behind the scenes conducting and interpreting laboratory or imaging studies? If you are seeing patients, would you rather have one-time interactions where you address an immediate need or have a relationship with patients you get to know over time?
Personally, I did not enjoy 24-hour call shifts and a clinic schedule is much more my speed. Ideally, I would love to have a mix of clinic and inpatient time. I’m all about interacting with patients. It doesn’t matter whether they’re young or old, I love them all. I enjoy building relationships with people and admire the docs I’ve met who do so seamlessly. Med-Peds will allow me to do all of these things. I can practice outpatient or inpatient medicine, caring for both adult and pediatric patients and maintaining the continuity of care I value. Of course, I’d be naïve to think I won’t be working long hours, particularly as a resident. However, many Med-Peds programs have night float systems etc. that minimize or even eliminate many 24-hour call shifts, which is music to my ears.
2. Who do you want to work with?
Every specialty attracts a certain type of individual. Some are known for being blunt and decisive, others are known for multitasking and having high energy, and still others are known for being “nerdy”. The point is, you will get a sense for the personality of a specialty as you go through rotations. While not everyone fits perfectly into the stereotype of a specialty, it is important to consider whether you get along with the people you’re working with. For me, this basically was a gut check. I’d ask: Do I feel comfortable with these people, or do I always feel like I’m walking on eggshells? It might take some leg work on your part to see whether these are your people. This is particularly true if you’re at an institution where the specialty you’re interested in isn’t a core clerkship or there isn’t a residency program in that area. Shadowing, getting involved with national organizations, or networking via social media are great ways to start learning more about a specialty you haven’t been exposed to. Ultimately, if possible, an early 4th year elective locally or an away rotation can be helpful if you’re still on the fence about a particular field.
I enjoyed my pediatrics rotation and loved my family medicine rotation, but my internal medicine rotation was moved virtually due to COVID. I had heard about Med-Peds from one of my mentors and realized it was the perfect fit for my interests and values. Whether it was a fit for my personality, however, was a bit more challenging to discern because we don’t have a Med-Peds residency. This summer, I attended webinars put on by the National Med-Peds Resident Association to learn more about programs and get a better sense for the specialty. Being surrounded by so many likeminded people was incredible. I immediately sensed that these were my people. Their energy was infectious, described aptly by others as combining the niceness of Pediatrics with the sarcasm of Internal Medicine. Meeting co-applicants on social media has been so much fun as well. Many have become fast friends and we have fun regularly sending each other pet photos in our group chat. Since we don’t get to spend time together this virtual interview cycle, connecting in these other ways has been so crucial.
3. What are other interests you want to incorporate in your career?
Do you like teaching and want medical education to be part of your career? Is advocacy important to you? Do you want to make an impact on the global community through global health work? It’s important to think about what you want your professional identity to be and look for ways your future residency can support that. Do people in the specialty you’re interested in work in these spaces? If they don’t, and there’s another specialty you like equally but will allow you the freedom to follow those interests as well, that might be something to consider. Also, look for programs that have tracks in areas you’re interested in. Having passions like these outside of patient care will help keep you going when residency gets tough and help you maintain perspective.
I’m interested in working in academic medicine, so have been looking for programs that have medical education tracks or otherwise strong training in education. To me, giving back to those coming up behind us and passing on what I’ve learned is part of the job, so learning how to teach effectively will be important.
In summary, to all of my friends choosing a specialty, make sure you think about whether you fit with the people, but don’t forget about your other interests. Take the time to reflect about how you want to practice medicine in the future and what you want your professional as well as personal identity to look like. You won’t regret it.
The Music of Medicine 