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How to choose a specialty?


How to choose a specialty

Many students previously have ideas premature during medical school about which specialty they may desire to enter eventually, in which they require complete information on medical specialties previous to enter the residency selection process.

Given the evolving practice environment, there are several factors that will affect a student's choice of specialty including patient contact, income, technological opportunities, lifestyle, and workforce needs.

The reason of this publication is to express students to the large number of resources that are already accessible to help students make informed career choices.

Selection Factors

When considering which specialty is the correct, there are numerous essential factors to consider:
  • Does the specialty concern you?
  • Could you do this for a living, rather than just shadowing or spending a couple weeks on a rotation?
  • Is the lifestyle what you desire for yourself?
  • Are you ok with the hours worked by physicians in this specialty?
  • Are you ok with the compensation offered in this specialty?
  • Are you ok with the length of training for this specialty?
  • Are you ok with the intensity of residency training for this specialty?
  • Are you fascinated in Academic Medicine?
  • Is this specialty going to vary considerably within the near future?
  • Are you competitive for the specialty?
Possibly the most essential factor on this list is specialty interest. Make sure you are really interested in the specialty. Don't select a specialty just because it pays well or is the most important. Doctors who are unhappy in their specialties most often made decisions due to those 2 factors, rather than focusing on what they would have most enjoyed to practice.