Overview
NEW! NRMP Match Applicant Profiles: Tips from Seniors in YOUR specialty!
Consider many factors in your decision
Career resources
Use the people around you
Deciding between specialties
Making the final decision

The specialty you match in does not determine what you will be doing for the rest of your career There are plenty of people who are not doing anything remotely related to what they majored in during college, and in medicine the same is true. Many success stories exist where people have started in one field, perhaps even completed an entire residency before changing their minds and picking a completely different specialty. There are residents who decide after one year of a particular field that another field of medicine is the one they really want to pursue. There are many roads that lead to the same final place, and it doesn't really matter how you get there. That said, how does one decide on a specialty? Hopefully during your clinical years, and perhaps even in your basic science years, there have been a few fields that you have really enjoyed. Perhaps a particular type of patient, the group of residents, or the intellectual challenge has excited you enough to consider pursuing a specialty.

Choosing a specialty is not easy.There are many factors to consider Interest. Does this specialty get you excited? Do you look forward to or dread coming into the hospital for this specialty? Can you see yourself practicing in this specialty? Do you see yourself getting bored with this type of work? Imagine yourself in the shoes of your attending, and decide if this is the type of work you thought you would enjoy doing. Lifestyle. Will the lifestyle of this kind of physician match the kind of lifestyle you envision for yourself? Do you see yourself having enough time for your family and friends? Do you think you will be able to survive the rigors of a residency in this field? Career. Does this specialty give you the opportunity to specialize and pursue a fellowship that you may have a future interest in? You may consider choosing a specialty like internal medicine if you have interests in many different medicine specialties, but aren't quite sure which one you like best (e.g., cardiology, nephrology, and infectious disease) Job opportunity. Some people may advise you to pursue a specialty because it is especially "hot" or try to convince you not to choose a specialty because it is overcrowded. People may advise you that there is not a single job in specialty X in a region of the country you hope to work in. Monetary compensation may also be taken into account. When choosing a specialty, you should really pick something that will bring you happiness, and we advise following your heart; don't let the market decide your specialty. After all, by the time you finish your training, much of what people have told you will be obsolete. And if you wanted to get rich, you should have pursued an MBA or joined an Internet start-up.

There are many resources to look at when researching a specialty. Visit the Frieda-AMA site and this will give you a basic idea of some of the statistics for a specialty: years in training, number of residency programs, average salaries, etc. There are many books and articles written on the subject of residency matching. You can ask your student affairs office which books they recommend. In addition, various academic societies such as American Academy of Family Practice, American Academy of Pediatrics, etc. often have student resources available. [visit our specialty contacts page]

Your most valuable resources are the people around you Perhaps your most valuable resource will be the students who have gone before you, interns, residents, and attendings. Ask physicians at all levels of training about their feelings regarding their specialty. What do they enjoy the most about their field of medicine? What do they dislike? Would they do it over again? How did they decide to enter their chosen field of medicine? On those long call nights when you are waiting for people to roll into the ER, pick your resident's brain for information! Many medical schools will assign an advisor to you during your senior year. Choose a person working in your specialty interest, or simply choose someone whom you know well, so you can talk candidly about your future. This person can serve as your sounding board. Try to work through the decision making process on paper, and talk out loud with your advisor. Often, the process itself can help in your decision. Don't feel pressured to enter the same field that your advisor is in, they are there to help with your decision and will understand if you choose to pursue something else!

How do I decide between specialty A and B? One of the best ways to decide between different specialties is to do rotations and subinternships in both of your fields of interest. Which of those fields can you see yourself in? What aspects of the various specialties do you find yourself attracted to? One useful, although somewhat painful method to find out which field is right for you, is to write personal statements for both fields. This sounds like a great deal of work, but you'll probably find that one personal statement is easier and more comfortable to write. In writing the other statement, you may find yourself struggling to fill the page with reasons as to why you would pursue that field.

You do not need to make the decision very early in the application process The fourth year is yours! Take the time early on during your year to do electives in areas that you have even a remote interest in. These may surprise you and uncover an interest you never knew you had. Or, they may solidify a dislike for one field of medicine. You may discover that you hate screaming children and decide not to pursue pediatrics. Or, you may find that you get a rush from running to the delivery room while on a high-risk obstetrics rotation. Take the time to figure things out for yourself. Don't stress out! The world will not come to an end if you don't know by the spring of your junior year what specialty you wish to pursue. You may decide to apply in two specialties and then use the interview process (along with visits of residency programs) to decide. Alternatively, you may take a year off from school to think about your choices more carefully (perhaps to explore research in a specialty). No matter what happens, you should always feel that you are in control and that the final decision is yours alone.