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“So, which specialty are you going into?” is the most popular question final-year medical students get asked. The types of students answering this question can be divided into three categories. Firstly, students who reply instantly with one specialty that they have fallen in love with. Secondly, students who are confused between two different specialties. Thirdly, students who like multiple specialties but are not in love with any particular one. I belong to the third group. In my opinion, this question is a double-edged sword. If you reply with a certain specialty, the following conversation is usually about either how hard your life will be in that specialty or how you will not be viewed as a “real doctor” or my personal favourite a perplexed “really?” Not answering the question with one specialty makes you feel dumb because after almost six years of medicine and several months of rotations, how can you not know which specialty you will be dedicating the rest of your life to?! I dread this question because it is almost as if once I pick a specific specialty to answer it with that is it. I have to stick to it. There is no going back.
Rotating through different specialties and trying to figure out which fits you the best is almost like picking the right running shoes. Some are too loose, some are too tight, but one seems to fit better than the rest. But it is only after purchasing and running a mile in those shoes you will know if you made the right choice. So many factors go into why some students lean towards a specialty. You might just end up being in a certain specialty because the department at the hospital is friendly, the doctors are enthusiastic about teaching or the residents are helpful. It could also be as simple as not having to stand outside the patient’s room every day struggling to tell the consultant all the causes of hyponatremia. We have all been there! Witnessing students add or cross off specialties from their list of potentials solely based on how their team treated them during the rotations was always comical to me. These doctors were completely unaware of the impact that they, consciously or subconsciously, ended up having on what seems like the biggest decision of our professional lives. A decision that could completely change what our lives look like from this point onwards. It is not simply a question of do I like this specialty or not. It is about if I have a chance of getting into that specialty, do they have a good residency program, do they have good fellowships, and is the specialty exciting enough to keep my love for medicine alive while at the same time not take over my entire life?
ROAD: Radiology, Ophthalmology, Anaesthesia, and Dermatology. I like to refer to them as the “hidden specialties” because as medical students we do not get to experience them as much as other specialties. My first exposure to anaesthesia was during a workshop on airway management. The stations were fun, and the doctors were friendly and educational. But what stood out to me was a final-year anaesthesia resident who was so eagerly and passionately teaching us the clinical indications of a laryngeal mask on a random Tuesday at 8 am. I remember thinking that is how enthusiastic I want to be as a resident about my field. Since that day, I had anaesthesia on my radar. Two years and one clinical elective later, I think it is safe to say that I enjoy anaesthesia and am strongly considering it as a residency.
“So, which specialty are you going into?” Three months away from residency applications, I still do not have a 100% answer. From what I have heard, most people do not know until the last moment. Nonetheless, what I learned this year is to start exploring different specialties as much and as early as you can, ask residents about the residency programs and their schedules, make a pros and cons list as you rotate through different specialties, and ask yourself if you can work in that specialty every single day. I wish I had golden advice for someone going through the same struggles or a “how to pick a specialty 101” guide, but I do not. What I do know is you will end up wherever you are meant to end up.
Date of last update: August 22, 2024
