Revised: Potential Career Options

I just wanted to get this out: I'm not a superhero, I'm not the one guy who knows every single answer, I'm not a super genius or some guy who spends every waking hour of his life studying.  I'm just a real, regular guy with a Japanese work ethic, no special talents or photographic memory.

Continuing on the normal human being theme: I'm pretty lost when it comes to choosing a path right now!  I'm actually pretty all over the place and doing my best to kind of come to a good, short list of specialties to consider.  

There are some things that make it hard to choose a specialty in med school:

1. You're always studying super hard during basic sciences to not just pass your exams, but excel.  And the competition just adds to the pressure to study more.  Not to mention the obsessive personalities around you.

2. Hearing that around 20% of residents change their specialty, and 15% of people who already are specialized switch out.  Maybe I over-worry, but as someone who can stand a lot of things except having a miserable time working, I want to make sure I make the right decision.

3. Everyone in Field X only has good things to say about it.  Everyone in Field Y only has good things to say about Field Y.  You'll hear Fields X and Y picking at each other, making the decision harder.  Example:  "The whole purpose of the heart is to give blood to the kidneys!"  "You really want to make a difference right then and there?  Emergency Medicine."

It's a stressful decision for sure, with a a future of applying to residency, fellowship, jobs, moving around the country and struggling to maintain proper relationships with the people you value and love.  

I'm going to try to make a decision by the end of this year (well, actually, I think I have to):

1. What feels right.  I know that sounds new age touchy feely, but I want the field to sorta feel like my home and where I belong.

2. The personalities of my team/co-workers and how well we mesh.  I find people in IM and its subspecialties (as well as pediatrics, derm, pathology, radiology) to be more available than surgeons (surgeons are default very busy because they don't only operate, they manage their patients before and after surgery, and also follow up with them in the clinic).

3. Lifestyle and job satisfaction.  I, like many others want to make a tangible difference in a short amount of time (surgery offers that) but I also want to minimize the many moments of my life thinking things like: "I've put this off for so long" or "I feel so guilty about not spending enough time with Person X or Y, I definitely have to do something about it" (surgery doesn't really offer that, I imagine).

So currently, I'm thinking a more about IM or something under it (like pulmonology+critical care), or emergency medicine.  Any medical career is hectic and busy, but some less so than others.  And like in my other post, you can potentially have a lot of say in how much you work.

I'll be back!  Happy New Year!