I know everyone says you can’t pick your specialty choices before 3rd year, but it seems to me that most oldpreds stick with their premed choices.
So based on my name and avatar, my specialty is obvious. What’s your’s??
You want to be an orthopedic surgeon!?!? Hehe, J/K, that’s me. Well, at least that’s my first thought but I’m keeping an open mind and going to see how it works out. Providing, of course, that I actually make it! 
Actually family medicine wasn’t even on my radar when I started. I had internal medicine in mind, with maybe heme/onc as a specialty. Fortunately I did my FP rotation third year before my IM rotation… so when I found myself truly miserable on IM, I was able to think back to how much fun it was to do FP!
I have to confess that I wish it paid better because I work my a$$ off, but I do love what I do and I have fun every day. How many people can say that about their jobs?
Mary
That’s funny Mary, because I was just the opposite. I went into med school thinking family med would be my choice. . . and it was my first rotation. It was great! BUT when I did internal med, it seemed that every cell in my body cried out for more! more! more! I feel like I live and breathe for internal med. Can’t wait for residency!
LOL! I enjoyed, unexpectedly my FP time - it was especially enjoyable after the immense pain & drudgery of my IM time! However, I knew going in that I wanted to care for dynamic, critically ill patients & wanted to absolutely minimize my clinic/chronic care time. I had vascular surgery in mind as my destination entering my 3rd year. Entering med school, in fact - THE REASON I decided to go to med school, I was going to do either pediatric intensive care or, 2nd choice, peds cardiology.
However, as most everyone knows, I am anesthesiology/critical care & absolutely LOVE it.
So, I would beg to differ from your hypothesis that geezers tend to end up where they planned. This is further evidenced by anecdotal observation of my non-trad classmates & the MI State students I did clinical rotations with. Until you have actually worn those shoes, it is impossible to know how they will fit & pinch.
- OldManDave Said:
So, I would beg to differ from your hypothesis that geezers tend to end up where they planned.......Until you have actually worn those shoes, it is impossible to know how they will fit & pinch.
Obviously, I should have qualified that with the people I know well.
I do however strongly disagree that everyone has to go through clinical rotations to know what will and won't fit based in great part on the nontrad docs I know that stuck with their original choices. I think many, many different things come into play especially for women, such as exposure to medicine (and not just shadowing experiences).
In my case, I've known for a very long time of the kind of wife and mother I wanted to be, so I guess I'm fortunate that the field I originally choose in high school in 1984, STILL greatly interests me and is manageble for a Wife and Mom.