With so many things to consider, making a final decision to choose a medical speciality can be tough. The decision you make about your medical specialty should be influenced by where you want to be in your professional and personal life in the future.
What you decide depends on your personality and skills, how much responsibility and commitment you want to take on, and what you can see yourself doing in the future. We’ve compiled a list of helpful hints to guide you through the decision-making process.
Tips to choosing a medical speciality in 2022 UK
Take interest into account
This tip may appear obvious and unworthy of discussion at first glance. You’d be surprised how often it’s overlooked! Remember that the medical specialty you choose will have a significant impact on your future.
Take some time to think about your clinical interests. Which topics sparked your interest in learning more throughout medical school? Was there a particular rotation where you not only thrived but also had fun? The choice is yours, but it should not be taken lightly. Spend time and energy reflecting so that you can make the best decision possible.
Research your options thoroughly
This includes researching your options thoroughly and consulting all available sources of career advice. Speak to a practitioner in the field for advice, consult postgraduate deaneries for advice, and browse well for the right one. Check out Specialty training opportunities in the UK for more information.
Consider options that will fit your lifestyle
Before choosing a medical specialty, you need to consider options that will fit your lifestyles, such as flexible training and working hours. Take into account the on-call commitment for various specialties.
Consider your life experiences and goals, and where they might lead you. Work thoroughly on whether the job is allowing you to strike the right balance between your personal and professional lives.
Maintain an open mind
Only 26.1% of medical students are interested in the same specialty at the end of their studies as they were at the start!
Whether you entered medical school with a specific specialty in mind or not, you will most likely change your mind at some point. Consider where you were prior to beginning your undergraduate studies.
You may have entered your program with specific goals in mind, such as the field you wanted to study and the career path you wanted to take, but did you leave with the same interests? What you learned in both your courses and in life may have prompted you to reconsider. You may have changed as a person and will most likely continue to change.
Consider the everyday
No matter how fascinating the case of a patient like this may be, keep in mind that it is unlikely that you would experience that level of stimulation every day. It is a good idea to consider the routine tasks and processes associated with your chosen specialty because they more accurately represent how the majority of your career will be spent.
Can you see yourself carrying out those duties every day without getting worn out? Do you envision yourself happily completing those tasks every day? Even though you won’t know for sure until you put those things into practise every day, you can prevent the significant disappointment that comes with making a decision based solely on what you find attractive.
Choose your level of involvement with your patients
There are still differences in the level of patient interaction among medical specialties, despite the fact that patient-centered care is the norm in the majority of healthcare systems in the Global North.
Take a radiologist, for instance. Yes, a lot of radiology specialists do consult with patients, but they also spend a lot of time looking over images like X-rays and ultrasounds. In many cases, radiologists are part of a complete care team and communicate their interpretation of the images to other doctors who are in charge of informing the patient of the results and developing suitable treatment plans.
A family medicine specialist, on the other hand, is very involved with his or her patients. Family medicine practitioners not only see more patients.
You must be honest with yourself about how involved with patients you would like to be because the level of daily interaction you desire with patients is a matter of personal preference.
Environment at Work
Choose a location for your practise. We don’t mean your physical location when we say “where you want to practise.” Numerous locations offer residency programmes for various specialties. Instead, consider the type of workplace that appeals to you.
Would you be energised or worn out by a busy emergency room? Do you like the cosy atmosphere of a small family medicine office? Can you picture yourself performing morning surgeries every day in the operating room? Your sense of job satisfaction and enjoyment can be significantly influenced by your working environment.
A dermatologist will spend the majority of their time in an outpatient clinic, though they may occasionally perform surgical procedures. A brain surgeon will indeed spend a considerable amount of time in a hospital operating room. Spend some time considering which workplace would suit you the most.
Obtain significant clinical experience in the fields of study you are interested in
Even if your clinical rotations in medical school gave you exposure to the specialties you’re interested in, look for additional clinical opportunities. To gain enough exposure to the field, try to shadow a few doctors who specialise in your area(s) of interest.
Attend talks given by doctors who specialise in your preferred field, read up on current issues within that field, and learn as much as you can about it so you can make an informed choice.
These clinical experiences in various specialties can frequently help you identify the ones in which you have no interest, which is also valuable. Eliminating specialties that don’t interest you is a necessary step in choosing the one you want to pursue!
Be truthful to yourself
Assessing the strength of your application also involves being honest with yourself. The quality of your application materials, your residency personal statement, your board scores, your letters of recommendation, and the standing of your medical school are just a few of the variables that affect how strong your application is.
A certain level of self-awareness and being realistic about the level of competition for a particular specialty are necessary to determine whether you are a competitive applicant.
Last but not least, the most important thing to remember when deciding on a medical specialty is that you do not have to make a decision right away.
Take the time to gather information by consulting senior doctors in areas of interest, seeking direct experience, and determining what you want from a career. Utilize the wealth of information provided by senior colleagues as well as the numerous crowd-sourced online platforms.
Keep in mind that specialised training is not a one-way ticket. It is perfectly acceptable to change your mind after receiving new information or experiencing a change in life circumstances.
Everyone has different priorities and preferences. Choose what is best for you and that will provide you with the most long-term fulfilment! Our JP Medicals Team wishes you all the good luck!