What do you want to be when you grow up? Perhaps the answer was always easy for you: “a doctor.”
Well now you’re in medical school but might still be trying to figure out what type of doctor to be. You’re certainly not alone.
You know you want to help people. Heal them. But what will that look like? Let’s take a look at what to anticipate as you figure out which medical specialty is for you.
Ideally, a decision about what to specialize in will be made by the end of the third year of medical school, because that is when students generally begin preparing residency applications. Students pick up experiences throughout medical school — whether it’s in the classroom, a volunteer activity, talking to classmates or mentors, or milestone life events — that help them make the decision.
“We want students to use their time in medical school to get exposure to all the different specialties that are out there,” says Christine Corral, PhD, director of student professional development at Rush Medical College. “At Rush, our curriculum is designed that way. You’re doing career development and career exploration activities each year of medical school.”
Every medical school is different, but here is what a typical experience might look like for a medical student at Rush:
After adjusting to the rigors of medical school, you may begin to think about how to best make use of your summer. Perhaps you have an interest in global health and want to take a service trip abroad, or you’re engaged in community health and want to volunteer locally. If you’re fascinated with research, you may use the summer to help out in a lab. Programs exist that help give you exposure to your interests while continuing to follow the curriculum.
You may also decide to take the summer off for self-care. Taking time to decompress throughout medical school will keep you refreshed and help you make a sound decision about your specialty.
You will want to update your resume with details from your summer experience. Then, there will be school-sponsored events throughout the second year that will showcase different medical specialties. Program directors, physicians and residents from various specialties at Rush University Medical Center speak at these events and answer student questions. In the meantime, you will be completing the remainder of your basic science courses.
The third year is when your choice of specialty will likely get clearer if you don’t already have your heart set on one. The third year will be entirely clinical, with students gaining exposure to the following core specialties: pediatrics, primary care, OB-GYN, internal medicine, psychiatry, surgery and neurology. You will also have a total of six weeks for elective courses.
In addition, third-year students will have more opportunities to connect with physicians from different clinics at Rush.
“When I first started med school, I thought I’d be specializing in pediatrics, but I felt like something was missing” says Jessica Chin, a fourth-year student at Rush Medical College. “Then I did a clerkship in general surgery and thought I’d absolutely hate it, but I ended up really enjoying working in the operating room and solving problems with my hands. That’s when I knew general surgery was the right path for me.”
By the start of the fourth and final year, you will hopefully have decided on a specialty and have identified residency programs to apply to. Advisers at the college will help you prepare for questions you will be asked during residency interviews, which take place from the fall to January, and work with you to learn more about your specialty through clinical rotations.
Some of the more common medical specialties include the following:
The specialties that medical students are most interested in often change from year to year, but currently some of the more popular and competitive specialties are emergency medicine, dermatology, surgery, orthopedics and psychiatry.
Make sure you really take time to pause and reflect on your experiences before making a decision. You might get so caught up in the process of choosing a specialty that you don’t listen to your inner self.
“We ask students, ‘What type of doctor do you really want to be?,’” Corral says. “Some students will get emotional and say, ‘Nobody has ever truly asked me that before.’ Let’s unpack everything you have experienced through your curriculum and other activities, and figure out what makes the most sense for you and your well-being.”
Perhaps work environment or geographical location is really important to you. Do you want to work at a major academic medical center or in a smaller, community-based setting? What type of patient do you want to work with?
“A good chunk of us in medical school end up liking something we never would have expected,” Chin says. “Do everything you can to learn about every single specialty and lean on physicians for mentorship during your clinical rotations. You never know what specialty will end up being your true calling.”
Learn more about medical education at Rush University.
Once a high schooler teaching herself sign language for fun, Kirsten Petrarca is now a third-year audiology student coordinating volunteer activities and pursuing a career helping children and families.
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Sherine E. Gabriel, MD, MSc, has received one of the highest honors in health and medicine in recognition of her leadership in research, clinical business development and educational innovation.
