How does the program work for you guys in the UK? We've got internship (first year of residency) followed by at least two more years in whatever specialty we choose, but I'm sure it's a little different for you. Do you know what specialty you plan on going into?
You don't have a straight up regular medicine program? Wow! I've been vacillating between a medicine subspecialty (which would require me to complete the three year general medicine residency before choosing a fellowship), a pediatric subspecialty (again, three year residency, inclusive of a one year internship, followed by fellowship), or something more procedurally based, like ophtho or anesthesia. All I know so far is that I don't want to be in primary care, and I haven't yet had my surgery clerkship, so I'm withholding judgment until then.
At least you have a little bit more time before you have to start choosing your specialty! I start residency applications in a few months, before I'm even done with all my clerkships, and it's so incredibly daunting.
Everything's a specialty now. Probably the only real places for general medicine in secondary care are A&E (with no follow up) or paeds. I know I don't want to do surgery. I could be persuaded towards primary care, possibly, but it's not high up on my list of possibilities.
That is tough! Although I'm now choosing my program for the next year, and... I have no idea how I'm going to choose between the rotations.
Ah, emergency medicine. You know, the only advantage I've ever seen to working in the ER is that you don't have to remember patients' names for longer than a few hours, at most. XD
I like what I've seen of surgery, except for the hours. There's something deeply wrong about rounds starting before sunrise, you know? The other thing with surgery is that it depends on my hand-eye coordination, and I won't know how much of that I have naturally until I get a chance to try it myself, you know? I always have difficulty choosing between electives and rotations too, so don't worry, you're not alone.
Ahaha. That advantage is a pretty big one though! (I actually really enjoyed my times in A&E. I just can't see myself keeping up with the pace for the rest of my working life though.)
843 options! It's just cruel. Though at least I can send everything with cardiology, urology, ophthalmology and geriatrics to the bottom of the list... which gives me a start.
That's the thing about choosing a specialty -- as much as I like it right now, I have to think about whether I can still handle it ten, twenty years down the line, and having to think that far in advance is pretty painful.
843 options is cruel, though I admit that I use the "what I will never, ever do, not even if you pay me" approach to choosing electives myself.
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(Oh my god now I have to pass finals what do I do?)
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I'm... still undecided. We don't really have general internal medicine any more, which is what I'd probably like best.
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At least you have a little bit more time before you have to start choosing your specialty! I start residency applications in a few months, before I'm even done with all my clerkships, and it's so incredibly daunting.
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That is tough! Although I'm now choosing my program for the next year, and... I have no idea how I'm going to choose between the rotations.
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I like what I've seen of surgery, except for the hours. There's something deeply wrong about rounds starting before sunrise, you know? The other thing with surgery is that it depends on my hand-eye coordination, and I won't know how much of that I have naturally until I get a chance to try it myself, you know? I always have difficulty choosing between electives and rotations too, so don't worry, you're not alone.
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843 options! It's just cruel. Though at least I can send everything with cardiology, urology, ophthalmology and geriatrics to the bottom of the list... which gives me a start.
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843 options is cruel, though I admit that I use the "what I will never, ever do, not even if you pay me" approach to choosing electives myself.
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Unfortunately, my list of things I really hate is pretty small. So. *puts nose to the grindstone*