This one goes out to all the various Doper M.D’s and D.O’s out there…
Would you mind sharing what specialty of medicine you’re in, and how did you get You interested in that field of medicine specifically?
Can you also name somethings You really enjoy about that field, and some things to consider about it (why it may not be for everyone)?
I’d just like to learn a bit more about the different specialties of medicine, and what caused people to choose whichever they ended up going with. Especially if they chose something and didn’t like it- what changed your minds, etc.
I’ve always been told they’re very similar, but I know the association in Medical school is that “D.O.”'s are somewhat inferior- that it’s easier to get into a DO program, and that a DO is a backup program to an MD one. I’ve heard that a few times from my classmates. Though when I was considering applying to a DO Program and an MD program, I would have been happy to go into either one- though I did prefer MD programs to DO programs. But I’ve also been told that out in the “Real world” the difference is almost non-existent, and that DOs are just as qualified and competent as MDs. In fact some patients prefer DO’s because they’re considered more “friendly” or “hands on”, as it seems they may focus more on patient care and communication.
But that’s all just anecdotal data that I’ve overheard, so the straighter Dope from an actual DO would probably be better.
I’m an MD, graduated from Johns Hopkins, and I consider modern DOs to be on par with MDs. I’ve chosen DOs as my own physician in the past. We’ve done threads on the topic in the past.
Trained and boarded in the specialty of Family Medicine. Currently practice Corrections Medicine and do medical/clinical administration too.
I opted for medicine when I discovered I couldn’t be Superman. It seemed the next best thing.
I picked Family Medicine because the idea of being a generalist, useful and knowledgeable about a wide range of problems appealed to me.
It’s been good to and for me, but I’d not go into it again these days. Reimbursement is inferior, too much time is spent on paperwork rather than patient care, and too many other (nonphysicians) are telling you how to practice.
I’ll occupy my niche until I retire/die. Probably.
This is pretty much the experience I’ve had. Pre-meds and med students tend to make a big deal about DO vs. MD, but once you get into residency it is irrelevant.
Personally, I think you can tell a lot more about the quality of a doctor from where they did their residency than where they did medical school - that’s where you truly learn how to be a doc.
I’m not a doctor myself, but I once asked a colo-rectal surgeon why he chose his profession. He said, “Those Ortho docs go to parties and people are always asking, ‘Hey doc, could you take a look at this? My [enter body part] has been hurting… but I don’t get that in my line of work.”
Recently I read an interesting blog article about how to choose what medical specialty to go into. There’s a funny flow chart, a “goo index” (choose a specialty by the type/frequency of exposure to various sorts of bodily fluids), statistics on which specialties have the highest divorce rates, and other methods.
This is an interesting thread for me, as I’m a first year nursing student and people keep asking me what area I would like to work in. I have no clue so far, since I haven’t really done much yet. Maybe choosing a medical specialty is similar and this thread will give me some good ideas.
Ok…we don’t have DOs here, so I can’t comment on that.
I’m in the training programme to be a General Practitioner (family doctor, GP, whatever you want to call it).
I was going to go into O&G- I love womne’s health and the mix of surgery and medicine with clinics, as well as the chance of following the same patient from puberty, through childbearing, to menopause, appealed to me.
BUT… the idea of being in a hospital at 4am delivering babies when I might have kids of my own at home, or being sued annually, or dealing with some of the more horrendously upsetting aspects of medicine on a daily basis…
When it came down to it I chose the lifestyle of a GP because it is generally Mon-Fri 8:30-6:00, there are possibilities for flexi-time or part time down the line, the work is interesting and the patient contacts are personal and rewarding. Probably at some point I’ll go into Family Planning and Ante-natal work and play to my strengths and interests.
Areas I don’t like: Urology, Ortho, Psych, Cardiology, Geriatrics, Neuro
Areas I like: General surgery, General medicine, Emergency medicine, Paeds, O&G
I like variety, patients I can connect with and as little exposure to feet as possible ( I don’t like feet).