Anesthesiologist or orthopedic surgeon.
The former because in my job, I work with anesthesia in a couple unique ways (I do maintenance on anesthesia machines, and I monitor anesthesia gas exposure to the OR staff.) In the process of learning about those, I’ve gotten to know about anesthesia and anesthesia providers and it’s all very interesting.
The latter because I originally studied biomechanics in college, so the whole muscular-skeletal system is fascinating to me.
You have OBVIOUSLY never spent any time in a vet clinic. As I told someone about my transition to human medicine, when someone yells at me while my patient tries to rip my hand off and sprays shit everywhere, it will now be an extraordinarily bad day rather than, ya know, a day that ends in Y.
This is a decision which I have to make sometimes in the next 4 to 6 months or so. I’m thinking emergency, internal, or family medicine, but I really have no idea.
As a pathologist, I can tell you that solo pathologists (an increasingly rare bird) are on call 100% of the time unless they have arranged alternate coverage with someone else.
As a hospital-based surgical pathologist in a group practice, I am on call on average every third day/night and on weekends (covering several hospitals) every two months or so. Late frozen sections (as late as 10 pm or sometimes later) for the on-call person are common.
Call is not as onerous as in many other specialties, but it’s not like pathologists all go home at 5 pm every day.
As far as autopsies go, most surgical (i.e. non-forensic) pathologists do autopsies, but it’s a very small part of modern practice (unless you’re one of those academic pathologists who supervises an autopsy service). Autopsies are generally not a planned part of your daily routine, so if you’re up for one in the rotation, you generally stay late getting it done (it typically takes a couple hours or so).
There are good and bad things about pathology, but no one avoids call.
I can’t say any kind of medical work held much appeal to me so probably one that provided the least amout of rigorous, intimate examination. Anesthesiologist, perhaps?
Toxicologist
Gynecologist.
What?
I’ve always thought I would be a great surgeon, if I could get over the whole innards thing. I’m very good at small, titchy things - I love cross stitch and putting tiny things together and such.
Frankenstein.
<pulls switch> <BZZZAPP!>
"It’s ALIVE! Mwhahahaha!"
I’d also say pathologist. It’s an idea I’ve toyed with in the past, when I started applying to grad schools and realized that I had all of the pre-med requirements. It’s also the specialty that’s most similar to the academic research I’ve done. I haven’t done much histology, but otherwise I’ve spent a lot of time analyzing cells or animals under a microscope.
I always figured that being a Plastic Surgeon would be the go - no one rings up in the middle of the night asking for an urgent nose job.
However a Plastic Surgeon moved in across from me a few years ago. I told him that it seemed a great speciality to choose - no late night calls. He told me that every weekend he was called out repeatedly to fix the results of drunken fights - repairing the fists of the hitters and the faces of the hittees.
If anything, this branch of medicine is the most customer service intensive.
I’d be an internist, specifically an academic one.
As luck would have it, that’s what I am!
Neurologist, because the brain fascinates me, and I don’t have the manual dexterity to be any kind of surgeon.
Alternately, a dermatologist. They have regular office hours, no weekends/holidays/4am calls and I would assume a lower risk of malpractice than other fields.
I almost wish I could go back and redo college to go into medicine instead of teaching. I was far, far too distracted when I went to college. At 30, I’ve settled down enough that I could dedicate myself to any path if I had the financial means. Unfortunately, being a teacher and having one kid (with number two due in five months) means that I can’t afford that.
If I could do it all over again, I’d become an orthopedic surgeon. It’s just fascinating to me the way that our skeletal system is put together. I can handle the blood and guts and smells; I just don’t have the money to pursue this. If I hit the lottery in the next five years, I’d go back, take all the pre-med stuff I need, and try to pursue this path.
[Barry White voice]A looove doctor.[/BWV]
Seriously, a psychologist/psychiatrist. I had a real knack for the subject matter in college. If it hadn’t been for Vietnam, I’d have completed a degree in it.
Depends-if I could make a decent living at it I’d be an Internist (which incidentally, I am). Otherwise, I’m thinking Dermatology.
Back when I was a teenager and struggling with the eternal question of “what shall I do with my life” I thought long and hard about becoming a naturopathic physician. Yes, I know there’s an element of quackery there…I knew it even then, but the esoterica of holistic healing - of secret herbs & potions - held a strong appeal. Also, we had a family friend who was a naturopath. I don’t know if he ever actually cured anyone of anything, but he was one of the most colorful and likeable characters I ever met. Great bedside manner, which probably did his patients more good than anything else he did.
On a more relevant note, I’ve always loved animals and seem to deal with them pretty well. I’d probably have made a good veterenarian.
SS
Coroner because there’s very little backtalk from the patients.
Medical examiner. I’m very much not a people person but I’d be devestated if I ended up maiming or killing a patient, so…dead folks it is. If I screw up there, they’re not going to get deader.