Doctors/Medical students, what do you want to specialise in and why?

Prospective Medical Student hoping to go into GP or Cardiothoracic Surgery. GP because it's more laid back than other specialties and Cardiothoracic surgery because I find the heart and the mechanisms and heart surgery interesting. Both are kind of opposite ends of the "how chilled your specialty is" scale though!

(edited 8 years ago)

Oncologist -

Original post by Marathi

Pretty much my standpoint atm too. Although areas of orthopaedics seem quite interesting too.

I start as a HCA in an ortho department next week. Surgery does interest me, but I'm put off by the apparent work-life imbalance. I'm sure I'll find out soon how much of a life the surgeons actually have!

Reply 83

Marathi

12

Original post by liam__

I start as a HCA in an ortho department next week. Surgery does interest me, but I'm put off by the apparent work-life imbalance. I'm sure I'll find out soon how much of a life the surgeons actually have!

Hehe, we send plenty of patients your way! I work as a HCA on a Surgical Assessment Ward (SAU) so we deal with GP/clinic/A+E referrals, then send them on to more specialised wards.

Unfortunately the ward is closing at the end of the year and I've got to decide where to go from:
Vascular (interesting to me medically, but a lot of dementia)
Urology (quick turnaround similar to what I experience now, and probably where all the ?appendix will get sent to)
Upper GI
Colo-rectal (a definite no-no due to staff)

Orthopaedics has some nice variety, but unfortunately you'll get the dementia patients who will want to walk home despite having a NOF fracture, or something similar. It's all a great learning experience for the future. I'm going to try and get my band 3 soon (hopefully when we move), but only been on the job 6 months.

I assume you're going in as band 2?

Reply 84

Boredomstrikes

12

Why are there so few number of people wanting to be a psychiatrist?

Reply 85

RagaZ

16

to focused/scared of the 6 years of med school to even start considering specialities!

i lie...Paediatrics...or maybe join the Navy as a Doctor!

Reply 86

qwerty123A

OP

14

Original post by navarre

Medical Ophthalmology appeals to me on so many levels. Failing that, maybe something like Acute Internal Medicine? I'm fairly set on medicine, but general practice also has its appeal. I'm quite against the idea of surgery, however, my experiences of which so far have bored me.

I've just complete a two weeks paediatrics placement, and that was great fun.

Are you a medical student btw?

Reply 87

Marathi

12

Original post by tania<3

So much variety, people will come to you with all kinds of different issues, you really build up rapport over time with families, you stay put in one place rather than running around all over the place as you would in a hospital, and I just like the idea of being a "gatekeeper" to the NHS

Don't you worry about how GP's seem to be 'responsible' for everything? At least that is the impression I always receive.

Reply 88

phdparker

1

paediatrics because I actually like working with children.

Reply 89

DrAdrenaline

14

Emergency Medicine because it's what first got me into medicine.
or neurology and defiantly some kind of research.

Reply 90

liam__

7

Original post by Marathi

Hehe, we send plenty of patients your way! I work as a HCA on a Surgical Assessment Ward (SAU) so we deal with GP/clinic/A+E referrals, then send them on to more specialised wards.

Unfortunately the ward is closing at the end of the year and I've got to decide where to go from:
Vascular (interesting to me medically, but a lot of dementia)
Urology (quick turnaround similar to what I experience now, and probably where all the ?appendix will get sent to)
Upper GI
Colo-rectal (a definite no-no due to staff)

Orthopaedics has some nice variety, but unfortunately you'll get the dementia patients who will want to walk home despite having a NOF fracture, or something similar. It's all a great learning experience for the future. I'm going to try and get my band 3 soon (hopefully when we move), but only been on the job 6 months.

I assume you're going in as band 2?

Yup band 2.

I did some shadowing on a GI ward; it's a strange mix of alcoholics and yellow people! Seriously though, it was very interesting and there was lots of procedures to see (biopsies, endoscopy, ascites drainage etc).

Reply 91

Marathi

12

Original post by liam__

Yup band 2.

I did some shadowing on a GI ward; it's a strange mix of alcoholics and yellow people! Seriously though, it was very interesting and there was lots of procedures to see (biopsies, endoscopy, ascites drainage etc).

Great, the sisters on my ward and other staff nurses are awesome, they know I want to go into medicine and invite me to chaperone or put me forward to chaperone doctors when they can. Then I can ask lots of questions and see more interesting clinical activity!

Reply 92

navarre

20

Original post by qwerty123A

Are you a medical student btw?

Yep.

Reply 93

Rose Parton

1

What's the difference between Trauma and Orthopaedics and Emergency medicine?

Reply 94

username2191987

15

Can anyone explain why people go into proctology? Who wants to be a butt doctor, and why?

Reply 95

Democracy

20

Original post by Rose Parton

What's the difference between Trauma and Orthopaedics and Emergency medicine?

Well in a nutshell:

Emergency medicine - all patients who present to the emergency department with (theoretically) acute conditions i.e. sudden onset. Encompasses the whole breadth of general medicine, surgery, psychiatry, O&G, paediatrics, etc. Patients are either treated there and then, admitted to a relevant ward in the hospital for further treatment or investigation, or sent home to see their GP/other healthcare provider.

T&O - the branch of surgery related to the musculoskeletal system. Trauma surgery is a bit of a vague term in this country - someone who's sustained abdominal injuries following an accident and needs an operation wouldn't be operated on by an orthopod as that's not a musculoskeletal issue. The majority of emergency surgery is typically carried out by general surgeons.

So, when a little old lady falls over and fractures her hip, she is initially taken by ambulance to A&E. The emergency department look her over, do the initial investigations, identify the fracture, stabilise her/resuscitate as necessary and refer her to ortho. Ortho come down, review what the A&E team have done, then take her for the necessary operation and keep her on the ortho ward until she's fit for discharge.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 96

qwerty123A

OP

14

Original post by navarre

Yep.

Oh okay

. I know this is irrelevant but, in my head, i read what you say with Lord Baelish's voice LOL

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 97

Beska

21

Original post by Canterbury bloke

Can anyone explain why people go into proctology? Who wants to be a butt doctor, and why?

Even though this is likely the worst attempt at trolling I've seen in maybe three or four years: proctology isn't a specialty in the UK, it's called gastroenterology, and it's a practical, mix of chronic and acute patients, major organ system, research, etc.

Reply 98

Asklepios

19

Original post by Beska

Even though this is likely the worst attempt at trolling I've seen in maybe three or four years: proctology isn't a specialty in the UK, it's called gastroenterology, and it's a practical, mix of chronic and acute patients, major organ system, research, etc.