So, What Specialty?
As the curtain draws closer and closer to the end of medical school, one question that keeps getting asked is “what are you going to specialise in?”. On the one hand, we have various doctors trying to convince us why their chosen field is the best, while on the other hand, we are met with some doctors telling us to steer clear of so and so specialty, or even worse, some telling us to leave medicine altogether and run away from the UK while we can!
As someone who is painfully indecisive, being spoiled for choice with so many avenues sure doesn’t help. I remember starting off my first year of medical school thinking that surely by the time I get to my final year, I will know what exactly I wanted to do but, with every rotation I have experienced, there are things I have liked and disliked within every specialty. There are a few piquing my interest but, I haven’t found myself having a burning passion for a specific field.
While there are certain areas of medicine that I find very interesting such as child health, cell biology, and neurology, I have come to the realisation that my passion lies in contributing to science while adding value to people’s lives. I am willing to give myself grace and time throughout my forthcoming years as a foundation doctor to find which specialty allows me to ignite this passion while integrating my other interests of blogging, health tech and entrepreneurship. This is all still a very new and evolving journey for me but I am so excited to see what the future holds and I am happy I made the decision to take you all on this ride with me.
I say all this to say that it is OK to not have all the answers right now. As you embark on your journey, whether that is applying to medical school, or something else, speak with friends and family, people with experience, and give yourself time to think about what you want and see for your life. When the time comes to make a decision, trust your gut and know that if that doesn’t work out there is always something better on the way!
