Postgraduate Medical - Page 7
be presented to the program director and would
suggest a more meaningful interest. Try
to leave a positive and memorable impression on
your interviewer.
Sample the Residency
The best way to evaluate a program is to spend a
senior year rotation at the hospital in
which you might consider doing your residency.
When this is not feasible, you may be
able to spend a day as an observer with
residents, following them on rounds (if possible,
dressed in whites). First-hand observation on
the wards and in the clinics will provide a
good window to assess the value of the program.
Questioning residents is useful.
Present a Team Player Image
The residency is quite different from medical
school; therefore, it is desirable to leave
an impression that you can make the transition
from working independently to being
part of a team. Projecting the sense that you
will fit well into the existing team will
enhance your chance of securing the residency
appointment you are interested in.
Be Yourself
While making a strong effort to project a
favorable image, you should also strive to be
sure that it is a realistic one. You must
balance your desire to get the appointment with a
candid assessment of whether the position will
fill your own needs. When you leave the
interview, you should go away with a positive
feeling that this is the place you would
like to spend the next several years training,
to attain the proficiency you will require in
order to succeed in your
profession.
MEDICAL SPECIALTIES
One of medicine's attractions is the numerous
and wide variety of career options it
offers. These options range from allergy to
women's health, and incorporate an intense
work style, from emergency or critical care
medicine to a more dispassionate approach
such as psychiatry. Medicine may involve
actively seeing patients or dealing primarily
with one's peers (pathology or radiology). A
practice can require superior manipulative
skills such as surgery or primarily diagnosis
and prescribing medications (family prac-
tice) or both (urology). Because of this
disparity of options, individuals having a broad
range of interests, talents, and personalities
can usually find an appropriate outlet for
them.
Once you succeed in getting into medical
school, within the span of a little more
than two years you will be faced with the
challenge of selecting a residency. Competi-
tion for appointments varies depending on the
area in question.
The characteristics of the common specialties
are identified in Table 12.1 and will
be elaborated upon somewhat below so as to
familiarize prospective medical students
with the array of choices they face. Details
can be obtained from the specialty organiza-
tions whose addresses and Web sites are given
in Appendix D.
Allergy and Immunology. This is a subspecialty of both pediatrics and internal
medi-
cine. It is concerned with the diagnosis and
treatment of allergic, asthmatic, and
immunologic diseases. Patients are seen largely
by referral. This is largely an office-
based practice with few night calls. Practices
are located primarily in metropolitan
areas. Although there is competition from
nonspecialists, opportunities are increasing.
Contact Organization: American Academy of
Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.
Anesthesiology. Specialists in this area are qualified to provide general or
regional
anesthesia during a variety of procedures.
These include both surgical and diagnostic as
well as obstetric activities. They may also be
involved in critical care and pain manage-
ment. This is largely a hospital-based
practice, but some specialists may be involved in
office-based activities when some routine
procedures need to be performed (endo-
scopies). Night call is common for
hospital-affiliated specialists.
Contact Organization: American Society of
Anesthesiologists.
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