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AAEM/RSA Medical Student Council President '13-'14
Originally published: Common Sense January/February 2013
Aside from intern year, the third year of medical school is traditionally considered one of the most formative experiences in a physician’s life. Suddenly, we’re propelled from passively sitting in a lecture hall to thinking on our feet. Our thought process now has the potential to impact how we care for a patient, rather than just how we answer an exam question. Just as we impact the lives of patients, patients also impact us in powerful ways. We begin to make decisions about the future of our medical careers, ruling out certain specialties and exploring others further. As we navigate these new challenges, we gain an increasingly keen sense of self-awareness. Our strengths and weaknesses stare us straight in the eyes, whether we realize them through self-reflection, hear about them from one of our senior colleagues, or experience some combination of the two. We start to contemplate our life goals and our requirements for happiness and well-being. By the time we’re fourth years, we’re expected to have decided upon an area of medicine after a whirlwind of speed-dating with different specialties.
While many students enter medical school with some idea as to their future specialty, studies have shown that the majority of students change their minds. I entered my M1 year with a passion for emergency medicine that has only continued to grow as I’ve gained more clinical experience. Entering medical school with relative confidence in the area of medicine you wish to practice has its advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, you can direct your efforts toward a concrete goal. You can lay the foundation for pursuing a career in a given area of medicine early in your training. You can participate in activities and opportunities that prepare you well. You can find the right mentors. On the other hand, you may fail to consider all of the exciting possibilities for your career, thereby prematurely closing your mind to an area of medicine that you might otherwise have loved. Your bias toward one specialty may cloud your judgment of whether or not you actually fit well into its culture. You may even disregard the importance of a clerkship because you think it won’t ultimately be relevant to the type of medicine you plan to practice, thereby cheating yourself of a fulfilling and valuable experience.
