The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Medical Specialty, Fourth Edition / Edition 4

by Brian Freeman

Overview

THE BOOK ALL MEDICAL STUDENTS SHOULD READ BEFORE THEY CHOOSE A MEDICAL SPECIALTY!


A true “must read” for medical students who have not yet selected a specialty, this acclaimed resource delivers a well-researched insider’s look into the complex issues surrounding this important decision. Supported by first-hand knowledge, useful facts and statistics – plus the author’s personal experience and gut-level reports from current students – this unique guide provides everything necessary to compare specialties and make a confident decision.


The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Medical Specialty, Fourth Edition is divided into two sections: Part 1 Planning Your Medical Career, delves into the main issues surrounding the choice of your medical specialty. These 12 chapters provide everything you need to begin making this major decision – from how to research each specialty to how to apply for residency. Part 2 Specialty Profiles, features chapters devoted to the 21 major specialties, and provides important information such as salary, employment data, and match statistics.


FEATURES:


• An “insider’s look” into different areas of medicine—with specialty chapters written by physicians just out of residency training
• Profiles of the major medical specialties, including those to which medical students may receive little exposure, such as radiation oncology
• A concise up-to-date guide to the residency application and matching process
• A special chapter with explicit advice to help medical students maximize their success in obtaining a residency position in each field
• Special inserts—“Vital Signs” and “The Inside Scoop”—provide easy-to-read factoids like salary information and match statistics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781260019506
Publisher:	McGraw Hill LLC
Publication date:	12/12/2018
Pages:	544
Sales rank:	755,706
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Brian S. Freeman, MD Associate Professor and Program Director, Department of Anesthesiology, Georgetown University Hospital.

Table of Contents

Contributors xi

Preface xvii

Part I Planning Your Medical Career

1 Choosing a Specialty: The Most Difficult Decision of Your Career 3

2 The Specialization of Medicine 15

3 Ten Factors to Consider in Specialty Selection 25

4 Personality Assessment: Are You My Type? 39

5 Finding the Perfect Specialty 51

6 Special Considerations for Women 65

7 Combined Residency Programs 77

8 Options for the Undecided Medical Student 87

9 Applying for Residency: An Overview of the Match Process 93

10 Love and Medicine: The Couples Match 115

11 Top Secret! The Ultimate Guide to a Successful Match 125

12 Your Medical Career Beyond Residency 145

Part 2 Specialty Profiles

13 Anesthesiology Brian S. Freeman 159

14 Dermatology Amy J. Derick 177

15 Emergency Medicine Jeremy Graff 189

16 Family Medicine Michael Mendoza Zoe Gravitz 207

17 General Surgery Ashish Raju 225

18 Internal Medicine Jennifer Tong Ian Tong 241

19 Interventional Radiology Charles Hyman Maggie Chung 263

20 Neurology Tomasz Zabiega 279

21 Neurosurgery Kiarash Shahlaie 293

22 Obstetrics and Gynecology Kelly Oberia Elmore 311

23 Ophthalmology Andrew Schwartz 325

24 Orthopedic Surgery John C. Langland 339

25 Otolaryngology Arjun Joshi Neil Tanna 351

26 Pathology Lisa Yerian Ed Reineks 365

27 Pediatrics Aaron J. Miller 383

28 Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Vicki Anderson 401

29 Plastic Surgery Gregory H. Borschel 419

30 Psychiatry Lindsay Lebin Kathleen Ang-Lee 433

31 Radiation Oncology Stephanie E. Weiss 455

32 Radiology Derek Fimmen 471

33 Urology Jane Lewis Benjamin Marsh 485

Index 499

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Jessica O'Neil, BA (Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine)
Description: This is the fourth edition of a guide to help medical students select their future medical specialty. The third edition was published in 2003.
Purpose: The purpose is to provide a written resource to help medical students with the difficult career decision of selecting a medical specialty. This is a worthy objective given the societal need for well-trained, high-performing physicians, the rising rate of physician workplace dissatisfaction, and the high average indebtedness of medical school graduates. This book meets the objective by providing a clear set of variables that medical students should weigh in their decision-making process and an accounting of those variables in each medical specialty.
Audience: The intended audience is premedical students, medical students, medical residents who are considering changing specialties, and medical school guidance counselors. Each of these groups can find valuable insights into the daily work experience of a variety of medical specialties with this book. Each chapter is written by one or more physicians in the relevant medical specialty to provide first-hand knowledge of the positive and negative attributes of the specialty.
Features: The book starts by offering a framework of variables for students to consider as they are approaching their decision and a high-level overview of the match process with consideration for special situations like couples matching. The book then transitions to a systematic review of each specialty. The authors recognize and empathize with the burden that medical students face when trying to make this important decision while also providing a helpful approach to consider. The book would be improved by the addition of more charts or pictures to break up the text and help students visualize concepts and timelines discussed in the first few chapters.
Assessment: This book presents a valuable and realistic approach to an important decision in each medical student's career. It is a great introduction to the variety of paths available to future physicians and provides students foundational information that will aid them as they prepare for the match. This updated edition incorporates specialties not included in previous editions and takes into account modern changes to the healthcare system that impact the roles of today's physician workforce.

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