Climate in Diagnostic Radiology

[NeuroD]

9 hours ago, Edict said:

I think the interest in everything fades over time as it becomes less novel, but I think comparatively, your interest in a specialty you like in clerkship is likely higher than your interest in a specialty you didn't like as much at the same time point. 

But why? That assumes that in clerkship you got an accurate picture of what your future would be like in that speciality vs a bunch of other specialities....which I don't think really happens in clerkship. Perhaps you get a better idea on longer blocks like CTU and gen surg, but even that is limited, and there's plenty of underexposed specialties.

I'm pessimistic (realistic?) on the predictive value of clerkship interest/disinterest.

[NeuroD]

15 hours ago, Lactic Folly said:

Given the scope of medical knowledge in each specialty, and the many pathways for growth, variety, and challenge in a medical career, that's essentially the same question as asking whether you would still be interested in medicine in 50 years. 

Kind of, but not really. Yes there's plenty of sub-specialties in psych, or physiatry, but your never going to get to scope, and an orthopod isn't going to spend her days helping someone manage chronic lifestyle factors. There are some hard lines (some harder than others), and I don't believe clerkship is an effective way to determine which side of those lines you want to be on (at least the finer ones). 

[Lactic Folly]

No, and that's why I don't recommend waiting until clerkship to decide on a specialty choice, or relying too much on clerkship rotations. I had things narrowed down through research, reading, reflection, observerships and preclerkship electives (valuable for informational interview- like interactions) before the start of 3rd year.