Hillary Posted July 24, 2007 Report Share Posted July 24, 2007 Hi What would be a good specialty for someone who realizes in clerkship that he/she is not good at working with people, especially colleagues!? I have gotten this far as a reader and academic, my nose always in a book, never taking part in any social activities. Now I find myself quite uncomfortable in clerkship where I am forced to interact with small teams. I prefer to work alone or one on one with a patient. I don't think I could stand even fm where the office requires a nurse and secretary. I am fiercely independent and like to set my own rules and hours. Changing my personality is not a option, as I am told that even as a baby I would avoid hugging and interacting with people, preferring to crawl into my own little hiding spots or explore on my own! I am leaning towards academic community med, where a lot of time is spent on a thesis. Any other suggestions? Thanks Hillary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMmd Posted July 24, 2007 Report Share Posted July 24, 2007 HiWhat would be a good specialty for someone who realizes in clerkship that he/she is not good at working with people, especially colleagues!? I have gotten this far as a reader and academic, my nose always in a book, never taking part in any social activities. Now I find myself quite uncomfortable in clerkship where I am forced to interact with small teams. I prefer to work alone or one on one with a patient. I don't think I could stand even fm where the office requires a nurse and secretary. I am fiercely independent and like to set my own rules and hours. Changing my personality is not a option, as I am told that even as a baby I would avoid hugging and interacting with people, preferring to crawl into my own little hiding spots or explore on my own! I am leaning towards academic community med, where a lot of time is spent on a thesis. Any other suggestions? Thanks Hillary a pathologist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz Posted July 24, 2007 Report Share Posted July 24, 2007 No, not pathology. Pathologists have a lot of people contact, communicating w/ other physcians, managing labs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agregson Posted July 25, 2007 Report Share Posted July 25, 2007 Perhaps radiology...although you do have to talk to colleagues about results pretty regularly you spend a good portion of your day alone reading films etc. Some patient contact if it is important to you with fluoro, interventional etc. And of course the other thing that comes to mind is anaesthesia...you spend your days in the OR so there are people around, but many anaesthetists are pretty quiet and don't spend a lot of time talking with the other OR staff and most of the time your patient is asleep! I think that most of the residency for anaesthesia is one-on-one teaching. There are areas of anaesthesia like pain medicine service where you spend more time with patients who are awake of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skblue Posted July 25, 2007 Report Share Posted July 25, 2007 Hillary, Your level of honesty and insight is refreshing and will carry you far. You are probably not as 'inept' as you think--- those people don't tend to have much insight. I think your own suggestion is the best. Have you thought of planning some electives in community meds, or talking to someone who practices it at your school or even your local medical officer of health? You might find a kindred spirit of sorts. That could go a long way in making you feel less isolated. Also, what about some of the other lesser-known academic-oriented specialties out there: medical microbiology, medical biochemistry, occupational medicine, etc. Take a look through the descriptions of these specialties by navigating through rcpsc.medical.org, 'Information by Specialty.' The previous posters are right about the problems with trying for path or rads. Pathologists need to have a team approach, both with their techs and with other physicians on tumour boards. Radiologists face a daily endless parade of physicians and house staff through their reading room. Path and rads are what people instantly think of when they consider fields that involve less interpersonal interaction, but that is becoming increasingly untrue as medicine becomes increasingly reliant on teamwork and communication between clinical and diagnostic specialties. Not only would you have to interact with lots of people (and be evaluated on your ability to do so), but they'll all be people you seem to be trying to avoid--- other health professionals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMmd Posted July 25, 2007 Report Share Posted July 25, 2007 No, not pathology. Pathologists have a lot of people contact, communicating w/ other physcians, managing labs. I was thinking of a coroner type of thing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unknown user 7 Posted July 25, 2007 Report Share Posted July 25, 2007 I think I would go with radiology, like Agregson mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Cave Posted July 25, 2007 Report Share Posted July 25, 2007 Hillary, Being uncomfortable is not something that should always be avoided, it's often a sign that you are pushing your boundaries and experiencing an opportunity for personal growth. You might even find that once you work through the discomfort you actually enjoy collaboration and being part of a team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyleh Posted July 25, 2007 Report Share Posted July 25, 2007 In radiology you are still interacting with x-ray techs, mammo techs, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
up doc Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 I agree with Dr. Cave, medicine is all about pushing your own boundaries as throughout school you are continually pushed to grow as a person. You may find that if you can tough out your team situations right now, that your comfort level may increase! But then again some people just don't really enjoy the busy ward type of atmosphere, which is also fine. In that case, if you have any interest in radiology, it could be an option? cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crackers Posted August 5, 2007 Report Share Posted August 5, 2007 Being fiercely independent and being a medical practitioner are almost mutually exclusive. The point is to help people and interact with them to sort out their needs and ailments. The positions that are most removed from patient contact are (in no particular order) Pathology --- you and your microscope slides, working with techs occasionally, writing reports when completed. Very few people will go to the pathology lab to ask additional questions (some do); it can be quite isolated. Radiology (not interventional) --- setups occur when physicians read X-rays/CT/MRI from halfway around the world, and never see the patients (taking advantage of time-zone differences); people will often come talk to radiologists for interpretations, ask specific questions, find out when a certain scan can be done. Medical microbiology and infection control --- usually an MD (it helps), works on samples/isolates/specimens. Tends to run like a microbiology lab. Academic community medicine or epidemiology can be run from an office, but often you have colleagues; doing collaborations on line often occurs, however. Working nights (and being happy working nights) increases the demand for your skills, and will reduce the number of people you have to interact with, but it's never zero. No one in the profession of medicine, which is about dealing with and treating people, can completely remove themselves from human interaction. Good luck with your studies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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