How to Choose the Perfect Medical Specialty

From high-pressure neurosurgery to the job satisfaction of paediatrics, the range of medical specialties is huge - and if you’re still deciding which one to specialise in, making the right choice can be daunting.

Considering how important and career-defining it can be to choose the right medical specialty, the first thing you’ll need to help you choose is a clear picture of the different specialties and which ones are most competitive.

In this article, we’ll take a look at the least and most competitive specialties to help you reach the right decision for your career.

What Medical Specialty Should I Choose?

Choosing the right medical specialty today will determine the kind of career you enjoy in the future - even 30 or 40 years from now. While it’s difficult to predict how you’ll feel about your career when you retire one day, the best advice is to be true to your interests, your personality, your skills and the lifestyle you want.

Excellent medical school examination results, plenty of clinical experience with recommendations from your supervising doctors, and a strong desire to learn and work hard are all prerequisites for a successful specialist candidate - but that’s not all.

Take some time to level with yourself and ask yourself the question, “what do I really love doing and what am I truly good at?” The answers you provide are excellent clues when it comes to choosing your specialisation.

If you’re driven, thrive under pressure, and have razor-sharp reflexes and coordination, surgery is the obvious choice - unless you’re interested in a high salary.

The relative comfort of a clinical practice and the reduced pressure of a radiologist’s daily work may appeal to you more than the crazy hours of a surgeon, so long as you accept that you probably won’t be directly responsible for saving any lives.

Don’t forget also that private practice general practitioners enjoy more flexibility than ever with services like Topdoctors that allow them to serve patients on their own hours. As with all career choices, there’s always a give and take - and your final decision must match your personality, skills, and abilities.

How Competitive are Medical Specialties?

Deciding on the perfect medical specialty is one thing, but getting into a program is a further challenge. Some specialties are extremely competitive and highly competitive specialties are notorious for rejecting stellar candidates, simply because they have loads of talent to choose from.

On the other hand, you may find it to your advantage to choose a less in-demand specialty that suits you equally well. Here are some of the most and least competitive specialties out there.

At the top of the most competitive specialties are the prestigious professions of child neurology, dermatology, neurosurgery, orthopaedic surgery, and radiation oncology. If one of these specialties occupies your every waking thought, prepare for a competitive application process.

The less-competitive specialties of pathology, psychiatry, internal medicine, anaesthesiology, and emergency medicine may seem like easier choices, but the daily experience of treating mental illness or attending to life or death situations may take its toll on even the most dedicated doctor.

When you choose your medical specialty, consider your own skills and passion first - what field can you see yourself staying in for decades with constant excitement and dedication? If there’s more than one, you may be in a better position to gain entry to one of your top choices. Once you know what specialty is right for you, you’ll be ready to take the next step - best of luck with your application!