Undecided on specialty applying to neuro?

[pazu]

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I'm starting to wonder if I should come up with a specific area of interest in Neuro to talk about during my interviews. The truth is, I like it all and could easily imagine myself doing movement disorders, stroke, NIR, MS, dementia, even epilepsy...probably not neuro ICU. But I don't want to come across sounding as if i haven't given serious thought to my plans. I know the areas I listed are very different, but in all honesty, I don't think I really know that I like one more than the other until residency!

Any thoughts on this?

 

[Rogue Synapse]

This is something I've thought about as well. For a long time, I was pretty sure I wanted to do stroke, because it's exciting and there are rapid advances in research and intervention. Now, I'm basically in your boat, and could really see myself doing anything. I do imagine that having a more concrete idea of what you want to do can be seen as having more clear career goals. On the other hand, we're med students! How can we truly know enough about the practice of these different exciting areas of neurology to make an educated decision? So, I will probably say that I have an interest in stroke but could really see myself doing anything. My guess, pazu, is that you are solid. You've obviously thought about your career and I think that is the main thing our interviewers will want to see.

 

[typhoonegator]

Its just fine, and appropriate, for you not to have your subspecialty chosen at the time you are interviewing. You can even be a neurologist without having a subspecialty at all, believe it or not!

What is not OK, as you rightly note, is to come across as if you haven't thought about it. This is where research helps, because you can say, "I don't know where I'll eventually end up, but I did research in X and I really enjoyed it, so that is something I've thought a lot about."

If you haven't done research, you can still come across as though you know what you're talking about by saying something like "I don't know yet, but I shadowed so-and-so during med school and I really enjoyed the cases she saw, so I could see myself doing that."

Bottom line, as long as you come across like you've given it some thought and have done your homework, I don't think anyone will think it suspicious that you haven't picked a subspecialty. You'll probably change your mind anyway, and they know that.

Just don't say, "Umm, I don't know. I just really really like the brain. Its like...wow, man".