THE POWER OF THE DECISION
Prescription Of Purpose : A Medical Student ’ s Journey Towards Psychiatry
by UMAIR FAREED BHUTTO , MS4
Deciding on a medical specialty is a critical step in a physician ’ s career — a crossroad where passion meets practicality . While it is challenging , this process determines the course of one ’ s career and must be intentional . As I prepare to graduate from medical school this May , I reflect on the complexities of how I determined my medical specialty , the deliberate nature of this decision and the crucial role mentorship played in defining my path .
There is an important period for contemplation and planning before the hustle and bustle of clinical rotations in the third year of medical school . Intentionality can be fostered at this stage before students are formally introduced to different disciplines . Taking some time to think about my professional priorities before starting my third year kick-started the decision-making process for me .
I used my sense of values and goals as a compass to direct my search . In this contemplative stage , I asked myself important questions regarding what kind of interactions with patients I found most rewarding , how I intended to split my time between my professional and private lives , what kind of intellectual operations gave me the most satisfaction and in which field I would make the largest impact . This thorough introspection served as the foundation upon which I formed my understanding of the many medical specializations .
I favored psychiatry because of its strong alignment with my goals and aptitudes . I found the diversity of the patient population within psychiatry to be fascinating . No individual case was the same ; each patient displayed an intricate and unique combination of emotions , thoughts and behavior . This variety
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