Incoming MS1 (in 1 month) here. While I'm open to all areas, I'm particularly interested in radiology, sports medicine, and neurosurgery.
1. I'm a pretty social person, and I would like to have patient interaction in the future when I'm a physician. However, I am very interested in radiology. I heard that this is a "lifestyle" specialty with little patient interaction in the future. Thoughts? What kind of subspecialties are there, and is there a radiological subspecialty that has more patient interaction?
2. Being a former student-athlete, I'm also interested in sports medicine. I don't think this is a specialty though right? Is it basically ortho applied only on athletes? What are some of the fields I can get into when focusing on sports medicine, and can it be done through radiology/neurosurgery?
If you want patient contact and more patient interaction, you can certainly get it by choosing to interact with patients (e.g., Interventional Radiology).
Here is a list of the current specialties and subspecialties, as identified by the American Board of Radiology.
1. Radiology Specialties:
* Diagnostic Radiology (less patient interaction)
* Interventional Radiology (more patient interaction than diagnostic radiology)
* Radiation Oncology (more patient interaction)
2. Radiology Subspecialties:
* Hospice and Palliative Medicine
* Neuroradiology
* Nuclear Radiology
* Pain Medicine
* Pediatric Radiology (more patient interaction)
* Vascular and Interventional Radiology
On the other hand, if you want to practice sports medicine, you can consider the following training and certifications (see below).
3. Certifications in Sports Medicine:
Here are the various certifications in sports medicine. As of today, none are available through radiology or neurosurgery.
1.
American Board of Family Medicine.
Offers a certificate of added qualifications in sports medicine from ABFM, following successful completion of ACGME accredited sports medicine fellowship, etc.
The American Board of Family Medicine offers a Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) in Sports Medicine. This CAQ is designed to recognize excellence among those Diplomates whose practices emphasize expertise in the Sports Medicine field. The CAQ in Sports Medicine is offered twice annually in conjunction with the American Board of Emergency Medicine, the American Board of Internal Medicine, the American Board of Pediatrics and the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
2.
American Board of Pediatrics.
Offers a certificate in sports medicine from ABP, following successful completion of ACGME accredited sports medicine fellowship, etc.
The American Board of Pediatrics, in collaboration with the American Board of Family Medicine, the American Board of Internal Medicine, and the American Board of Emergency Medicine, offers a certificate in Sports Medicine .... a candidate for sports medicine certification must have achieved initial certification in general pediatrics and continue to maintain general pediatrics certification in order to take a sports medicine certifying examination.
3.
American Board of Orthopedic Surgery.
Offers a Subspecialty Certificate in Orthopedic Sports Medicine from ABOS, following successful completion of ACGME accredited sports medicine fellowship, etc.
Applicants must have completed a one year ACGME accredited fellowship in orthopaedic sports medicine. In addition, a one year case list must be submitted of at least 115 operative cases and 10 non-operative cases. Seventy five of the 115 operative cases must involve arthroscopy as a component of the procedure.
4.
American Board of Internal Medicine.
Offers a sports medicine certification, following successful completion of ACGME accredited sports medicine fellowship, etc.
Candidates must have satisfactorily completed a minimum of one year in an emergency medicine, family practice or pediatrics sports medicine fellowship program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
5.
American Board of Emergency Medicine.
Offers a sports medicine certification, following successful completion of ACGME accredited sports medicine fellowship.
Certification in the subspecialty of Sports Medicine is available to diplomates of the American Board of Emergency Medicine and American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine, who fulfill the eligibility criteria and pass the subspecialty examination. ABEM co-sponsors this subspecialty with the American Board of Family Medicine, the American Board of Internal Medicine, the American Board of Pediatrics, and the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
6.
American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Offers a subspecialty certification in sports medicine from ABPMR, following successful completion of ACGME accredited sports medicine fellowship, etc.
Because sports medicine is recognized as an interdisciplinary specialty, the ABPMR cosponsors subspecialty certification in sports medicine along with the American Board of Family Medicine and three other boards. This means that the ABPMR credentials and issues sports medicine subspecialty certificates for ABPMR diplomates, but the ABFM is responsible for examination development, administration, scoring, and analysis.