This question was originally posted on Quora.com and was answered by Michael Jacobs, studied at Duke University School of Medicine (1996) What do you mean by “safest”? Least hazardous, in terms of physical harm by patient or family member? I don’t know. One with the least controversy or medicolegal entanglements, I guess. This would exclude all surgery, anesthesia, critical care, ER, even hospice (“How could you let grandma die?!”) Maybe dermatology. They don’t miss too many cancers or fatal conditions; they’ll biopsy or remove any remotely concerning lesion, with very low odds of adverse outcome. Some studies have shown that the best way to minimize malpractice charges is to be compassionate, nice, a good listener, and honest. Hard for a pathologist or radiologist to do, given the limited patient and family interaction. Easier for a family physician or pediatrician. Least likely to be sued? Same answer as above, although I’m sure there are some statistics somewhere on the Internet. I know it’s NOT radiology! Least occupational health hazard? Anything where you aren’t sitting all day or exposed to radiation. Again, NOT radiology! Least likely to not have any business in the future? I suspect this is the questioner’s intent. My bet is psychiatry. Does anyone foresee a DECREASE in the demand for their services, or that they can be largely replaced by PAs, NPs, and psychologists? The world is more messed up that ever. Dermatology is also a good bet for at least one more generation. The effects of sun exposure often don’t appear until old age, and the manic application of sunscreen after exiting the womb is a relatively new trend. Skin cancer will probably be epidemic for at least one more generation (mine). Other good bets are geriatrics, pain medicine and palliative care. With the predicting Skynet AI Apocalypse approaching, again, NOT radiology! Don’t choose your specialty based on this factor. It’s all highly speculative. When i was considering a switch from surgery to radiology in 1996, a radiology chief resident strongly advised me against it because there would soon be no radiology jobs. Although the radiology job market has waxed, waned and morphed since then, he and many other 1990’s health care prognosticators (anyone remember Hillary-Care?) were patently wrong. Source
