This question was originally posted on Quora.com and was answered by Rick VonderBrink, M.D. Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (1995) I am of the firm belief that people are born into their specialties. There are certain things that will be easier for each doctor, based on their own personality. We played a game the first week of med school called “Spot the Orthopod”. We were shockingly correct about who would ultimately go into orthopedic surgery. If you do go into the specialty you were “born” for you are likely to be happier than if you tried to make yourself fit, like a square peg in a round hole. Check Here: Medical Specialty Quiz I can’t imagine being a surgeon. The thought of cutting someone open and transferring blood vessels to new position on their heart doesn't not appeal to me at all. One slip and your patent dies. I have enormous respect for the people who can do it, and couldn’t practice effectively without them around. Yet I know great surgeons who couldn’t do my job, primarily because they have no patience for a disease like type 2 diabetes that can’t be cured, only managed. Certainly surgical training is harder. Neurosurgery is generally felt to be the most brutal residency. A friend of mine interviewed at a program whose director bragged (as in he was proud of the fact) that every single resident who had ever entered the program married got divorced before it was over. Oncology is mentally tough. In a good year, a quarter of your patients may die. I don’t even want to think about pediatric oncology. But I had a gynecologic oncologist (who took care of some really tough cases) tell me that my job terrified her because I deal with undiagnosed patients all the time. Although all of her patients were extremely sick, she always knew exactly what was wrong with them before she even walked into their room the first time. ER can go from completely dull to multiple trauma in five minutes. ER patients are often hostile as well. I couldn’t do it. One thing I have determined is that absolutely nobody in medicine has an easy job. Except maybe the ones who went into administration.
