When I was making the incredibly difficult decision of which medical specialty I would dedicate myself to, I’d tell others I was thinking about anesthesiology. 

The naysayers would frequently question me about it. “Really?” they would ask. “Isn’t that boring?”

Thankfully, I didn’t let the doubters phase me and I decided to pursue it anyway. And today, with a lot of experience under my belt, I’m here to tell you unequivocally, that no, anesthesiology is not boring! 

The truth is, anesthesiology is no more “boring” than any other specialty.

Sure, like any field, there are “boring” moments. Or perhaps, more correctly, there are moments that lack excitement. The maintenance phase of a laparoscopy appendectomy in a healthy 30-something doesn’t require the totality of my medical school and residency training to navigate. 

Yet, this is no different than any other specialty in medicine. Isn’t it boring for the OB/GYN to close a Pfannensteil incision at the end of a C-section? Or mundane for the orthopedist to hammer in the seventh knee replacement of the day? It’s certainly not thrilling for the hospitalist to admit another overnight patient with an uncomplicated COPD exacerbation. 

Outside of medicine, the same is true. The investment banker’s heart isn’t racing when he double-checks the profit and loss spreadsheets he prepares. And the PhD researcher isn’t wide-eyed and lost for words as they pipette their samples for gel electrophoresis.

A Day in My Life as an Anesthesiologist

The story I’m about to tell should dispel the farcical notion that a career in anesthesiology is boring. I’m telling it to both prevent medical students from eschewing the field because of a false pretense, but also, to let them know it’s not the relaxing cake walk that a lay person may think it is. 

A Workday Journal Entry as an Anesthesiologist

6:30 a.m.

I start this particular day at 6:30 a.m., like most others. It actually started yesterday at 4 p.m., as I made all of the staffing assignments for today. That required balancing the personalities, strengths, weaknesses, and interpersonal dynamics of my own 42 staff members, trying to maximize fluidity and minimize complaints and conflicts from surgeons, nurses, CRNAs, and fellow anesthesiologists. 

And of course, in the depths of winter illnesses, a call out forces me to rearrange my grid, but I get everything tucked into its place. I start my three cases uneventfully, and as the time passes, I liaise with the nursing leadership to open up some more operating rooms and start chipping away at the long list of add-on cases. 

10 a.m.

I chug a coffee and get ready for my 10 a.m. meeting. This requires me to give a presentation on antibiotic stewardship, and how we can utilize more appropriate antibiotics to minimize surgical site infections. I give my 15-minute PowerPoint while a colleague holds my phone, and then it’s back to the big board to make the 27 lunch assignments.

After everyone’s lunch relief is posted on the board, I get a phone call from a colleague. She’s placing a spinal and one of her other rooms needs an arterial line placed. As placing a-lines brings me true joy, I head upstairs to the neurointerventional lab and prep the patient’s wrist for one. 

The phone rings again as I’m about to stick.

It’s my colleague. “Joe is struggling with hypotension in cath lab seven. Can you drop the a-line and go check it out?” she asks. 

I agree with her triage, and head to the hypotensive patient.

The monitor reads —/— for blood pressure. Not good. We give some pressors, and can muster a 60/40. Now we’re moving from dilute epinephrine to code-dose epi, and I go around the bed to place an a-line in this patient who is on the verge of coding. The a-line goes in and our first reading is 40/30.

Now I’m running a code. Intubate the patient. Start compressions. Give another round of epi. Draw a blood gas. After a couple minutes of CPR, we achieve ROSC, my colleague arrives, and I head back down to the ORs. 

Time to start a couple more cases.

I induce anesthesia for a hysterectomy and a thyroidectomy while fielding phone calls from the labor floor regarding parturients who need epidurals. Another call comes in: they need emergency craniotomy for a woman in her 40s with a dysfunctional VP shunt. I’m left to quickly assemble a team, crunch some numbers to see if any ORs need to be held up, and regrettably inform one of my teams it’s going to be a while before I can get them a lunch break. 

3:30 p.m.

Things cool off by 3:30 p.m., and I sign out my own cases and the entirety of the OR schedule to a colleague, as I need to report to a call shift downtown. My role that night takes place at a special obstetric unit for patients giving birth that need immediate interventions. I place epidurals or spinals for vaginal deliveries and C-sections before the neonatologists sweep these fragile babies away.

6 p.m.

I arrive at 6 p.m., and get a phone call at 6:03 p.m. for a C-section. Luckily, it goes smoothly.

8 p.m.

I’m back in my call room by 8 p.m., ready to answer some emails. On the docket is seeing if our group wants to pick up cardiac anesthesia calls at another health system, the back-and-forth of our own group’s contract negotiations with our hospital, and finding a colleague who can prepare a morbidity and mortality presentation for our conference next week.

11 p.m.

I close my laptop, and, by the grace of God , have undisturbed slumber from 11 p.m. till morning. 

A nice “boring” night of sleep.

The Bottom Line

The moral of the story is: an anesthesiologist’s day is as demanding and exciting as any other doctor’s. 

My day involved so much more than putting tubes in airways and blood vessels. I had to manage multiple teams of people, and walk the fine line between advocating for my staff (i.e., not giving into unreasonable demands of any surgeons) while getting as many surgical cases completed in the allotted time as possible.

I presented my quality improvement project to the hospital by day, and worked on ways to advance our group’s educational components by night. I got to wear the hat of a part-owner (partner) of my corporation, had a chance to chemically take a patient back from the throes of death, and hold a new mother’s hand as she delivered her baby, battling emotions of fear, hope, and uncertainty. 

Anesthesiology may not be boring. But is it for you? 

What can you do to see what a day in the life of your possible chosen field is like? Spend time with doctors in that field. Get to see what a real day in the life is like, as opposed to determining if you like the pathology or science in a given field.

You may love proton physics, but if meeting with 15 cancer patients per day to plan radiation therapies is too emotionally taxing, then radiation oncology might not be for you. You might absolutely love anatomy, but if you hate the pace or vibe of the operating room, don’t be a surgeon! Spend time in the actual venues, developing a clearer picture of how different physicians get through the day, and your choices will become easier.

Best of luck choosing a medical specialty, and if you need extra assistance, download our FREE Medical Specialties Breakdown with side-by-side comparisons for average salary, exam scores, and more!

Or check out these other posts on the blog:

• How to Choose a Medical Specialty: The Ultimate Guide
• How Competitive is Anesthesiology?
• Which Medical Specialties Have the Best Work-Life Balance?

You know those vivid life memories that stand out in your mind? The experiences that last for but a few minutes, but occupy a large portion of your memory? They’re the ones that last a lifetime, the ones we’re confident we’ll never forget.

One that jumps out at me was a conversation I had with my Uncle Marc. He was a cardiologist, the only doctor in either of my extended families. He was a brilliant man. One of the parts of his folklore was that while an undergrad at Yale, he scored so high on an exam that it “broke the scoring machine.”

I remember scheduling a phone call with him so that we could talk about a possible career in medicine. I had recently graduated college and spent a year or two traveling and having fun, and was (possibly) ready for the next step in life. 

The call, as it turns out, was a game changer, and set me on the path to becoming a physician.

For anyone who may be unsure like I was, I’d like to share my story with you. Here’s how I transformed from a hesitant college kid into an anesthesiologist—all thanks to my uncle. 

Why I Hesitated to Pursue Medicine 

Medicine was always something I’d considered, but the tales from some physicians (and non-physicians) planted serious seeds of doubt. 

From my volunteer experiences, I remember the physician assistant in the ED who told me he took the fast track to a six-figure income and a gratifying career in medicine. He seemed like a happy enough guy, especially compared to the burnt out 50-year-old ED attending, who told me “You think you’re getting into this for all the glory of saving lives, but in reality it’s constipation and nonagenarians with vaginal bleeding.”

I remember the inner-city OB clinic where the OBGYNs looked me squarely in the eye, and told me “Don’t do this. Do something else. Anything else.” They were the most depressed, burnt-out people that I have met in my life. Did a “future in medicine” mean that I would sit in their chair in 25 years time, wishing I’d followed their advice? 

My own personal primary care physician seemed like a happy enough guy. He never tried to steer me one way or the other, and just wanted me to get an objective peak into what his days were like. But how much can one really figure out as a high schooler who’s shadowing for a few days in the summer?

My call with Uncle Marc was a game changer. 

You can see why, at this point, I wasn’t sure medicine was the right thing for me. People in the field told me not to do it. And it seemed like there were some viable alternatives. All of it just left me wondering if becoming a doctor was really worth it.

I needed some guidance, so I decided to call my uncle. During our chat he made a few salient points that really helped nudge me in the direction of MCAT studying and a med school application. 

3 Takeaways from My Call with Uncle Marc

The big takeaways from our talk were as follows, and might help you on your journey to becoming a doctor as well:

1. As a doctor, you aren’t going to go hungry.

As a naive twenty-something, I had true worries about the state of healthcare in America. Now, almost 20 years later, we still wonder what the future of American healthcare will bring.

Back then, I worried about the financial prospects of investing the next decade of my life in learning how to be a physician. Would it be worth studying for MCATs, med school applications, med school tuition, and long residency hours? Was it a financially imprudent decision to saddle myself with five or six figures of debt, only to scrape by after making loan payments for a decade?

My uncle imparted the idea that if I made responsible decisions, I would be fine financially. Mind you, this was in the wake of the financial crisis of 2008, where the institutions we assumed would be lifelong monetary stalwarts were disappearing overnight. 

Gone were the days of front row seats to sporting events, nightly steak dinners on the company dollar, and seven-figure incomes. But if I pursued medicine, and was smart with my money, I wouldn’t have a money problem. 

2. Choosing a career is a lot like choosing a spouse.

Dozens of people have probably told you this: “If you can see yourself doing anything else except medicine, you should do that instead.” Sure medicine requires commitment, but it has its perks. I also think it’s trite to think that any fascination with another career should preclude your desire to be a doctor. 

No matter how you slice it, the advice that if you can see yourself doing anything else, do that instead, makes it nearly impossible for an idealistic college graduate to opt for a career in medicine with confidence and impunity. How could I be sure that I wouldn’t be satisfied with a career in finance, or sales, or outdoor education? There was so much in the world that interested and intrigued me at the time. I could see myself doing so many things! Did I align with the conventional wisdom, and disqualify myself from medicine for that reason?

It became clear when my uncle likened it to getting married. He told me, “You’ll never be able to date everyone, and see who you like best. You get to a point and say, ‘OK. This is working out. I’ll make a life with this person.’” You make the best decision you can with the knowledge you’ve got.

3. You don’t have to wait to live. 

Something that Uncle Marc imparted to me was that medicine didn’t have to be a joyless experience. As a student, I wouldn’t be garnering respect and earning income, but I could have an enjoyable and fruitful time learning about medicine and connecting with both peers and patients in meaningful ways.

In residency, I’d have the opportunity to get on the real fast track of learning to apply those years of medical school knowledge, and honing a skill set which I’d call upon for life. If I chose wisely, I could enjoy the days of my attending career, with opportunities to lead, teach, and heal.

The bottom line was there’s no reason why the path of training and working had to be unenjoyable. It would be demanding, protracted, and at times I might develop second thoughts. But in the end, it would afford me an exciting, lucrative career, with opportunities for unlimited growth. 

Final Thoughts

So that’s my journey, from a kid that wasn’t sure to a doctor. And now, here I sit in the call room on a Friday night, telling myself, “Boy, am I glad I listened to Uncle Marc.”

To this day, I think about that call. It had a huge impact on me. Hopefully, you have someone in your life that can help you find the right path. If not, you have the insights my uncle shared with me. I hope they help, and good luck on your journey!

Looking for more (free) content along your journey to becoming a physician? Check out these other posts on the blog:

• The Best Piece of Medical School Advice I’ve Ever Received
• Do Higher USMLE Scores Actually Make You a Better Doctor?
• 7 Secrets to Success I Learned from My Greatest Med School Mentor

Originally published 2016

It was January of MS2 year, and after winter break, excitement for Step 1 was starting to build. 

Within a few weeks, our administration laid out a calendar for one-on-one meetings with faculty to discuss our prep schedule. They wanted us to create calendars with our daily study plan for the upcoming six-week dedicated period.

While this seemed intense at the time, in retrospect, it was a necessity. The administration wanted us all to pass on our first attempt, and having us come up with a study plan was the best way to make that happen. 

Before we knew it, dedicated was upon us. After our last class in April, we parted ways, and started working through our calendars day-by-day. It was time to become well acquainted with our new best friends: our review book and our Qbank.

The Loneliness of USMLE Lockdown

The word that comes to mind in describing Step 1 dedicated is “lockdown.” Life’s distractions were swept aside, friendships put on hold, and up to 12 hours per day were spent alone studying. Being an advocate of 100% focus when it’s required, I spent the better part of the first few weeks at my desk putting the pieces of medicine together. 

This was fine at first, but it didn’t take long to realize it wasn’t how a human is supposed to live. I considered studying with others, but figured that our incongruent knowledge bases would start to hamper one another. What if they were on a renal day and I was on GI? What would we even talk about? I assumed studying with others would interfere with our watertight study plans, and we would only drag each other down. 

However, what I came to discover was quite the opposite: studying with friends is not evil.

Parallel Studying (and Coffee)

I met a friend at a cafe with plans for parallel studying (the way that children around age 2 play with one another). The plan was we would sit next to each other, drink our coffees, you do your work, I do mine. When we both take a break, we can talk about baseball or current events for a few minutes, then get back to work. 

Just doing this made the bear of a task much more enjoyable. Now there was someone to commiserate with! Someone who was in the same pickle of being married to a book for a month! Plus, getting out is always nice, it forces you to shower and dress, and the cafe’s coffee was always better than mine.

Learning Through Teaching 

Little by little, this parallel studying became more engaging. We started bouncing ideas off each other, regardless of the study plan for the day. Concepts that didn’t click for one of us could be explained by the other. 

Eventually, we arrived at the point where we were preparing mini-lessons for one another. For instance, I wasn’t comfortable with the classes of antiarrhythmics, so I built a lesson about the concept. Since I wouldn’t be able to teach it unless I myself had a full understanding, this held me accountable to learn the subject matter inside and out. This led to both of us understanding a difficult concept more thoroughly.

In addition to learning from mini-lessons, we both lived inside this parallel universe, the circumscribed 2,000 questions in my Qbank. Because we were ultimately doing the same Qbank, we could share ideas about particular questions. For example, let’s say my study partner learns about papillary necrosis and teaches me an interesting fact about this alien concept.

When I get to my question(s) about papillary necrosis, I already have some background knowledge, and this question further cements it. I also share interesting facts that I come across, and together we further affirm our knowledge.

Looking for a Qbank to help out with USMLE studying this year? Blueprint has got you covered with practice questions, detailed explanations, performance analytics, and more! 💙

🌟 Step 1 Practice Bundle – Includes 2 full-length USMLE practice exams with a total of 560 NBME^®-formatted practice questions, plus 500 additional questions in a Qbank

🌟 Step 2 & Shelf Exams Qbank – Includes 5,500+ practice questions (1,500 Step 2 questions and 4,000 shelf questions across 8 specialties), plus 8 mock shelf exams!

A Caveat: Choose Your Study Buddy Wisely

Make sure you and the partner you choose have a similar fund of knowledge. (And also be sure to avoid these three study buddy mistakes.) There’s a tendency in medical school to “show off how much one knows.” Some students bolster their pride by making others feel more unsure of themselves. (It’s not a beautiful thing, but it happens everywhere.)

The purpose of wrangling a study partner is to advance both of your knowledge bases and achieve higher test scores together. Choosing a partner who is way behind you will give you a false sense of security and make them feel worse. Conversely, finding someone who is far ahead of you will crush your confidence. 

I also recommend capping your study group at two participants. As numbers grow, organization becomes more difficult, and the chances of it transmogrifying into a social outing increase. 

That said, remember to try and have fun with all this! Fun and brilliance aren’t mutually exclusive. Good luck out there, and remember, you can always reach out to Blueprint tutors for extra support! 🤝

Ever feel like you’re climbing Mount Everest when it comes to managing medical school and your finances? You’re not alone. With the rising pressures to figure out how to pay for medical school, many students grapple with the question, “Can I work while in medical school?”

In this post, we’ll explore whether it’s feasible to juggle work and medical school, the pros and cons of doing so, and how to strike the perfect balance for you. Let’s dive in!

Can Medical Students Work?

The Practicality of Working in Medical School

Is it possible to hold down a job while pursuing a medical degree? Of course it is. Is it for everyone? Certainly not. Naturally, if you’re totally strapped for time, and stressed to the point where you’re merely treading water, wondering how you’ll get any study time in, then carving out extra time for working is probably a nonstarter.

The workload in medical school is intense, with lectures, labs, study sessions, and clinical responsibilities. However, some students find that taking on part-time work is manageable if they choose the right type of job.

Disclaimer: Always check your program’s policies. Some medical schools have strict guidelines about whether students can have another job while in medical school, and it’s best to make sure you’ve reviewed these in detail before looking for a part-time job.

Types of Work Suitable for Medical Students

Not all work is created equal, especially when you’re knee-deep in medical textbooks. The most important facet here is choosing a job that’s flexible. As your schedule is going to be somewhat unpredictable, and ever-changing (with frequent erratic call shifts, unexpected late nights, etc.), you must be able to call the shots regarding not only when you will be able to work, but how many hours you’ll be able to put in.

Timing

Some phases of medical school, like 3rd-year surgery rotation, are incredibly demanding. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to show up to a job after operating at 2 a.m. and rounding in the ICU in your 28th hour awake.

Other phases of medical school are far easier to pencil-in working time. Research electives often allow you to create your own schedule. Many 4th-year electives also have reputations of being “easy” and expecting much less of you than your other med school courses. At my medical school, for example, it was the radiology elective, where you would review films from patients that came overnight. We’d talk about chest X-rays from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., and then call it a day.

Jobs

What kinds of work afford you such flexibility? Tutoring, research assistant positions, and any freelance work should give you the opportunity to make your own schedule. Other students find success in hospital-related jobs, such as medical scribing or working as a phlebotomist, which can provide valuable experience in a medical setting. (It also looks fantastic on your medical CV when you’re applying to emergency medicine, and on top of your electives and coursework, you went above and beyond to demonstrate your love of time spent in the ED by working 100 hours there scribing notes.)

I personally worked as a medical school tutor, and could take on more or fewer students depending on how intense my medical school curriculum was at the time. I also tutored high school students in-person, scheduling appointments in the late evening hours when I knew I would be free. 

Balancing Work and Study

The key to successfully working while in medical school lies in balance. Some students find that working a few hours per week helps them manage financial stress without compromising their academic performance. It gave me peace of mind to have earned a little spending cash, realizing that I wasn’t digging an ever-deepening pit of debt without doing anything to fight against it. 

🧠 However, it’s important to remember that your studies should always come first! Prioritize your schedule, and be honest about how much work you can realistically handle.

Pros and Cons of Working During Medical School

Benefits of Working During Medical School

Working during medical school can offer several advantages. For starters, it can alleviate financial stress, reducing your reliance on student loans. Every little bit helps, especially early in your career. Money earned in medical school has the potential to grow throughout residency, creating more wealth (or less debt) over time. 

Working during medical school also provides an opportunity to gain practical experience and build a professional network, which could be beneficial after graduation. Plus, if you had the wherewithal to excel at medical school and hold down a steady job, interviewers will know that you’ve got what it takes to balance all the challenges of residency. 

In some cases, working can even help improve your time management skills, forcing you to become more efficient with your study time. As Parkinson’s law says, “Work expands to fill the available time.”

Drawbacks of Working During Medical School

While there are benefits, working during medical school understandably puts an extra weight on your shoulders while already balancing a hectic schedule.

The most significant concern is the potential impact on your academic performance. Juggling work and school can lead to increased stress levels, burnout, and decreased focus.

Evaluating Your Situation

Ultimately, the decision to work while in medical school is a personal one. Consider your financial situation, academic standing, and mental health before making a commitment. Remember, the most important thing is to find a healthy balance between work, study, and self-care! 

My recommendation is to only do it if you are able. Money earned and experience gained will only help your cause. It provided me with balance in life, especially during 4th year (and after Match Day!) when the heavy lifting was all behind me, and swaths of free time opened up. 

If you can’t muster it because med school is all consuming right now, that’s totally fine. Financial freedom will still be there, so long as you are smart with your money. 

💸 Check out our other post, Managing Your Finances Through Med School and Beyond, for a more in-depth look at how to manage your finances through residency and into attending-hood!

Finding the Right Balance

If you do choose to work during medical school, start by creating a detailed schedule, prioritizing both your academic responsibilities and work commitments. 

🗓️ Use “smart” tools like Blueprint’s Med School Study Planner to keep track of deadlines, exam dates, and personal appointments with just the click of a button. It’s also helpful to set aside specific times for relaxation and personal time to avoid burnout!

Final Thoughts

Working while in medical school is undoubtedly challenging, but it is achievable with the right strategy and mindset. Assess your situation, consider the pros and cons, and make an informed decision that aligns with your personal and professional goals. Whether you choose to work or prioritize your studies, remember that every medical student’s journey is unique.

If you’re considering working during medical school, start by identifying the most compatible jobs with your schedule and aspirations. And remember, you’re not alone in this endeavor. Many students have successfully navigated the balance between work and study, and with determination and perseverance, you can too. We’re rooting for you here at Blueprint!

If you’re a medical student, you might be wondering if you’ll ever find a healthy work-life balance as a physician. In short, the answer is a definite yes—despite the misconceptions about long hours without any time off, you can (and should) structure your future career to include your personal life and other hobbies to prevent burnout. And luckily, there are a few medical specialties with the best work life balance to choose from!

While you might not have this autonomy over your schedule right now, the day will come when you can lift your head from your medical books and see the light of day again! It’s true that one day you will have interests outside medicine, but until then, you can make strides towards a future of healthy work-life balance by taking into account what each specialty allows.

If you’re still choosing a path during medical school and exploring your options for medical specialties, read on to find which ones offer the best work-life balance!

Looking for a side-by-side comparison of each specialty to find your path in medicine? Check out this FREE Medical Specialties Breakdown download including required exam scores and more!

Top Medical Specialties With the Best Work-Life Balance 

When we consider the specialties that tend to have more opportunities for work-life balance, the “E-ROAD” acronym (for emergency medicine, radiology, ophthalmology, anesthesia, and dermatology) comes to mind. 

Less commonly named specialties such as psychiatry, pathology, and physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) are also among the medical specialties with the best work-life balance. Doctors in these fields typically have a decent level of control over their lifestyle, making landing a residency in them especially desirable if you value flexibility and more traditional business hours.

Let’s have a look at some of the specialties mentioned above, so you can see if they sound like a good fit for you!

Dermatology and Ophthalmology

If you’re aiming to work mostly within the “standard” 9-to-5 business hours, along with fairly minimal call volume outside of normal hours of operation, you might want to look into dermatology or ophthalmology. 

Most dermatologists and ophthalmologists work weekday clinic hours, and depending on the practice, a four-day workweek is usually considered a full-time schedule. Patient emergencies requiring evening hours are fairly minimal. Both of these fields are heavily procedural, which contributes to why these specialties are highly desirable with a very competitive match process. 

Although there are many great things about these two specialties, they’re certainly not for everyone. Both are predominately clinic-based practices (though complex inpatient dermatologic care is certainly on the rise), and while you’ll work standard business hours, most dermatologists and ophthalmologists still spend a great deal of time outside the clinic on documentation and patient chart review. Unlike the “shift work” style specialties, both fields also generally require you to be available to patients in some capacity, either by phone or email, during evenings and weekends.

Emergency Medicine and Anesthesiology

When it comes to medical specialties with the best work-life balance, emergency medicine and anesthesiology may not leap to mind, as those services are pretty much needed 24/7. 

But while working nights, weekends, and holidays may not be your cup of tea, the convenience of having your schedule set weeks to months in advance can allow you to plan activities during your off hours. 

Interestingly, these fields are also somewhat unique in that you typically don’t include a patient follow-up at the end of your shift, which allows you to truly be disconnected during your time off. Both fields are also heavily procedural in nature, so if being hands-on in your daily work excites you, then you could definitely explore these areas of medicine. 

Although these specialties have become more competitive in recent years, they still tend to be less competitive than dermatology and ophthalmology.

Blaze Your Own Trail

Although the fields listed above hold a reputation for being the medical specialties with the best work-life balance, the most important thing to remember is that your path in medicine can be tailored to fit your lifestyle regardless of the specialty you choose. 

Some dermatologists might end up working over 60 hours per week, or sometimes even 80 hours if they’re running their own practice. On the flip side, some orthopedic surgeons, intensivists, emergency physicians, and hospitalists might work less than 40 hours a week, despite the reputation those fields have for being more time-intensive. 

Final Thoughts

As the conversation around mental health and self-care continues to grow among the newer generation of physicians, even those in the more traditionally “demanding” fields of medicine can negotiate a schedule that offers a healthy work-life balance. 

It still remains true that the most important thing when it comes to choosing a specialty is finding one you’re genuinely interested in. Even if you find yourself in a field with a “great lifestyle,” you’ll undoubtedly still devote an enormous amount of time to becoming an expert in that specialty. 

As such, your happiness and job satisfaction will ultimately come from the work that most excites and motivates you. In the end, if you love the work, you won’t mind doing it, so the medical specialties with the best work-life balance are the ones you have the most passion for!

For a period of time during your medical training, USMLE scores seem to be the only thing that matters. You’ve heard it before: study hard, score well. Devote your life to your dedicated study period, score high, and you can pick whatever residency you please. Your score, it seems, is absolutely everything.

And then all of a sudden, after medical school, the paradigm built around achieving high USMLE scores fades into nothing. Maybe our scores show up on a CV, or play a small part in fellowship applications, but for the most part, they’re vestiges of our training we no longer reference. Patients have no idea what our scores are. Colleagues don’t know. The nurses and ancillary staff don’t know either.

This begs the question: when it comes to caring for patients, do USMLE scores actually matter? If so, are they the most important thing, or are other issues of more practical importance when it comes to patient care?

Let’s examine these questions in detail, starting with whether test scores actually predict patient outcomes. 

Do USMLE scores actually predict patient outcomes?

A 2023 study by Norcini et al., “The Associations Between United States Medical Licensing Examination Performance and Outcomes of Patient Care,” aimed to look at the difference in outcomes for five common hospital admission problems across different USMLE scores.

What did they find? In short, doctors who did better on their exams did better for their patients, too. In fact, the better a patient’s doctor did on their licensure exams, the less likely the patient was to die in the hospital.

So, the findings are pretty clear. Better USMLE scores are associated with better patient outcomes. It’s hard to argue against the scientifically published data, but the question now becomes what, exactly, do we do with this information? 

Let’s examine this question in the context of other factors that impact the quality of patient care, including a doctor’s bedside manner, overall experience, and the impending physician shortage that will have a serious effect on the healthcare system.

USMLE scores aren’t the only things that matter.

If I were hospitalized, surely I’d want the greatest chance of survival, and the most knowledgeable physician to treat me. But there are so many variables that go into test-taking. And are USMLE scores the only thing that matters when it comes to patient care?

For example, what if you have the most compassionate, empathetic, and experienced doctor, but they struggled 22 years ago with basic biochemistry that plays no part in their day-to-day practice of oncology? Do you care?

I seriously doubt it, and there are more important character traits and exemplary qualities we should be looking for in our physicians, rather than focusing so much on their score.

The physician shortage affects quality of care, too.

In our system of medicine— where you’re assigned a physician and have to take what you can get—we should be happy that the screening process is as rigid and selective as it is.

But this comes at a cost. The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts a physician shortage of 124,000 doctors by 2034.

And, when a patient is sitting in the hospital post-MI, or with a heart failure exacerbation, will they have the gall to ask their physician about their board performance? When looking at the need for more physicians, one might argue that the bar needs to be lower in order to adequately staff clinics and hospitals.

After all, what do extreme shortages mean for patients? Patients are forced to face longer wait times, they must secure harder to obtain appointments, and will struggle to schedule necessary surgery in a timely fashion. It means living with your tumor for a longer period of time. It means sitting at home unable to get a sick visit, or having to face a delay in diagnosis.

What if we lowered the barrier to entry?

Certainly, there are ways to ameliorate this impending staffing crunch. To start, we could increase the number of national residency spots. Mid-level practitioners like NPs and PAs could be granted a wider scope of practice.

What does this mean as far as scores? Rather than an MD or DO seeing you in the office, you’ve got someone who has not taken a physician licensure exam.

Naturally, mid-level providers have their own exams to pass for certification, but these scores cannot be compared to USMLE scores. Expanding the number of residency spots means that more, less qualified (though not necessarily unqualified) applicants will be granted licenses to practice.

So, do USMLE scores matter? Here’s the bottom line.

Ironically, I believe the most salient thing to come from Norcini’s study is that we can’t just focus on USMLE scores. In a perfect world, you can choose your concierge physician and query them to ensure their scores are high enough. But when you need your appendix out while visiting grandma over the holidays in a rural underserved area, you’re gonna take what you can get: a licensed surgeon who has merely passed the necessary exams.

In the US medical system, finding a physician who aced their USMLE exams is a luxury only available to a select few. And certain qualities—like empathy and experience—are also so important when it comes to the quality of patient care.

So, what does this mean for you as a med student approaching your USMLE exams? Study hard for your exams in order to become the best physician you can be. Focus on building your soft skills just as much as your medical knowledge. Your hard work and dedication won’t just pay off when landing a residency program, but also for your patients.

Looking for more (free!) tips from Blueprint tutors? Check out these other posts on the Med School blog:

• Transition from M2 to M3: Learning from Books to Learning from Patients
• How to Prepare for Step 2: The Ultimate Guide
• The Best Piece of Medical School Advice I’ve Ever Received

I did everything they told me to do. The brilliant, high-achieving upperclassmen who were matching into competitive specialties because of their sky-high USMLE scores had given me the non-secret of how to ace boards.

Turns out, it was the same guidance that any “How to score high on USMLE Step 1” Google search would have provided: do lots of questions, build a study calendar, put away distractions, take practice tests, and come out firing on test day. (Mind you, this was back in the days of Step 1 being scored.)

I stuck to the plan, and was pleased when I scored higher than I ever hoped to. By scoring high enough, no specialty would be off the table, and I could, in essence, match into any specialty I chose. Doing well on USMLE Step 1 made me feel like I was in control of my destiny, and that I’d jumped over a large hurdle in figuring out my path forward in life.

On Choosing the Medical Specialty You Love 

But with that freedom came the burden of having to choose, and now I arrived at the next crossroad: picking a specialty to go into. What would I do? 

I simply didn’t know. I dabbled in everything, exploring shadowing opportunities across multiple surgical subspecialties whenever possible.

My mentor was an otolaryngologist. He was the kind of attending who had 30 hours in his day, and could manage a busy clinic while giving each patient his full attention, then pop into scrubs to perform procedures in the OR, only to flip back into his suit and meet with students to help them get their careers started on the right foot.

I followed him around in the OR, and while he inspired me personally, the procedures just didn’t resonate with me. The complex skull base surgery just looked like pink caves on a screen to me, and I couldn’t foresee it as a tenable future, at least for me.

I can still hear his voice when he learned I wasn’t going to apply to match into ENT, but rather, anesthesia. “You must really, really love [anesthesiology],” he conceded. And I did. I loved everything about the field and had decided that I wanted to be an anesthesiologist. 

The Power of Pursuing Happiness Over Prestige

How did I decide to be an anesthesiologist? An important factor was the personality of the attendings and residents that I met in the anesthesia world. Our outlooks and viewpoints gelled, and this has been the case during all the different anesthesia venues of medical school, residency, and practice.

Although it was the field I liked best, it almost came as a surprise to some that I was pursuing anesthesia—I heard things like, “You are more competitive than that! You can make more money elsewhere! You can take less call. Look at all the respect that you’d get as a surgeon/orthopedist/cardiologist!”

But the voices that rang most true were the ones that said, “Just do what you like best. The money would come in time, regardless of field, call will be call, and if you want to have a long, fruitful, and satisfying career, you have to do what you love.”

So, although it was difficult, I had to ignore the people that told me, “Your scores are too good for that specialty.”

I’ve been in practice as an attending for over three years now, and although this still might be a honeymoon period, I’m sure I made the right decision. Most days are still fun, and I appreciate everything that drew me to the field.

4 Things to Remember When it Comes to Choosing a Specialty

Alright, so what is some actionable advice you can glean from my story? Here’s four things I’d like you to keep in mind.

If you’re still in the early stages of deciding your specialty and are looking for a side-by-side comparison, check out this FREE Medical Specialties Breakdown Guide with insights from the experts who have been in your shoes!

1. Utilize any opportunity to explore specialties of interest.

It’s hard to find the time and energy to send out emails, make requests, and schedule opportunities to merely watch other people do their jobs. Some attendings love having medical students shadow and will invite you to be part of the team. Others will put you in the corner and remind you that “shadows don’t make noise” if you ask a question. 

Nonetheless, observing a particular doctor over the course of a few days is the best way to see what their day-to-day life is like.

2. You have to do what you love. 

Somehow you chose medicine, based on some guidance, advice, experience in the field, and the semblance of an idea of what you think a doctor does. If you live, breathe, and sleep orthopedics, put the totality of yourself into getting great scores, finding mentors in the field, and getting your foot in the door.

But my advice is only do all of that if you love orthopedics. If you don’t, don’t do it! Do what you love instead. 

3. Let the day-to-day be your guide.

Don’t make the mistake of going into a field because you love “the science behind it.” You have to make sure you enjoy what day-to-day life is like in that specialty. For instance, if you think that neural pathways are super cool and love “localizing the lesion” in question stems, but can’t stand being in clinic, doing neuro exams, and reading MRIs, then neurology may not be the place for you. 

Place more emphasis on the practical aspects of the job, more than the underlying science and textbook material behind it.

4. Don’t let your grades and scores dictate your future. 

This one works in both directions. If you want to match into something very competitive, you need a very competitive residency application. 

Realize this from the get-go. Study hard, go to office hours, find a tutor, and do great in whatever you are doing right now. Excel in class and excel on tests. But don’t let a low mark hold you back. Also, if you have a higher test score, you don’t have to try and match into the most competitive speciality. As above, do what you love.

Further Reading

When you’re deciding which specialty you’d like to match into, it’s important to listen to yourself. Follow your passion, and don’t worry too much about what other people think. At the end of the day, doing what feels right for you will always pay dividends.

For more (free!) insight from Blueprint tutors, check out these other posts on the Med School blog:

• How to Choose a Medical Specialty: The Ultimate Guide
• How to Make A Residency Rank List That Puts Your Happiness First
• The Best Piece of Medical School Advice I’ve Ever Received

Someone who comes to mind when I ask myself “What does it mean to succeed in medicine?” is one of my medical school mentors, Dr. E. His work ethic and throughput were so astonishing that he has been the subject of many a blog post that I’ve written.

During our years together, I learned how to be a doctor both through explicit axioms he gave me, and also just by observing the way he carried himself, took care of business, and interacted with his patients.

In this post, I’d like to share seven things I learned at his side that’ll help you lay the foundation for a successful career in medicine. Take them to heart, and you’ll be on your way to a great medical career!

1. Get it out of your queue.

Dr. E was a really busy guy. He had an enormous amount of data, queries, and papers coming into his inbox. He worked with medical students and residents at every phase of their training to help them get publications in prestigious journals. He sat on multiple committees and gave lectures to medical students on what otolaryngology was all about. His clinical load was as large as anyone’s. 

Dr. E’s secret to staying on top of everything was never letting anything sit on his to-do list for longer than it had to. Whenever work came his way, he would take care of it as soon as possible. Naturally, things would get prioritized, but there was never a shred of “I don’t feel like doing this right now.”

I can still hear him telling me, “Get it out of your queue, Radvansky. It’s gotta get done anyway.”

2. Look the part.

If he wasn’t scrubbed into surgery, Dr. E was wearing a suit. Did he have to? Certainly not. A shirt, tie, and white coat would suffice for most of his colleagues. But who looked like he had the world at his fingertips, as though nothing at all could slow him down? Dr. E, looking dapper in his tailored suit. 

Mind you, wearing a suit might not be the right move for you at this point in your career, but taking care of your appearance is important. So much of what we do as physicians is about maintaining appearances because patients judge us on it. Put yourself in the patient’s shoes. How confident would you be in a doctor’s ability to help you if they didn’t present themselves in a professional manner? So dress well, tuck in those scrubs, stay clean-shaven, and keep your hair in order. 

3. Live modestly.

One day we had to get something from Dr. E’s car. Since we were at a state medical school, some salary information was readily available, and all of us knew he was one of the state’s highest-paid employees, some years clearing 7 figures. And here we were grabbing a folder out of his eight-year-old Toyota Camry. His colleagues had a penchant for Porsches and Benzes, but he stayed modest. “I love doing this,” he said, “but I don’t want to do this forever.”

4. Stay organized.

How does one juggle a clinical load, leadership positions on multiple committees, and have 25+ papers in multiple phases of production? There is no choice but to stay incredibly organized. Otherwise, important things slip through the cracks. 

I remember turning in the draft of one of my publications to him. He immediately opened up a Microsoft Word document, found my name and paper title, and highlighted it in yellow. The screen looked like a rainbow—there were tons of lines with names and papers, all with loads of colored stripes behind them. He had devised a coding system to stay on top of everything.

This penchant for staying organized, in combination with his aforementioned determination to take care of everything immediately, is how Dr. E kept his empire running like a well-oiled machine. 

Thousands of medical students use Blueprint’s Med School Study Planner to save hours of planning time, see exactly what to do each day, and ace their med school exams. Get unlimited access today!

5. Collaboration is key.

I remember thinking “I’m a know-nothing, second-year medical student–what can I contribute to the greater good?” “Fear not, Brian,” Dr. E said. “Give Qasim a call, he’ll set you straight.” Dr. E set me up with a prime fourth-year medical student who showed me the ropes on how to do research. I was given tasks equal to my ability and was able to materially contribute to the publication. 

As time went by, I became the medical student leader with underclassmen under my wing, and I was showing them how things got done. 

Dr. E was a connector, bringing students and residents together at every level. This lifted up the younger students by giving them mentors in the field and gave the older students a sense of responsibility and leadership as they put together research teams and provided them with guidance. 

6. Go with what you truly love.

When I finally made the decision that I was going to match into anesthesia, Dr. E was mildly disheartened, but he completely understood. “You must really, really love it,” he conceded. And I did. Every day my anesthesia rotations gave me that “this is it!” feeling, an emotion I didn’t have when I shadowed skull base surgeries. It was the best career decision I’ve ever made. And Dr. E respected my decision.

7. Love the work, not the mentor.

I loved just about everything about Dr. E. He really exemplified the physician and leader we all wanted to become as medical students. But somewhere in my mind, this thought had transformed into the idea that I was to become an ENT. The days I spent shadowing him in the OR were lackluster to me. I simply didn’t enjoy the work. 

Once I separated the man from the practice, I realized I could emulate all of the qualities that astounded me about Dr. E, without directly following in his footsteps. I would bring them to a different field, and the field would be better off for it.

Thanks for all you have taught me, Dr. E.

Further Reading

If you’re looking for more (free!) tips from Blueprint tutors, check out these other related posts on the Med School blog:

• Mentorship in Medicine: Finding and Nurturing Supportive Relationships as a Medical Student
• How to Introduce Yourself to Physicians During Rotations
• Quiz: Do You Need a Tutor in Med School?

The field of medicine is one that is constantly evolving and changing. From new technologies to advancements in treatment options, future physicians must continuously stay up-to-date to provide the best care for their patients. This means not being satisfied with simply completing your formal education, but instead seeking out new information and skills to improve your knowledge and abilities.

As a medical student, it’s important to understand the concept of lifelong learning early in your medical career in order to become a competent doctor. In this post, we’ll examine a couple of ways that doctors engage in lifelong learning, and see the importance of staying up-to-date with the latest findings by looking at a case study.

The Impact of Lifelong Learning

Improving Patient Outcomes

In the end, lifelong learning is really about improving outcomes. To illustrate this point, let’s consider patients diagnosed with cancer. Cancer treatments are constantly evolving, with new therapies being developed all the time. You may attend a conference on cancer research and learn about a new therapy that has shown promising results in clinical trials. By bringing this new treatment option to your patients’ attention, you’ll be able to provide them with a more effective treatment plan. This could lead to better outcomes, such as improved survival rates, fewer side effects, and a better quality of life.

Staying up-to-date with advances can also help you identify potential risks and side effects associated with certain treatments. You may learn about new screening tools that can help identify patients at higher risk of developing side effects, allowing you to take preventive measures to minimize them. Similarly, you may learn about a new procedure that could be offered to your patients for their specific condition that you otherwise would not be aware of.

Lifelong Learning in Your Personal Life

As a physician, you will always be seen as an authority of medical knowledge, even if it may not be in your scope of practice. Besides your patients, friends and family will also want your input on something they saw in the news or on social media. To give people the best medical advice, you must actively seek out knowledge and develop a professional opinion on how to best provide care. 

How Physicians Can Practice Lifelong Learning

Continuing Education

One of the most common ways to engage in lifelong learning is through continuing education (CME) programs. These programs allow you to learn about the latest developments and advancements in your field, as well as improve your skills and knowledge. Continuing education can take many forms, including online courses, conferences, workshops, and seminars. Many healthcare organizations require their staff to participate in continuing education programs to maintain their licenses and certifications. 

Additionally, continuing education can help you grow and develop in your career, opening up new opportunities for advancement. It provides opportunities to network with others in your field, allowing you to share ideas and collaborate on projects. And in a constantly changing field like medicine, staying competitive requires staying current with the latest developments and advancements. This is especially true for those in specialties, as your training prepares you to be an expert in your field, which is only possible by staying up to date with changes in practice.

Reading Medical Journals

A good doctor is up-to-date with the latest findings reported in medical journals, as they provide the latest information on research studies, treatment options, and other developments in the field. Many physicians believe they learned most of what they need to know in medical school and during residency—however, to achieve a more profound and applicable grasp of the knowledge acquired, it’s crucial to surpass the initial stage of learning through textbooks and question banks. While emphasis must be placed on learning from actual encounters with patients and real-life situations, physicians should keep themselves updated with the latest medical publications, as the answers to some of the most difficult problems are not found within the pages of textbooks.

For those interested in doing research, reading journals can help you keep up with the latest developments. It can also help you identify areas where further research is needed, allowing you to contribute to the advancement of the field. If you’d like to do fellowship training, reading journals is essential to further your career, especially those covering subjects that are of particular interest to you.

Further Reading

Remember, a good doctor is not just a knowledgeable practitioner, but also a lifelong scholar. Every competent doctor engages in lifelong learning, even long after they’ve earned their medical degree! Understanding this concept as a medical student and becoming a lifelong learner will serve you for the rest of your medical career.

If you’d like to explore more (free!) tips for medical students as you prepare for your career as a future doctor, check out these other Blueprint posts:

• The Best Piece of Medical School Advice I’ve Ever Received
• What Really Matters in Medicine?
• Why Asking For Help Is Your Greatest Strength in Med School

Even for the most stellar students, medical school can feel overwhelming. From figuratively running through Anki flashcards between lectures to literally running through clinical shifts, succeeding in med school often means having to juggle many tasks at once.

Fortunately, there are countless students who’ve completed the same journey you’re now on—like me. And from one med school survivor to another, I’m happy to share a strategy that enabled me to better manage the various stressors that came my way.

The Best Medical School Advice I’ve Ever Received (& How It Shaped My Experience)

Before: The Rising Pressures of Medical School

The day I heard this game-changing med school advice, it was a sweltering Sunday afternoon in August, day 0 of medical school. We first-years were all so excited to start that Monday morning’s classwork and officially begin trailblazing toward doctorhood. Our first obstacle was six hours of back-to-back-to-back orientation lectures on this charged-up Sunday.

I think about 12 attendings talked to us that day. Some were full of vigor and zest and inspired us for what laid ahead. Others look like they had something better to attend to, but we lent our ears all the same. Lectures ranged from the usual “Importance of Time Management” to the cautionary “Stay Away from Drugs and Binge Drinking.”

Next up, we heard from the fresh crop of fourth-year medical students. These guys were rockstars in training, and exuded the confidence that said, “I’m practically a doctor.” That’s when one fourth-year dropped a bomb of knowledge that still resonates with me to this day.

He instructed us that instead of living in the future and trying to optimize everything that lies ahead, that rather, we should aim to:

Do an excellent job at whatever you are doing RIGHT NOW.

At the time, it was just another piece of advice. My meditation training helped me to try and stay in the now. But then, because I was surrounded by 180 ambitious medical students, it became a more difficult prospect. It was week one of medical school, and my peers were talking about board scores. Other friends were talking about what fourth-year electives they heard were easy so they could take epic vacations at that point. Everything was moving really fast. That’s when I started to see the wisdom in what that fourth-year student had told me.

After: Revolutionizing My Approach to Work and School

Just as I started to become overwhelmed by the realities of medical school, I decided to stop, take stock of things, and really consider the advice I’d been given: Do an excellent job at whatever you are doing right now.

So I asked myself, “What am I doing right now?” Learning biochemistry fundamentals. I did my best to drown out the noise, read the assigned text, and take exquisite notes. Sure, a minute amount of effort was devoted towards envisioning the big picture, and some of what was to come.

However, I did what I could to focus the entirety of my effort on whatever I was doing at the time. And it paid off with solid scores in coursework, and a board score that I was proud of. 

I had the same conundrum during my intern year. I was on a month of surgery during my transitional year, before I began my three years of anesthesia-specific residency training. Was I to focus on being a great surgery intern, or devote my efforts to internalizing Miller’s anesthesia (a 1000-page tome) so that I could pass my board exam in 19 months? 

To make my decision, I circled back to the same question I did while at the start of med school: What was happening right now? Surgery, not anesthesia. I put the effort into being the best surgical intern that I could. There would be plenty of time to study. 

As an anesthesiologist at a busy practice, I give myself the same reminder. I have one OR going, have to start another one, but I’m scrubbed into a difficult epidural. My phone rings again—is it a difficult airway in the ICU? Is something untoward happening in the OR? I have the nurse field the call and take a message, and try to silence my mind, giving all of my thought and focus to finding loss of resistance and placing the epidural. 

How You Can Implement This Strategy in Medical School

Do what it takes to develop insights into what you are thinking. Examine the content of your thoughts and see how much time you are thinking about known (or unknown) events that are going to occur at some point in the future. How much of your mind space is currently being devoted to future worries? Try to focus your energy and efforts on the now, and let the big picture fall into place.

From the Zen master focusing intently on their breath to the attending surgeon hovering over an open abdomen, focusing on right now is unequivocally necessary. While at home playing with children or exercising to keep fit in school or doing just about anything, give the totality of your devotion to the current activity. Focus on the work when working—it will enhance the essence of every experience and allow you to stay centered and productive no matter where you are in your medical journey.