Why I Chose OB/GYN

This past Monday I found out that I matched into OB/GYN! With two days to go before finding out where I'll be doing my residency, I'm so anxious to know where my new home will be for the next four years. I'm also feeling really grateful to be at this point. I've worked towards this for so many years and dedicated so much of my life to achieving this goal. It's surreal to know it's finally becoming a reality.

Since March 2017 also decided to bring me my only two snow days of medical school (yay!), I've had lots of time to reflect and think about what comes next. I've been wanting to write about how I chose my specialty and why I fell in love with OB/GYN. Now that it's official I figure its the perfect time for this post.

I started medical school thinking that I'd do a residency in internal medicine and subspecialize in hematology/oncology. I majored in molecular biology in undergrad and through that became interested in cancer biology. I also had a family member who was diagnosed with cancer while I was in high school deciding to pursue medicine which had a major impact on me. Oncology seemed like the perfect fit for me.

Then I started my clinical rotations during third year. In medical school, everyone tells you to keep an open mind during all of your rotations. I'd heard multiple doctors talk about how they completely changed paths after experiencing what it's actually like to be in each field of medicine. So I really made a point to look at each specialty with a fresh perspective while on that rotation. I have to laugh though because up until that point, I really only had two specialties that I had decided I wouldn't do. Those specialties were Orthopedic surgery and OB/GYN. I've never really liked the musculoskeletal system and I'd shadowed an OB/GYN at their outpatient office during high school and hadn't found it to be very exciting. So when I set up my clinical rotation schedule, I opted to take OB/GYN early since I was sure I wouldn't be doing that. And then I started the rotation. And realized that OB/GYN's do surgeries (I seriously didn't realize this even as a medical student). And realized that I love surgery. And realized how amazing it is to deliver a baby. And these realizations kept coming. I love that this specialty is a mix of medicine (non-surgical management) and surgery/procedures. One day you can be seeing patients at your office and the next you can be saving a babies life by doing an emergency C-section.

I was also surprised to find out that there are some amazing fellowships. One that really captured my interest was Gynecologic Oncology. Gynecologic oncologists treat cancers of the ovaries, uterus, cervix, and other parts of the GYN tract. It's one of the only specialties where you perform surgeries as well as administer chemotherapy.  The patients are such strong, wonderful women that inspire you to find better treatments, provide better care, and serve them as they face the biggest battles of their lives. I have literally never worked with more incredible people than these women. This specialty also involves lots of research opportunities, comprehensive robotic surgery training, and end-of-life care. I'm seriously considering pursuing this after residency (can you tell?!) because of how perfectly this specialty matches my own passions and interests.

There are several other great fellowships as well. Maternal fetal medicine specialists care for women with high-risk pregnancies. They see women with serious medical conditions who are pregnant and need expert management. They also care for women whose unborn babies have serious medical problems and plan for how to safely deliver these babies and moms. Urogynecology/Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery is a surgical fellowship that deals with treating pelvic floor and bladder problems. These procedures can have huge impact on improving a woman's quality of life. Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility is a fellowship that focuses on helping women become mothers. They evaluate women who are having difficulty becoming pregnant and help them overcome their struggle with infertility. There are several other fellowships that you can pursue after residency, but the four I mentioned are the only ones that are recognized by the ACGME and ABOG (two organizations that provide certification to doctors).

Overall, the biggest pieces of advice I can give to people trying to decide what area of medicine they want to pursue is to have an open mind and to know yourself. Know that your understanding of the scope of each specialty is typically very limited before your third year of medical school. You may be surprised by how each specialist spends their days and also by how much this varies from doctor to doctor within each specialty. You may also be surprised at what you actually enjoy doing. I couldn't predict that I'd love surgery but now I can't imagine not getting to spend time in the OR.

I also took a lot of time examining my priorities and passions. I had to be honest with myself about the kind of lifestyle I want and how this will affect my family. I'm happiest when I'm constantly challenged and busy, but having a family, getting to travel, and getting time to do things like hiking, cooking, and photography is also important to me. Realizing that I can do all of these things, but that I might not be able to cook every week or attend every single soccer game/dance recital was important. I'm ok with that and know that it might be hard at times, but I also know that I'm happier on my 12 hour days on labor and delivery or in the OR, than I ever was during rounds on internal medicine or neurology. I'm also blessed that to have an incredibly supportive husband who has a more flexible job than I do, which isn't necessary, but very helpful!  Each person needs to decide what's important to them and what sacrifices are acceptable and what ones aren't. Thankfully we're all different and enjoy different things, and there are lots of different specialties to match each persons interests and life goals. I'm so happy that I've found my place in medicine along with all my fellow fourth year medical students, and I hope this helps anyone trying to decide what area of medicine is right for them!

Now just sweating out these last two days before my official Match Day when I find out where I'm going!!