After a medical student has finished studying, do they choose their specialities?

Question

If so, who on earth would choose to be a proctologist?

Answer 1

Yes, you are able to pick your own specialty. No one really chooses to become a proctologist. I think they choose to become a urologist ad gravitate to being a proctologist after that. :-)

Answer 2

It's often a leap of faith with inadequate experience, tainted by the skewed perspective of medical school, in that internal medicine as seen in school, as an example, is quite different from internal medicine as practiced in the community. One often wonders about colon-rectal surgeons, or urologists, or for that matter how a gynecologist goes home to his wife at night. There has to be an emotional disconnect between the academic pursuit and the reality of the world outside the job.

Answer 3

Specialities aren't chosen immediately after their studying. Once they're done w/ pre-med they go to medical school (where a general specialty is chosen - normally medicine or surgery), then they have to do an internship/residency, then sometimes they do a fellowship where they delve into a specialty that interests them.

Who knows why someone would chose proctology. One reason could be because they don't have to worry about emergency calls unlike pediatricians and OB/GYNs. Other than that...I have no clue.

(shrugs)

Answer 4

Have to do house jobs in various specialites before going into specialist training.