Hey all,
Long time lurker with my first post.
I'm an MS3 in the middle of my rotations. Throughout med school, I have always wanted to do surgery. However, now on my surgery rotation, I may be realizing that I like surgery but not LOVE it like the residents or attendings do. I find surgery and anatomy incredibly interesting, but I don't seem to have that insatiable appetite that keeps me in the OR long into the night.
In the back of my mind, I have considered a procedural specialty like Cards -- I find the physiology fascinating. I even enjoyed and did quite well on my medicine rotation. My preceptor introduced me to the attendings of the cath lab, and I thought it was absolutely amazing to see such an immediate tangible effect of your work, much like surgery.
My first question is, with a switch this late in the game, could I match at a decent IM program that can set me up for cards? My stats are:
Top 25 USMD with strong in-house program
Step 1 235
Clinical grades: So far half H (including IM), half HP. AOA unlikely
Research: 15 abstracts/posters and 4 manuscripts in print. But none are in general IM or cards
Would love to go to a Top 25 IM program but I know my step 1 is merely average. I underperformed quite a bit; hopefully there is improvement on step 2.
My second question is, and perhaps is more niche: for those who decided to switch away from surgery, do you ever regret it? Do you regret not being able to cut, sew, and stitch?