• Home
• Getting Started
• Understanding Yourself
• Exploring Options
• Choosing a Specialty
• Getting Into Residency
• CiM Timeline
• Specialty Advisors
• Spotlight Career
• Student Interviews
• Residency Resources
• TCOM Student Clubs
• Suggested Reading
• Site Navigation

Choosing a Specialty

Choosing a specialty that is right for you involves comparing your self-assessment results with the information you've collected about different specialties. People have a variety of strategies for making important decisions. Some use a systematic approach such as weighing the pros and cons, while others use a spontaneous approach by choosing whatever intuitively feels right at the time.

If you're having a difficult time making your decision, consider utilizing the Specialty Indecision Scale; it can help you move closer to making a specialty decision. Make sure you're being realistic. Talk to a CiM Leader or one of our CiM Specialty Advisors for ideas or opinions you hadn't thought of. They can make sure you are thinking realistically about your choices and are competitive in the specialty you've chosen.