According to a 2018 survey, 28% of physicians reported leaning more towards extroversion than introversion, and 38% identified as an even mix of both introversion and extroversion.
Here are the top 5 best medical specialties for extroverts:
- Psychiatry
- Family Medicine & Pediatrics
- Internal Medicine
- Emergency Medicine
- Physician Leadership
1. Psychiatry
First up on our list is psychiatry.
Psychiatry is the field of medicine that focuses on understanding and treating mental health disorders and psychological distress. As a psychiatrist, you must be incredibly skilled at communication to navigate the nuances of social interactions. Psychiatrists see a wide variety of patients, with a wide variety of mental health issues, who experience a wide range of emotions. Being able to adapt to the needs of each unique patient requires highly developed interpersonal skills.
Psychiatrists have to be adaptable to think deeply and holistically about their patients. Even if two patients have the same psychiatric disease or disorder, their treatment plans can be incredibly different. As a psychiatrist, you have the opportunity to tailor the treatment to each specific patient. This can be exciting but also challenging, as it requires a deep understanding of the patient and their issues.
Psychiatrists also get to spend more time with their patients than many other physicians. It's not uncommon to have 45- to 60-minute consultations with patients to get to the root of their problems. Given the nature of psychiatry, most of your patients will also need your care for a long time. As such, there's a lot of opportunity for longitudinal care within psychiatry, allowing you to build deeper connections with patients. You'll see them develop and improve with time, and being a part of that can be incredibly satisfying.
The quality of life of a psychiatrist is also generally pretty good. Although this may vary depending on where you work, you're likely to work regular business hours as a psychiatrist. In addition, overnight emergencies and weekend calls are typically infrequent.
To become a psychiatrist, you must complete 4 years of psychiatry residency after medical school. The average psychiatrist earns approximately $287,000 per year and works 47 hours per week.
2. Family Medicine & Pediatrics
Next are family medicine and pediatrics. Although the patient populations differ, the two are similar in their reasons for being well-suited for extroverts.
Family medicine doctors and pediatricians are the first point of contact for patients in non-emergent situations and are responsible for much of the preventive medicine, overall wellness, and treatment of common conditions.
Given the nature of family medicine and pediatrics, you can form lasting relationships with patients that span years, or even decades in some cases. You'll follow them through various stages of their lives and help them through whatever health issues arise.
Given the largely low-acuity nature of family medicine and pediatrics, patient visits tend to be shorter, meaning that you're also able to see more patients per day than many other specialties. This means meeting and interacting with large numbers of people each day.
The lifestyle of a family medicine doctor or pediatrician is also often desirable. Both tend to work normal, 9-5 business hours, with little, if any, call. This means more time to spend with family and friends outside of work, and few interruptions when you're off the clock.
To become a family medicine doctor, you must complete 3 years of family medicine residency after medical school. The average family medicine doctor earns $255,000 per year and works 53 hours per week.
To become a pediatrician, you must complete 3 years of pediatrics residency after medical school. The average pediatrician earns $244,000 per year and works 47 hours per week.
3. Internal Medicine
The next specialty that is well-suited for extroverts is internal medicine.
Similar to family medicine and pediatrics, internal medicine doctors see larger numbers of patients each day compared to other specialties. Just about every patient that enters the hospital needs an internist, so there's never a shortage of patients.
In addition, because they're working in the hospital, internal medicine doctors also need to interact with various individuals and members of the healthcare team. This includes interacting with the patient and their families, nurses, pharmacists, consultants, social workers, case managers, and more. As such, internal medicine doctors must be adaptable and have great communication skills.
There's also a lot of flexibility within internal medicine. You can take care of patients within the hospital, in an outpatient clinic, or both.
The specialty also has a generally favorable work-life balance, which means that you have plenty of time for socialization outside of work. As a hospitalist, the most common model is 7 on, 7 off; however, it's not uncommon to have 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off. The weeks at work can be hectic at times, but the weeks off of work are glorious.
To become an internal medicine doctor, you must complete 3 years of internal medicine residency after medical school. The average internal medicine doctor earns $264,000 per year and works 55 hours per week.
4. Emergency Medicine
Next on our list is emergency medicine.
Emergency medicine is the specialty dealing with acute conditions needing urgent care, such as heart attack and trauma.
Emergency medicine doctors see high volumes of patients relative to other specialties, and because everyone is a new consult, you're often jumping from one patient to the next. Furthermore, given the nature of emergencies, there can be a lot of strong emotions involved. As an emergency medicine doctor, being able to build trust and rapport with your patients in a short amount of time is critical and requires strong interpersonal skills.
As such, emergency medicine is well-suited for extroverts who thrive on external stimulation and prefer shorter interactions with higher volumes of patients as opposed to the longer, deeper visits with fewer patients that you might get in a field such as psychiatry.
There's also a stereotype within healthcare of emergency medicine doctors being incredibly outgoing. They're often the type of people who enjoy being active and prefer adventurous or risk-taking activities. It's no coincidence that a common stereotype of emergency medicine doctors is a love for outdoor activities such as cycling and rock climbing -- which ironically are also some of the activities that might land you in the emergency department.
The lifestyle of an emergency medicine doctor is often advantageous for extroverts. In contrast to most other specialties, emergency medicine doctors typically do shift work, meaning that they clock in and clock out and take very little work home with them. When they're off, they're truly off, giving them plenty of time to spend with family and friends outside of work.
Lastly, emergency medicine doctors meet and interact with a large number of people each day, including patients, their families, and other members of the healthcare team. Emergency medicine is also highly collaborative. Emergency medicine doctors must closely interact with nurses, respiratory therapists, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners, and consult with a variety of other specialists to get the patient the care that they need.
To become an emergency medicine doctor, you must complete 3-4 years of emergency medicine residency after medical school. The average emergency medicine physician earns approximately $373,000 per year and works 46 hours per week.
5. Leadership Roles
Although this last one isn't necessarily a specialty, physician leadership roles are well-suited for extroverts, as some extroverts receive social energy from being in leadership positions. In the world of medicine, there's no shortage of leadership opportunities -- no matter what specialty you work in.
You could become a program director for your residency or fellowship program. You could become a medical director in your specialty. You could become a private investigator for a clinical trial and lead a team of researchers, data analysts, and doctors. You could also shift gears and move towards a more healthcare administrative role, becoming a part of hospital leadership and making decisions that impact the whole hospital.
Extroverts are often well-suited for leadership roles as they require strong communication skills and a great deal of collaboration with others.
As you can see, there are numerous options within medicine -- even for the most extroverted of physicians. It's important to remember, however, that no matter how introverted or extroverted you are, you should not let that be the only factor you consider when choosing a specialty.
Although some specialties may allow for more or less social interaction than others, you'll still see a wide variety of personality types within every specialty. Your level of introversion or extroversion may factor into your choice of specialty, but it should not be the determining factor. It is much more important to choose a specialty that you enjoy and can see yourself doing in the long run as opposed to whatever caters to a single aspect of your personality.
Choosing a specialty is only one piece of the puzzle though. Once you've decided on your ideal specialty, you'll need to match into it. At Med School Insiders, we have a variety of services to help you along the way. From residency application editing to USMLE prep and mock interviews, we've got you covered. There's a reason that we've become the fastest-growing company in the space with industry-leading satisfaction ratings. We'd love to be a part of your journey to becoming a future physician.
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check out the Best Doctor Specialties for Introverts and How to Choose a Specialty in 6 Steps.
This post appeared on Med School Insiders.