Neurology. I knew I was going to be a neurologist when I entered medical school.
Nah, surgeon. After my surgery rotation, I was sure I’d end with a scalpel in hand.
Family medicine? I changed again about halfway through third year.
ICU?? One month before ERAS, I was ready to throw it all away to become an intensivist.
And then I didn’t. I got back on the family medicine train, and my therapist suggested I might also get on the Valium train.
If this rollercoaster sounds familiar, good. Almost everyone changes direction in medical school. What makes it stressful is when you change multiple times, especially after your choice has become part of your identity. Suddenly you’re wondering: Am I ruining my competitiveness? Do I need an extra year? Do I even know who I am anymore? Fear sneaks in, and before you know it, you’re trudging forward toward a specialty you no longer want, trapped by the sunk-cost fallacy.
That’s not good for you, or your future patients. So here’s my message: it’s absolutely okay to change your mind. Even as late as one month before ERAS.
My Story
When I walked into med school, I was dead set on neurology. I had personal reasons for wanting to help people with neurological disease, and I thought the science was fascinating. But here’s the catch: before med school, nobody actually knows what practice looks like.
As I got more exposure, I realized I loved medicine broadly, and neurology felt too narrow. Then came surgery. I was good in the OR and loved the rush. Switching didn’t feel too scary—I had been overshooting all along, building my CV “as if” I’d go into surgery, knowing I could scale back later.
But surgery’s fleeting patient interactions weren’t enough. I wanted breadth, depth, continuity. Enter family medicine. People thought it was a wild swing, but was it? In FM I could do procedures like a surgeon, treat common neurologic complaints like a neurologist, and most importantly, build deep relationships with patients.
And then, one month before ERAS, I fell in love with the ICU. Physiology, adrenaline, teamwork, it was beautiful. And despite the voice saying, “shut up and just do FM,” I explored changing yet again.
Why? Because every change taught me more about myself. If I wanted to be happy, I had to know why I was choosing FM over ICU, not just cling to it because it was safer. I encourage everyone, no matter how crazy it seems, to explore their urges and desires in medicine, if not simply to understand the reasons why following them is a bad idea.
And here’s a secret: programs don’t expect you to have had a lifelong knowledge of what you want. They want you to have thought things through and be able to explain why you’re here now. Every time you explore a change, you sharpen your story for your personal statement, your LORs, and your interviews.
Escaping the Sunk-Cost Trap
“This sounds nice, Travis, but it doesn’t work that way. I’ve done research, I’ve ignored other areas, I’ve got LORs cemented.”
Trust me, I get it. I was ready to toss FM aside with only weeks left, scramble for LORs, rewrite my statement, and walk back all my talk of being “Mr. Primary Care.” Yeah, it’s hard, and maybe it even adds a year. But medicine is already long and hard. Doubling down on a specialty you don’t want, just because you’re afraid of “wasting” effort, is the real danger.
That’s the sunk-cost fallacy: believing past investment locks you into the future. Fall for it, and you’ll risk burnout, depression, and becoming that attending who tells pre-meds, “Do anything else.”
Summa
So whether you’re bracing for a future crisis, or currently eating too much lowfat Shamrock cottage cheese while playing Rainbow Six Siege to avoid thinking about it (100% random example), know this: you’re not behind, you’re not crazy, and you’re certainly not alone. In fact, you may be more prepared than the resident who never questioned their choice, because you’ve stress-tested yours.
The only mistake you can make now is not letting yourself change.
Travis Seideman
Travis Seideman is a member of the Class of 2026 at UACOM-P. He attended Northern Arizona University where he studied Exercise Science and Psychology. He is planning on practicing rural Family Medicine and pursuing a fellowship in Sports Medicine.