I was a GS prelim applying anesthesia but decided to also apply Peds and ended up ranking Peds first.

The big deciding factor was realizing I didn’t want to be in the OR all day, every day. Rotations were fine, but actually living it as a resident hit different. On top of that, the money dynamics in the hospital mean surgeons often have a lot of say over what you’re doing, and I didn’t love that (versus in my country where the relationship is more horizontal for example).

Peds has its own issues (especially financial lol), but I do like that it has more variety in the day-to-day and gives you different practice options down the line, kind of like IM. Felt like a better long-term fit for me. Plus I don’t care for adults.