101 Things You Wish You Knew Before Starting Medical School

[Sassafrass23]

Just wanted to make sure everyone had seen this


Simple enough, here are 101 things you wish you knew before starting medical school.

1. If I had known what it was going to be like, I would never have done it.
2. You’ll study more than you ever have in your life.
3. Only half of your class will be in the top 50%. You have a 50% chance of being in the top half of your class. Get used to it now.
4. You don’t need to know anatomy before school starts. Or pathology. Or physiology.
5. Third year rotations will suck the life out you.
6. Several people from your class will have sex with each other. You might be one of the lucky participants.
7. You may discover early on that medicine isn’t for you.
8. You don’t have to be AOA or have impeccable board scores to match somewhere – only if you’re matching into radiology.
9. Your social life may suffer some.
10. Pelvic exams are teh suck.
11. You won’t be a medical student on the surgery service. You’ll be the retractor bitch.
12. Residents will probably ask you to retrieve some type of nourishment for them.
13. Most of your time on rotations will be wasted. Thrown away. Down the drain.
14. You’ll work with at least one attending physician who you’ll want to beat the **** out of.
15. You’ll work with at least three residents who you’ll want to beat the **** out of.
16. You’ll ask a stranger about the quality of their stools.
17. You’ll ask post-op patients if they’ve farted within the last 24 hours.
18. At some point during your stay, a stranger’s bodily fluids will most likely come into contact with your exposed skin.
19. Somebody in your class will flunk out of medical school.
20. You’ll work 14 days straight without a single day off. Probably multiple times.
21. A student in your class will have sex with an attending or resident.
22. After the first two years are over, your summer breaks will no longer exist. Enjoy them as much as you can.
23. You’ll be sleep deprived.
24. There will be times on certain rotations where you won’t be allowed to eat.
25. You will be pimped.
26. You’ll wake up one day and ask yourself is this really what you want out of life.
27. You’ll party a lot during the first two years, but then that pretty much ends at the beginning of your junior year.
28. You’ll probably change your specialty of choice at least 4 times.
29. You’ll spend a good deal of your time playing social worker.
30. You’ll learn that medical insurance reimbursement is a huge problem, particularly for primary care physicians.
31. Nurses will treat you badly, simply because you are a medical student.
32. There will be times when you’ll be ignored by your attending or resident.
33. You will develop a thick skin. If you fail to do this, you’ll cry often.
34. Public humiliation is very commonplace in medical training.
35. Surgeons are *******s. Take my word for it now.
36. OB/GYN residents are treated like ****, and that **** runs downhill. Be ready to pick it up and sleep with it.
37. It’s always the medical student’s fault.
38. Gunner is a derogatory word. It’s almost as bad as racial slurs.
39. You’ll look forward to the weekend, not so you can relax and have a good time but so you can catch up on studying for the week.
40. Your house might go uncleaned for two weeks during an intensive exam block.
41. As a medical student on rotations, you don’t matter. In fact, you get in the way and impede productivity.
42. There’s a fair chance that you will be physically struck by a nurse, resident, or attending physician. This may include slapped on the hand or kicked on the shin in order to instruct you to “move” or “get out of the way.”
43. Any really bad procedures will be done by you. The residents don’t want to do them, and you’re the low man on the totem pole. This includes rectal examinations and digital disimpactions.
44. You’ll be competing against the best of the best, the cream of the crop. This isn’t college where half of your classmates are idiots. Everybody in medical school is smart.
45. Don’t think that you own the world because you just got accepted into medical school. That kind of attitude will humble you faster than anything else.
46. If you’re in it for the money, there are much better, more efficient ways to make a living. Medicine is not one of them.
47. Anatomy sucks. All of the bone names sound the same.
48. If there is anything at all that you’d rather do in life, do not go into medicine.
49. The competition doesn't end after getting accepted to medical school. You’ll have to compete for class rank, awards, and residency. If you want to do a fellowship, you’ll have to compete for that too.
50. You’ll never look at weekends the same again.
51. VA hospitals suck. Most of them are old, but the medical records system is good.
52. Your fourth year in medical school will be like a vacation compared to the first three years. It’s a good thing too, because you’ll need one.
53. Somebody in your class will be known as the “highlighter *****.” Most often a female, she’ll carry around a backpack full of every highlighter color known to man. She’ll actually use them, too.
54. Rumors surrounding members of your class will spread faster than they did in high school.
55. You’ll meet a lot of cool people, many new friends, and maybe your husband or wife.
56. No matter how bad your medical school experience was at times, you’ll still be able to think about the good times. Kind of like how I am doing right now.
57. Your first class get-together will be the most memorable. Cherish those times.
58. Long after medical school is over, you’ll still keep in contact with the friends you made. I do nearly every day.
59. Gunners always sit in the front row. This rule never fails. However, not everyone who sits in the front row is a gunner.
60. There will be one person in your class who’s the coolest, most laid back person you’ve ever met. This guy will sit in the back row and throw paper airplanes during class, and then blow up with 260+ Step I’s after second year. True story.
61. At the beginning of first year, everyone will talk about how cool it’s going to be to help patients. At the end of third year, everybody will talk about how cool it’s going to be to make a lot of money.
62. Students who start medical school wanting to do primary care end up in dermatology. Those students who start medical school wanting to do dermatology end up in family medicine.
63. Telling local girls at the bar that you’re a medical student doesn’t mean ****. They’ve been hearing that for years. Be more unique.
64. The money isn’t really that good in medicine. Not if you look at it in terms of hours worked.
65. Don’t wear your white coat into the gas station, or any other business that has nothing to do with you wearing a white coat. You look like an a**, and people do make fun of you.
66. Don’t round on patients that aren’t yours. If you round on another student’s patients, that will spread around your class like fire after a 10 year drought. Your team will think you’re an idiot too.
67. If you are on a rotation with other students, don’t bring in journal articles to share with the team “on the fly” without letting the other students know. This makes you look like a gunner, and nobody likes a gunner. Do it once, and you might as well bring in a new topic daily. Rest assured that your fellow students will just to show you up.
68. If you piss off your intern, he or she can make your life hell.
69. If your intern pisses you off, you can make his or her life hell.
70. Don’t try to work during medical school. Live life and enjoy the first two years.
71. Not participating in tons of ECs doesn’t hurt your chances for residency. Forget the weekend free clinic and play some Frisbee golf instead.
72. Don’t rent an apartment. If you can afford to, buy a small home instead. I saved $200 per month and had roughly $30,000 in equity by choosing to buy versus rent.
73. Your family members will ask you for medical advice, even after your first week of first year.
74. Many of your friends will go onto great jobs and fantastic lifestyles. You’ll be faced with 4 more years of debt and then at least 3 years of residency before you’ll see any real earning potential.
75. Pick a specialty based around what you like to do.
76. At least once during your 4 year stay, you’ll wonder if you should quit.
77. It’s amazing how fast time flies on your days off. It’s equally amazing at how slow the days are on a rotation you hate.
78. You’ll learn to be scared of asking for time off.
79. No matter what specialty you want to do, somebody on an unrelated rotation will hold it against you.
80. A great way to piss off attendings and residents are to tell them that you don’t plan to complete a residency.
81. Many of your rotations will require you to be the “vitals b****.” On surgery, you’ll be the “retractor b****.”
82. Sitting around in a group and talking about ethical issues involving patients is not fun.
83. If an attending or resident treats you badly, call them out on it. You can get away with far more than you think.
84. Going to class is generally a waste of time. Make your own schedule and enjoy the added free time.
85. Find new ways to study. The methods you used in college may or may not work. If something doesn’t work, adapt.
86. Hospitals smell bad.
87. Subjective evaluations are just that – subjective. They aren’t your end all, be all so don’t dwell on a poor evaluation. The person giving it was probably an *******, anyway.
88. Some physicians will tell you it’s better than it really is. Take what you hear (both positive and negative) with a grain of salt.
89. 90% of surgeons are *******s, and 63% of statistics are made up. The former falls in the lucky 37%.
90. The best time of your entire medical school career is between the times when you first get your acceptance letter and when you start school.
91. During the summer before medical school starts, do not attempt to study or read anything remotely related to medicine. Take this time to travel and do things for you.
92. The residents and faculty in OB/GYN will be some of the most malignant personalities you’ve ever come into contact with.
93. Vaginal deliveries are messy. So are c-sections. It’s just an all-around blood fest if you like that sort of thing.
94. Despite what the faculty tell you, you don’t need all of the fancy equipment that they suggest for you to buy. All you need is a stethoscope. The other equipment they say you “need” is standard in all clinic and hospital exam rooms. If it’s not standard, your training hospital and clinics suck.
95. If your school has a note taking service, it’s a good idea to pony up the cash for it. It saves time and gives you the option of not attending lecture.
96. Medicine is better than being a janitor, but there were times when I envied the people cleaning the hospital trash cans.
97. Avoid surgery like the plague.
98. See above and then apply it to OB/GYN as well.
99. The money is good in medicine, but it’s not all that great especially considering the amount of time that you’ll have to work.
100. One time an HIV+ patient ripped out his IV and then “slung” his blood at the staff in the room. Go, go infectious disease.
101. Read Med School Hell now, throughout medical school, and then after you’re done. Then come back and tell me how right I am.

http://www.medschoolhell.com/2007/04/24/101-things-you-wish-you-knew-before-starting-medical-school/

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[mcloaf]

Take what you hear (both positive and negative) with a grain of salt.

Probably the only worthwhile thing ever posted on that blog.

 

[487806]

Probably the only worthwhile thing ever posted on that blog.

Indeed. A lot of those 101 things are subjective nonsense.

 

[Sassafrass23]

Indeed. A lot of those 101 things are subjective nonsense.

I'm not a medical student yet but I thought it was entertaining!

 

[487806]

I'm not a medical student yet but I thought it was entertaining!

Meh. Way too long to be entertaining and a lot of stuff are exaggerated in an attempt to be funny

 

[NickNaylor]

Meh. Way too long to be entertaining and a lot of stuff are exaggerated in an attempt to be funny

Several of them are pretty cringe-worthy and stupid, but I'd say that most of the points about lifestyle and the generally pessimistic view about medical training (particularly the points about questioning whether you actually want to keep doing this or not) are pretty spot-on.

IIRC you're a MS1 - things are much different during MS1. MS2 is a bit of a game changer, and I've found that most people's perspective on medicine changes quite a bit after going through step 1 and being in the clinical setting for a bit. That's not to say that you are doomed to hate medicine, but a lot of the naivete and grandiosity of medicine that young students have (myself included) becomes slowly dismantled the further you get into it. It's still enjoyable - I can tell that I'm going to love being a physician - but my general "feel" about medicine has changed quite a bit since starting medical school and especially since being on the wards.

 

[circulus vitios]

I appreciate that guy's cynicism but he cries way too hard. Medical school and residency will suck hardcore but it's not like most of us have other options to make >$200k/year.

 

[Lya]

Several of them are pretty cringe-worthy and stupid, but I'd say that most of the points about lifestyle and the generally pessimistic view about medical training (particularly the points about questioning whether you actually want to keep doing this or not) are pretty spot-on.

IIRC you're a MS1 - things are much different during MS1. MS2 is a bit of a game changer, and I've found that most people's perspective on medicine changes quite a bit after going through step 1 and being in the clinical setting for a bit. That's not to say that you are doomed to hate medicine, but a lot of the naivete and grandiosity of medicine that young students have (myself included) becomes slowly dismantled the further you get into it. It's still enjoyable - I can tell that I'm going to love being a physician - but my general "feel" about medicine has changed quite a bit since starting medical school and especially since being on the wards.

I simply wanted some clarifications.

So, students tend to get pessimistic overall as the medical training continues? Is it because many hours of studying, being stressed, and meeting the demands during rotations? Or is it because of how the whole system is constructed? I am just curious.

 

[YoungProdigy]

Why does he say to avoid surgery like the plague?

 

[circulus vitios]

Why does he say to avoid surgery like the plague?

It's one of the most time intensive fields in med school, residency, and practice.

 

[NickNaylor]

I simply wanted some clarifications.

So, students tend to get pessimistic overall as the medical training continues? Is it because many hours of studying, being stressed, and meeting the demands during rotations? Or is it because of how the whole system is constructed? I am just curious.

Everyone has their own experience, so I can obviously only speak anecdotally for myself. However, I'd say the combination of familiarity (i.e., the mystery/allure of medicine fades away), ridiculous expectations/demands by professors/attendings, and the glaring inefficiency/goat-rodeo-esque feel of medical training starts to wear on you. There are a lot - a LOT - of things you do in medical school that are a complete and utter waste of time. And while that is obviously true of most things in life, it becomes more aggravating as your schedule becomes more filled and less able to accommodate things that actually need to be done. The difficulty of maintaining sanity and personal relationships - you know, things that normal people do - also becomes frustrating, especially when, at times, it is nearly impossible to do well without having a superhuman work ethic or what I would consider to be a highly unhealthy work-life balance.

Again, none of these things are unique to medicine and many of them are simple realities of life. IMHO, though, the rigor of medical training amplifies all of these things. As CV mentioned, there is a very huge delayed gratification aspect to medical training. It's easy to dismiss that flippantly with a "lol but $200k job at the end" when all you've done is a few months of MS1 and everything is novel, but it begins to wear on you after a while.

By the way, I say all of this as someone that is pretty low-stress, generally well-adjusted and flexible, and very "into" medicine. I'm not someone that is in medicine for big bucks, status, or any of the other "less noble" motivations people typically think of. I genuinely enjoy/will enjoy what I perceive to be the job of being a healthcare provider, but there are huge negatives to the career that, for better or worse, cannot be truly appreciated until you begin to experience them.

 

[gettheleadout]

It's one of the most time intensive fields in med school, residency, and practice.

I imagine it's commentary on the social/work environment, not the time commitment.

 

[Dbate]

Several of them are pretty cringe-worthy and stupid, but I'd say that most of the points about lifestyle and the generally pessimistic view about medical training (particularly the points about questioning whether you actually want to keep doing this or not) are pretty spot-on.

IIRC you're a MS1 - things are much different during MS1. MS2 is a bit of a game changer, and I've found that most people's perspective on medicine changes quite a bit after going through step 1 and being in the clinical setting for a bit. That's not to say that you are doomed to hate medicine, but a lot of the naivete and grandiosity of medicine that young students have (myself included) becomes slowly dismantled the further you get into it. It's still enjoyable - I can tell that I'm going to love being a physician - but my general "feel" about medicine has changed quite a bit since starting medical school and especially since being on the wards.

Which points?

I don't know anything about the actual experience about med school, so I would like to learn more.

 

[alpinism]

Didn't read them all, but:

5. Not all rotations are that bad. Some are pretty chill and fun.
20. Maybe 20yrs ago at a very malignant hospital. Not gonna happen today.
47. Many people enjoy anatomy. Some people love anatomy.
81. I've never heard of anyone having to be a vitals b*tch.

The truest of them all:

60. There will be one person in your class who's the coolest, most laid back person you've ever met. This guy will sit in the back row and throw paper airplanes during class, and then blow up with 260+ Step I's after second year.

 

[SunsFun]

The list seem to be more relevant to people who went to med school straight from undergrad.

 

[Anathema]

I still need to do more research on #30 since I've heard physicians and med students say it

 

[487806]

Which points?

I don't know anything about the actual experience about med school, so I would like to learn more.

The blogger was condemning surgery as cut-throat and merciless, and OB-GYN doctors and residents as ultrafeminists. There are a lot of stereotypes like these two mentioned.

 

[La Presse]

go go infectious diseases

 

[Harpsx]

I really like how they phrased #3.
I always thought only 1/3 of the class gets to be in the top 50%...

 

[Straw Hat]

The list seem to be more relevant to people who went to med school straight from undergrad.

I agree. It's a grass is always greener on the other side type of situation where for the most part they have no other career experience to compare it to. Talk to people in other fields and they'll say how much they're overworked, underpaid, stressed, or feel like their job isn't rewarding at all (and they're not even breaking 50-60k a year).

Heck I've even heard plenty of doctors say they'd do it differently if they could. I don't want to generalize but I think a lot of med students initially didn't know what kind of grind they were getting themselves into and have nothing else to compare it to. I'm glad I already work in a hospital bc even though I don't know exactly what it's like to be a physician, I know what it's like to do 12+ hour shifts, night shifts, not eat, stress out, deal with non compliant patients... all in a system that is becoming more and more regulated and protocol like (see the story below). Our doctors and us nurses are taught to sit down for just a second with a patient to improve patient satisfaction scores simply because research shows that sitting down with them every time you enter the room makes them think we were in the room for twice as long. Better patient satisfaction scores means more money. It's all so crazy but I love it.

I think a lot of aspiring med students will be in for some shock when they see how patient care really works and it might contribute to burn out. Every I needs to be dotted and t crossed before you can get to the good stuff. I found this story to be pretty funny and true... they were trying to help a patient who was crashing but the nurse couldn't pull meds because the computer was being finicky. She finally did something to bypass the system and get the meds the patient needed. I think it relates pretty well to any healthcare career and the amount of regulation that is involved.

"I was chatting with the trauma attending in the midst of the chaos and related my little ditty that I share...

"You know, before I became a nurse I thought it was all about taking care of patients, meeting their needs, and helping them recover. Now I realize that it's all about keeping the computer happy and making sure that every box is checked and line is filled in... if the patient happens to get good care, that's incidental."

The trauma chief said, "Yeah, it's A-B-C... airway-breathing-computer."

The attending smiled and said, "Remember, it's been changed to C-A-B."

 

[Lya]

62. Students who start medical school wanting to do primary care end up in dermatology. Those students who start medical school wanting to do dermatology end up in family medicine.

How often does this happen?

Is it because people, who got a higher step 1 score than expected, suddenly decided to consider more competitive areas and pursue them?

 

[yehhhboiii]

How often does this happen?

Is it because people, who got a higher step 1 score than expected, suddenly decided to consider more competitive areas and pursue them?

i think it has more to do with the fact that the people who are aiming for derm are the folks who like to pretend that they don't study ever. they tell you that they aren't really concerned with school but actually spend all day staring at powerpoint slides

 

[amazing tekkers]

60. There will be one person in your class who’s the coolest, most laid back person you’ve ever met. This guy will sit in the back row and throw paper airplanes during class, and then blow up with 260+ Step I’s after second year.

I wish I was that person

 

[911 Turbo]

Everyone has their own experience, so I can obviously only speak anecdotally for myself. However, I'd say the combination of familiarity (i.e., the mystery/allure of medicine fades away), ridiculous expectations/demands by professors/attendings, and the glaring inefficiency/goat-rodeo-esque feel of medical training starts to wear on you. There are a lot - a LOT - of things you do in medical school that are a complete and utter waste of time. And while that is obviously true of most things in life, it becomes more aggravating as your schedule becomes more filled and less able to accommodate things that actually need to be done. The difficulty of maintaining sanity and personal relationships - you know, things that normal people do - also becomes frustrating, especially when, at times, it is nearly impossible to do well without having a superhuman work ethic or what I would consider to be a highly unhealthy work-life balance.

Again, none of these things are unique to medicine and many of them are simple realities of life. IMHO, though, the rigor of medical training amplifies all of these things. As CV mentioned, there is a very huge delayed gratification aspect to medical training. It's easy to dismiss that flippantly with a "lol but $200k job at the end" when all you've done is a few months of MS1 and everything is novel, but it begins to wear on you after a while.

By the way, I say all of this as someone that is pretty low-stress, generally well-adjusted and flexible, and very "into" medicine. I'm not someone that is in medicine for big bucks, status, or any of the other "less noble" motivations people typically think of. I genuinely enjoy/will enjoy what I perceive to be the job of being a healthcare provider, but there are huge negatives to the career that, for better or worse, cannot be truly appreciated until you begin to experience them.

hows MS3 big boi? i remember when u were still applying for schools

 

[NickNaylor]

I agree. It's a grass is always greener on the other side type of situation where for the most part they have no other career experience to compare it to. Talk to people in other fields and they'll say how much they're overworked, underpaid, stressed, or feel like their job isn't rewarding at all (and they're not even breaking 50-60k a year).

Heck I've even heard plenty of doctors say they'd do it differently if they could. I don't want to generalize but I think a lot of med students initially didn't know what kind of grind they were getting themselves into and have nothing else to compare it to. I'm glad I already work in a hospital bc even though I don't know exactly what it's like to be a physician, I know what it's like to do 12+ hour shifts, night shifts, not eat, stress out, deal with non compliant patients... all in a system that is becoming more and more regulated and protocol like (see the story below). Our doctors and us nurses are taught to sit down for just a second with a patient to improve patient satisfaction scores simply because research shows that sitting down with them every time you enter the room makes them think we were in the room for twice as long. Better patient satisfaction scores means more money. It's all so crazy but I love it.

I think a lot of aspiring med students will be in for some shock when they see how patient care really works and it might contribute to burn out. Every I needs to be dotted and t crossed before you can get to the good stuff. I found this story to be pretty funny and true... they were trying to help a patient who was crashing but the nurse couldn't pull meds because the computer was being finicky. She finally did something to bypass the system and get the meds the patient needed. I think it relates pretty well to any healthcare career and the amount of regulation that is involved.

"I was chatting with the trauma attending in the midst of the chaos and related my little ditty that I share...

"You know, before I became a nurse I thought it was all about taking care of patients, meeting their needs, and helping them recover. Now I realize that it's all about keeping the computer happy and making sure that every box is checked and line is filled in... if the patient happens to get good care, that's incidental."

The trauma chief said, "Yeah, it's A-B-C... airway-breathing-computer."

The attending smiled and said, "Remember, it's been changed to C-A-B."

I would agree that in general people (particularly pre-meds) tend to have an unrealistic understanding of medicine, but it is still absolutely true IMO that you likely can't appreciate a lot of the difficulties until you go through the process. You might be able to make the transition more smoothly than more naive folks, but I don't think this is something that can be solely chalked up as being inexperienced with how the "real world" operates. It is also distinct from the simple realization that medicine is a highly bureaucratic institution which puts many unimportant things above actually caring for patients. That is certainly a part of it, but again, I don't think that's the sole or even main contributor.

 

[Straw Hat]

I would agree that in general people (particularly pre-meds) tend to have an unrealistic understanding of medicine, but it is still absolutely true IMO that you likely can't appreciate a lot of the difficulties until you go through the process. You might be able to make the transition more smoothly than more naive folks, but I don't think this is something that can be solely chalked up as being inexperienced with how the "real world" operates. It is also distinct from the simple realization that medicine is a highly bureaucratic institution which puts many unimportant things above actually caring for patients. That is certainly a part of it, but again, I don't think that's the sole or even main contributor.

I agree with that. I was just pointing out a couple of possible reasons for all the so called gloom and doom of medical training. I've had to do things that are basically the equivalent of some on that list and I can still say I loved every minute of it. However, I wasn't going through medical school which can sometimes be a soul crushing and draining process. But it's what you sign up for imo. It seems to me that no amount of shadowing will prepare students to be ready for the dirtier parts of medicine and medical training/education.

 

[thesauce]

Didn't read them all, but:

5. Not all rotations are that bad. Some are pretty chill and fun.
20. Maybe 20yrs ago at a very malignant hospital. Not gonna happen today.
47. Many people enjoy anatomy. Some people love anatomy.
81. I've never heard of anyone having to be a vitals b*tch.

The truest of them all:

60. There will be one person in your class who’s the coolest, most laid back person you’ve ever met. This guy will sit in the back row and throw paper airplanes during class, and then blow up with 260+ Step I’s after second year.

He's also the one that says he never studies and then goes home and feverishly studies for hours on end every night

 

[AlexMack12]

I agree with that. I was just pointing out a couple of possible reasons for all the so called gloom and doom of medical training. I've had to do things that are basically the equivalent of some on that list and I can still say I loved every minute of it. However, I wasn't going through medical school which can sometimes be a soul crushing and draining process. But it's what you sign up for imo. It seems to me that no amount of shadowing will prepare students to be ready for the dirtier parts of medicine and medical training/education.

This!! I'm a bit of a non-trad and I went to nursing school first. There will be huge differences between nursing and medicine (I had to certainly discuss this during my interviews). But a lot of this list is applicable to nurses, NPs, and PAs as well as to medical students and MDs. Some of this list is certainly exclusive to medicine. But plenty should be titled "Things I Wish I Knew Before Entering ANY Career That Involves Taking Care of Patients." It's why I caution people against entering nursing/physician assistant careers as an alternative to MD. (That wasn't what I did but that's often advice that I hear). Enter a given career because you want (or think you want, as in my case!) to BE a member of that profession. Certain things are inescapable if you want to take care of patients in any capacity.

Great post!

 

[DoktorO]

"74. Many of your friends will go onto great jobs and fantastic lifestyles. You’ll be faced with 4 more years of debt and then at least 3 years of residency before you’ll see any real earning potential."


Bullcrap. If being unemployed for 4-7 years sounds like a fantastic lifestyle to him then fine.

 

[KnuxNole]

"74. Many of your friends will go onto great jobs and fantastic lifestyles. You'll be faced with 4 more years of debt and then at least 3 years of residency before you'll see any real earning potential."


Bullcrap. If being unemployed for 4-7 years sounds like a fantastic lifestyle to him then fine.

If they have great jobs, they can't be unemployed

For the most part, that is very true. A lot of friends in college have good careers and jobs, and living happy lives. I think the spiel that there are unemployed people in their 20s or struggling people working at Starbucks comes from the people who majored in underwater basket weaving and confused why they can't get a high paying job. It's like that crap with "Occupy Wall street", maybe they should have "Occupied a Resume builder".

 

[gettheleadout]

If they have great jobs, they can't be unemployed

For the most part, that is very true. A lot of friends in college have good careers and jobs, and living happy lives. I think the spiel that there are unemployed people in their 20s or struggling people working at Starbucks comes from the people who majored in underwater basket weaving and confused why they can't get a high paying job. It's like that crap with "Occupy Wall street", maybe they should have "Occupied a Resume builder".

Dude, Gamer Resident now! Haha congrats!

 

[Dbate]

If they have great jobs, they can't be unemployed

For the most part, that is very true. A lot of friends in college have good careers and jobs, and living happy lives. I think the spiel that there are unemployed people in their 20s or struggling people working at Starbucks comes from the people who majored in underwater basket weaving and confused why they can't get a high paying job. It's like that crap with "Occupy Wall street", maybe they should have "Occupied a Resume builder".

Have you ever asked those people what their jobs are like or are you just looking at them and assuming they are happy?

Speaking from a person working one of those "good jobs" you make alot of money, but the work is soul crushing. Sitting at a desk for hours on end everyday making powerpoint slides and inputting formulas into excel, so rich people can get richer is not a great career.

Losing the grass is greener perspective is the only thing I think I will get out of my job.

 

[KnuxNole]

Dude, Gamer Resident now! Haha congrats!

Thanks

 

[JimmyB123]

60. There will be one person in your class who’s the coolest, most laid back person you’ve ever met. This guy will sit in the back row and throw paper airplanes during class, and then blow up with 260+ Step I’s after second year. True story.

Met a few people like this in undergrad and it's really humbling being around them. Do you guys see many people like this in medical school?

 

[LoveIR]

Met a few people like this in undergrad and it's really humbling being around them. Do you guys see many people like this in medical school?

I can think of 5-10% of my class that fit the bill or aspired to this.

BUT that doesn't mean they did well overall. That 'too cool for school' attitude looks terrible during third year, and those that couldn't shake it shot themselves in the foot a bit.

 

[NeuResurgens]

This is a pretty pessimistic view of medicine - a lot of these points reek of regret. Not something every medical student invariably feels or doctors would die out!

 

[Hospitalized]

All I can think of when I read this:

Since when has success ever been easy?

 

[meridethgrey]

I agree. It's a grass is always greener on the other side type of situation where for the most part they have no other career experience to compare it to. Talk to people in other fields and they'll say how much they're overworked, underpaid, stressed, or feel like their job isn't rewarding at all (and they're not even breaking 50-60k a year).

Heck I've even heard plenty of doctors say they'd do it differently if they could. I don't want to generalize but I think a lot of med students initially didn't know what kind of grind they were getting themselves into and have nothing else to compare it to. I'm glad I already work in a hospital bc even though I don't know exactly what it's like to be a physician, I know what it's like to do 12+ hour shifts, night shifts, not eat, stress out, deal with non compliant patients... all in a system that is becoming more and more regulated and protocol like (see the story below). Our doctors and us nurses are taught to sit down for just a second with a patient to improve patient satisfaction scores simply because research shows that sitting down with them every time you enter the room makes them think we were in the room for twice as long. Better patient satisfaction scores means more money. It's all so crazy but I love it.

I think a lot of aspiring med students will be in for some shock when they see how patient care really works and it might contribute to burn out. Every I needs to be dotted and t crossed before you can get to the good stuff. I found this story to be pretty funny and true... they were trying to help a patient who was crashing but the nurse couldn't pull meds because the computer was being finicky. She finally did something to bypass the system and get the meds the patient needed. I think it relates pretty well to any healthcare career and the amount of regulation that is involved.

"I was chatting with the trauma attending in the midst of the chaos and related my little ditty that I share...

"You know, before I became a nurse I thought it was all about taking care of patients, meeting their needs, and helping them recover. Now I realize that it's all about keeping the computer happy and making sure that every box is checked and line is filled in... if the patient happens to get good care, that's incidental."

The trauma chief said, "Yeah, it's A-B-C... airway-breathing-computer."

The attending smiled and said, "Remember, it's been changed to C-A-B."

you are or were a scribe or EMT right?
I'm an ER scribe now as I apply for medical school and I feel its the most invaluable experience. My attitude towards medicine changed much but for the better. It's more realistic now

 

[colinolin]

Wow, perfect, thanks for posting that!