Advice Needed

[deleted1131007]

Hello, I have a quick question if you all don't mind.

Are there any doctors or medical students out there with anxiety?

I am thinking of pursuing medicine as a profession as it aligns with my interests and beliefs. However, the only thing holding me back is its high stressed environment. I have a tendancy to get easily overwhelmed.

I'm on medicine to control it and for the majority of the time, its managable/negligible. However, with how intense the profession is, I am worried that this alone won't be enough. I'm worried that I'm setting myself up for failure instead.

What are all of your thoughts on this?
It's not as if I can't handle stress at all. I have years of teaching experience under my belt and intend to transition as nontraditional student.
However, I understand teaching is a different sort of stress than medicine.

Thank you for any advice you can offer!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Goro]

Hello, I have a quick question if you all don't mind.

Are there any doctors or medical students out there with anxiety?

Tons of them

I am thinking of pursuing medicine as a profession as it aligns with my interests and beliefs. However, the only thing holding me back is its high stressed environment. I have a tendancy to get easily overwhelmed.

I'm on medicine to control it and for the majority of the time, its managable/negligible. However, with how intense the profession is, I am worried that this alone won't be enough. I'm worried that I'm setting myself up for failure instead.

What are all of your thoughts on this?

My standard advice to anyone considering Medicine as a career is that you have to get your anxiety under 100% control. Medical school is a furnace, and I've seen it break even healthy students.

The #1 reason my school loses students to withdrawal, dismissal or LOA is to unresolved mental health issues.

 

[deleted1131007]

Tons of them

My standard advice to anyone considering Medicine as a career is that you have to get your anxiety under 100% control. Medical school is a furnace, and I've seen it break even healthy students.

The #1 reason my school loses students to withdrawal, dismissal or LOA is to unresolved mental health issues.

Thank you so much!
That clears up quite a few things for me.

 

[operaman]

The wise @Goro is spot on. Med school and training is a pressure cooker. Plenty of docs have anxiety and do well but I’ve definitely seen it derail people.

Have a plan for how you’re going to manage your mental health in school and training. You know it’s going to be challenging so you can work with your care team and make plans for how you’ll navigate it.

 

[betterweather]

Follow up question on mental health for you, @Goro , if you have the bandwidth:

If an applicant had a disabling/derailing mental health problem (like severe anxiety or severe depression, OCD, or even a bipolar episode) in the past, but got treatment and has a proven record of years of handling intense/high stress situations (grad school, other full time employment, etc) successfully since then, is it better that she disclose the mental health history to the admission committee or would it be okay to not bring that up?

 

[Goro]

Follow up question on mental health for you, @Goro , if you have the bandwidth:

If an applicant had a disabling/derailing mental health problem (like severe anxiety or severe depression, OCD, or even a bipolar episode) in the past, but got treatment and has a proven record of years of handling intense/high stress situations (grad school, other full time employment, etc) successfully since then, is it better that she disclose the mental health history to the admission committee or would it be okay to not bring that up?

A strong academic record will allay Adcom member's concerns about a student's mental health.

You can mention it in the greatest challenge/adversity prompts.

 

[Dral]

You should be ok. It's good to know this about yourself ahead of time as it may push you in the direction of a field that deals with lower acuity patients.

 

[deleted1131007]

The wise @Goro is spot on. Med school and training is a pressure cooker. Plenty of docs have anxiety and do well but I’ve definitely seen it derail people.

Have a plan for how you’re going to manage your mental health in school and training. You know it’s going to be challenging so you can work with your care team and make plans for how you’ll navigate it.

Thank you!
That is a great idea. It will definitely make me feel more prepared and ready.

 

[deleted1131007]

A strong academic record will allay Adcom member's concerns about a student's mental health.

You can mention it in the greatest challenge/adversity prompts.

That is great to know. 😁

 

[deleted1131007]

You should be ok. It's good to know this about yourself ahead of time as it may push you in the direction of a field that deals with lower acuity patients.

Thank you! Yes, I thought exactly the same thing! I've been reading up on the different specialties to get a basic idea of what I would be getting myself into.

 

[deleted1131007]

Follow up question on mental health for you, @Goro , if you have the bandwidth:

If an applicant had a disabling/derailing mental health problem (like severe anxiety or severe depression, OCD, or even a bipolar episode) in the past, but got treatment and has a proven record of years of handling intense/high stress situations (grad school, other full time employment, etc) successfully since then, is it better that she disclose the mental health history to the admission committee or would it be okay to not bring that up?

That is a good question. 😁

 

[TragicalDrFaust]

If you can handle a full time job and got good grades in science classes in undergrad, you can handle medical school. I also have a mental illness. It was diagnosed almost almost a decade ago and I've had it under control since then. Med school is very manageable for me. In fact I think I have an easier time handling the stress than some of my younger classmates who have never had this kind of pressure on them before.