For any doctors or residents out there...

[futuredoc363]

Did any of you know what you wanted to be from a very young age? Most docs I've heard of decided on medicine in college after pursuing other paths. But I've wanted to be a doctor since elementary school(and now I'm a junior in high school); I had lots of ill relatives and always wanted to know how to treat them. I know this may be a stupid question to some, but do you think I will inevitably change my mind? Most people that I've talked to patronize me and tell me I'm too young to know what I want, but this is really all I've ever wanted to do, and especially now after a medical tragedy has happened in the family. Do you think I could make it or is it really just idealist thinking? I've been in and out of the hospital most of my life bc of my sick relatives, and I know that's where I want to spend my time but no one believes that I will get there or stick with it :\

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[da8s0859q]

1. Residents are doctors. Just saying.

2. Lots of doctors thought they wanted to be doctors when they were young. Many thought other things. Some thought doctor and then came back around to it after visiting a bunch of other prospects. Pros and cons to all of those.

3. Not to short change what you've gone through, but most high schoolers don't know enough about their interest to definitely say they want to do it. This isn't a personal slight. I sure as hell didn't. The number of college pre-medical freshmen who (a) are sure they want to be a doctor and, tangentially, (b) think they know enough about medicine or the practice thereof to be anything but dangerous at best is comical compared to the much smaller number of college seniors who actually get accepted to medical school. This is for a reason.

I don't think it's inevitable that you'll change your mind. Maybe you won't, and you'll one day tell your story to someone just like you years from now. I do think you should keep an open mind though. Just my opinion.

 

[that redhead]

Like Exi said, some people know what they want all along while others decide later. In my opinion, getting experience hours in your career of choice is never a bad thing; visiting sick relatives is a lot different than being a doctor for someone's sick relative, as you will better understand when you do some shadowing or scribing. It's good to have a plan but also important to keep an open mind at this stage of your life. If you end up in medicine, great.

 

[futuredoc363]

Oops! Sorry, I didn't mean to imply anything about residents, I just meant doctors that are out of residency who have been working for quite a while Sorry for the misunderstanding, and thanks both of you for the advice! I obviously have a lot to learn and a long way to go, but I know this is what I want to do Muchas gracias

 

[RangerBob]

As the others mentioned--some people wanted to be physicians since they were born, others (including me) decided later.

It's good to have direction and an idea of what you want to do--that's what leads you to explore career options. Just remember while you're still in high school and college the most important thing is to keep an open mind. Don't be afraid of changing your mind in the future--most people do. I was 100% sure when I was in high school (and most of college) that I was going to be an architect. I'd even wanted to be one since I was a kid.

Just because you've wanted to do something your whole life doesn't mean that you have to do it if you feel like a more perfect fit comes along. It's certainly a sign that it's a career worth looking into and getting exposure to, but it's not like you need to sign a contract.

Think of a career like a spouse--you want to make sure you find the right one. If "the one" comes along and you're dating someone else, well, then you'd be stupid not to change your mind. Happens all the time--it's why we date rather than marry every boy/girl we're interested in, and it's why the average college student changes their major something like 2 or 3 times. So "date" as many professions as you can--it'll either reinforce that medicine really is for you, or you'll find something even better. It's a win-win either way.

 

[Stagg737]

Think of a career like a spouse--you want to make sure you find the right one. If "the one" comes along and you're dating someone else, well, then you'd be stupid not to change your mind. Happens all the time--it's why we date rather than marry every boy/girl we're interested in, and it's why the average college student changes their major something like 2 or 3 times. So "date" as many professions as you can--it'll either reinforce that medicine really is for you, or you'll find something even better. It's a win-win either way.

RangerBob FTW. I'm only an M1, but I can say I know plenty of people that got into med school and realized they didn't want to do this during their M2 or 3 years and walked away with 100kish in debt. Shadow physicians and volunteer at hospitals and talk to staff a lot, you'll hear a whole new side of medicine. Explore other fields too, medicine is a HUGE commitment. You'll sacrifice time, money, relationships, social life, and more during a prime time of your life. If it's right for you, it's all worth it (it is for me). However if you don't explore and keep an open mind now, you may regret those decisions later. Try to realize you're a long way off from med school and you have plenty of time to decide. Enjoy life now, explore, and figure out what you want to do.

More than anything, if you decide medicine is really what you want, don't let other people tell you that you can't do it. One of my undergrad profs essentially told me he didn't think I deserved to go to med school, but I'm here now. One of the anatomy tutors at my school dropped out of high school and had a kid when she was young and now she's in school and is an amazing tutor. There will be plenty of people that will tell you that you can't make it. In the end the only ones whose opinions matter are yours and the admissions committee.