is it really worth it? is Med school for me?

[mansjourney]

These are some of the questions that pass through my mind everyday. Is medical school really even an option for me or should I pursue another career before its too late. I would really appreciate your honest advice! thanks in advance

I am a pre-professional student, 21 years of age and a junior (credit-wise, although I still have two years before I can get my degrees). I am currently working on a duo-major in both Biology and Romance Languages. I have a 3.85 GPA and a 3.73 sGPA. I haven't taken the mcat because I still need both organic chemistries and physics. I also don't have shadowing experience just yet, but I have been applying to many places.

A little about me
I am not the typical student. Although I was born in the USA, I did not grow up here. It wasn't until my 12th birthday that my family decided to move to the US so that I could have a better life. When we first moved here I did not speak a single word in English. It wasn't until many months after that I was able to communicate properly. With a lot of help and practice, I was able to have decent conversation with my classmates. At home neither one of my parents currently speak English and neither one went to college. They did, however, support me with my dream of attending university and with the help of a couple scholarships and grants it became a reality.

When I first started college, i did not know what I wanted to become. (and I think that is reflected in my transcript) I thought I wanted to become an Interpreter, or a translator. I started to take many Italian and French classes. I wanted to give a voice to those who don't really have one, help them somehow and give back to the community that has helped me and my family so much!. (thus the reason why I'm majoring in Romance Language.) It wasn't until my sophomore year that I started to experiment with science classes. Biology and chemistry, especially, came easy to me. They just made sense. I'm not sure if I enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed my foreign language classes, but I didn't hate them. They did however, require much more effort and time from my part. Then the thought came to my head. The thought of becoming a doctor, "I'm doing so well in these courses, maybe I could aim higher and that way be able to help my community even more". So I started to do some research and declared my second major.
So you might be wondering why I'm doubting myself If I'm doing well so far, but the truth is that there are a lot of reasons why medicinal school doesn't seem a possibility for me.


One of the reasons is the amount of Sacrifice: I know that in order to become a physician it would take 10+ years of my life, a lot of time and a LOT of effort. I am busy all the time as of right now with hw, studying and work. I can't even imagine the amount of work that is required from medical students! As it is, I don't really have a social life, let alone a love life. Sometimes when friends invite me to hang out, I have to make up excuses to stay home and study instead. I feel like I am living life and not enjoying it, while all of my friends are out having fun. I can't seem to find time for the things I used to enjoy like painting, playing the guitar or even just exercising! I do understand that all great things require sacrifice. I just can't seem to find a middle ground.

Family: My family is the most important thing I have. I feel like my parents are only getting older and I want to be able to take care of them when they're older. Recently my mom had some health problems that required surgery. Thank God it was anything too serious but really opened my eyes. Family for me is very important and I want to have my own one day and be able to enjoy them and give them the time they deserve. My father recently lost his job too and made me realize that in one way or another, my family depends on me.

The Costs of Medical school: This is a big one. I work as a busser on the weekends and that money goes toward expenses such as gas, food and other house expenses. Is it common for medical students to have jobs while attending school? or are is it just too demanding that having a job isn't even a possibility? My dad being a maintenance technician, my mother a dish washer and myself a busser make about 60,000 a year, and I just don't know if I can even afford it. I know there are opportunities for financial aid and scholarships but are these common? is D.O. school any cheaper?

I know these are a lot of questions but I really need advice, I'm not a greedy guy I just want to help and be able to give back. I don't care about the money either, what I want is to make a difference. Were you ever in a situation like mine? I can't imagine the feeling of your efforts to finally pay off. It must be amazing. Congrats to all of you who never gave up! That's what drives me and motivates me. Is there other options? D.O? PT school? Do you regret having gone to school for something you didn't absolutely love or for not having done something? So many thoughts go through my mind and I just don't want to make the wrong decision. Thanks in advance!

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[Nymphicus]

You may want to look into nurse practitioner or physician assistant programs.

 

[Weewee]

tl;dr ....but I think you should do some shadowing and figure it out for yourself.

On the bright side, you have a strong gpa

 

[Tt1992]

To touch on a few of your points:

Doctors spend a lot of time in school, this is true. They also work A LOT, but this also varies a lot based on your specialty. From Neurosurgeons who work 20-30 hour shifts to Radiologists who can sometimes keep close to a 9-5 schedule, there are a lot of different options you can look at depending on your interests as well as lifestyle concerns. I'm not saying there aren't neurosurgeons who spend a lot of time with their families, but it is a lot harder.

As far as the finances go, medical school is very expensive but the salary for a lot of doctors once they finish residency is so high that it won't affect you that much. A lot of people take out additional loans to live off of once they are in medical school, as it doesn't leave a lot of time for work.

As far as the social life aspects go, that's definitely a valid concern. You'll be studying most of the time you're awake while you're in medical school. A lot of pre-med / medical students have a mentality of delayed reward...i.e. "Once I finish medical school and residency and am working as a real doctor I'll be able to enjoy my life". Many of my family and friends who have been through medical school end up wondering where their life went. It's very important to leave time for other things, especially if it helps you manage stress (Exercise is a huge priority for that reason).

TL;DR: Being a doctor requires a lot of sacrifice in time and other aspects of life, but there are high rewards (Making a big difference, high salary).

I'd echo what others have said and shadow doctors in the specialties you think you might be interested in to see what a typical day consists of.

 

[Alejandro]

You definitely need to shadow different doctors, AND shadow people who are in NP and PA programs. A lot of people simply shadow MDs first and then they are enamored by that without looking at whatever options are out there. See what each does, see what their lifestyles are.

You bringing up questions on whether this is a right fit is a mature thing for you to realize-make the most of it. Ask questions while you shadow, and get a feel for if what they're doing, is what YOU WANT to be doing in the future. Many of my friends who have physician parents all say that growing up was tough because their parent (s) weren't ever home. If family means a LOT to you as you mention, you should definitely reconsider MD simply because it WILL put a burden (for most) to get through.