Some Questions and Answers I found valuable in my journey to medical school. If there is an answer(s) following the question, it is from one or many of the various doctors I shadowed years ago. I thought I would post my document to help out future medical students.
What do you think are the greatest challenges in completing medical school and becoming a doctor? The first day shock of getting a ton of homework. They help you along of course, being accepted would probably be the hardest thing.
What are the most pressing issues facing medicine today and in the near future? Mostly the cost of education, the politics behind doctors by getting pressure from insurance companies wanting to conserve money, pharmaceutical companies wanting you to spend.
If you could change anything about your profession, what would it be?
How many med schools did you apply to? You need not really apply to more than 10-12
What are your hobbies/activities you do in free time? Family, and obvious stuff like anyone else.
Do you think you sacrifice social life for being a doctor? Sort of, depending on profession, one can allocate time to spend.
What are the most important qualities in being a good doctor? Good bedside manner and being a good person.
What do you least enjoy about medicine/being a doctor? Long hours, typical 12 hour days. Early in the morning 7am to 5 or 6pm.
How does healthcare and insurance affect you directly? Most doctors think that the health care in the USA is terrible.
How would you describe the relationship between science and education to the actual practice of medicine? Probably 10% of the stuff you learn in med school is actually important to what youre doing, but you have to find that 10 %.
Do you perform tasks only related to your specialty, or do you do other general physician work? They do a large variety, simple sore throats to surgery. Everything really.
Would you recommend being a doctor to those pursuing it? Yes
What is your job like? Some doctors spend maybe 20% research, 40% clinical, 40% administrative, but varies depending on profession.
- A typical day?
- What kinds of problems do you deal with?
- What kinds of decisions do you make?
- What percentage of your time is spent doing what?
Are you satisfied financially? Yes, we do quite well even after taxes and stuff. Most corporate settings can pay salaries guaranteed while private practices depend on amount of patients you see. In hospitals, if you do not meet minimum quota of meeting patients per day, you could get fired.
Do your patients usually really have something wrong with them?
What do you do if you do not know something or how to treat a patient?
Do pharmaceutical companies put a lot of pressure on doctors to prescribe certain drugs? Yes and they may offer lots of bribes, this competes with pressure from the insurance companies though.
Are you allowed to treat people outside of the clinical setting?
What are your opinions on malpractice insurance? How does it affect you?
Things you wish you knew before you started? Debt. Lots of people in smaller paying jobs or general physicians/ etc
have incurred lots of debt and may not be able to pay it off.
Any advice on choosing a medical school? It doesnt matter, always apply to your state school because it is cheaper. They said that quality is generally the same, so choosing a medical school is not really the biggest concern, there are no bad medical schools.
Is there anything in medicine that goes against your religious and moral beliefs?
Do you have to choose sides and are there lots of politics in medicine?
Did you always want to be a doctor? No, many became doctors late in the game, went to medical school several years after undergraduate studies.
Are your family members doctors, or was there a specific reason why you chose medicine? Some yes, some no.
Other than academics, what can students do to best prepare themselves for medicine? Volunteer/Shadowing/internship? All of these, do everything for service, volunteer, grades, etc
.
Do people ever complete med school and soon after decide not to be a doctor?
How different are clinics and hospitals and do you work in both? The private practices usually do not pay as well. You must know how to run a business in order to be successful.
If you are a doctor, are job opportunities abundant? yes
How are doctors in terms of job security? Very secure
Is being a doctor exactly what you imagined? No, almost all, if not all, did stuff that they never expected to do originally.
What is the motivation behind those who want to specialize in risky areas such as spine surgery?
Can you specialize and then still do general practice, do people do this?
Typical hours and holidays?
Is there time for family?
If you werent going to be doing this, what else?
Things you wish you knew before you started?
What are some of the negative aspects that you deal with?
Best part?
Worst part?
Any advice on choosing a medical school
Is malpractice an issue that keeps you awake at night?