Time to quit pre med?

[seh5408]

Hey everyone, I'm typing this on my phone so apologies in advance for spelling errors.

I'll try to keep this short and sweet.

I'm going to be a junior at a major state university in a week. I'm double majoring in the liberal arts while taking the medical prerequisites.

Every semester I question whether or not I should keep taking science classes for med school. I don't need them for my majors, obviously. So I'm really questioning my desire to be a doctor. I feel like if I'm still not 100%, maybe continuing on is a bad idea.

So any advice is welcomed. I think my reasons for wanting med school have changed. I used to want the money, the prestige. I had TERRIBLE acne as a kid, and was so grateful to my dermatologist. I wanted to be a derm too to help other people dealing with that shallow yet annoying condition.

Now I want to be a doctor because I want to have a career that aligns with living a peaceful and fulfilling life. I love helping people (seriously). I want to be an important part of a community. I also have enjoyed the challenge that the classes I've taken this far have offered.

Sorry to ramble; here are my pros and cons

Pros:
I actually enjoy the prereqs I've taken. I find them challenging, but that challenge is good. I have loved every biology class I've taken. Chemistry is hard but interesting I suppose. I've done semesters with no prereqs, and semester with pre reqs, and I've always enjoyed semester WITH science classes the most.

I like helping people and working with people. I don't want to just sit at a computer.

I've seen medicine do tremendous things in the lives of my family members and I would like to help others in similar fashion.

Sometimes I am really happy imagining myself as a doctor.

Cons:
Loss of your 20s. This is a relatively serious draw back for me, not a deal breaker though.

I'm scared that I won't like it. It is such a big commitment and long time wrote you actually get a real feel for it.

I shadowed some surgeons an didn't love it. For whteber reason. I don't always enjoy being around sick people (coughing really annoys me).

Sometimes I feel like it's a huge mistake.

So idk. Any advice is really appreciated.

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[DermViser]

Why not do PA or Dentistry? You don't HAVE to be a physician to be involved in healthcare and now with evolving to a "team-based" healthcare model, being a physician isn't even necessary to practice medicine.

 

[ems2doc]

Wait... you want to go into dermatology because you had acne as a kid?
Honestly, it doesn't sound like you're into it.

What other careers are you thinking about?

 

[AllThatRacket]

I shadowed some surgeons an didn't love it. For whteber reason. I don't always enjoy being around sick people (coughing really annoys me).

Yeah, I'd say get out of there if you can't stand being around sick people. That is kind of essential.

 

[AspiringERMD]

The "loss of your 20s" part can be solved by taking a few years off to work. The more I think about it, the HAPPIER I am to be applying at age 27 (hopefully matriculating at 28) because I really have gotten to have my fun. Only drawback for me is the whole "clock is ticking" issue and REALLY wanting children.

 

[Goro]

Try volunteering in clinics, hospice, nursing homes, and see if you actually like being around sick people. Medicine is a calling. If it's in your heart, you'll know.

 

[MrChance2]

Your pros and cons are actually pretty accurate. Many higher paying careers ask you to "give up" a good chunk of your 20s. I've made some of the best friends I've ever had in medical school, had plenty of laughs and memories even though most of the time all I'm doing is studying. I started medical school in my upper 20s and feel good about it. The average age is upon starting medical school is ~25 last I checked.

Warning: If you take the prereqs do well, getting a C avg in your basic sciences because you are unsure will hurt more than never taking them.

But, what I would advise would be to take the prereqs and put good effort into them. If you are still considering medicine then take an upper bio course or 2. Taking a few years off after undergrad won't hurt you. Go travel or do peace corps or work or be an ER scribe or whatever if you are unsure. I'm pretty sure 1/2 the people in my medical school class at some time during medical school wondered multiple times if medicine was actually for them, you're really just starting your journey now.

Be aware that the vast of people who have been near the top of their classes their whole lives think they want derm when they are applying to medical school and don't get it for one reason or another.

 

[styphon]

Try shadowing non-surgeons, try volunteering at an ER or "free clinic" (usually for the homeless).

It is best to be sure when applying to med school - as the schooling itself can defeat those who are not as motivated..

 

[db4277]

I wasn't sure of my career intentions when I was a junior either. I opted to take my MCAT and then take a year off after graduation serving with AmeriCorps in another field I was interested in. That way, I gained experience, and was able to learn that I was ultimately more committed to medicine. My AmeriCorps service also looks great on my medical school application.

 

[FutureOncologist]

Seriously consider PA, Nursing, PT/OT, Audiologist, or NP (advanced nursing degree). There are more but you don't have to be a physician to help people. Also look into your own state laws on who can independently practice medicine from physician oversee.

Also, if you manage time correctly, your 20's won't be taken away. I went out on weekends (not every weekend, but I had free time after exams). There is a big misconception that you're studying when you're not sleeping. Most medical schools now have all their lectures posted online with only a few classes that require attendance. So that really frees up mornings and afternoons. So we have that...

 

[Holmwood]

Seriously consider PA, Nursing, PT/OT, Audiologist, or NP (advanced nursing degree). There are more but you don't have to be a physician to help people. Also look into your own state laws on who can independently practice medicine from physician oversee.

Also, if you manage time correctly, your 20's won't be taken away. I went out on weekends (not every weekend, but I had free time after exams). There is a big misconception that you're studying when you're not sleeping. Most medical schools now have all their lectures posted online with only a few classes that require attendance. So that really frees up mornings and afternoons. So we have that...

In the nearby future.... online MD courses.
*shudders*

And OP, I have a brother in law who was the same way.

Started his own telecommunications company, in his early 30s, wasn't satisfied with his job. Wanted to become a doctor without the time hassle, and just got married.
Decided to be a PA. He gets the same satisfaction working with patients as would a doctor, but has a more kushy lifestyle and better work hours.

And there are PA-MD programs popping up in the near futur0 (not sure why anyone would do this). I only know of one in existence atm, but there are sure to be more.

 

[seh5408]

Appreciate the responses everyone. I guess a big reason I wanted to go MD or DO was the amount of power you get in the position with each patient. I know you'll all respond saying NPs or PAs do a ton of stuff now, but for whatever reason, being a doctor is the only thing I'm interested in in the health care field.

I wanted to be a derm cause I had bad acne, that is true. But it was because I saw how huge of an effect medicine could have on people and I wanted to relay that to others. It was really the first time a doctor had really had a huge impact on my life and I was blown away by how incredible that was, and thought it would be amazing to do the same for others.

Actually, I'm really into psychiatry and psych, so please don't misinterpret that I see and have had doctors tell me about the awesome dermatology pay and life style as my only reason for wanting medicine.

I'm gonna think more about it. For whatever reason, there is something sort of holding me back, something about medicine that doesn't completely feel right. Not ruling it out though, and I sincerely appreciate all of you who commented about med school life, or how many dont go to MD or DO school until mid to late twenties. It is encouraging to know that I don't need to know right now.

Thanks again, please feel free to continue to comment I will be sure to read and respond.

 

[hmockingbird]

Appreciate the responses everyone. I guess a big reason I wanted to go MD or DO was the amount of power you get in the position with each patient. I know you'll all respond saying NPs or PAs do a ton of stuff now, but for whatever reason, being a doctor is the only thing I'm interested in in the health care field.

I wanted to be a derm cause I had bad acne, that is true. But it was because I saw how huge of an effect medicine could have on people and I wanted to relay that to others. It was really the first time a doctor had really had a huge impact on my life and I was blown away by how incredible that was, and thought it would be amazing to do the same for others.

Actually, I'm really into psychiatry and psych, so please don't misinterpret that I see and have had doctors tell me about the awesome dermatology pay and life style as my only reason for wanting medicine.

I'm gonna think more about it. For whatever reason, there is something sort of holding me back, something about medicine that doesn't completely feel right. Not ruling it out though, and I sincerely appreciate all of you who commented about med school life, or how many dont go to MD or DO school until mid to late twenties. It is encouraging to know that I don't need to know right now.

Thanks again, please feel free to continue to comment I will be sure to read and respond.

Honestly, the fact that you said you come back to whether you want to continue at the end of EVERY semester gave me that impression.

Others are right, you can always come back. I would maybe finish out your pre-reqs just so you have them, but don't commit right away if you are still not sure when you graduate college. It's a lot of work/time/$$$, and if you're not sure that you want to do it, better to get out now/not start instead of possibly realizing a few years into med school that you hate it but are deep in student loan debt.

Now to philosophize, hopefully this is helpful to you - your post reminds me a bit of me when I first started college. I was one of those kids who always wanted to be a doctor (due to my own patient experiences), but I was pretty sick throughout HS and had some bad experiences and it started to affect me emotionally more, so I kind-of wondered if I'd ever want to step foot in a hospital again after that, haha. I was also interested in teaching, especially because I had had a lot of great teachers throughout the years and was inspired by how much of an effect they had on me and my classmates. I went into college planning to be a teacher. I lasted about half a semester of not-stepping-inside-a-hospital before I realized I needed to go into medicine. But anyway, your post reminded me of my own decision process because one of the conclusions I came to was that what was attracting me to teaching was my amazing mentors, not really the career itself. I have had some great doctors, but I realized that my desire to go into medicine was based on more than that, I was also passionate about the subject matter and attracted to everything about the field. I realized that there are a lot of things about medicine and teaching that are similar and I could try to accomplish something similar to my favorite teachers in a field that was more suitable for me.

What you said about your experience with your derm reminds me of that... you don't seem to have any other specific feeling about or reason to go into medicine besides having a great experience with a doctor, and you even mentioned you don't like being around sick people (you don't necessarily have to be as a doctor, in specialties like derm, psych, path, etc. but you will during med school and probably internship). While that can be a great jumping off point, I would encourage you to do more shadowing to see if medicine THE FIELD (not just the mentors) is something you are attracted to. I would also think about potential downfalls to the career and whether you would be able to put up with them. For example, with teaching I always think of "helicopter parents" as being a huge con and I know they would really frustrate me. But with medicine, I think you have the same type of thing with potentially overprotective parents of sick kids and people who don't agree with your advice like anti-vaxxers, and to me a) I can emphasize with some of the parents due to being sick myself and knowing how much my parents advocated for me so I don't think parents will bug me as much and b) I see that as more of a challenge to educate people and have a conversation. Something I can deal with and maybe get some satisfaction out of. I hear this a lot and I think it is true: you have to want to do this job enough and like it enough to be willing to put up with the BS because every career has bad points!

I would also suggest maybe looking into not just other healthcare careers, but other ways to combine science and liberal arts since you like your science classes. You could go on to be a technical science writer, medical anthropologist, science historian, ethicist, etc.

 

[hmockingbird]

Another suggestion to get a feel for whether you're really interested in the subject matter - when you have some free time, check out some medical memoirs or non-fiction from the library. It might help you get a feel for whether you connect with patients' and doctors' stories, and if the science of medicine interests you. Some suggestions off my bookshelf: The Scalpel and the Soul (doctor writing about spirituality in medicine, sounds hokey but it's pretty interesting because it gets into a lot of cultural things with his patients and weird/unexplainable cases), Breakthrough (about the discovery of insulin, written like a novel), The Hot Zone (story of ebola, reads like a thriller), Strong at the Broken Places (interviews with patients with chronic/serious illnesses), Your Critically Ill Child (the title makes it sound really clinical/boring but it's really mostly stories that have to do with ethics in peds), The Middle Place (woman and her dad who are diagnosed with cancer at the same time, funny), The Emperor of All Maladies ("biography of cancer")