Unsure About Medical School

[Striatum14]

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I am a sophomore in college, and have recently been having qualms about medical school. I have been shadowing an internist for some time and upon reflection, I find the work kinda boring and tiresome (esp. the paperwork). Although I enjoy the clinical counters and observing the doc interact with patients, I just don't know if this kind of work is for me.
I have also spent a summer working in a lab, and enjoyed that experience as well. I honestly don't know which path is right for me at this point, and I feel like I should. I might also throw in the fact that I'm not a super social person, and can sometimes be shy, which is another reason I'm sort of on the fence about medical school and medicine in general. I'm working on it though.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

Wrong forum.

First of all, it's great that you're shadowing--it's a great opportunity to see what medicine is like and decide if it's for you. You could try shadowing in different specialties to see if there are ones you enjoy more but I think it's pretty much impossible to escape the boring side of medicine, especially paperwork. It's just part of the job. The way I see it is that those of us who are passionate about medicine and truly feel like this is the career for us have accepted the reality of the not so fun parts because, in general, we find the work gratifying and enjoyable. No job will be 100% sexy all the time but it's worth asking yourself if you'd be willing to stick out the boring parts for whatever it is that you enjoy about medicine. (What DO you enjoy about medicine?)

As for being shy, people with all types of personalities become doctors. You do have to be willing and able to work to overcome your shyness in your interactions with patients and other providers. But being shy doesn't mean you can't be a great doctor. You're only a sophomore. While it'd be great to have it all figured out before you graduate, life doesn't always work that way. There are plenty of us (myself included!) who took gap year(s) to work clinically or in labs. Sometimes having more exposure can help you decide where you belong.

 

[Striatum14]

Thank you for replying, much appreciated!

 

[Officer Farva]

I am a sophomore in college, and have recently been having qualms about medical school. I have been shadowing an internist for some time and upon reflection, I find the work kinda boring and tiresome (esp. the paperwork). Although I enjoy the clinical counters and observing the doc interact with patients, I just don't know if this kind of work is for me.
I have also spent a summer working in a lab, and enjoyed that experience as well. I honestly don't know which path is right for me at this point, and I feel like I should. I might also throw in the fact that I'm not a super social person, and can sometimes be shy, which is another reason I'm sort of on the fence about medical school and medicine in general. I'm working on it though.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

TBH general IM is extremely boring. Look into subspecialists (Oncology, cardiology, or other non-IM specialty fields). However, those fields are not immune to the administrative nonsense.

I am an applicant that decided that I am not too keen on clinical medicine relatively late in the application cycle. However, there are plenty of jobs available for MD only and MD/PhD level researchers in the lab or in clinical research. That is the route I am pursuing. Also, consider taking electives in a variety of fields while you are still young to figure it out (Computer science, math, econ, etc).

 

[WedgeDawg]

moving to preallo

 

[haaaaaaaaaaveyoumetted]

The doubts you have are the exact reason shadowing and gaining experience is so important. I wouldn't knock medicine entirely, but realize that specialty matters. If I were you I'd try to shadow more and especially talk to some doctors who do research (I know my hospital has tons that are involved in research aspects), and some MD/PhDs as well. But it is a good thing that you are allowing your experience to shape what you do/do not want to do. Definitely reach out to people from various backgrounds in the medical and scientific field