Am I meant for this? Need advice

[amar314]

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Okay so in my whole college career (sophomore) I've only really loved math and chemistry classes, basically I like problem solving/investigation. Although I get through memorizing/anatomy/bio classes they are not very enjoyable for me. Sometimes I doubt if I should be going to four years of medical school where these are the only types of classes I'll see. I love people and working with them is one big reason I want to go into medicine so I know that research is not for me. I want a career that's varied, creative and mentally challenging where I get to interact with and help people on a daily basis and that's low on monotony/routine.

Any advice?

 

[theriomorphos]

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[alphamine]

See, I'm the polar opposite. I really don't like chemistry and math; but they are an undergraduate necessity for medical school, so I'm managing. However, physiology, biology, anatomy, and genetics are of the many subjects I practically breathe for. I have always been in love with such sciences. I cannot imagine doing anything else.

I could choose to go to grad school for chemistry if I wanted to, as @theriomorphos is suggesting to you. I would not enjoy it, though. I may *manage*, but it would not be something I'd like to do every day until the day I retire. My point is, if this is how you feel about medicine, would you really want to *manage* your job for the rest of your working career?

Please don't take what I am saying in the wrong way; I'm not discouraging you from pursuing a career in medicine. All I am saying is, if you aren't going to enjoy it, truly, it may not be a good idea. You should be doing something you love. After all, this well-known cliché is usually correct: "If you love what you do, you won't work a day in your life."

You can choose whatever you think you would enjoy; whether or not that may be medicine, chemistry, or something else. It is about what will make you happy.

Good luck🙂 I hope I helped at least a little.

 

[Pythagorean]

You cannot decide whether you are meant for the medical field based on your like/dislike of undergraduate science courses. You need to volunteer at hospitals and shadow physicians to decide whether this is the career for you.

 

[deleted480308]

No one is meant for anything in terms of career, find a career you are capable of and like.....

 

[Happy Thoughts]

NEVER feel pressured to do a career you will not love. Huge source of stress if you do and who needs stress? When I thought I wanted to be pre-med I volunteered at a nursing home. I enjoyed the people and teaching them technology so now I want to be a high school teacher. Try a bunch of different opportunities before you set anything in stone. Best of luck!

 

[amar314]

Thanks SO much everyone! I've shadowed, volunteered at hospitals and clinics and that's the problem: I love it. I love working with people and the environment in a hospital (lol). I've thought about this a lot and yes I understand it's intuitive to think that if I don't enjoy bio classes then med school is not for me, but then the counter argument is that, in a day to day working environment, would I be using these classes 24/7? Yes, I'd obviously need to know everything I'd learned in med school, but I'd just use that knowledge to help and guide patients in an applied setting...so that's where I get stuck. I don't enjoy working in labs as a full time job, I'd like something where I could see patients 60-70% of the time and maybe perform research on chem/biochem for the rest of my time with hope of using the knowledge gained to go out there and help some more. I don't think that's very realistic though, as I'd probably not do either very well since research is so time consuming.

I don't know, I guess I've just been confused for a long time and I'm trying to get to the bottom of it. For now, med school is still the best option for me because I know I will enjoy the final result 100% even if I don't adore everything in between.

 

[deleted577188]

These people are crazy. Disliking bio, IMO, doesn't mean you'll hate being a doctor. Hell, look at arts and social sciences majors who've only taken the basic minimum pre-reqs. Who told them they'd hate medical school or do bad in it because they didn't wanna study biology related curriculum in undergrad? Don't listen to these people.

(P.S. You don't have to listen to me either, I'm just a young dumb pre-med)

 

[NeuResurgens]

It's hard to say, because I feel like you'd need to like biology to some degree in order to enjoy medicine, but if you absolutely love the working environment, then medicine might still be viable. I might suggest endocrinology to you. The endocrine system is very much like a puzzle and figuring out what's wrong with it requires a lot of problem solving ability. Try taking a physiology class or endocrinology class - there is some memorizing, but a lot of it is reading data sets and trying to deduce the underlying causes of the numbers. I think diagnostics or endocrine might turn those boring memorizing classes into something your brain would enjoy.

 

[Mad Jack]

MS-1 is the most memorization-heavy year of medical school. After that, things gradually become more applied in nature. I am terrible at bulk memorization, so my first year of medical school has been a real struggle, but it is definitely doable. It will also work different parts of your brain than you are used to using, which, although difficult, is quite satisfying once you're done with test day or a block week.

 

[Goro]

Have you done shadowing or clinical volunteering yet? if not, do so.

If you have, what does your heart tell you? Medicine is a calling, like being a priest or a fireman.

Okay so in my whole college career (sophomore) I've only really loved math and chemistry classes, basically I like problem solving/investigation. Although I get through memorizing/anatomy/bio classes they are not very enjoyable for me. Sometimes I doubt if I should be going to four years of medical school where these are the only types of classes I'll see. I love people and working with them is one big reason I want to go into medicine so I know that research is not for me. I want a career that's varied, creative and mentally challenging where I get to interact with and help people on a daily basis and that's low on monotony/routine.

Any advice?

 

[hmockingbird]

Undergraduate bio =/= medical school.