Am i paranoid?

[I wannabe a doc]

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Well as long as I have known I have always wanted to be a doctor. I always used to enjoyed the warm care and good feeling you get from appointments. Now at the age of 22, I am fearing become a doctor will be out of reach. While I grow older more responsibilities and duties are rearing their face which are soon to come. I could continue doing what I am doing but I haven't even finished my pre-reqs for med school and I don't know how long it will take to finish the major classes at this rate. While I am depressed always thinking about it I also realize their is other majors out there. I just fear I wont be able to enjoy my life being able to practice medicine at age 40 by the time I am done. I could really use some advice right about now.

 

[novawildcat]

Well as long as I have known I have always wanted to be a doctor. I always used to enjoyed the warm care and good feeling you get from appointments. Now at the age of 22, I am fearing become a doctor will be out of reach. While I grow older more responsibilities and duties are rearing their face which are soon to come. I could continue doing what I am doing but I haven't even finished my pre-reqs for med school and I don't know how long it will take to finish the major classes at this rate. While I am depressed always thinking about it I also realize their is other majors out there. I just fear I wont be able to enjoy my life being able to practice medicine at age 40 by the time I am done. I could really use some advice right about now.

Even if you entered when you are 30, you could likely be a doctor by the time you are 38-40 and still have 30 solid years left in you to practice. Calm down. Everything is fine. You could take all your prereqs and get a bachelors even if you were only going to school part time in probably 6 years. That means you could graduate, take the MCAT, and apply when you are 28 and get in when you are 29. Plenty of time.

 

[ILikeDrugs]

I won't finish my residency till I'm about 37. If I would have gone to medical school straight out of undergrad I would have been 31 upon completing my residency. Six years is really not that big of a difference. Adding on a couple or even several years before you apply is not as big of a deal as it might seem. Even if you do start when you are 40, you will still have 25 years minimum left to practice medicine. I'm actually glad I am going to do med school in my late 20s and residency in my early 30s. I've really enjoyed the things that I've been doing during my early youthful adult years. Just try to enjoy now instead of dwelling on something that's inevitable. 👍

 

[Catalystik]

Stop looking at the end of the long road and instead just be sure your next footstep stays on the right path. This is a marathon, not a race. A 62 year old doc in my community finished his residency 2 years ago. He entered med school at the age of 53. You look to finish the journey long before he did.

 

[jvesco22]

I won't finish my residency till I'm about 37. If I would have gone to medical school straight out of undergrad I would have been 31 upon completing my residency. Six years is really not that big of a difference. Adding on a couple or even several years before you apply is not as big of a deal as it might seem. Even if you do start when you are 40, you will still have 25 years minimum left to practice medicine. I'm actually glad I am going to do med school in my late 20s and residency in my early 30s. I've really enjoyed the things that I've been doing during my early youthful adult years. Just try to enjoy now instead of dwelling on something that's inevitable. 👍

👍👍

 

[J ROD]

 

[DendWrite]

Things don't really add up. You say, "as long as I have known I have always wanted to be a doctor," yet don't think you will be happy as an attending in your 40s. Either your perception of what a doctor is has been challenged recently, or you need to do some soul-searching and figure out what you really want. It's never "too late" to apply really...it only become "too late" when you give up and stop trying.

 

[J ROD]

OP is 😕