MD & DO Any advice on how to get interested in medicine?

[nebuchadnezzarII]

Hey everyone, I'm a M2 and I'm not a great student (-0.250 SD below class average). My bad grades are probably due to poor studying as well as low intelligence. On top of this, I hated medical school from day 1. I decided to stick it out and "toughen up," but I'm still really not feeling it. I feel I'm not cut out to be a physician.

I don't like the studying, the testing, the pre-traumatic stress disorder from STEP-1 (wah wah, I'm a big baby, I know), the clinical skills, or the talking to patients real/standardized. Maybe these would all be a lot more appealing to me if I wasn't stressed out. I am guessing other students are able to cope with this because of their interest/passion in the topic?

Since I'm pretty much stuck now with massive debt behind me, all I can do is push forward. In doing so, I believe that actually liking medicine and medical school might help at least motivate me a little. Does anyone have any tips for this? What can I do to brainwash myself into liking medicine (seriously)? What gets you through your day? And how can I stop interpreting everything as a terrible experience? I've been toughening it out for the past 2 years, continuously telling myself I'm an ungrateful brat and that people would kill to be in my shoes. But I feel I'm reaching my limit. Thanks all.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[shortcoatdream15]

Why’d you wanna go to med school in the first place?

 

[nebuchadnezzarII]

Why’d you wanna go to med school in the first place?

Stupidity overall. Just went with the flow and thought it would be the "right thing." Everyone always glorified it since I was a kid and I was always a stellar student with little to no effort. That's why it seemed like the thing to do. There's no clear/easy justification for it - just a mix of not knowing what else to do, wanting a respectable career, parental pressure, distorted self-expectations - and again, stupidity.

 

[Gurby]

Have you done much shadowing, have an inkling of what specialty you might go into? Maybe seeing some light at the end of the tunnel would help motivate you. There are so many fields of medicine that are so different, I bet there's something that will click for you at least a little bit.

 

[shortcoatdream15]

I’m not qualified to give advice here, but I do want to remind you to not be too hard on yourself. Cut it out with the ‘stupidity’ talk, med school is bad enough as it is, even without dispassion for medicine coupled with self loathing. Life for you right now is scary and uncertain, and you feel pressure from societal expectations and financial obligations. I get it. It’s a tough situation, no lie. But don’t lose your head, you’re not the first person to find yourself here. You’ll be ok

 

[nebuchadnezzarII]

Have you done much shadowing, have an inkling of what specialty you might go into? Maybe seeing some light at the end of the tunnel would help motivate you. There are so many fields of medicine that are so different, I bet there's something that will click for you at least a little bit.

Nothing that constitutes as hands-on shadowing. I did a little bit here and there before starting medical school (neurology rounds, internal medicine rounds, observed a few surgeries and procedures). I guess it will take year three to really see what I can try to fit into? My grades aren't too good and I'll probably just barely STEP-1 so I think it will most likely be Family Medicine or IM if I'm lucky, for me.

I just hate sounding like I'm whining. I assume 90% of people work a job they despise. I just felt I did well enough throughout school to avoid this fate. A career I enjoy is too much to ask for, but I'd like one that I can at least tolerate.

 

[mistafab]

Some people derive satisfaction with life through their work and accomplishments.

Some people just don’t. Many people can be happy with a job they can tolerate and work so that they can live and participate in their actual passions (like hunting, fly fishing, etc).

Can you tolerate medicine if it is just a job? I mean there is probably SOME realm you find at least tolerable if that is the case. Many jobs suck, but there are always waiters and cashiers and fast food cooks so that other people can eat and buy goods.

EDIT: also it is a good point that you are way too hard on yourself. Getting into med school means you are smart. Doing well in it means you work hard. You probably are smart but aren’t working very hard since you don’t really care.

 

[Average guy 3]

It’s a satisfying, high paying job. Walk into a fast food joint and see how miserable they are.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[nebuchadnezzarII]

I’m not qualified to give advice here, but I do want to remind you to not be too hard on yourself. Cut it out with the ‘stupidity’ talk, med school is bad enough as it is, even without dispassion for medicine coupled with self loathing. Life for you right now is scary and uncertain, and you feel pressure from societal expectations and financial obligations. I get it. It’s a tough situation, no lie. But don’t lose your head, you’re not the first person to find yourself here. You’ll be ok

Thanks pal, I appreciate it. It's just hard to get over making such a costly decision.

Some people derive satisfaction with life through their work and accomplishments.

Some people just don’t. Many people can be happy with a job they can tolerate and work so that they can live and participate in their actual passions (like hunting, fly fishing, etc).

Can you tolerate medicine if it is just a job? I mean there is probably SOME realm you find at least tolerable if that is the case. Many jobs suck, but there are always waiters and cashiers and fast food cooks so that other people can eat and buy goods.

EDIT: also it is a good point that you are way too hard on yourself. Getting into med school means you are smart. Doing well in it means you work hard. You probably are smart but aren’t working very hard since you don’t really care.

Thank you lol. It's been a very long time since I've felt smart. And yeah, I can tolerate medicine as just a job. Like I was writing before, just about EVERYONE has to tolerate a job they dislike. That's life, basically. The only thing about medicine is that it's a 24/7 thing. Maybe that's because I'm still a student? But the way I see lecturers, attending, and faculty talk, being a doctor basically becomes your identity. Keeping it as just a job is my end goal, but that seems to be something that will only be realized many, many, many years from now.

What do I do to bide the time?

 

[Gurby]

Nothing that constitutes as hands-on shadowing. I did a little bit here and there before starting medical school (neurology rounds, internal medicine rounds, observed a few surgeries and procedures). I guess it will take year three to really see what I can try to fit into? My grades aren't too good and I'll probably just barely STEP-1 so I think it will most likely be Family Medicine or IM if I'm lucky, for me.

I just hate sounding like I'm whining. I assume 90% of people work a job they despise. I just felt I did well enough throughout school to avoid this fate. A career I enjoy is too much to ask for, but I'd like one that I can at least tolerate.

Bruh! Every time I shadow I feel the study burnout melt away - like, oh yeah, that's why I came to med school. Can't guarantee you will feel the same way, but if you haven't done any shadowing since pre-med you should at least give it a shot.

In particular, maybe check out pathology, anesthesia, PM&R, radiology (seems possible but you'd have to step up your academic game). I think those specialties will all be a really different experience from your previous shadowing and maybe one of them will light your fire.

If you're close to average in the class and you've hated it, that's really impressive. I'd probably fail out if I wasn't interested in the material. If you can find that interest and get motivated, I bet you'll crush - and there's likely still time to do well on Step 1 if you go for it with 110% effort.

 

[Anicetus]

Hey everyone, I'm a M2 and I'm not a great student (-0.250 SD below class average). My bad grades are probably due to poor studying as well as low intelligence. On top of this, I hated medical school from day 1. I decided to stick it out and "toughen up," but I'm still really not feeling it. I feel I'm not cut out to be a physician.

I don't like the studying, the testing, the pre-traumatic stress disorder from STEP-1 (wah wah, I'm a big baby, I know), the clinical skills, or the talking to patients real/standardized. Maybe these would all be a lot more appealing to me if I wasn't stressed out. I am guessing other students are able to cope with this because of their interest/passion in the topic?

Since I'm pretty much stuck now with massive debt behind me, all I can do is push forward. In doing so, I believe that actually liking medicine and medical school might help at least motivate me a little. Does anyone have any tips for this? What can I do to brainwash myself into liking medicine (seriously)? What gets you through your day? And how can I stop interpreting everything as a terrible experience? I've been toughening it out for the past 2 years, continuously telling myself I'm an ungrateful brat and that people would kill to be in my shoes. But I feel I'm reaching my limit. Thanks all.

When I was in your shoes as a second year late at night on a Friday in tears about whether or not I could do this, this video kept me going.

 

[Gurby]

When I was in your shoes as a second year late at night on a Friday in tears about whether or not I could do this, this video kept me going.

I'm not crying you're crying

 

[shortcoatdream15]

One thing that’s cool about medicine is that it’s so versatile and flexible in how you can build a career. Depending on how you do and what you want, you have specialties and subspecialties to choose from, you can be a clinician, or a teacher, or an administrator, or a researcher. You can even try to go work at a pharma company in reg affairs or directing clinical trials. You can go into public policy or public health or work for law firms or do whatever. Start with trying to figure out whether or not there’s any specialty you could see yourself in. Have you considered radiology?

 

[Skiiiiiing]

100k or whatever you have is not insurmountable if you really dislike medicine that much and want to do something else. There are lots of areas in finance where you can clear that much.

Also, 40th percentile in your class is no crisis at all.

Like I was writing before, just about EVERYONE has to tolerate a job they dislike. That's life, basically. The only thing about medicine is that it's a 24/7 thing. Maybe that's because I'm still a student? But the way I see lecturers, attending, and faculty talk, being a doctor basically becomes your identity. Keeping it as just a job is my end goal, but that seems to be something that will only be realized many, many, many years from now.

Accepting the fact that you have boards to clear, and then 3rd year, both of which are demanding. Slogging through that.

Median FM residency is just over 40 hours per week, from memory, and a lot of doctors work part time...I'm sure you could find an FM residency that was right at 40 per week if you wanted. You don't need to crush boards or your 3rd year if you are fine with FM. Then work either right at 40 or part time.

Starting over in finance or tech would require 3-5 years of "dues paying" positions that are often murderously stressful and pay just enough to cover expenses in the areas where they are located. Tech has bias starting in late 20s, strong bias by 35.

 

[sliceofbread136]

There are so many different fields in medicine I think it’s hard to believe you won’t be able to find anything you could like. Are you procedure oriented? Doesn’t sound like surgery is for you, but maybe anesthesia? Radiology might be appealing?

 

[Money Moniker]

It’s a satisfying, high paying job. Walk into a fast food joint and see how miserable they are.

Never worked in a fast food joint but did plenty of retail in high school and college. It sucked, but I actually felt more optimistic than I do now as a medical student. The world was a completely open playing field with unlimited possibilities. Now the possibilities are anything but unlimited.

Granted, working in fast food or retail past the age of 25 with no prospects of anything better would be a fate worse than death itself.

 

[Average guy 3]

Never worked in a fast food joint but did plenty of retail in high school and college. It sucked, but I actually felt more optimistic than I do now as a medical student. The world was a completely open playing field with unlimited possibilities. Now the possibilities are anything but unlimited.

Granted, working in fast food or retail past the age of 25 with no prospects of anything better would be a fate worse than death itself.

There you go. You have the common “grass is greener” syndrome. 10 years from now, when you are working 50 hours a week and making 170k after taxes, you are gonna realize how stupid you are when u were young. Everyone works hard in their fields, and not everyone is satisfied. Sometimes u just have to suck it up and do the work.

Remember how hard it was to get in? Many people would kill to be in your shoes.

Medicine is actually a very rewarding career because of the impact you have on each individual you meet. Not many careers can give you this monetary and non-monetary satisfaction that this career can give you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[831929]

Maybe you are not studying the right way. Med school can be a lot more stressful when you are studying harder not smarter. First year I spend 10-12 hours studying, writing notes, making flash cards, listening to class lecture and not doing as well as I thought I should be. Second year I switched to zanki and outside resources (pathoma and boards). I study about half the time and get about the same grades as first year. I also think you have to change your mindset. I notice that students who have the hardest time are those with negative thoughts about medical school. They say it's the hardest thing ever and all that nonesense. You cannot think of it that way and be happy. Realize you are living in probably a nice apartment with food, internet, etc without having to work some job you really don't care for and worrying about paying bills. Get involved and feel invested. Find faculty you get along with and work on some projects. Like something outside of medicine? You're probably not the only one so look into starting an elective class on that topic. Play on a club sport team. Take an art class at a museum near by. I don't think you would have gone to medical school if you had no interest in science and if you stuck through first year (probably the most boring and not applicable stuff), you definitely like something about medical school.

 

[CQREZ]

Never worked in a fast food joint but did plenty of retail in high school and college. It sucked, but I actually felt more optimistic than I do now as a medical student. The world was a completely open playing field with unlimited possibilities. Now the possibilities are anything but unlimited.

Granted, working in fast food or retail past the age of 25 with no prospects of anything better would be a fate worse than death itself.

I think it really depends on the person, goals, and interest. I did programming after graduating and absolutely hated it despite making $90K even after switching between companies. I was so unhappy that I eventually quit on the spot without a backup job. Settled on working for a barista and even though I was getting slightly more than minimum wage, I was okay with that because I enjoyed it so much more and was eventually promoted to manager. Also worked at H&M, my supervisors almost all knew that they wanted to stay with the company and moved their way up and are happy with their career choice and work-life balance, which we probably will lack as physicians.
Most people working at a fast food joint are probably not happy because it is NOT their career choice and is only temporary to pay off bills/loans before moving forward.

 

[CQREZ]

Have you done much shadowing, have an inkling of what specialty you might go into? Maybe seeing some light at the end of the tunnel would help motivate you. There are so many fields of medicine that are so different, I bet there's something that will click for you at least a little bit.

Agree. I think you should consider what interests you. Also, these skills are applicable to a lot of industries in healthcare. I know plenty of physicians who decided to they didn't want to treat and went into academic medicine, public health, healthcare policy and management, and one even narrates videos for JAMA.

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

Third year will be different. Real patients aren’t like textbooks or even standardized patients. Clinical experience made me love medicine. The first two years were just “school.” Just wait....


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[nebuchadnezzarII]

Wow, I didn't think so many of you would respond. Thank you all for the practical advice and encouragement. I like the shadowing advice, but I don't think it's a good idea with STEP 1 just a couple of months away. I am however staying hopeful for 3rd year. I'm not the most social person, but I'll try to keep a positive attitude about everything. That's the least I can do.

 

[Durty-Trixxx]

Wow, I didn't think so many of you would respond. Thank you all for the practical advice and encouragement. I like the shadowing advice, but I don't think it's a good idea with STEP 1 just a couple of months away. I am however staying hopeful for 3rd year. I'm not the most social person, but I'll try to keep a positive attitude about everything. That's the least I can do.

Yeah just focus on what's most important for the road ahead --- and for the next few months that is passing Step 1.

Year 3 really does get much better since you are in the hospital and doctor offices meeting new people every day and learning "real" medicine. It's going to be fun and challenging but it will break you out of the "groundhog day" repeating cycle of class-cram-stress that you're feeling now.