MD At what point should you quit med school if you're having doubts?

[cellar-door]

So my situation is as follows: I'm finishing up M1, I've been doing decently well on evaluations (hovering around the class average, which I consider doing well since my undergraduate degree was in computer science so most of my classmates have a headstart in terms of content). I'm also in the very fortunate situation that I received a generous scholarship for my tuition this year, meaning my debt is basically 0 so far.

Now for the bad part: I'm really not liking it so far. As I said, my background is in computer science (with a focus in machine learning), and I am finding most of my lectures extremely dry. I've thought several times about dropping out and joining the tech industry, but I figured I owed it to myself after putting this much effort to getting to this point that I would finish the year off and see how I feel. Thankfully I'll have most of the summer to make my decision (and maybe line up a job if I decide not to come back for M2).

My main complaints have been a lack of critical thinking in the material (clinical decisions seem to be very algorithmic, with a poor understanding of the underlying mechanism of disease in many cases and based on population level studies that might not even apply to the individual in question). I'm also worried about the length of the training, since it will be many years until I'm an attending (I obviously knew this going in, but if the years leading up to that feel like as much of a slog as this year has or worse, I don't think I can deal with that length). And I haven't in this year found a really promising "niche" in medicine -- I've shadowed doctors in several different specialties, and though I'm finding those experiences a lot more engaging than being in lectures, I haven't found a specialty that I'm really "in love with" either.

I know I'm early in the process and some people have told me that clerkship is when it all changes and things will start getting a lot more interesting. This may be true, but this also means I need to invest another 1-2 years and the associated tuition into finding out if things will click for me then. I'm at a point now where I could leave with relatively little lost time and debt. How should I go about making this (obviously very important) decision? What is the point at which I know that the career as a whole might not be a good fit for me, versus the possibility that I just haven't gotten to the "good part" yet?

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[mk04447]

Medicine aside, you need to realize this is a life defining moment. These rarely happen though we convince ourselves they happen all the time. This is a nail biter, a potentially regretted moment that you contemplate on your deathbed. I don't know how old you are, the younger the worse your predicament because you will be leary of what I'm saying. Nobody here can help you, at least they shouldn't, you'll own this one that way and anyone who gives your psyche an out is doing you a disservice. This will affect your children, your family, and spouse whether you know them already or not. I don't envy you, choose wisely.

 

[SouthernGent]

Go shadow and see the other side; It can make a huge difference.

 

[operaman]

If you're truly miserable, I'd say bail now. But remember that MS1 is unlike the rest of medicine.

Preclinical years are there to teach you a language. Grammar. The nuts and bolts. For a musician, it would be basic theory, ear training, scales, etc. Nobody becomes a writer because they just love grammar just like nobody becomes a musician because they just love playing scales. Everything seems algorithmic to you right now because that's all you're really ready for at this point. If we discussed areas that are actually controversial, you probably don't yet have the background even to understand why the controversy exists, much less use your underlying knowledge to make a clinically nebulous decision for a real patient. And that's ok! You are exactly where you should be at this point.

I would argue in favor of sticking it out if you can find anything in it you remotely like or potentially may like. Second year does get a little better as you learn more about disease but it's still more grammar and nuts and bolts. It really isn't until 3rd and 4th year that you really get to see more of this stuff put into action and then it can get really fun.

Residency is a whole different animal and while it has some moments of suckage (call), it's pretty awesome overall in that you're actually getting to practice medicine while still having lots of supervision and backup. You get to that point where the decisions are less algorithmic and more nuanced. Sure, some things are always done by the book because they tend to work well and get the job done, but inevitably you'll have tons of patients for whom the algorithm doesn't quite fit. Or you'll recommend a treatment and they'll refuse and then you've gotta come up with plan B. You'll have super sick patients you'll help pull back from the brink and others who will die despite all your efforts.

I think you can always go into tech but this is your one chance to do your MD. If you drop out now, no school will ever let you back in again. Truth is, you'd be highly sought after in the tech world with your machine learning background if you were also a trained physician. We have lots of projects going in this arena and I'm sure other institutions do as well, but I find one of the chief barriers is communicating between the clinical and the engineering teams. I'm sure someone who could bridge the gap would have no trouble finding lucrative positions both in academia and in industry.

 

[DubbiDoctor]

Sounds like you may like radiology. If you check out the radiology forum, you'll find that many of the physicians there are heavily involved in tech. The application of AI to radiology is an emerging science. Also, as a radiologist you'll also earn more than you likely would in the tech-world, and would be able to directly assist in saving people's lives. Of course, if for whatever reason you can't stand radiology, and after extensive shadowing, can't find any specialty that interests you, and generally feel miserable about becoming a doctor, then you should drop out and pursue tech.

 

[Money Moniker]

So my situation is as follows: I'm finishing up M1, I've been doing decently well on evaluations (hovering around the class average, which I consider doing well since my undergraduate degree was in computer science so most of my classmates have a headstart in terms of content). I'm also in the very fortunate situation that I received a generous scholarship for my tuition this year, meaning my debt is basically 0 so far.

Now for the bad part: I'm really not liking it so far. As I said, my background is in computer science (with a focus in machine learning), and I am finding most of my lectures extremely dry. I've thought several times about dropping out and joining the tech industry, but I figured I owed it to myself after putting this much effort to getting to this point that I would finish the year off and see how I feel. Thankfully I'll have most of the summer to make my decision (and maybe line up a job if I decide not to come back for M2).

Bro, I feel you. Medicine is really not that intellectually stimulating. Compared to programming, which I dabbled in before med school, the thought processes involved are laughably simple. Patient has high blood pressure? Give this and that drug. Patient has a GI bleed? Order imaging and consult GI. Oh, you're the GI who got consulted? Stick a tube up patients rectum and see where the blood is coming from, then after you're done with that see the rectum in the next room over and yep, you guessed it, use the tube again, rinse and repeat 10 more times that day.

Not that being a code monkey for some crappy corporate IT department is any more engaging, and it pays a lot less. So I'm sticking to this path based purely on the fact that the money is better (and hopefully still will be in 5 years) and that I'm no superstar who could work on cutting edge stuff in Silicon Valley. But if you're a 10xer and can get a 150k job in San Jose tomorrow, you'd be better served doing that, imo.

 

[cellar-door]

If you're truly miserable, I'd say bail now. But remember that MS1 is unlike the rest of medicine.

Preclinical years are there to teach you a language. Grammar. The nuts and bolts. For a musician, it would be basic theory, ear training, scales, etc. Nobody becomes a writer because they just love grammar just like nobody becomes a musician because they just love playing scales. Everything seems algorithmic to you right now because that's all you're really ready for at this point. If we discussed areas that are actually controversial, you probably don't yet have the background even to understand why the controversy exists, much less use your underlying knowledge to make a clinically nebulous decision for a real patient. And that's ok! You are exactly where you should be at this point.

I would argue in favor of sticking it out if you can find anything in it you remotely like or potentially may like. Second year does get a little better as you learn more about disease but it's still more grammar and nuts and bolts. It really isn't until 3rd and 4th year that you really get to see more of this stuff put into action and then it can get really fun.

Residency is a whole different animal and while it has some moments of suckage (call), it's pretty awesome overall in that you're actually getting to practice medicine while still having lots of supervision and backup. You get to that point where the decisions are less algorithmic and more nuanced. Sure, some things are always done by the book because they tend to work well and get the job done, but inevitably you'll have tons of patients for whom the algorithm doesn't quite fit. Or you'll recommend a treatment and they'll refuse and then you've gotta come up with plan B. You'll have super sick patients you'll help pull back from the brink and others who will die despite all your efforts.

I think you can always go into tech but this is your one chance to do your MD. If you drop out now, no school will ever let you back in again. Truth is, you'd be highly sought after in the tech world with your machine learning background if you were also a trained physician. We have lots of projects going in this arena and I'm sure other institutions do as well, but I find one of the chief barriers is communicating between the clinical and the engineering teams. I'm sure someone who could bridge the gap would have no trouble finding lucrative positions both in academia and in industry.

Thanks for the thoughtful response. The comparison to a musician might be a good one -- you need to develop some of the basic competencies before you can start using them in interesting ways. I'll be working this summer but I intend to reflect on these things and see if I can identify a reason to stick it out. I'm not "miserable" so far, but I definitely haven't been feeling very excited about most of what we've been learning and that seemed like a warning sign to me.

Bro, I feel you. Medicine is really not that intellectually stimulating. Compared to programming, which I dabbled in before med school, the thought processes involved are laughably simple. Patient has high blood pressure? Give this and that drug. Patient has a GI bleed? Order imaging and consult GI. Oh, you're the GI who got consulted? Stick a tube up patients rectum and see where the blood is coming from, then after you're done with that see the rectum in the next room over and yep, you guessed it, use the tube again, rinse and repeat 10 more times that day.

Not that being a code monkey for some crappy corporate IT department is any more engaging, and it pays a lot less. So I'm sticking to this path based purely on the fact that the money is better (and hopefully still will be in 5 years) and that I'm no superstar who could work on cutting edge stuff in Silicon Valley. But if you're a 10xer and can get a 150k job in San Jose tomorrow, you'd be better served doing that, imo.

Yeah, I agree with a lot of this, and agree that it wouldn't be worth jumping ship if I didn't have decent prospects in the field, but I'm pretty confident I'm a good enough programmer to get into something much more interesting and creative than corporate IT.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

Quit after 4th year. You have 0 debt and are young, you can experiment a little. And I'm only saying to quit after 4th year because I haven't experienced intern or residency yet.

Like others have said, it all changes from year to year and there are so many varied jobs and career tracks in medicine it is worth it to continue from where you are. Get a mentor or some upperclassmen friends who have "been there, done that" Hope you feel better.

 

[cellar-door]

Quit after 4th year. You have 0 debt and are young, you can experiment a little. And I'm only saying to quit after 4th year because I haven't experienced intern or residency yet.

Like others have said, it all changes from year to year and there are so many varied jobs and career tracks in medicine it is worth it to continue from where you are. Get a mentor or some upperclassmen friends who have "been there, done that" Hope you feel better.

There is a cost to doing that, though. True, I'll be in a much better place to truly know if medicine is for me at that point, but I will definitely be in debt by that point (even though I'm lucky enough to not be now), and that's 3 years I could have been making money and improving my skills in another career; definitely not a trivial cost. I guess I'm trying to get a sense of: 1) how common is it for people to be doubting their decision to go into medicine during their 1st year, 2) is the amount of stuff you get exposed to in later years really enough to tip the decision in the opposite direction? Or put another way, for people who have had doubts about medical school early on, I'd be interested in hearing about stories where they were really glad they stuck it out and their feelings changed after a couple of years.

 

[Goro]

So my situation is as follows: I'm finishing up M1, I've been doing decently well on evaluations (hovering around the class average, which I consider doing well since my undergraduate degree was in computer science so most of my classmates have a headstart in terms of content). I'm also in the very fortunate situation that I received a generous scholarship for my tuition this year, meaning my debt is basically 0 so far.

Now for the bad part: I'm really not liking it so far. As I said, my background is in computer science (with a focus in machine learning), and I am finding most of my lectures extremely dry. I've thought several times about dropping out and joining the tech industry, but I figured I owed it to myself after putting this much effort to getting to this point that I would finish the year off and see how I feel. Thankfully I'll have most of the summer to make my decision (and maybe line up a job if I decide not to come back for M2).

My main complaints have been a lack of critical thinking in the material (clinical decisions seem to be very algorithmic, with a poor understanding of the underlying mechanism of disease in many cases and based on population level studies that might not even apply to the individual in question). I'm also worried about the length of the training, since it will be many years until I'm an attending (I obviously knew this going in, but if the years leading up to that feel like as much of a slog as this year has or worse, I don't think I can deal with that length). And I haven't in this year found a really promising "niche" in medicine -- I've shadowed doctors in several different specialties, and though I'm finding those experiences a lot more engaging than being in lectures, I haven't found a specialty that I'm really "in love with" either.

I know I'm early in the process and some people have told me that clerkship is when it all changes and things will start getting a lot more interesting. This may be true, but this also means I need to invest another 1-2 years and the associated tuition into finding out if things will click for me then. I'm at a point now where I could leave with relatively little lost time and debt. How should I go about making this (obviously very important) decision? What is the point at which I know that the career as a whole might not be a good fit for me, versus the possibility that I just haven't gotten to the "good part" yet?

I'd say You're right on schedule.

How are you doing academically.??

 

[firsttimer123]

if ur school is 100% paid for why don't u just finish up and get the MD degree?

 

[cellar-door]

I'd say You're right on schedule.

How are you doing academically.??

I think I'm doing decently academically, as I said I'm hovering around the class average despite having very little background in the material and, to be honest, some lack of motivation (due to finding a large amount of it fairly boring for the reasons I've mentioned). If I had a stronger source of motivation I could probably improve. Not sure what you're getting at with this question, but I'm not finding it "too hard" (though obviously it's challenging).

 

[Goro]

I think I'm doing decently academically, as I said I'm hovering around the class average despite having very little background in the material and, to be honest, some lack of motivation (due to finding a large amount of it fairly boring for the reasons I've mentioned). If I had a stronger source of motivation I could probably improve. Not sure what you're getting at with this question, but I'm not finding it "too hard" (though obviously it's challenging).

In NO way is it time to call it quits!!!!!!!!

 

[Anicetus]

So my situation is as follows: I'm finishing up M1, I've been doing decently well on evaluations (hovering around the class average, which I consider doing well since my undergraduate degree was in computer science so most of my classmates have a headstart in terms of content). I'm also in the very fortunate situation that I received a generous scholarship for my tuition this year, meaning my debt is basically 0 so far.

Now for the bad part: I'm really not liking it so far. As I said, my background is in computer science (with a focus in machine learning), and I am finding most of my lectures extremely dry. I've thought several times about dropping out and joining the tech industry, but I figured I owed it to myself after putting this much effort to getting to this point that I would finish the year off and see how I feel. Thankfully I'll have most of the summer to make my decision (and maybe line up a job if I decide not to come back for M2).

My main complaints have been a lack of critical thinking in the material (clinical decisions seem to be very algorithmic, with a poor understanding of the underlying mechanism of disease in many cases and based on population level studies that might not even apply to the individual in question). I'm also worried about the length of the training, since it will be many years until I'm an attending (I obviously knew this going in, but if the years leading up to that feel like as much of a slog as this year has or worse, I don't think I can deal with that length). And I haven't in this year found a really promising "niche" in medicine -- I've shadowed doctors in several different specialties, and though I'm finding those experiences a lot more engaging than being in lectures, I haven't found a specialty that I'm really "in love with" either.

I know I'm early in the process and some people have told me that clerkship is when it all changes and things will start getting a lot more interesting. This may be true, but this also means I need to invest another 1-2 years and the associated tuition into finding out if things will click for me then. I'm at a point now where I could leave with relatively little lost time and debt. How should I go about making this (obviously very important) decision? What is the point at which I know that the career as a whole might not be a good fit for me, versus the possibility that I just haven't gotten to the "good part" yet?

Depends on your goals. If you hate primary care, pull out now. In my 4 years here I have never seen someone who remediated this much do anything other than primary care in the end at some random residency program. That being said it sounds like you are set on California, which has a couple “random” programs for the worst case scenarios. If you’re rich and willing to gamble tuition debt with not being in North Dakota for residency then go for it. We had one grad just not do medicine last year at all because they were picky about their location and didn’t want to soap into those random cities. Smart? Ehh depends who you ask because honestly your happiness in the end is what matters. Be real with yourself and what you want and gamble it from there. I say this because I’m sure there will be 20+ more posters saying “it gets better Trust me!” Which could just result in mental health issues or even worse, suicide if it really DOESNT get better for them.

 

[Tenk]

So my situation is as follows: I'm finishing up M1, I've been doing decently well on evaluations (hovering around the class average, which I consider doing well since my undergraduate degree was in computer science so most of my classmates have a headstart in terms of content). I'm also in the very fortunate situation that I received a generous scholarship for my tuition this year, meaning my debt is basically 0 so far.

Now for the bad part: I'm really not liking it so far. As I said, my background is in computer science (with a focus in machine learning), and I am finding most of my lectures extremely dry. I've thought several times about dropping out and joining the tech industry, but I figured I owed it to myself after putting this much effort to getting to this point that I would finish the year off and see how I feel. Thankfully I'll have most of the summer to make my decision (and maybe line up a job if I decide not to come back for M2).

My main complaints have been a lack of critical thinking in the material (clinical decisions seem to be very algorithmic, with a poor understanding of the underlying mechanism of disease in many cases and based on population level studies that might not even apply to the individual in question). I'm also worried about the length of the training, since it will be many years until I'm an attending (I obviously knew this going in, but if the years leading up to that feel like as much of a slog as this year has or worse, I don't think I can deal with that length). And I haven't in this year found a really promising "niche" in medicine -- I've shadowed doctors in several different specialties, and though I'm finding those experiences a lot more engaging than being in lectures, I haven't found a specialty that I'm really "in love with" either.

I know I'm early in the process and some people have told me that clerkship is when it all changes and things will start getting a lot more interesting. This may be true, but this also means I need to invest another 1-2 years and the associated tuition into finding out if things will click for me then. I'm at a point now where I could leave with relatively little lost time and debt. How should I go about making this (obviously very important) decision? What is the point at which I know that the career as a whole might not be a good fit for me, versus the possibility that I just haven't gotten to the "good part" yet?

What you are experiencing is pretty normal. The first two years are just a giant grind. I’d say stick it out.

 

[anbuitachi]

So my situation is as follows: I'm finishing up M1, I've been doing decently well on evaluations (hovering around the class average, which I consider doing well since my undergraduate degree was in computer science so most of my classmates have a headstart in terms of content). I'm also in the very fortunate situation that I received a generous scholarship for my tuition this year, meaning my debt is basically 0 so far.

Now for the bad part: I'm really not liking it so far. As I said, my background is in computer science (with a focus in machine learning), and I am finding most of my lectures extremely dry. I've thought several times about dropping out and joining the tech industry, but I figured I owed it to myself after putting this much effort to getting to this point that I would finish the year off and see how I feel. Thankfully I'll have most of the summer to make my decision (and maybe line up a job if I decide not to come back for M2).

My main complaints have been a lack of critical thinking in the material (clinical decisions seem to be very algorithmic, with a poor understanding of the underlying mechanism of disease in many cases and based on population level studies that might not even apply to the individual in question). I'm also worried about the length of the training, since it will be many years until I'm an attending (I obviously knew this going in, but if the years leading up to that feel like as much of a slog as this year has or worse, I don't think I can deal with that length). And I haven't in this year found a really promising "niche" in medicine -- I've shadowed doctors in several different specialties, and though I'm finding those experiences a lot more engaging than being in lectures, I haven't found a specialty that I'm really "in love with" either.

I know I'm early in the process and some people have told me that clerkship is when it all changes and things will start getting a lot more interesting. This may be true, but this also means I need to invest another 1-2 years and the associated tuition into finding out if things will click for me then. I'm at a point now where I could leave with relatively little lost time and debt. How should I go about making this (obviously very important) decision? What is the point at which I know that the career as a whole might not be a good fit for me, versus the possibility that I just haven't gotten to the "good part" yet?

LOL you have a background in CS and you chose to go to med school? LOL. quit now. seriously

 

[firsttimer123]

LOL you have a background in CS and you chose to go to med school? LOL. quit now. seriously

why u so serious...

 

[mehc012]

So my situation is as follows: I'm finishing up M1, I've been doing decently well on evaluations (hovering around the class average, which I consider doing well since my undergraduate degree was in computer science so most of my classmates have a headstart in terms of content). I'm also in the very fortunate situation that I received a generous scholarship for my tuition this year, meaning my debt is basically 0 so far.

Now for the bad part: I'm really not liking it so far. As I said, my background is in computer science (with a focus in machine learning), and I am finding most of my lectures extremely dry. I've thought several times about dropping out and joining the tech industry, but I figured I owed it to myself after putting this much effort to getting to this point that I would finish the year off and see how I feel. Thankfully I'll have most of the summer to make my decision (and maybe line up a job if I decide not to come back for M2).

My main complaints have been a lack of critical thinking in the material (clinical decisions seem to be very algorithmic, with a poor understanding of the underlying mechanism of disease in many cases and based on population level studies that might not even apply to the individual in question). I'm also worried about the length of the training, since it will be many years until I'm an attending (I obviously knew this going in, but if the years leading up to that feel like as much of a slog as this year has or worse, I don't think I can deal with that length). And I haven't in this year found a really promising "niche" in medicine -- I've shadowed doctors in several different specialties, and though I'm finding those experiences a lot more engaging than being in lectures, I haven't found a specialty that I'm really "in love with" either.

I know I'm early in the process and some people have told me that clerkship is when it all changes and things will start getting a lot more interesting. This may be true, but this also means I need to invest another 1-2 years and the associated tuition into finding out if things will click for me then. I'm at a point now where I could leave with relatively little lost time and debt. How should I go about making this (obviously very important) decision? What is the point at which I know that the career as a whole might not be a good fit for me, versus the possibility that I just haven't gotten to the "good part" yet?

Sure, simple cases are algorithmic. CHF gets LMNOP, pneumonia gets abx and watch for sepsis, COPD gets breathing treatments and steroids. But what do you do for the patient who comes in with a history of both COPD and CHF who was recently discharged after being admitted for pneumonia, and now is back with increased difficulty breathing and some pleural effusions? They look and sound pretty fluid overloaded, but their pressure is low.
Heck, we had a patient come in last week with a history of restrictive lung disease (since childhood), COPD, and recent pneumonia who had bilateral pleural effusions that couldn't be easily drained without popping a lung. Oh, and then she got a PE during her stay...there's no algorithm for that. (PS everyone, not asking for actual management tips, the patient is doing just fine). There are plenty of cases that will require you to have an understanding of the pathophysiology in order to treat. My point is simply that books can teach algorithms, and as someone pointed out above, that's all you're really ready for...but reality is far more complex, which is a good thing in this instance, as that's what you're looking for.

Also, plenty of people don't find their 'one true love' of a specialty...it all turns out OK in the end.

 

[curiousneuro]

So my situation is as follows: I'm finishing up M1, I've been doing decently well on evaluations (hovering around the class average, which I consider doing well since my undergraduate degree was in computer science so most of my classmates have a headstart in terms of content). I'm also in the very fortunate situation that I received a generous scholarship for my tuition this year, meaning my debt is basically 0 so far.

Now for the bad part: I'm really not liking it so far. As I said, my background is in computer science (with a focus in machine learning), and I am finding most of my lectures extremely dry. I've thought several times about dropping out and joining the tech industry, but I figured I owed it to myself after putting this much effort to getting to this point that I would finish the year off and see how I feel. Thankfully I'll have most of the summer to make my decision (and maybe line up a job if I decide not to come back for M2).

My main complaints have been a lack of critical thinking in the material (clinical decisions seem to be very algorithmic, with a poor understanding of the underlying mechanism of disease in many cases and based on population level studies that might not even apply to the individual in question). I'm also worried about the length of the training, since it will be many years until I'm an attending (I obviously knew this going in, but if the years leading up to that feel like as much of a slog as this year has or worse, I don't think I can deal with that length). And I haven't in this year found a really promising "niche" in medicine -- I've shadowed doctors in several different specialties, and though I'm finding those experiences a lot more engaging than being in lectures, I haven't found a specialty that I'm really "in love with" either.

I know I'm early in the process and some people have told me that clerkship is when it all changes and things will start getting a lot more interesting. This may be true, but this also means I need to invest another 1-2 years and the associated tuition into finding out if things will click for me then. I'm at a point now where I could leave with relatively little lost time and debt. How should I go about making this (obviously very important) decision? What is the point at which I know that the career as a whole might not be a good fit for me, versus the possibility that I just haven't gotten to the "good part" yet?

As other posters have mentioned already, M1 year (and frankly, M2 year too) is a long, boring haul. The information (especially in M1 year) can seem somewhat boring and not clinically relevant. Things do better in M2 year (more clinically relevant material), but it's still just pretty much sitting in a classroom or watching lectures.

M3 year, for me at least, was annoying in a different way - I felt that I was finally in "clinical medicine", but as a student, the amount you get to do is dependent on the rotation that you are on as well as the preceptors. Most of the time, I just felt like I was somewhat "in the way". However, I used every rotation to learn as much as possible and to also discover my specialty choice (which I love).

You will see that there are many, many different areas of medicine, and they all present with different skillsets and unique challenges. What I loved most about neurology was actually the "mystification" of it, and the fact that very few cases are "routine". Algorithms do exist in neurology (such as in acute ischemic stroke), but rarely do patients present in such a fashion that you can just "follow the algorithm", even in stroke. And now, especially with all the data that is coming out regarding extended thrombectomy times (DAWN, DEFUSE-3), things are more complicated than ever. And neurology is a huge field of cutting-edge knowledge, and presentations are rarely cut-and-dry. The intricacies of the physical exam is really important in neurology, and I love how complex the nervous system is and correlating that with the patient. Imaging and laboratory work is important and helpful, but we do frequently encounter patients who just don't fit the typical "mold", and you really need to use your clinical judgment to understand what is going on with that patient.

I actually have a computer science background as well and worked in tech firms prior to medical school, but all self-taught. In my M4 year, I taught myself a whole bunch of web-app programming technologies and used that to springboard consulting gigs, which I still do on the side while in residency. I do see myself going into medical informatics, at least part-time, in the future, for which there is just a tremendous demand for physicians who actually understand computer technology and software.

In summary - there's a specialty for everyone in medicine, and I truly believe that. Having an "MD" can be very, very lucrative for a person who has a CS background as well, especially in this day and age. The demand for medical informatics is sky-high right now and will continue to be as long as our EMR system (and patient information database structures) remain such a mess. Some specialties are more "procedural", and they may not be something you want to do - I know that wasn't something I wanted.

If I were you, unless you really hate medicine, I would stick it for the time being. Even if you decide at the end of medical school that clinically medicine is not for you, you can still use the MD degree, combined with your CS background, to do amazing things in healthcare technology in the future.

 

[psych md jd]

Don't worry about not finding your niche in medicine in M1.

I didn't find mine until after I completed my sub-specialty fellowship and it was a matter of both luck and timing.

 

[Kgizzle]

I think the 3 year investment will pay dividends with your CS background.

 

[anbuitachi]

we had a guy like you , came from CS, dropped out of M1 within first month. also had another classmate drop out in M3 to pursue CS and is now very happy w her decision.

Unless you REALLY love medicine, i see zero reason for you to be in medicine. Unfortunately you wont get a real taste of what it is like until way down the line. Residency and beyond.

 

[cellar-door]

As other posters have mentioned already, M1 year (and frankly, M2 year too) is a long, boring haul. The information (especially in M1 year) can seem somewhat boring and not clinically relevant. Things do better in M2 year (more clinically relevant material), but it's still just pretty much sitting in a classroom or watching lectures.

M3 year, for me at least, was annoying in a different way - I felt that I was finally in "clinical medicine", but as a student, the amount you get to do is dependent on the rotation that you are on as well as the preceptors. Most of the time, I just felt like I was somewhat "in the way". However, I used every rotation to learn as much as possible and to also discover my specialty choice (which I love).

You will see that there are many, many different areas of medicine, and they all present with different skillsets and unique challenges. What I loved most about neurology was actually the "mystification" of it, and the fact that very few cases are "routine". Algorithms do exist in neurology (such as in acute ischemic stroke), but rarely do patients present in such a fashion that you can just "follow the algorithm", even in stroke. And now, especially with all the data that is coming out regarding extended thrombectomy times (DAWN, DEFUSE-3), things are more complicated than ever. And neurology is a huge field of cutting-edge knowledge, and presentations are rarely cut-and-dry. The intricacies of the physical exam is really important in neurology, and I love how complex the nervous system is and correlating that with the patient. Imaging and laboratory work is important and helpful, but we do frequently encounter patients who just don't fit the typical "mold", and you really need to use your clinical judgment to understand what is going on with that patient.

I actually have a computer science background as well and worked in tech firms prior to medical school, but all self-taught. In my M4 year, I taught myself a whole bunch of web-app programming technologies and used that to springboard consulting gigs, which I still do on the side while in residency. I do see myself going into medical informatics, at least part-time, in the future, for which there is just a tremendous demand for physicians who actually understand computer technology and software.

In summary - there's a specialty for everyone in medicine, and I truly believe that. Having an "MD" can be very, very lucrative for a person who has a CS background as well, especially in this day and age. The demand for medical informatics is sky-high right now and will continue to be as long as our EMR system (and patient information database structures) remain such a mess. Some specialties are more "procedural", and they may not be something you want to do - I know that wasn't something I wanted.

If I were you, unless you really hate medicine, I would stick it for the time being. Even if you decide at the end of medical school that clinically medicine is not for you, you can still use the MD degree, combined with your CS background, to do amazing things in healthcare technology in the future.

Hey, thanks for the detailed reply. A few people have told me that "having the MD degree" with a CS background would lead to a lot of opportunities, but I'm not even sure what those would be, since if you're a clinician a huge part of your time will be spent seeing patients (such that it's probably difficult to have a meaningful side job, unless you're in a specialty with a lot of flexibility in hours). What kind of roles are you thinking of, like consulting for a healthcare startup?

I think the 3 year investment will pay dividends with your CS background.

Similar to above -- people say there is a need for it, but I'm struggling to think of a path that would let me use both of those backgrounds in practice.

 

[curbsideconsult]

Hey, thanks for the detailed reply. A few people have told me that "having the MD degree" with a CS background would lead to a lot of opportunities, but I'm not even sure what those would be, since if you're a clinician a huge part of your time will be spent seeing patients (such that it's probably difficult to have a meaningful side job, unless you're in a specialty with a lot of flexibility in hours). What kind of roles are you thinking of, like consulting for a healthcare startup?



Similar to above -- people say there is a need for it, but I'm struggling to think of a path that would let me use both of those backgrounds in practice.

Work your way to being CTO at a large hospital. Cha-ching!

 

[dabears405]

So my situation is as follows: I'm finishing up M1, I've been doing decently well on evaluations (hovering around the class average, which I consider doing well since my undergraduate degree was in computer science so most of my classmates have a headstart in terms of content). I'm also in the very fortunate situation that I received a generous scholarship for my tuition this year, meaning my debt is basically 0 so far.

Now for the bad part: I'm really not liking it so far. As I said, my background is in computer science (with a focus in machine learning), and I am finding most of my lectures extremely dry. I've thought several times about dropping out and joining the tech industry, but I figured I owed it to myself after putting this much effort to getting to this point that I would finish the year off and see how I feel. Thankfully I'll have most of the summer to make my decision (and maybe line up a job if I decide not to come back for M2).

My main complaints have been a lack of critical thinking in the material (clinical decisions seem to be very algorithmic, with a poor understanding of the underlying mechanism of disease in many cases and based on population level studies that might not even apply to the individual in question). I'm also worried about the length of the training, since it will be many years until I'm an attending (I obviously knew this going in, but if the years leading up to that feel like as much of a slog as this year has or worse, I don't think I can deal with that length). And I haven't in this year found a really promising "niche" in medicine -- I've shadowed doctors in several different specialties, and though I'm finding those experiences a lot more engaging than being in lectures, I haven't found a specialty that I'm really "in love with" either.

I know I'm early in the process and some people have told me that clerkship is when it all changes and things will start getting a lot more interesting. This may be true, but this also means I need to invest another 1-2 years and the associated tuition into finding out if things will click for me then. I'm at a point now where I could leave with relatively little lost time and debt. How should I go about making this (obviously very important) decision? What is the point at which I know that the career as a whole might not be a good fit for me, versus the possibility that I just haven't gotten to the "good part" yet?

I was in the SAME exact position as you last year (M2 here) except I do not have a degree in computer science. I wish i would've had the courage to drop out my first year because that doubt I had the first year still lingers and probably will until Im done with residency. For me, I think its too late to drop out because the time I finish the requirements for doing something else I'd probably be finished with residency.). At the end of the day, you need to weigh the pro and cons of med school. I would strongly advise in taking the time during summer and exploring computer science and if you see yourself doing it, I'd say leave med school while it's still early. If you still see yourself as a physician then stick it through.

 

[iCY]

So my situation is as follows: I'm finishing up M1, I've been doing decently well on evaluations (hovering around the class average, which I consider doing well since my undergraduate degree was in computer science so most of my classmates have a headstart in terms of content). I'm also in the very fortunate situation that I received a generous scholarship for my tuition this year, meaning my debt is basically 0 so far.

Now for the bad part: I'm really not liking it so far. As I said, my background is in computer science (with a focus in machine learning), and I am finding most of my lectures extremely dry. I've thought several times about dropping out and joining the tech industry, but I figured I owed it to myself after putting this much effort to getting to this point that I would finish the year off and see how I feel. Thankfully I'll have most of the summer to make my decision (and maybe line up a job if I decide not to come back for M2).

My main complaints have been a lack of critical thinking in the material (clinical decisions seem to be very algorithmic, with a poor understanding of the underlying mechanism of disease in many cases and based on population level studies that might not even apply to the individual in question). I'm also worried about the length of the training, since it will be many years until I'm an attending (I obviously knew this going in, but if the years leading up to that feel like as much of a slog as this year has or worse, I don't think I can deal with that length). And I haven't in this year found a really promising "niche" in medicine -- I've shadowed doctors in several different specialties, and though I'm finding those experiences a lot more engaging than being in lectures, I haven't found a specialty that I'm really "in love with" either.

I know I'm early in the process and some people have told me that clerkship is when it all changes and things will start getting a lot more interesting. This may be true, but this also means I need to invest another 1-2 years and the associated tuition into finding out if things will click for me then. I'm at a point now where I could leave with relatively little lost time and debt. How should I go about making this (obviously very important) decision? What is the point at which I know that the career as a whole might not be a good fit for me, versus the possibility that I just haven't gotten to the "good part" yet?

Stick it out

First 2 years suck becuase its all nonsense textbook learning, most of which you will never use in practice. Just stick it out & pass.

The last 2 years are a bit more accurate & will give you an idea of what practicing medicine is like. It will also suck because alot of medicine sucks & if you hate algorithms & enjoy understanding & being cerebral then you will hate most of medicine because most of medicine is brainless filling out paperwork or explaining things to patients & then falling behind on work b/c you don't have time to explain things. Most young doctors I talk to hate or complain about their jobs on a daily basis.

My advice is : check out radiology. Its the only field that is intellectually stimulating, doesn't suck your life & soul, & has the potential for advanced learning. You can even apply your machine learning background & make advancements in the field because radiology is on the forefront of AI & tech advancements. If you enjoy tech you will enjoy learning about how a MRI works & how to alter parameters to improve image qualities & aid diagnoses & you will enjoy the day to day of radiology alot more than medicine. Plus as a student you can get involved in projects if you have that ML background & really do something interesting with your career. I would pass on medicine otherwise. (there are some other cool sub specialized fields in medicine & surgery but the amount of time & abuse you have to endure to get there is not worth it).