"Because of reason X, you shouldn't go into medicine." Mmk, then why SHOULD we?

[amph119]

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Members do not see this ad.

Because I sure as hell still am.

 

[AdmiralChz]

Don't read those threads that talk about that stuff, many are posted by bitter people who didn't get in this cycle. If you want to go into medicine, cool. If you want to go be an acrobatic motorcyclist, have at it. It's a personal decision so don't let other people's opinions affect you too much - medicine definitely isn't for everyone (and neither is being an acrobatic motorcyclist!)

 

[amph119]

Don't read those threads that talk about that stuff, many are posted by bitter people who didn't get in this cycle. If you want to go into medicine, cool. If you want to go be an acrobatic motorcyclist, have at it. It's a personal decision so don't let other people's opinions affect you too much - medicine definitely isn't for everyone (and neither is being an acrobatic motorcyclist!)

Oh I know this. I just started this thread as a way of saying that even after reading them I'm still as resolved as ever.

 

[236116]

~why ever YOU want to is why~

 

[SketchsaurusRex]

i wanna be like Dr. 90210.

 

[DrYoda]

$$$

 

[135892]

Don't read those threads that talk about that stuff, many are posted by bitter people who didn't get in this cycle. If you want to go into medicine, cool. If you want to go be an acrobatic motorcyclist, have at it. It's a personal decision so don't let other people's opinions affect you too much - medicine definitely isn't for everyone (and neither is being an acrobatic motorcyclist!)

You would be doing yourself a huge disservice by not reading those threads. In my opinion, those are the most useful types of threads on this entire site...

 

[SunnyFlower288]

I think those threads are wake-up calls to a bunch of pre-meds floating through otherwise. They are not just cynical words but realities.

 

[cpants]

The negative threads are useful to an extent, because there are definitely a lot of drawbacks to medicine. Medicine is still a great career though.

Job security. We will always need doctors, and as a doctor you'll have no trouble finding work in any state in the country.

Good money. Salaries are declining, and it certainly isn't what it used to be, but there aren't any doctors starving out there. You will be comfortable, and you won't have to worry about money the way that most Americans do.

Career options. Medicine offers the ability to work in a wide variety of fields. You can own your own business or you can work for someone else. You can work as much or as little as you want. You can work as a pure clinician, a professor, an administrator, a consultant, a researcher, or any amalgam of these things.

Helping people. Despite all the cynicism out there, medicine does offer you the opportunity to truly help people. Few careers can be as rewarding.

Respect. If you do it well, medicine will earn you not only the respect of your patients and your community, but self-respect as well.

Intellectual stimulation. It is a career where you will constantly think and learn. If you want to you will have the opportunity to teach not only your patients but the next generation of physicians.

 

[Slack3r]

Don't read those threads that talk about that stuff, many are posted by bitter people who didn't get in this cycle

The fact of the matter is, a majority of those threads/blogs are written by medical students and residents. Ignoring the cons to anything in life (especially a decision as big as a medical education) is downright idiotic and even potentially dangerous. It's good to educate yourself, although it's also good to take the negativity with a grain of salt. Simply ignoring the cons and thinking it's all rainbows and carebears is a really good way to burn out really quick.

 

[0Complications]

i wanna be like Dr. 90210.

His kung-fu is weak.

 

[bodonid]

We came here to serve God,
And also to get rich.

-Bernal Diaz del Castillo,
History of the Conquest of Mexico

 

[ThinkTooMuch]

how about going to med school as a back up just in case acting wont work out?

 

[WannaBePreMed]

Because I love people...



well there's more but that's for the adcoms to know :]

 

[JeetKuneDo]

I want money and power over people. Probably can't be a real housewife of orange county/new york/atlanta, so I have guess I'll have to be a doctor.

 

[MirrorTodd]

One reason for me: It's something that I know I can be good at.

 

[binko]

When I was deciding whether or not to get married to my dude I researched marriage, reasons for/against, etc. It's basically the same: whatever your reason, there's some one who will say it's not the right reason. It's either too crass or too idealistic. In the end I decided to marry him because I read a book that basically says "no one is ready for marriage because only marriage can make you ready for marriage".

I think medicine is kind of the same thing. It's a huge commitment that requires a lot of unending work and dedication, and at the end of the day it's based on a leap of faith, and your success rests almost completely on how bad you want it.

 

[Law2Doc]

The fact of the matter is, a majority of those threads/blogs are written by medical students and residents. Ignoring the cons to anything in life (especially a decision as big as a medical education) is downright idiotic and even potentially dangerous. It's good to educate yourself, although it's also good to take the negativity with a grain of salt. Simply ignoring the cons and thinking it's all rainbows and carebears is a really good way to burn out really quick.

Agreed. IMHO, there is only one reason to go into medicine -- that is that after really spending time researching what doctors do all day by extensive shadowing/volunteering, you have decided that this is what you also wan to do for 60+ hours/week for the next 40 years. In other words, you only go to med school if your goal is to practice medicine. Every other reason is secondary. Medical school, for the most part, trains clinicians and this is not a job for everybody, but for those who really enjoy it it can be a wonderful and rewarding career. Folks with more nebulous (eg altruistic) or material goals most often end up unhappy on this path, Those are fine secondary benefits but should never be your primary goal. So if you know what the practice of medicine entails, and you think that sounds fun/cool/interesting/fascinating to do from here on out, then go for it. If you think you could stand it, but your real goal is something else (money, chicks, status, making your family proud, "helping people" etc), don't go for it -- you will hate it and become one of those negative posting residents in a few years. It's not for everybody. Few careers are -- you need to figure out what fits your own personality/temperment.

There are a million careers out there, but many people on SDN seem to only know of a handful (medicine, dentistry, law and I-banking tend to be most mentioned). Most people will be doing none of these, and a lot of people who go into these probably should have looked beyond the status/prestige/dollars and actually found the thing that suited them best.. You have to find a career that fits you, and it might not be the one that's the most stable, lucrative, or the one your family emphasized your whole life or the one that so many of your college friends are shooting for. Being successful is important, but you have to realize that life is a long time and you are likely going to be spending 60+ hours a week, every week, for the rest of your life doing whatever you choose. So basically a life sentence if you don't like it, and an eternity of bliss if you do. It's a big choice. Some of the more shallow reasons out there, money, prestige, altruism, "respect" don't carry you through the harder times, and you will become jaded and bitter if you are in a path you hate beyond these superficial needs. For example having a nice bank account is meaningless if you dread waking up every morning and going to work long hours every day. It's truly serving a sentence Think of it like being a criminal who emptied a bank vault, hid the money, and gets arrested on a life sentence -- having the stash waiting for him, but no present enjoyment of it for the rest of his life. Makes the money pointless. A lot of doctors who go into it for the money end up like this -- bitterly carrying out their sentence (their job) they hate, but never getting to enjoy their loot.

The folks who have to do jobs they hate and have to live for the weekends are the folks who didn't have choices in life. Folks in med school do have choices -- many of them. So there is simply no excuse for picking something that doesn't make you happy. The whole "everybody hates their job" is a lie outside of that group of people who didn't have choices. You will meet folks in every career that love it and hate it. The key is to find the career that YOU will love, not your parents, not your peers, not your bank account.

Spend the time in college figuring out what kind of person you are, and also spend the time shadowing and seeing what doctors actually do all day, and then decide whether you would enjoy practicing medicine. If the answer is, well it's "okay" or "I can stand it" but I like the other perqs of the job, then don't do it. You can get those other perqs elsewhere in a field better suited to you. It's generally said that if you can find another path besides medicine you would be equally happy doing, you should do that other path. I think that's a true statement, because of the costs and time involved. You only want to go down the medical path if it's right for you. It won't be right for everyone, and you have a choice so there is no excuse for getting stuck in a job you don't love.