Cold feet / second-guessing / etc.

[da8s0859q]

Alright, so I know from threads I've seen here before that it's a common thing, but I'm curious as to whether any of the other newly-minted M1s are feeling an overwhelming sense of "hey, this isn't what I want to do with my life", or if any of you M2/M3/M4s could chime in on this.

I have a few other interests occupation-wise, but I always thought I'd regret not going to med school; now that I'm here, it just seems... different.

(We've already started.)

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[bakanoisha]

No questions here... I can't see myself doing anything else. Although, part of that stems from having been exposed to a wide array of occupations, etc.

 

[450med]

I think it's extremely normal (and common) to question med school, especially during some of the rough times or right before starting for some. For me, while I knew I wanted to go to med school, I took two years off after my degree to work, take a few med related classes, and pursue some goals I had hobby wise (sports and film), before I started MS1 all I could see was this giant mountain in front of me that I had to climb. Going from the best few years of my life (it will be very hard to top them) knowing I was going to have to work my ass off was a bit intimidating and there was definitely an aspect of "the fear of the unknown". Try to go in with an open mind, and while med school isn't easy and there will likely be some horrible / rough times, the positives WAY outway the negatives! In the end, just try to have fun and enjoy orientation!

 

[da8s0859q]

I think it's extremely normal (and common) to question med school, especially during some of the rough times or right before starting for some. For me, while I knew I wanted to go to med school, I took two years off after my degree to work, take a few med related classes, and pursue some goals I had hobby wise (sports and film), before I started MS1 all I could see was this giant mountain in front of me that I had to climb. Going from the best few years of my life (it will be very hard to top them) knowing I was going to have to work my ass off was a bit intimidating and there was definitely an aspect of "the fear of the unknown". Try to go in with an open mind, and while med school isn't easy and there will likely be some horrible / rough times, the positives WAY outway the negatives! In the end, just try to have fun and enjoy orientation!

I hope so... I guess it's the intro to classes that kick-started this for me (and a few others, best I can gather). We've already begun lectures and have labs this week, too.

 

[psipsina]

I think its normal to have a few dark moments in medical school. But it sounds like you are reacting to the coursework, which only lasts two years, not to what you will be doing for the rest of your life. If you are having second thoughts about medicine in general maybe see if your school has someone you can talk to? I've never questioned the fact that I will be happy as a physician or a surgeon but I've often wondered if I would have signed up for this knowing how much some of the training would suck.

 

[Samus Aran]

haha, i know people that question their decision all the time (myself included). i think i'd almost feel abnormal if i didn't question why i ever thought it was such a grand idea to get myself into a mountain of debt, study until my eyes bleed, miss out on earning a paycheck like the rest of my friends, enjoying my twenties, etc. to survive med school, i think you have to constantly remind yourself of the end goal whenever you feel the stress of it all drag you down. in other words, it's normal.

 

[engineeredout]

Us new M1s are all feeling the pressure, you're not alone. Trying to study all this anatomy we've gotten over the past two days and trying not to think about the embryo/histo exam we have in a few days is giving me a near panic attack.

I printed out a big ass sign for myself and taped it to the wall of my study.

You can either have a heart attack over what you don't know, or you can put in the time to learn as much as possible, realizing that you will never be able to remember everything.

One of these processes is useful. The other is not.

My heart rate is still about 100bpm, but I'm trying to follow it the best I can. I just keep hoping sooner or later this will all click and I'll hit a stride of sorts.

 

[njbmd]

The first two years of medical school have little to do with the practice of medicine. You won't be doing medical school for the rest of your life. Essentially, after second year, you are done with the "school" and onto the learning of the practice of medicine which will continue to through residency.

 

[Samus Aran]

My heart rate is still about 100bpm, but I'm trying to follow it the best I can. I just keep hoping sooner or later this will all click and I'll hit a stride of sorts.

i know of some people in my class that had to start taking bp meds by the time they were done with m1. it doesn't get much easier as you go on either but you get used to it.

 

[Cp22kjer]

i know of some people in my class that had to start taking bp meds by the time they were done with m1. it doesn't get much easier as you go on either but you get used to it.

Oh, lovely.

I'm just going to focus on adjusting as quickly as possible...

 

[da8s0859q]

The first two years of medical school have little to do with the practice of medicine. You won't be doing medical school for the rest of your life. Essentially, after second year, you are done with the "school" and onto the learning of the practice of medicine which will continue to through residency.

A good thing, definitely, but something about the past week or so has been a punch to the stomach in a sort of second-guessing-career-choice way. I was never one of those who looked up to people wearing scrubs, so it's a little rough.

 

[tco]

I always wanted to be a doctor, then I wanted to be a pilot. I've wiggled myself into a position to eventually fulfill both of my dreams. Many people own planes. Not everyone becomes a physician.

If you have another dream that you can do later, fulfill this one now, so you'll never be able to even think about regretting it. Who knows, once you start working in the field, maybe you'll realize that it's really all that you've ever wanted.

 

[da8s0859q]

I always wanted to be a doctor, then I wanted to be a pilot. I've wiggled myself into a position to eventually fulfill both of my dreams. Many people own planes. Not everyone becomes a physician.

If you have another dream that you can do later, fulfill this one now, so you'll never be able to even think about regretting it. Who knows, once you start working in the field, maybe you'll realize that it's really all that you've ever wanted.

Something like that is one of my good reasons for sticking with it, actually -- I know what you mean. Always had a thing for law enforcement in some form or another, and I always thought the two would be incompatible until I was told about MDs who are also reserve officers in their state, or who cross-train with SWAT to serve as medics on callouts, that sort of thing.

 

[CopToEM]

I think this is pretty normal when you work very hard for something that results in you being put into a high stress situation. For months, I wanted nothing more than to get hired at a law enforcement agency and get to the Academy. Once the excitement wore off and I realized, "this is my life for the next 6 months," the fear of a mistake began to set in.

I was away from my family, most of my privacy was stripped from me, I was constantly being scrutinized and expected to be perfect, and having to constantly be worried about failing a test (which was required to be passed with a 100% at my academy - you got three tries).

However, after the fear and uncertainty shook off, I realized that this was only temporary. I had very good advice from someone that told me, "this is just part of the game... the after-party is worth the pain."

I can't imagine medical school being much different. In a hypothetical sort of way the first two years appear to be a natural selection period. That is, let's see who can make it and let's see who can't. After that, you get your hands dirty, and get to see what the future is going to hold for you.

As my mother has always told me - you can work now and play for the rest of your life OR you can play now and work for the rest of your life. The decision is yours. I hope you stick with it.

 

[CopToEM]

Something like that is one of my good reasons for sticking with it, actually -- I know what you mean. Always had a thing for law enforcement in some form or another, and I always thought the two would be incompatible until I was told about MDs who are also reserve officers in their state, or who cross-train with SWAT to serve as medics on callouts, that sort of thing.

Every SWAT team, to my knowledge, has a physician or at least a very very good paramedic on call. A few SWAT teams that I know of have deputized their medical companion and he's fully trained with them to make entry and serve in every capacity that a SWAT member would.

You can bet that whether I end up in a Pharmacy or an Emergency Room I will most definitely spend a few days a month in a uniform. It was a hard thing to give up... there's no way to describe the adrenaline.

On topic, this is a very valid point. The freedom of health related careers - both in scheduling (depending on specialty, of course) and the salary - allows you to live out your dreams without worrying about the impact it will have on your life. The hard work results in some meaning to your life, the ability to make a difference regardless of how large or small it is, and the financial ability to do the things you may have always wanted to do in life.

 

[sprinkibrio]

Yeah, that feeling still comes up for me every so often even as a third year. You'd better bet it will come up intern year and beyond. It doesn't bother me... it's a product of change. If you continue to dislike what you're doing take heart that what you do in medical school is one teeeeeny part of medicine and there are a lot of options within the field. Even what you do third and fourth year is very, very different from what most doctors do.

 

[ArkansasRanger]

You can bet that whether I end up in a Pharmacy or an Emergency Room I will most definitely spend a few days a month in a uniform. It was a hard thing to give up... there's no way to describe the adrenaline.

QUOTE]


Ditto !