Considering medicine, what is it like?

[CSMedGuy]

I am considering going to med school. However, I don't really know any doctors and I don't know exactly what a doctor's day would be like. I know that perhaps the purpose of rotations later on is to determine what one would enjoy. However, I would like some idea before I take the great leap of faith that is med school.

I guess my question is.. are there any videos or other material on what it is like in the physician's world? I know that shadowing a doctor might be a good way to get the feel for it, but I think that it would be a little awkward since I am a bit older (just finished my undergraduate education).

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[sirus_virus]

Long hours, declining pay, avoiding litigation, lots of paperwork, and huge responsibilities. Non of that scrubs, house or ER crap. On the flip side, you might actually get to save/prolong someone's life.

 

[jochi1543]

Why would it be awkward? I'm assuming you're 22 or so, since that's when your average student finishes undergrad. Why would being 22 vs 20 make any difference? Go and shadow someone, by all means.

 

[ryandote]

I am considering going to med school. However, I don't really know any doctors and I don't know exactly what a doctor's day would be like. I know that perhaps the purpose of rotations later on is to determine what one would enjoy. However, I would like some idea before I take the great leap of faith that is med school.

I guess my question is.. are there any videos or other material on what it is like in the physician's world? I know that shadowing a doctor might be a good way to get the feel for it, but I think that it would be a little awkward since I am a bit older (just finished my undergraduate education).

I don't think that any videos would give you any insight into what it was like. Shadowing a physician shouldn't be awkward if you have just finished your undergrad...that puts you younger than 30, right? Medicine isn't always something you go to straight from your undergrad. There are quite a few people who have worked in other careers for a few years or taken some time off.

Your best bet is shadowing many different types of physicians to get a feel for it. Maybe volunteering at the hospital or other clinics, and asking to be assigned to various areas/tasks. Even possibly getting a part-time job or something in the field of medicine that you think might be interesting. No, no, you wouldn't qualify for much, but a CNA's license or MA certificate can open a lot of low-paid doors.

Good luck.

 

[kidthor]

OP - I'm 27 and have recently been shadowing a couple of physicians, which wasn't awkward at all. I would definitely suggest shadowing a physician to see what they do!

 

[Trismegistus4]

I am considering going to med school. However, I don't really know any doctors and I don't know exactly what a doctor's day would be like. I know that perhaps the purpose of rotations later on is to determine what one would enjoy. However, I would like some idea before I take the great leap of faith that is med school.

I guess my question is.. are there any videos or other material on what it is like in the physician's world? I know that shadowing a doctor might be a good way to get the feel for it, but I think that it would be a little awkward since I am a bit older (just finished my undergraduate education).

Watch the award-winning documentary Grey's Anatomy for an in-depth look at the day-to-day lives of real doctors.

 

[armybound]

its like raaaaaaiiiin on your wedding day..
a free riiiiiiiide when you've already paid



try not to get that stuck in your head!

 

[ryandote]

its like raaaaaaiiiin on your wedding day..
a free riiiiiiiide when you've already paid



try not to get that stuck in your head!

you bastard.

 

[Law2Doc]

I am considering going to med school. However, I don't really know any doctors and I don't know exactly what a doctor's day would be like. I know that perhaps the purpose of rotations later on is to determine what one would enjoy. However, I would like some idea before I take the great leap of faith that is med school.

I guess my question is.. are there any videos or other material on what it is like in the physician's world? I know that shadowing a doctor might be a good way to get the feel for it, but I think that it would be a little awkward since I am a bit older (just finished my undergraduate education).

Shadowing and volunteering are the only way you are going to see for real what doctors do. (Which is why med schools expect you to get such clinical exposure before applying). Age doesn't matter -- in fact, you are going to be expected to have made an even more informed/researched decision if you are older. Sure there is some Discovery channel stuff that covers snippets of some of the more exciting things ER/Trauma doctors do, but you can never get a good sense of it without being there.

 

[dln72183]

There are some great books out there. Atul Gawande is a great author. "complications" was good. There are also some residency books. I think one called "hot lights cold steel" it was alright. Otherwise you could just walk into a hospital wearing a suit and snag a white coat. Walk around for a bit. see what happens.

 

[CSMedGuy]

Haha.. I've never watched Grey's before actually. Though, all the girls I know seem to love it.

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm just a bit nervous as I find out more about medicine because I really haven't thought about it much before now. I always dismissed it because it seemed like too much school. However now I realize that it's not such a big deal as long as you enjoy your life through it : )

So... if I manage to get brave enough to do something like shadow a doctor, what would I need to do? Do you call a hospital or what?

 

[dln72183]

Just try and confront any physician you know. If they aren't willing to let you shadow, ask if they could refer you. In general, I've never had a bad reaction to the "do you know of any shadowing opportunities?" question.

You could also try volunteering in the hospital. It is flexible and it would let you get some direct patient contact. I had great experiences with this.

 

[bioteach]

I just finished shadowing three docs (family practice, emergency dept, labor and delivery) and I am 28. If anything it just gave me a smidge more credibility. It wasn't awkward. Books like "Complications" are great. Fascinating reads and are motivational, but don't necessarily cover the day to day as much. For the more mundane (i.e. 99.9% of your career) aspects of being a physician try shadowing or start volunteering at the hospital.

 

[bioteach]

I wrote a letter to my family physician, he said yes. I called the hospital for the other two.

Most docs are pretty familiar with the shadowing concept. Guarentee they won't be surprised by the question.

 

[CSMedGuy]

Thanks again. I got my undergraduate degree in computer science because I have an interest in programming and computers. However, I haven't really found a job that excites me. I would like to have some more education, but I'm not sure about the research jobs in my field.

One of my friends now is applying to med school soon and talking with them I realized that it would be an interesting field to look into. Hopefully I will make the right decision

 

[Law2Doc]

One of my friends now is applying to med school soon and talking with them I realized that it would be an interesting field to look into. Hopefully I will make the right decision

Be absolutely sure before you apply. Unlike your prior job, medicine is not a good field to dabble in given the costs and time involved.

 

[CSMedGuy]

Yeah, I guess that's why I am trying to determine if it would be a good fit for me. It sounds very interesting, but I haven't had much exposure to medicine.

The biggest negative that I have seen so far in my research is that residency seems to be all-consuming for a good portion of your life. It seems like that would just wear anyone down.

 

[armybound]

Thanks again. I got my undergraduate degree in computer science because I have an interest in programming and computers. However, I haven't really found a job that excites me. I would like to have some more education, but I'm not sure about the research jobs in my field.

One of my friends now is applying to med school soon and talking with them I realized that it would be an interesting field to look into. Hopefully I will make the right decision

have you ever considered biomedical informatics?

my girlfriend started out pre-med and switched to computer science. she now is in graduate school for biomedical informatics, where she's writing programs that are being implemented at the hospital, giving prescription support to physicians, among other things.

it's a good way to combine a love of computers with medicine, if that's your kind of thing.

 

[CSMedGuy]

I have looked at it a little. I took a class in bioinformatics as an undergrad. Computer science has a lot of use in almost every field including medicine. It makes it very difficult to determine what to do with my education.

Also, I have been getting a little cubicle-phobia lately so maybe that's why I have been considering other routes.

 

[armybound]

I have looked at it a little. I took a class in bioinformatics as an undergrad. Computer science has a lot of use in almost every field including medicine. It makes it very difficult to determine what to do with my education.

Also, I have been getting a little cubicle-phobia lately so maybe that's why I have been considering other routes.

I've taken bioinformatics and hated it. I'm talking more on medical informatics, which is pretty different.

 

[ryandote]

I've got a fever- and the only cure for it is more cowbell.

 

[CSMedGuy]

I'm not very familiar with medical informatics beyond things like expert systems for making diagnoses. I will make it a point to look into that further. I just hope that I can find a job that I am passionate about! Too many decisions, lol.

 

[Meatwad]

http://www.pandabearmd.blogspot.com/

Eventually someone will direct you here. Might as well be me. I believe Panda's blog is required reading for incoming M1's (first year med students) at some schools now.

 

[CSMedGuy]

As I said earlier, one thing that bothers me reading on this forum and other places is residency. Is it really 5 years of having absolutely no life? I mean, I'm used to not having much free time but from all the complaints here it seems horrific!

 

[Law2Doc]

As I said earlier, one thing that bothers me reading on this forum and other places is residency. Is it really 5 years of having absolutely no life? I mean, I'm used to not having much free time but from all the complaints here it seems horrific!

Depends what you go into. The minimum residency is 3 years. Many are 4. Certain surgical specialties are 5. There are also subspecialties where you do fellowships on top of residency. The hours depend on the specialty you go into but are currently capped at a maximum of 80 hours/week. Most residencies will be more like mid 60s. But generally, your schedule is not your own, you will be periodically on call and can expect to have less of a life than currently until you complete your residency.

 

[armybound]

Depends what you go into. The minimum residency is 3 years. Many are 4. Certain surgical specialties are 5. There are also subspecialties where you do fellowships on top of residency. The hours depend on the specialty you go into but are currently capped at a maximum of 80 hours/week. Most residencies will be more like mid 60s. But generally, your schedule is not your own, you will be periodically on call and can expect to have less of a life than currently until you complete your residency.

hey law, have you ever written out a blog or post about your situation, like what brought you to medicine and what your future goals are? I'm really interested in hearing your law background and future goals, especially whether or not they include any type of law practice

 

[CSMedGuy]

Yeah, I read about the hours and caps. Up to 88 hours, with some people saying the rules are ignored. I think the crazy thing is a 30 hour shift!

 

[CSMedGuy]

Yeah, I would have to take a couple organic chem classes and a biology class or two to meet the reqs. Not so bad if that's what I want to do....

 

[Law2Doc]

Yeah, I read about the hours and caps. Up to 88 hours, with some people saying the rules are ignored. I think the crazy thing is a 30 hour shift!

It's an 80 hour limit (averaged over multiple weeks) and most places are begrudgingly complying. Long shifts are part of the game.

 

[Dr2Bee]

Yeah, I read about the hours and caps. Up to 88 hours, with some people saying the rules are ignored. I think the crazy thing is a 30 hour shift!

Its hard to imagine people can work for that long without sleep! I'm worry if i can handle that.

 

[Meatwad]

The amazing thing is a lot of (very motivated) residents are grumbling that the 80-hour per week rule is hindering the learning process. They feel that they need MORE experience, and by forcing them to leave if they go over their hours, they could be missing an important case. I can't imagine wanting to work more than 80 hours per week (on average), but I guess that's why I'm not interested in neurosurgery.

 

[lord_jeebus]

No video can capture the stench of medicine.

"Please remove your shoes"
Necrotizing Fasciitis
Code brown
Normal spontaneous vaginal delivery

 

[armybound]

No video can capture the stench of medicine.

"Please remove your shoes"
Necrotizing Fasciitis
Code brown
Normal spontaneous vaginal delivery

C. diff doesn't make the list?