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[careersearcher24]

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[mvenus929]

Look into other careers in medicine. The path to being a physician is long and difficult. If you're not the type of person who finds people to date easily in college, it will become more difficult as you get older. Getting into Dermatology would be very difficult for you. Not to mention that most people change what they want to do during med school (one of my classmates wanted to do Derm for many of the same reasons as you, and she's now an IM resident applying for fellowship (not sure in what)).

There are plenty of other things to do in medicine that may be fulfilling for you. These include, but are not limited to: PA, Nurse, Lab technologist, social worker, case manager, respiratory tech, surgical tech, radiology tech, etc. Some of these will pay well, others not quite so much, but they are all very much in demand, so the job security is pretty good.

 

[Rekt]

Hello, I am a pre-med student at a top 40 university in the US. I understand this is a med student fourume, but I really need the perspective of people who are more familiar with the process, and have experience. Recently, I have been struggling on whether medicine is right for me. I'm just going to go all in and lay my life out in this post. I know it is long, but please, try to bear with me if possible. My situation is quite complex, and am going to be brutally honest here since we are in a safe place. My entire life I was about 85 percent sure I wanted to become a doctor. To be honest, my reasons were: I want a somewhat good lifestyle and income, I love biology and natural science, job stability (not much of a risk taker) and I love people (I get attached to people quite quickly, and do have a warm heart). However, I would not characterize myself as one of those people who wakes up in the morning, yearning to help society to an extreme, especially when I myself have many problems to deal with first, but of course, I would enjoy helping people.

I am very patient, disciplined, and understand delayed gratification very well. However, I only recently realized that my most preferred residency (dermatology) is so competitive. I am an average student. As of now, I have a 3.3 GPA (my school is notorious for grade deflation), probably getting a little higher though this year but am still worried I won't make it. In high school, I was doing a little worse. I have always been a hard worker, but been stuck being a B+ student on average although I do pull some As. In college, as hard as I try, it is impossible for me to get an A in a science class (other than biology). I like derm because I have had acne for years and know what it can do to a person. I like thinking about how the medicine I use works on a cellular level, and seeing what happens to the skin. Also, I want to have a nice lifestyle, and don't think there is anything wrong with wanting this, although this is not my main motive for wanting dermatology. If the competitiveness in this field wasn't the case, I wouldn't question going into medicine nearly as much. Lastly, there are problems in my personal life that, if not resolved in college, make me worry that I am not going to have a chance to work on in medical school/residency (since I will probably be away from home even after doing so during undergrad), and in combination with the heavy workload, will greaten my mostly on/sometimes off depression and feelings of inadequacy as a result of the competitiveness of med school. These problems include not having a relationship with certain family members, I never had a girlfriend (I am worried that I will be so busy with school that I won't be able to address this, also heard not much dating goes on in med school since there is not much of a social life), and my parents really want me to be a doctor/lawer/dentist because of job stability. I am worried that I will be in my 30's, not having any of these issues resolved, seeing all my friends being married,, having jobs, and regretting wasting my 20's.

I am worried that if I go into the business world, I will either end up being someone's employee for 50 K a year and be unhappy in a cubicle. Dentistry doesn't interest me, and neither does being a lawyer. Lastly, I have somewhat elderly parents, and if I do not get into medical school/residency in my hometown, I will only have a few years left with them once out of medical school. I wanted to know if you guys could give me some feedback from the point of view of a medical school student. I am so unsure if this path is right for me, but have already worked so hard and do not really know what else I would do. I would love any input you guys could give me.

Unsure that you want to do medicine, but so sure that you want to do dermatology?

If you're only want is dermatology, then I don't recommend going to medical school. With a 3.3gpa, unless you crush the MCAT then it's unlikely you'll get into an MD school. Even a 3.3 is low for DO schools. If you got into a DO school, your chance of match derm is as close to 0% as possible.

The rest of your post makes it seem like you don't really want to do it anyway. The path to medicine sucks. It's stressful around exam times with only intermittent sprinkling of interesting material. You will be pissing away your twenties and watching all your friends on Facebook get married and buy new cars, etc. That is the reality.

 

[Turkishking]

Unsure that you want to do medicine, but so sure that you want to do dermatology?

If you're only want is dermatology, then I don't recommend going to medical school. With a 3.3gpa, unless you crush the MCAT then it's unlikely you'll get into an MD school. Even a 3.3 is low for DO schools. If you got into a DO school, your chance of match derm is as close to 0% as possible.

The rest of your post makes it seem like you don't really want to do it anyway. The path to medicine sucks. It's stressful around exam times with only intermittent sprinkling of interesting material. You will be pissing away your twenties and watching all your friends on Facebook get married and buy new cars, etc. That is the reality.

I'm sure if you apply broadly, you can matriculate into a DO school with a 3.3. We don't know if OP is a URM.

 

[PrettyLadyDoc24]

I couldn't agree more with what is being said here. You're completely uncommitted and I'm sure that a good majority of the people on this forum would trade places with you. Think about something other than becoming a physician. You know what's nice about having a job in a cubicle? You get to go home at night. You get to sleep. You get to have weekends and family and never have to worry about watching your children grow up. The chances of going into dermatology are not worth the pain and the stress that you'd be signing up for.

 

[Turkishking]

OP. I would disregard what people say on here. Start shadowing, and see if this is what you want to do. I'd also recommend going to the learning center at your school.

 

[Goro]

OP, if you haven't volunteered with patients, start doing it now.

I didn't read the novella, but I suspect Medicine is not for you

 

[careersearcher24]

Deleted

 

[candbgirl]

OP there are lots of careers in medical related fields. You need to get some experience with doctors and other health care employees. A good field, imo, is physical therapy. They are in great need and practice in lots of settings. Physician Assistant is another area. This seems to be a growing field. Nursing has many career pathways.
I totally understand your concerns about your aging parents. That's a lot to deal with. Do you have siblings?
Reading your post I'm not convinced you are really aware of the long and hard road to becoming a doctor. What makes you think you want to work with sick and injured people for the next 40 years? You should start shadowing and volunteering in a hospital or nursing home or hospice facility and see if this is what you really want. You're probably thinking you want to to be a dermatologist , why bother volunteering those places. It's because lots of people want derm and have to switch to something else when they don't have the grades etc or they don't match. You have to go into medicine with your eyes wide open. Good luck!


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[Red Lobster Actual]

In college, as hard as I try, it is impossible for me to get an A in a science class (other than biology).

I hate telling others they cannot do something but you still need a certain level of academic capability to make it. You can continue shadowing all you like and you might even be inspired in the near future but unless you can prove to yourself you can do well academically the MCAT will crush you in a few years.

It's good you are getting opinions now, as this will only help guide you to do something fulfilling. And I would not disregard the opinions of the first few posters, for those doctors, medical students, and admissions faculty know the road that you are looking down.

 

[gamieg]

I think the core issue isn't whether medicine or not medicine, it's just that you're not being honest about how life actually works. no matter what career you go into, there will be sacrifices and you won't be able to get away from hurt, judgment, and failure to a certain extent.

medicine requires more sacrifice than most and like many high-achieving careers, you must be willing to face the possibility of failure if you want to risk success. from your post, it sounds like you would want the rewards of medicine without the possible pitfalls of getting there. especially with your desired fields, there must be a lot of sacrifice that comes before them because that's the definition of a competitive speciality.

you sound young and a tad immature, which isn't always a bad thing because it means that asking these questions allows you to grow. I'd recommend immersing yourself more in medicine and seeing if the negatives are worth the positives. then maybe expose yourself a bit to other careers to see if they'd be better fits.

best of luck with everything.

 

[Meeehai]

Hello, I am a pre-med student at a top 40 university in the US. I understand this is a med student fourume, but I really need the perspective of people who are more familiar with the process, and have experience. Recently, I have been struggling on whether medicine is right for me. I'm just going to go all in and lay my life out in this post. I know it is long, but please, try to bear with me if possible. My situation is quite complex, and am going to be brutally honest here since we are in a safe place. My entire life I was about 85 percent sure I wanted to become a doctor. To be honest, my reasons were: I want a somewhat good lifestyle and income, I love biology and natural science, job stability (not much of a risk taker) and I love people (I get attached to people quite quickly, and do have a warm heart). However, I would not characterize myself as one of those people who wakes up in the morning, yearning to help society to an extreme, especially when I myself have many problems to deal with first, but of course, I would enjoy helping people.

I am very patient, disciplined, and understand delayed gratification very well. However, I only recently realized that my most preferred residency (dermatology) is so competitive. I am an average student. As of now, I have a 3.3 GPA (my school is notorious for grade deflation), probably getting a little higher though this year but am still worried I won't make it. In high school, I was doing a little worse. I have always been a hard worker, but been stuck being a B+ student on average although I do pull some As. In college, as hard as I try, it is impossible for me to get an A in a science class (other than biology). I like derm because I have had acne for years and know what it can do to a person. I like thinking about how the medicine I use works on a cellular level, and seeing what happens to the skin. Also, I want to have a nice lifestyle, and don't think there is anything wrong with wanting this, although this is not my main motive for wanting dermatology. If the competitiveness in this field wasn't the case, I wouldn't question going into medicine nearly as much. Lastly, there are problems in my personal life that, if not resolved in college, make me worry that I am not going to have a chance to work on in medical school/residency (since I will probably be away from home even after doing so during undergrad), and in combination with the heavy workload, will greaten my mostly on/sometimes off depression and feelings of inadequacy as a result of the competitiveness of med school. These problems include not having a relationship with certain family members, I never had a girlfriend (I am worried that I will be so busy with school that I won't be able to address this, also heard not much dating goes on in med school since there is not much of a social life), and my parents really want me to be a doctor/lawer/dentist because of job stability. I am worried that I will be in my 30's, not having any of these issues resolved, seeing all my friends being married,, having jobs, and regretting wasting my 20's.

I am worried that if I go into the business world, I will either end up being someone's employee for 50 K a year and be unhappy in a cubicle. Dentistry doesn't interest me, and neither does being a lawyer. Lastly, I have somewhat elderly parents, and if I do not get into medical school/residency in my hometown, I will only have a few years left with them once out of medical school. I wanted to know if you guys could give me some feedback from the point of view of a medical school student. I am so unsure if this path is right for me, but have already worked so hard and do not really know what else I would do. I would love any input you guys could give me.

Don't do it, it sucks.

 

[Danny L]

If you're not the type of person who finds people to date easily in college, it will become more difficult as you get older.

Why should this discourage him from going into medicine? I'd guess an environment like med school would increase his chances at dating because it's an environment filled with people around your age (ie the same reason dating in college, hs, etc is easier)

 

[appalachian_man]

Don't do it, it sucks.

Why even comment if you're not going to explain? Jeez, this place sometimes.

OP, I noticed you said you want to do dermatology or maybe gastroenterology. To me, it sounds like you Googled "highest paying specialties in medicine" and went from there. Now, that might not be the case, but if you're serious about medicine you need to start shadowing and volunteering in hospitals with the more common specialties. Family med, IM, peds, psych, etc. Derm and gastro are pretty competitive and you shouldn't make a decision to go into medicine based on that because, statistically speaking, you'll end up in one of the aforementioned fields.

Go see the bread and butter of medicine. Interact with patients. Talk to doctors. Then decide if it's something you truly want to pursue.

 

[mvenus929]

Hey guys, thank you for your responses so far. Just to clarify dermatology would be my top choice, but I would still consider other specialties such as Gastroenterology. I think I understated the extent I would want to do medicine. I have shadowed before and did like it. However I am just trying to weigh the costs. Also, my main concern is not getting into medical school, for I would take a gap year, maybe get a masters degree, etc. and do what ever I needed to do to get in. My main worry is regretting the career choice later.

GI is a subspecialty. You have to go through an IM or Peds residency first. Which means you'll be spending more of your life getting there. You need to see if you'd be happy being a generalist--IM, Peds, FM, Gen Surg--as those are the fallbacks if you can't get a competitive specialty and don't do well enough in residency to make a fellowship.

Why should this discourage him from going into medicine? I'd guess an environment like med school would increase his chances at dating because it's an environment filled with people around your age (ie the same reason dating in college, hs, etc is easier)

There is a lot of general life advice in my comment, and that is one of them. Yes, being in med school puts you in an environment where you might meet someone you click with, but what if it does't happen? It gets harder to mingle with people in residency, and then even harder as an attending. From just the interaction standpoint, not to mention the stresses of studying and working long hours. And if OP is having this much difficulty in college trying to maintain his grades, he doesn't strike me as the type who will be able to party often in med school. But... it's not going to get easier than it was in college, regardless of what he does.

 

[deleted763299]

I only recently realized that my most preferred residency (dermatology) is so competitive. I am an average student.

Ok, lets start right off with this. Even if you decide to pursue medical school, you don't have any idea what you want to do. Most people don't, and that's OK. I certainly didn't. You're getting ahead of yourself. You're still struggling with trying to decide if you want to be a physician at all, let alone what type of physician.

Also, I want to have a nice lifestyle

That's all well and good. You can have a good lifestyle as an RN, NP, PA, Physical therapist, optometrist, podiatrist, school teacher, accountant, etc.

my mostly on/sometimes off depression and feelings of inadequacy as a result of the competitiveness of med school. These problems include not having a relationship with certain family members, I never had a girlfriend ..., and my parents really want me to be a doctor/lawer/dentist because of job stability. I am worried that I will be in my 30's, not having any of these issues resolved, seeing all my friends being married,, having jobs, and regretting wasting my 20's.

This is probably the most concerning thing I read. Quite frankly, it sounds like you have some negative emotions that you need to work through with the help of a mental health professional. It sounds like you believe that becoming a physician will finally relieve your feelings of inadequacy, make your parents proud, improve your relationships with family, and get you a girlfriend. These are all bad reasons to pursue medical school. There are lots of stable jobs out there other than those in medicine. It sounds like you really depend on external approval to make you happy, and I can tell you from my personal journey that living like that is a terrible way to live.

I am so unsure if this path is right for me, but have already worked so hard and do not really know what else I would do

This is also a bad reason to go to medical school. If you don't know what else you would do... figure it out! See a career counselor, take an online quiz, get some other types of exposure outside of healthcare.

Just to clarify dermatology would be my top choice, but I would still consider other specialties such as Gastroenterology. I think I understated the extent I would want to do medicine. I have shadowed before and did like it.

If you are not willing to be a family physician, don't go to medical school. Depending on your performance, it may be among your only options. Also, dermatology and gastroenterology are wildly different specialties, and your willingness to consider both of these further supports my point that you have no idea what you actually want out of a medical specialty. Which types of physicians have you shadowed? For how long? In which settings?

 

[Kgizzle]

I concur with what Dr. Leiden said. If you decide that medicine is for you, realize that it has to be an all or nothing thing. You have to be willing to make sacrifices and have to be resilient because you will have many setbacks on this journey. If you are doing it in the hopes that you will be respected or you will feel better about yourself, I think that you are mistaken. This process is humbling to say the least and having a shaky self image to begin with might be a recipe for disaster. Plus, it is very hard to sustain the motivation to continue through this process if you are doing it for someone else or for the "wrong reasons".