Do any of you have second thoughts on med school?

[fidelio]

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I have a problem. I discovered that the stress load of junior year has made me have second thoughts on med school. I figured it it's this stressful now, maybe I won't like med school.

Does anyone have any idea on how to determine if med school is right for you? I've heard a lot of doctors wish they never got into med school, especially the hospital I work in.

I need to decide before summer starts because I want to decide whether to take the MCAT in the summer or not.

 

[Scrub MD]

From what I hear about medical school, it is like having finals every week of the year. I think many go into for the wrong reasons but have to finish due to the high debt already built up.

 

[QofQuimica]

I think it's unusual NOT to have doubts. But remember, even if you do hate medical school, that won't mean that you'll hate being a physician. I think that a lot of people don't enjoy the first two years very much, but then they do enjoy the clinical portion of school. My suggestion to you is that you try to spend some time introspecting on what you want to do with your life. It's hard to imagine not being a student any more while you're still in college, but I can promise you that the day will come. So what you need to do is figure out what career appeals to you enough that you can imagine getting up every day and doing it for the next four decades. Obviously you have imperfect information to use in making your decision, so you'll have to make the best one you can based on what you think you want now. Ask your parents or other adults that you trust to help you in this process so that you won't feel as overwhelmed. And whether you decide that medicine or something entirely different is what you want to do, go into it with passion and really give it your all.

 

[mustangsally65]

I agree with QofQ. I think you would be crazy if you didn't have doubts about making this decision. It's a big decision. You are dedicating a large portion of you future into schooling with 4 years of med school and at least three of a residency depending on your specialty. And the cost is huge, most of us will not be able to work while in med school, and will accumulate a lot of debt. These are things that our society doesn't look forward to. Who wants to be in school until they're almost 30, or have a huge amount of debt when they finally finish school? But it's the path you must follow if you want to become a physician.

Yeah, I have no doubts that it's going to be a hard road ahead. It's going to be hard on you, your relationships, your finances, and your self-esteem. But for most of us it will be worth every second, and I wouldn't miss it for the world. We all have to make sacrifices in life, and this is one of the ones I'm going to make. But the benefits once we're practicing are going to be priceless.

Everyone says you should go out and shadow and volunteer to get an idea of what being a doctor is like, and I know you've heard that many times before, so I'm not going to tell you to do that. But it is good advice, and helps many of us decide to persevere despite the overwhelming negatives that we hear on these boards.

Good luck with your decision, and I hope you choose the path that is right for you.

 

[BiocheMD]

Yeah, I have no doubts that it's going to be a hard road ahead. It's going to be hard on you, your relationships, your finances, and your self-esteem. But for most of us it will be worth every second, and I wouldn't miss it for the world. We all have to make sacrifices in life, and this is one of the ones I'm going to make. But the benefits once we're practicing are going to be priceless.

I've wanted to be a pediatrician since I was a little kid. That has always been my "dream job." I have had second thoughts about med school and its commitments. The question I have asked myself is: what could I get up every morning and love doing? What job would I be excited to go to everyday? The answer I have always come up with is a doctor. I cannot stand to sit around and do absolutely nothing. I love learning new things and being around new people. I have had experience with other jobs: ie business and law. Luckily, I worked in a law office for three summers and decided that was not the profession for me. I have had nothing but positive experiences with medicine. I am drawn to the great responsibility and level of knowledge that comes with the medical profession. Those qualities have reassured my doubts about going to medical school and the work that precedes and succeeds it.
Good luck with whichever path you may choose.

 

[bluemuffin]

I don't think it would be a truly informed decision if you did not have a little doubt. Remember everyone likes to complain, even doctors 😀 . The only person who can answer if this is the right career for you is you. Sorry that was so cliche 😛 . Good luck.

 

[Code Brown]

Having doubts is a good thing. That means you are thinking about it instead of blindly charging ahead. You'll just have to accept the bad with all the good that comes out of it. IMHO, it's still the best deal around.

 

[FutureOrthoDoc]

I disagree with having doubts is ok. Unfortunatly, most people have a problem with doubts in their mind when the going gets tough. Life is not going to be all roses as a doc, so when do your doubts come into play? When a patient desperately needs you? It's all or nothing. This decision is to important to mess with.

 

[leechy]

There have been some threads about this in the Allopathic forum - you might want to check them out. The usual dynamic is that people whine about why they're dissatisfied with their choice, and then a pre-med butts in and tells people they should have known better and investigated their decision more, and then the med students get angry and say there's no way you can know what you're getting into until you're into it.

Sorry, that sounded a little harsh. Thing is, the more I talk to people in all professions, the more I discover that many people are dissatisfied with their choice, whether it was medicine or something else. Lawyers apparently have an even lower job satisfaction rate than physicians, and most people I know in business and academia don't like their situations either. What can I say, but that happiness is elusive.

 

[QofQuimica]

I disagree with having doubts is ok. Unfortunatly, most people have a problem with doubts in their mind when the going gets tough. Life is not going to be all roses as a doc, so when do your doubts come into play? When a patient desperately needs you? It's all or nothing. This decision is to important to mess with.

Very little in life is "all or nothing." Pregnancy and death come to mind as two examples that ARE all or nothing. But going to medical school isn't. Having doubts about what you are doing when you run into trouble in a situation where the stakes are high is a GOOD thing, because it means that you 1) recognize that something could be wrong, and 2) are thinking about what should be done about it. (Note to all future doctors: thinking is a GOOD THING. All of us should do as much of it as possible. )

Now I will agree with you that if you are doubtful to the point where you are paralyzed with fear and unable to make any kind of decision or act effectively, that IS a bad thing. But that's not what the OP was talking about, if I understand correctly. S/he seems to be thinking about this major decision to go to medical school and wondering if s/he would be making the correct one. As you yourself pointed out, becoming a physician is an important decision, shouldn't be taken lightly, and I would add, SHOULD be thought about, often and thoroughly. Because, one has to make the conscious decision, every day, to work through the doubts and keep going. When you do have a patient that desperately needs you, the strength to keep going and overcome your doubts has to come from within, and in order to do that, you have to know yourself well enough that you can remember why it is that you got yourself into this situation in the first place.

 

[PreMedAdAG]

Agreed, Doubts are normal, but I think the more you live life, you realize that your life doesn't revolve around one thing, ie. medicine. There is a great balance between everything that you do... and you'll find it. If you set out to be a doctor, a rock climber, a mom, a husband, whatever... you're going to do it. I think doubt comes from insecurity which is fabulously real and keeps us modest... but doubt can cause you to think you CAN'T do something, when really you WON'T do it. The second you stop saying "can't" or "won't", things will happen for you and in a very positive way. Good luck to you all. Have faith that the path you're walking is exactly where you want to be, otherwise, you'd be heading in another direction... all with subconscious doing.

 

[usandylim]

Well for me its either a lose situation or a win-lose situation. I don't know for sure whether medicine will be the right field for me (I don't think most people do until they are $100,000+ in debt and by then you don't have a choice) , yet I know if I don't take the opportunity to find out I will forever live to regret it.

 

[Shredder]

you dont have to rush the decision. you can put the decision off and pursue something else while you come to a conclusion.

 

[MeowMix]

Graduate with your bachelor's, get another job, work at it for 5-10 years, and then you'll know whether you could be happy doing something else.

Changing your mind about being a doctor is different from deciding you don't want to be an engineer, or an accountant, or a teacher -- because you are going to have tens of thousands of dollars more in student debt.

There is no need to rush to med school. Take your time. Do plenty of information interviews (go and talk to people who do jobs that you're interested in, not just doctors). Think and read. Learn what you enjoy and what you hate. Then you will have more information on which to base your decision.

 

[IgweEmeka]

Life is what you make of it. Everyone complains about their profession. It would not be very wise of you to feed off the negativity of these doctors and decide that medicine is not for you. I am not big on watching medical shows, but try catching Dr. 90210 on the E channel. Specifically focus on Dr Ray. He is an accomplished plastic surgeon who seems to be enjoying life and his profession. There are many other physicians like him, my cousin being one. My cousin is 30, an oncologist, single with a fiance and he has most of his loans pretty much paid off since he was certified about a year and a half ago. Ofcourse he had to take out a huge chunk of his paycheck but his fiance supported him while he did this. So in about 6 months his loans are going to be all paid off and he would be reaping the full benefits of his medical career. Case and point is that you should find positive rolemodels and use their positivity to motivate yourself while keeping a realistic outlook on your future. Don;t get motivation from clinical volunteering, the hospital alone does not define what the life of a physician is about.

 

[45408]

I disagree with having doubts is ok. Unfortunatly, most people have a problem with doubts in their mind when the going gets tough. Life is not going to be all roses as a doc, so when do your doubts come into play? When a patient desperately needs you? It's all or nothing. This decision is to important to mess with.

how is it all or nothing? it doesn't matter if you're an uber-humanitarian or not as long as you can make the right call for your patient. Being skilled and nice would be ideal, but you can't always have your cake and eat it too. I have very few doubts that this is where I belong ultimately, but I am intimidated by it all.

 

[gary5]

Med school is much harder than undergrad. There's no comparison. In undergrad, you have enough time to master things. In med school, there's never enough time. Don't listen to doctors who complain. They don't know ****. Ask them if they'd rather be making $50k working for some big company - they'll say no. Doctors have no idea how much corporate life sucks. Choose that career that you'll enough on a day-to-day basis. That's all that matters in life. Money is not worth being unhappy for.