Im going into premed next year and was wondering if any current premeds know what they actually want to do in medicine. Like anesthesiology, cardiac, etc.
Do you Pre-meds know what you really want to do in the field of medicine?
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troll?
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In other words, you're just finishing high school?
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lol "you pre-meds"...finish high school first.
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Some people go into med school with an idea of what it is they ultimately want to specialize in, but I'd say for the vast majority, their choice will change several times. Usually it's not until you do your clinical rotations during M3/M4 that you start to pinpoint your specialty of choice. In any case, focus on getting into med school first!
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Seeing that most medical students don't know (or think they know and end up changing) what they want to do, I'm guessing that most premeds (or high school students) don't know either. That's why you have 3rd year of med school.
And people are making fun of you because your "I'm going into premed" line. It makes you sound like a tool.
And people are making fun of you because your "I'm going into premed" line. It makes you sound like a tool.
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To really answer your question... Quite a few premed students I talk to have a general idea of what they want to do. This could be due to the fact that the person that influenced them was in this field of medicine. Of course this can change as they go through rotations.
When I started college, I had no idea what I wanted to do even though an orthapedic surgeon had influenced me immensely. As I shadowed a quite a few docs, I thought family practice or internal med might be interesting - family practice for the relationships, and internal med for the puzzle solving. I enter med school this fall, and that is my interest for now...
Hope this helps!
When I started college, I had no idea what I wanted to do even though an orthapedic surgeon had influenced me immensely. As I shadowed a quite a few docs, I thought family practice or internal med might be interesting - family practice for the relationships, and internal med for the puzzle solving. I enter med school this fall, and that is my interest for now...
Hope this helps!
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Moving thread to hSDN
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My impression is that people ask because they don't know that medical school is all about learning to be a doctor, not learning to be a specific type of doctor. Thus, they're under the impression that you come into medical school on the Internal Medicine track, or the GI track (tract?
), or even the neurosurgeon track. In my experience, unless you want to explain how medical school works to about 500 people, it's best to just think of something in medicine you're interested in and say you're going to go into that. If they ask you later about it, just say, "I changed my mind."
That's what annoys me^ I tell people that first I want to get into medical school first and then I'll be able to decide what I want to specialize in, and then I gotta explain the process and everything. Then they say "yea but you're supposed to know what u want to do in medicine." Thats what made me wonder if anyone students in premed actually already have something in mind.
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You're not supposed to know what you want to do, people just don't understand a process they really aren't expected to be familiar with. Just say no one is expected to know at this point and if they vehemently disagree then drop it.
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da8s0859q
Lots "know." Then they "know" several other things through medical school when they actually get good exposure and develop a better idea of who does what.
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I have specialities I find interesting now, but who knows what I will enjoy in 8 or more years? I find it a little absurd when highschoolers with NO volunteering/shadowing experience say things like 'Cardiothoracic Surgery is perfect for me man!' (True story, unfourtunately) As a result, I try to be vague about my pre-med/med school dreams and ambitions.
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none knows jack for jack.everyone wants to be some crazy brain surgeon or transplant hearts. everyone comes into med-school all high and mighty because they were the top of their high schools, and then the top of their college classes. then they realize that everyone is smart in medical school, and that medical school by and large sucks the life out of you.
thus begins the selective filtering process. people who used to be on top are often now down in the bottom 50% of the class or have some problems with the boards. this most often relegates them to some kind of primary care field.
along the way a bunch of other people realize that they do actually enjoy doing things besides studying, working on the wards, or doing digital disimpaction for 15 hours a day. these people are either naturally gifted and end up doing a ROAD specialty, or end up in primary care.
if you count the people who came in wanting to do primary care and stick to that (bless their hearts), that leaves a very small percentage of people who came in wanting to do ortho/brain surgery that end up doing that in the end.
also, do something else besides pre-med. you'll have plenty of time for medical crap. do something completely different that you genuinely enjoy studying. or focus on one science in particular.
thus begins the selective filtering process. people who used to be on top are often now down in the bottom 50% of the class or have some problems with the boards. this most often relegates them to some kind of primary care field.
along the way a bunch of other people realize that they do actually enjoy doing things besides studying, working on the wards, or doing digital disimpaction for 15 hours a day. these people are either naturally gifted and end up doing a ROAD specialty, or end up in primary care.
if you count the people who came in wanting to do primary care and stick to that (bless their hearts), that leaves a very small percentage of people who came in wanting to do ortho/brain surgery that end up doing that in the end.
also, do something else besides pre-med. you'll have plenty of time for medical crap. do something completely different that you genuinely enjoy studying. or focus on one science in particular.
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I'm in high school too and when I tell people I want to be pre-med they always ask me what I want to specialize in. I feel like just walking away when they ask that. I'm a High school student. Even if I gave you an answer right now, there's a 99% chance that my decision will change.
To answer your question, right now, surgery. Yepp I'd laugh at myself too. Maybe I only think I want to be in surgery because of the excitement. Maybe I'll end up working in a little office giving shots to adolescents. Heck, maybe I won't even make it to med school.
Point is, as premeds, we really don't have any experience in the hospital so we couldn't possible know what interests us. The idea and concept of a specialty is much different from when you actually experience it.
Just my input
To answer your question, right now, surgery. Yepp I'd laugh at myself too. Maybe I only think I want to be in surgery because of the excitement. Maybe I'll end up working in a little office giving shots to adolescents. Heck, maybe I won't even make it to med school.
Point is, as premeds, we really don't have any experience in the hospital so we couldn't possible know what interests us. The idea and concept of a specialty is much different from when you actually experience it.
Just my input
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You guys are ridiculous. Seriously..
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No, no, and no.
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The number that our dean quoted us at the beginning of the year was 1/3, 1/3, 1/3:
1/3 of entering medical students know what they want to go into and end up in that field.
1/3 think they know but change their minds
1/3 have no idea.
So even though everyone SAYS that you can't know what you want to do, apparently a significant portion of us do. I think it probably has to do with how much exposure you have to your "chosen" field going on and how realistic your understanding of the field and of your own skills and aptitudes is.
1/3 of entering medical students know what they want to go into and end up in that field.
1/3 think they know but change their minds
1/3 have no idea.
So even though everyone SAYS that you can't know what you want to do, apparently a significant portion of us do. I think it probably has to do with how much exposure you have to your "chosen" field going on and how realistic your understanding of the field and of your own skills and aptitudes is.
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