Does life end when you become a doctor?

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TheRussian

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I've been thinking recently. Yes I know, shocking.

I have essentially been working through high school toward my ultimate goal of becoming a doctor. In high school you work to get into a good undergrad school, at college you work hard to get into a med school, at med school you work hard to get into a good residency, in residency you work hard to get a good fellowship. But after that, what is left to pursue?

Yes for some of us becoming the head of a deparment may push us to work harder, but for the rest of us, what happens when your ultimate goal is realized? Does it all just go downhill from there?

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No, thats when life begins :)
 
Most people are way too caught up in 'following the steps' and not making a mistake to become a physician. You don't have to work hard in high school at all. You don't have to get into a top 20 US news college. Life isn't a game of 'working hard' at one thing(med school, residency, etc) so you can go on to the next step at a 'good place'?

But after that, what's left to pursue? Ummm, life perhaps? getting married. Having children. Going to their soccer games. Drinking corona on friday evening.
 
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turk00 said:
No, thats when life begins :)

I was just about to write the very same thing :D
 
accomplish what Howard Dean couldn't do, President of the USA!
 
Don't let your goal get in the way of your life. Enjoy the process, because that is your life, not just something to complete.
 
"Does life end when you become a doctor?"

If you're a really bad doctor, then I guess the answer would be yes.
 
What do you mean by life?

Are you worried you might die if you have nothing to look forward to?
 
I feel like right now I have this huge goal in mind. Once I become a doctor, I guess there is going to be a void there. It's not like I plan on slacking in my work and become a crappy doctor because there is nothing to work for. It's just that something will be missing.

I just figured out what to do!!! My next goal will be to cure cancer so becoming a doctor is a means to an end after all!!! :D
 
Athomeonarock said:
Don't let your goal get in the way of your life. Enjoy the process, because that is your life, not just something to complete.


I totally agree, I feel sad for people who are so obsessed with "becoming" something that they don't really enjoy the process and what happens in life along the way. Life is now, not later.

MamaMD
 
dsblaha said:
What do you mean by life?

Are you worried you might die if you have nothing to look forward to?

I don't plan on dying quite that soon so don't worry about that.

I think I view life like a work of fiction. There's the introduction, conflict, then comes the climax, deneumont (spelling?), and then the conclusion.

I guess my question is whether or not becoming a doctor is the climax of life.
 
mamaMD said:
I totally agree, I feel sad for people who are so obsessed with "becoming" something that they don't really enjoy the process and what happens in life along the way. Life is now, not later.

MamaMD

I'm definetelly not obsessed with becoming a doctor and I'm definetely enjoying the process so far. But like you said, it is a process. What happens when it is complete? What would be the next step?
 
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TheRussian said:
I've been thinking recently. Yes I know, shocking.

I have essentially been working through high school toward my ultimate goal of becoming a doctor. In high school you work to get into a good undergrad school, at college you work hard to get into a med school, at med school you work hard to get into a good residency, in residency you work hard to get a good fellowship. But after that, what is left to pursue?

Yes for some of us becoming the head of a deparment may push us to work harder, but for the rest of us, what happens when your ultimate goal is realized? Does it all just go downhill from there?

hopefully, at some point you considered what it would be like to be a doctor and were drawn to that life, not just the next goal.

nothing wrong with being goal oriented and competitve. it can help you maximize your potential. but as others alluded to, hopefully you are enjoying the process of whatever it is you are doing and not just caught up in the score at the end of the day.

one of the great things about medicine is that it does offer ongoing challenges and new experiences. the challenges might not be as quantifiable as your mcat or board score, but that doesn't make them less significant.
 
I used to wonder how people who won Olympic gold felt five minutes after the ceremony...like, what now? But the nice thing about becoming a doctor is that you are achieving a goal that will bring you daily triumphs (well, we all hope) and continue to satisfy you. Mixing metaphors, it's like a gift that keeps on giving ?!?! Anyway, I plan to keep setting personal goals like spending time in different programs abroad, and then when I get older and wiser, giving back in different ways like working with government. Dibs on Surgeon General, 2044!!! :p
 
The practitioner of medicine....we are here not to get all we can out of life for ourselves, but to try to make the lives of others happier.
-Osler- :)
 
Isn't it strange how we move our lives for another day - what if a great wave should wash us all away?

Wash out this tired notion that the best is yet to come . . . ;)
 
"It is nice to have an end to journey towards, but it is the journey that matters in the end."

If you live your life from point to point or goal to goal you are going to miss a lot of stuff along the way.
 
After that you can run the money rat race chasing empty possessions such as a house, a car, a nice investment portfolio etc... like everyone else does.
 
You could also go the mad scientist route and work on plans for taking over your town, your state, and maybe the entire WORLD...MWAA HA HA HA HA!!!
 
TheRussian said:
I feel like right now I have this huge goal in mind. Once I become a doctor, I guess there is going to be a void there. It's not like I plan on slacking in my work and become a crappy doctor because there is nothing to work for. It's just that something will be missing.

I just figured out what to do!!! My next goal will be to cure cancer so becoming a doctor is a means to an end after all!!! :D

If you feel like there is going to be a void after becoming a doctor, then why do it? Why have a career that will leave you feeling empty? become a doctor because it's what you want to do, not only becuase it's a good goal to shoot for.

I think that as a doctor you maybe won't have such long range goals as you have now, but you will have the goal of getting patient X compliant with his diabteres meds or planning out a successful surgery for patient Y.
 
I don't want to give the impression that I am all about the process and not the end result. I've wanted to be a doctor for a long time and I have enjoyed the experiences that are leading me toward that goal. Life is good, sure I bitch, but who doesn't? Of course I'll love being a doctor and I will enjoy the day to day challenge of finding the best course of action for my patients. There will be small goals that I will work toward.

My point is that right now there is this grand plan that I have been following to reach my goal. I guess I'm just having a hard time imagining what happens to this "grand plan" once I become a doctor. I guess I'm the only one. :(
 
I'm in the reverse situation. I want this surreal educational experience to end so I can get back to "real" life.

Then again, the last three weeks have been really rough. I really do need to take some time off one of these days. I haven't had any time off ever since deciding to suck it up and go to college. I've either worked full time or had summer classes since day one.

fEeLiNg StReSsEd!$*!(_*$(!*
 
"Don't confuse having a career with having a life"

- saw it in the career center at my school, they don't lie ;)
 
I agree. Life is about the day to day, the idiosyncratic moments which you fondly look back on. Goals are good too, they feed motivation, without which I suppose you would not be working towards anything which would make most people unhappy I think.

Goals and the process are both important. For me, I look forward to getting my MD, but also actually reading and understanding Nietzsche, Kierkegaard and Wittgenstein, first, then go on to all the other authors....I hope I have time :) Having friends...you know....having relationships...playing the stock market...yeah. Reading and writing new threads on SDN. Getting some tasty take out pizza. Chilling with friends. Finding new interests I didn't have before. And stuff I can't even think about now.

And at about age 70 (if I live that long) I'm going to Jerusalem to live out my life as a spiritual hermit. I'll still post on SDN and get take out pizza though.


kings2 said:
"Don't confuse having a career with having a life"

- saw it in the career center at my school, they don't lie ;)
 
I guess my question is whether or not becoming a doctor is the climax of life.[/QUOTE]

I think that depends on your priorities. There are lots of things that can be viewed as the "climax" of life. For some people when they enter a profression..they are a doctor, the are a lawyer and for others they are other things. Like they are a mother or a wife and they might also be a doctor. I think it is impossible to predict if that will be your life's climax. :idea:

Instead of life being a work of fiction, maybe it can be many? with like all sorts of climaxes for different points. I think that why'll you are in high school and college, it is good to keep goals in mind, but I wouldn't cut yourself off by thinking it is the ONLY thing in life. :D
 
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