Dogs, sick parents, indecision, oh my!

[futureunknown11896]

Hi. I’m a junior in undergrad and I’ve got myself in a bit of a pickle. I don’t necessarily have a “direction” from my undergrad. Here’s what I mean:

I started out PoliSci but then came to terms with my love for nature and wildlife so considered veterinary medicine as a career option. After getting experience in the field (worked at a vet hospital full time for a year and shadowed a handful of vets) I learned that most of the people I met in the profession felt overworked and underpaid. One of my favorite veterinarians to work with said that she would not do it all over again if she had the chance... too much stress and working with animals, what she had thought would be the ultimate payoff, was outweighed by encounters with crazy pet owners on a daily basis.

A really significant family illness came up my sophomore year. One of my parents got a terminal diagnosis. My interest shifted more than it ever has in the past to human medicine. (I have a doctor in my immediate family and the profession never really appealed to me until these personal events...)

At this point though, I don’t have any of the science requirements to do anything with human medicine. But perhaps more importantly, I’m not sure if it’s right for me. I don’t gravitate toward hard sciences... I think bio is really fascinating but that’s about where my interest slows, physics and chem don’t do much for me and I know those are huge requirements for entering medical school. For the most part, I find social sciences to be a lot easier to get the hang of and a lot more interesting to read. I also love writing and art.

I’m not sure if that means I’m better suited for a path in social sciences or if that’s okay for someone possibly pursuing an MD... Do you need to be a science nerd? I never have been. I love learning about health and wellness (heck, it’s the first section of the paper I read every morning!) but the nitty gritty stuff is pretty daunting. I don’t love it and on top of that I’m not sure if I’d get the fantastic grades that med school requires in these subjects. (Academically I’ve always done quite well but just not a lot of experience in these yet. This year took an anatomy/physiology course which I got a B+ in and enjoyed and gen chem which I got an A- and endured.)

Ultimately, I really, with all of my heart, want to help people. I want to make a positive difference in people’s lives. At the end of the day, I’m not sure if thats enough to be a doctor and that’s why I’m posting here. Is there a different or better way I can go about doing this that I’m missing? Is lack of direction toward a particular career path unattractive to med schools? If being a doctor is a calling is it something I should have been “called” to a while back?

Lastly, only constructive responses welcome. Please take negative energy elsewhere 🙂

Thank you for reading. I really appreciate it.

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[deleted480308]

You don’t get to pick your responses, if you can’t handle negative .....medical training will break you

No one is “suited” for this. You either decide the grind is worth it and endure the difficulty or you don’t...

 

[freedoctor17]

I didn't really know I wanted to be a doctor until freshman year of college. I do love my science courses though (especially the challenging ones 😛 they're so much more satisfying to do well in).

I think you should try getting the premed required courses but also keep a major you'd enjoy like English or one of the social sciences. Then if you find you're hating the classes you won't have too much trouble switching.

I have a friend that switched from premed to engineering this year due to finally realizing he hated the coursework and he's much happier now despite needing an extra year to get back on track. So whether you like the material is important considering first year or two medical school will be similar coursework but harder (I think... correct me if I'm wrong people who actually know what medical school entails)

 

[Lannister]

I don't think that not liking the hard sciences means you shouldn't be a doctor. I liked psych and sociology a million times better than chem and physics. I've never been particularly strong in the sciences, I excelled much more in English and History. And I'm doing just fine in medical school.

 

[mosothoamosoeu]

Hi. I’m a junior in undergrad and I’ve got myself in a bit of a pickle. I don’t necessarily have a “direction” from my undergrad. Here’s what I mean:

I started out PoliSci but then came to terms with my love for nature and wildlife so considered veterinary medicine as a career option. After getting experience in the field (worked at a vet hospital full time for a year and shadowed a handful of vets) I learned that most of the people I met in the profession felt overworked and underpaid. One of my favorite veterinarians to work with said that she would not do it all over again if she had the chance... too much stress and working with animals, what she had thought would be the ultimate payoff, was outweighed by encounters with crazy pet owners on a daily basis.

A really significant family illness came up my sophomore year. One of my parents got a terminal diagnosis. My interest shifted more than it ever has in the past to human medicine. (I have a doctor in my immediate family and the profession never really appealed to me until these personal events...)

At this point though, I don’t have any of the science requirements to do anything with human medicine. But perhaps more importantly, I’m not sure if it’s right for me. I don’t gravitate toward hard sciences... I think bio is really fascinating but that’s about where my interest slows, physics and chem don’t do much for me and I know those are huge requirements for entering medical school. For the most part, I find social sciences to be a lot easier to get the hang of and a lot more interesting to read. I also love writing and art.

I’m not sure if that means I’m better suited for a path in social sciences or if that’s okay for someone possibly pursuing an MD... Do you need to be a science nerd? I never have been. I love learning about health and wellness (heck, it’s the first section of the paper I read every morning!) but the nitty gritty stuff is pretty daunting. I don’t love it and on top of that I’m not sure if I’d get the fantastic grades that med school requires in these subjects. (Academically I’ve always done quite well but just not a lot of experience in these yet. This year took an anatomy/physiology course which I got a B+ in and enjoyed and gen chem which I got an A- and endured.)

Ultimately, I really, with all of my heart, want to help people. I want to make a positive difference in people’s lives. At the end of the day, I’m not sure if thats enough to be a doctor and that’s why I’m posting here. Is there a different or better way I can go about doing this that I’m missing? Is lack of direction toward a particular career path unattractive to med schools? If being a doctor is a calling is it something I should have been “called” to a while back?

Lastly, only constructive responses welcome. Please take negative energy elsewhere 🙂

Thank you for reading. I really appreciate it.

I would A: Ignore the haters. B: Shadow other health/service professions. Sounds like you are really driven to help people, and that is definitely a desirable (necessary, I should hope) characteristic in doctors, but it is a desirable characteristic in many other professions too! Don't drop medicine as an option, but what about physical therapy, social work, teaching, or public health? If I were you, I'd definitely check out some of these fields too!

 

[Goro]

Hi. I’m a junior in undergrad and I’ve got myself in a bit of a pickle. I don’t necessarily have a “direction” from my undergrad. Here’s what I mean:

I started out PoliSci but then came to terms with my love for nature and wildlife so considered veterinary medicine as a career option. After getting experience in the field (worked at a vet hospital full time for a year and shadowed a handful of vets) I learned that most of the people I met in the profession felt overworked and underpaid. One of my favorite veterinarians to work with said that she would not do it all over again if she had the chance... too much stress and working with animals, what she had thought would be the ultimate payoff, was outweighed by encounters with crazy pet owners on a daily basis.

A really significant family illness came up my sophomore year. One of my parents got a terminal diagnosis. My interest shifted more than it ever has in the past to human medicine. (I have a doctor in my immediate family and the profession never really appealed to me until these personal events...)

At this point though, I don’t have any of the science requirements to do anything with human medicine. But perhaps more importantly, I’m not sure if it’s right for me. I don’t gravitate toward hard sciences... I think bio is really fascinating but that’s about where my interest slows, physics and chem don’t do much for me and I know those are huge requirements for entering medical school. For the most part, I find social sciences to be a lot easier to get the hang of and a lot more interesting to read. I also love writing and art.

I’m not sure if that means I’m better suited for a path in social sciences or if that’s okay for someone possibly pursuing an MD... Do you need to be a science nerd? I never have been. I love learning about health and wellness (heck, it’s the first section of the paper I read every morning!) but the nitty gritty stuff is pretty daunting. I don’t love it and on top of that I’m not sure if I’d get the fantastic grades that med school requires in these subjects. (Academically I’ve always done quite well but just not a lot of experience in these yet. This year took an anatomy/physiology course which I got a B+ in and enjoyed and gen chem which I got an A- and endured.)

Ultimately, I really, with all of my heart, want to help people. I want to make a positive difference in people’s lives. At the end of the day, I’m not sure if thats enough to be a doctor and that’s why I’m posting here. Is there a different or better way I can go about doing this that I’m missing? Is lack of direction toward a particular career path unattractive to med schools? If being a doctor is a calling is it something I should have been “called” to a while back?

Lastly, only constructive responses welcome. Please take negative energy elsewhere 🙂

Thank you for reading. I really appreciate it.

Have you done any volunteering with patients? If not, start doing it, and then come back and tell us how you feel about a career in Medicine.

You can make a positive difference by being a social worker, too.

 

[LizzyM]

Have you done any volunteering with patients? If not, start doing it, and then come back and tell us how you feel about a career in Medicine.

You can make a positive difference by being a social worker, too.

I agree. One of my cousins is a school-based social worker who serves kids who have been through a traumatic event. I also know several social workers who specialize in serving the elderly and their families.

 

[HomeSkool]

Have you done any volunteering with patients? If not, start doing it, and then come back and tell us how you feel about a career in Medicine.

You can make a positive difference by being a social worker, too.

There are many ways to positively impact people's lives. Health is only one component of well-being. Many types of professionals contribute to people's quality of life.

My esteemed colleague offers wise counsel. Start your shadowing now, and shadow physicians in a variety of specialties.

Lastly, only constructive responses welcome. Please take negative energy elsewhere 🙂

This is the internet. It's the very antithesis of a safe space. The ability to extract useful guidance from negative messages is a hallmark of emotional maturity. If you haven't yet developed that skill, now is the time to start.