Doubts

[roomed]

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Having just completed week one of medical school, I am having doubts that I should become a doctor. Does any one else recall having uneasy feelings after week one... or is it just me?

 

[Apparition]

I had lots before starting. What's causing you doubts now?

 

[roomed]

I had lots before starting. What's causing you doubts now?

I think for the most part I am doubting whether or not I want to spend the next 7 or 8 years buried in books. I know I can do it if I want it, but I am questioning my desire for it.

 

[Syranope2]

I think for the most part I am doubting whether or not I want to spend the next 7 or 8 years buried in books. I know I can do it if I want it, but I am questioning my desire for it.

I think a lot of people are feeling the same way you are feeling right now. I'm an MS3 this year, and I know that two years ago I felt exactly like that. Lots of people have doubts about if they've chosen the right field or if they can hang with their classmates or if it's all just too much work to be worth the reward at the end. When you add on the horror stories you hear from current physicians about how many of them would never do it again if they had the choice, it can be pretty intimidating.

I'm here to say that yes, you CAN do it. And since you've made it this far, I'm pretty sure that yes, you WANT to do it, too. This isn't an easy path. I remember thinking when I got my acceptance letter that that was it, I had finally made it, there wasn't anything that could stop me. That's just not true. It only gets harder from here on out. But with the added struggle comes a huge added reward. The first two years of med school are tough. You study and study and study until you don't think you can do it anymore, and then you sit down and study again.

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. After second year, once you start clinicals, everything changes. You are suddenly having an actual effect on people's lives, you are seeing diseases in the flesh, you are learning on your feet. You'll still be reading and there will still be tests to take, don't get me wrong, but it's a completely different feel than your first two years of medical school. And by the time you're an intern, when people's lives are in your hands and you have control over their care, that's a whole other thing all together. Keep reminding yourself what it is you're in this for, the rewarads that you will reap out of being a doctor, the satisfaction you'll have in getting through it.

Whenever I'm having tough times and I see a doctor in the hall, I think to myself that that person went through what I am going through and made it out alive. Every single person who is a doctor has made it through this, and they are no better or worse than you. If they can do it, you can do it.

Graduating from college wasn't all that special for me because I didn't feel like it was an incredible accomplishment or anything. But this ... the day I graduate from medical school will be one of the proudest days of my life. It will mark the end of a huge, difficult journey, and the beginning of another one. And it will all be worth it in the end.

 

[JohnUC33]

I think a lot of people are feeling the same way you are feeling right now. I'm an MS3 this year, and I know that two years ago I felt exactly like that. Lots of people have doubts about if they've chosen the right field or if they can hang with their classmates or if it's all just too much work to be worth the reward at the end. When you add on the horror stories you hear from current physicians about how many of them would never do it again if they had the choice, it can be pretty intimidating.

I'm here to say that yes, you CAN do it. And since you've made it this far, I'm pretty sure that yes, you WANT to do it, too. This isn't an easy path. I remember thinking when I got my acceptance letter that that was it, I had finally made it, there wasn't anything that could stop me. That's just not true. It only gets harder from here on out. But with the added struggle comes a huge added reward. The first two years of med school are tough. You study and study and study until you don't think you can do it anymore, and then you sit down and study again.

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. After second year, once you start clinicals, everything changes. You are suddenly having an actual effect on people's lives, you are seeing diseases in the flesh, you are learning on your feet. You'll still be reading and there will still be tests to take, don't get me wrong, but it's a completely different feel than your first two years of medical school. And by the time you're an intern, when people's lives are in your hands and you have control over their care, that's a whole other thing all together. Keep reminding yourself what it is you're in this for, the rewarads that you will reap out of being a doctor, the satisfaction you'll have in getting through it.

Whenever I'm having tough times and I see a doctor in the hall, I think to myself that that person went through what I am going through and made it out alive. Every single person who is a doctor has made it through this, and they are no better or worse than you. If they can do it, you can do it.

Graduating from college wasn't all that special for me because I didn't feel like it was an incredible accomplishment or anything. But this ... the day I graduate from medical school will be one of the proudest days of my life. It will mark the end of a huge, difficult journey, and the beginning of another one. And it will all be worth it in the end.

Thanks for that post. I needed to hear that cause first week had me beat as well. 👍

 

[evade]

I think for the most part I am doubting whether or not I want to spend the next 7 or 8 years buried in books. I know I can do it if I want it, but I am questioning my desire for it.

I totally felt that way after the first week. I was overwhelmed by the people, the expectations, the sheer amount of class, and I think that anatomy lab was the icing on the cake. It was too much, too fast, and I wanted to run from it as fast as I could. The thing that stopped me was pride, because damn it, I was in medical school. I'd worked so long and so hard for this, and I got it, and not everyone who tried did. I held on to that, partied hard on the weekends, and slogged through. The first few weeks were hard and yeah, in some ways, miserable. Things got a lot better, and I got through. You will too. Give it time. 🙂

 

[utorontograd]

Brilliant posts. Very heartfelt and much appreciated.

 

[trudub]

Can I also say though, be honest with yourself. If this isn't your cup of tea, that is just the way it is. You haven't failed by not becoming a doctor, it just isn't your thing. We had two people drop out of our class within the first two weeks of school. I have run into both of them a few times over the last two years and both are working, happy, and have never looked back. The thing is, you can do it. The question is, do you really want to. If the answer is no, then you have to be honest with yourself and move on. In the long run, you will be much happier. Bottom line, go with your gut.

 

[8744]

Having just completed week one of medical school, I am having doubts that I should become a doctor. Does any one else recall having uneasy feelings after week one... or is it just me?

You need to quit now while you still can and your debt load is miniscule. Trust me, if you have doubts now you'll loathe it in three years and then you'll be forced to match into Radiology, Dermatology, or one of the other low-paid, low-prestige specialties that people select because they can't do anything else.

Save yourself.

P. Bear, MD
Emergency Medicine Resident
Just trying to 'Hep.

 

[8744]

I think for the most part I am doubting whether or not I want to spend the next 7 or 8 years buried in books. I know I can do it if I want it, but I am questioning my desire for it.

Seriously though, tough it out. While you will always have to study, you will never have to study like you do for first and second year.