- Joined
- Sep 30, 2013
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 0
Fellow med students--how common is this?
I've finished medicine, surgery, neuro, peds, and ob/gyn (starting psych in a few weeks) and nothing has really caught my eye enough to want to pursue it further. Sure, I've enjoyed my rotations, but I leave each one thinking "Meh, I'm happy for the opportunity..but I'm glad it's over."
I feel like I'm exactly where I was at before even starting 3rd year and I'm starting to get worried that nothing will really stand out and whatever I end up selecting will be half-hearted. I've spoken to my mentors, deans, and friends about this issue and I feel like it hasn't been well-received. I've heard from more than one person that maybe I shouldn't go on to residency if nothing is really appealing (they say this because I took a break during school to get my MBA). Is this advice something I should really consider at this point or is it too early to start thinking about other options outside of medicine?
What would the wonderful SDN community recommend to someone who enjoyed medical school, loves helping people, and loves pathophysiology, but isn't finding a calling in the hospital?
The first question you may ask is, "Do you like patient care?" My answer is yes, but internal medicine was my least favorite rotation because I felt like I wasn't able to fix anything. I felt like all I could do was symptomatically manage my patients and this was very unsettling (I guess I like the feeling of immediate, more so than delayed, gratification). In theory, I love all the mechanisms of disease (I was the guy that read Robbins cover-to-cover) but I realized that treating patients with these diseases was much different, and not something I particularly enjoyed.
The next question you may ask is, "Well, how did you like surgery?" I actually really enjoyed surgery, and I love the idea of being able to see the immediate results of my work. I like the OR quite a bit because I like using my hands and fixing problems on the spot. The only thing that makes me hesitant about surgery is the lifestyle. I'm really big on family and want to be a great husband/father that makes it home for dinner on most nights. Maybe it's just where I go to school, but I never felt like any of the residents/attending really cared if they made it home to see their loved ones.
Perhaps you may next inquire about other interests I have. I love teaching and want to be in academics. I want to watch students learn and grow and I want to incorporate this into my practice in the greatest sense.
Another question you might have is, "Okay Bisferiens, what are you potentially competitive for?" I've done well in school (top 15%) and have 270+ on Step 1. I go to a good school and have received honors on all of my rotations, except neuro (high pass). I have two very non-specific publications that aren't very impressive, but I have a lot of involvement at my school. I tutor/TA weekly, serve on our admissions committee, mentor students, etc.
Is there something I should be doing currently that may not be obvious?
I apologize for the long post, but I'm confident that many of the wonderful contributors on this forum have much wisdom to impart on this matter.
All my best,
Bisferiens
I've finished medicine, surgery, neuro, peds, and ob/gyn (starting psych in a few weeks) and nothing has really caught my eye enough to want to pursue it further. Sure, I've enjoyed my rotations, but I leave each one thinking "Meh, I'm happy for the opportunity..but I'm glad it's over."
I feel like I'm exactly where I was at before even starting 3rd year and I'm starting to get worried that nothing will really stand out and whatever I end up selecting will be half-hearted. I've spoken to my mentors, deans, and friends about this issue and I feel like it hasn't been well-received. I've heard from more than one person that maybe I shouldn't go on to residency if nothing is really appealing (they say this because I took a break during school to get my MBA). Is this advice something I should really consider at this point or is it too early to start thinking about other options outside of medicine?
What would the wonderful SDN community recommend to someone who enjoyed medical school, loves helping people, and loves pathophysiology, but isn't finding a calling in the hospital?
The first question you may ask is, "Do you like patient care?" My answer is yes, but internal medicine was my least favorite rotation because I felt like I wasn't able to fix anything. I felt like all I could do was symptomatically manage my patients and this was very unsettling (I guess I like the feeling of immediate, more so than delayed, gratification). In theory, I love all the mechanisms of disease (I was the guy that read Robbins cover-to-cover) but I realized that treating patients with these diseases was much different, and not something I particularly enjoyed.
The next question you may ask is, "Well, how did you like surgery?" I actually really enjoyed surgery, and I love the idea of being able to see the immediate results of my work. I like the OR quite a bit because I like using my hands and fixing problems on the spot. The only thing that makes me hesitant about surgery is the lifestyle. I'm really big on family and want to be a great husband/father that makes it home for dinner on most nights. Maybe it's just where I go to school, but I never felt like any of the residents/attending really cared if they made it home to see their loved ones.
Perhaps you may next inquire about other interests I have. I love teaching and want to be in academics. I want to watch students learn and grow and I want to incorporate this into my practice in the greatest sense.
Another question you might have is, "Okay Bisferiens, what are you potentially competitive for?" I've done well in school (top 15%) and have 270+ on Step 1. I go to a good school and have received honors on all of my rotations, except neuro (high pass). I have two very non-specific publications that aren't very impressive, but I have a lot of involvement at my school. I tutor/TA weekly, serve on our admissions committee, mentor students, etc.
Is there something I should be doing currently that may not be obvious?
I apologize for the long post, but I'm confident that many of the wonderful contributors on this forum have much wisdom to impart on this matter.
All my best,
Bisferiens
