Feel like I should be a more ambitious med student...

[welp18]

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Med school has a terrible way of making us compare ourselves to classmates all the time. Sometimes I run into classmates who are so driven and focused and ambitious and will likely go to prestigious residency programs and do some sort of surgical subspecialty and be a baller in the medical field. And I'm just so not that medical student. Honestly, I feel like I just want to do something sort of non-competitive (maybe ID or general internal medicine) and will likely make whatever contribution I can to society with next to no fanfare or special awards. I'm just not ambitious or driven enough to be that other person. And while I know this is totally fine I sometimes feel down on myself for not wanting to be better, be more competitive, be more....whatever. Anyone else feel like you're in the same boat? I know it's really important to just be yourself, but being around so many people who want to achieve so much really has a way of making me feel like I don't belong in medical school.

 

[You shall know the Truth]

We don’t have anything like you are describing. I like that environment because it pushes me. I wish you the best!

 

[Mad Jack]

Med school has a terrible way of making us compare ourselves to classmates all the time. Sometimes I run into classmates who are so driven and focused and ambitious and will likely go to prestigious residency programs and do some sort of surgical subspecialty and be a baller in the medical field. And I'm just so not that medical student. Honestly, I feel like I just want to do something sort of non-competitive (maybe ID or general internal medicine) and will likely make whatever contribution I can to society with next to no fanfare or special awards. I'm just not ambitious or driven enough to be that other person. And while I know this is totally fine I sometimes feel down on myself for not wanting to be better, be more competitive, be more....whatever. Anyone else feel like you're in the same boat? I know it's really important to just be yourself, but being around so many people who want to achieve so much really has a way of making me feel like I don't belong in medical school.

My classmates were mostly chill people that wanted to find their niche and be decently good at what they enjoyed. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be a mere life saving physician, not everyone wants to be the prolific researcher working in orthopedics.

 

[W19]

Med school has a terrible way of making us compare ourselves to classmates all the time. Sometimes I run into classmates who are so driven and focused and ambitious and will likely go to prestigious residency programs and do some sort of surgical subspecialty and be a baller in the medical field. And I'm just so not that medical student. Honestly, I feel like I just want to do something sort of non-competitive (maybe ID or general internal medicine) and will likely make whatever contribution I can to society with next to no fanfare or special awards. I'm just not ambitious or driven enough to be that other person. And while I know this is totally fine I sometimes feel down on myself for not wanting to be better, be more competitive, be more....whatever. Anyone else feel like you're in the same boat? I know it's really important to just be yourself, but being around so many people who want to achieve so much really has a way of making me feel like I don't belong in medical school.

You have a twin brother...

 

[knope321]

I can totally relate to this. I think part of this is why people want to go into medicine in the first place. For some, it really is all about the personal rewards and prestige.

Also, general internal medicine doctors don't often get the same attention as specialists or surgeons do. This article highlights some very cool work by general medicine physicians (in this case residents and fellows): Her Various Symptoms Seemed Unrelated. Then One Doctor Put It All Together.
Also, definitely check out the Curbsiders Podcast! It's hosted by internists who are trying to further their clinical education and stay on top of new research. It definitely inspires me when I am feeling down.

 

[Oso]

You have a twin brother...

we triplets!

 

[theonlytycrane]

Whatever type of doctor that you become doesn't define you. Definitely hold onto the little things that make you a person and try to ignore all the stress / comparisons / expectations.

 

[Jojos]

The way you are is absolutely fine. Not everyone has that super drive and competitiveness and it sounds like your goals are humble and solid. I would even dare to say that it might play to your advantage in the future in terms of happiness, you will know how to be content.

 

[ortnakas]

You do you.

(Longer answer: as long as you do your best and that's at least passing, you're doing just fine)

 

[W19]

You do you.

(Longer answer: as long as you do your best and that's at least passing, you're doing just fine)

Agree...

But if your school ranks every singe exam like my school does... It tends to make people care more about where they rank rather than their grades.

 

[Lannister]

Lol family med is one of my specialties of interest right now, and on a few occasions when I've told classmates I would be happy being a family doc, they say something along the lines of, "Don't settle! I'm sure you'll do fine on step!"

Edit: To be clear, most of my classmates are awesome and I don't find my school competitive at all. But there's always a few!

 

[Goro]

Med school has a terrible way of making us compare ourselves to classmates all the time. Sometimes I run into classmates who are so driven and focused and ambitious and will likely go to prestigious residency programs and do some sort of surgical subspecialty and be a baller in the medical field. And I'm just so not that medical student. Honestly, I feel like I just want to do something sort of non-competitive (maybe ID or general internal medicine) and will likely make whatever contribution I can to society with next to no fanfare or special awards. I'm just not ambitious or driven enough to be that other person. And while I know this is totally fine I sometimes feel down on myself for not wanting to be better, be more competitive, be more....whatever. Anyone else feel like you're in the same boat? I know it's really important to just be yourself, but being around so many people who want to achieve so much really has a way of making me feel like I don't belong in medical school.

You do you and screw the hyperacheivers, whose sole goal in life was to get into med school, not become a doctor.

 

[theonlytycrane]

Agree...

But if your school ranks every singe exam like my school does... It tends to make people care more about where they rank rather than their grades.

I wish schools didn't do this- either explicitly or secretly. Not sure why it's really necessary during pre-clinical.

 

[Dr. Scribe]

I've been described so well in this thread....

Working hard on my CV for ortho lol

As other have said though, you do you OP.

 

[Laterthansooner]

Honestly, I feel like I just want to do something sort of non-competitive (maybe ID or general internal medicine) and will likely make whatever contribution I can to society with next to no fanfare or special awards. I'm just not ambitious or driven enough to be that other person. And while I know this is totally fine I sometimes feel down on myself for not wanting to be better, be more competitive, be more....whatever.

The ID or internal med doctor who saves a life by making an accurate diagnosis may not get a prestigious award, but they are heroes to the family whose loved one survived because of them. Being a doctor who comes in and does a good job every day without fanfare is just as important as being widely published or highly decorated.

 

[Chibucks15]

Med school has a terrible way of making us compare ourselves to classmates all the time. Sometimes I run into classmates who are so driven and focused and ambitious and will likely go to prestigious residency programs and do some sort of surgical subspecialty and be a baller in the medical field. And I'm just so not that medical student. Honestly, I feel like I just want to do something sort of non-competitive (maybe ID or general internal medicine) and will likely make whatever contribution I can to society with next to no fanfare or special awards. I'm just not ambitious or driven enough to be that other person. And while I know this is totally fine I sometimes feel down on myself for not wanting to be better, be more competitive, be more....whatever. Anyone else feel like you're in the same boat? I know it's really important to just be yourself, but being around so many people who want to achieve so much really has a way of making me feel like I don't belong in medical school.

It's so rare to see this on SDN but I'm right there with ya. I'd rather spend a night with my fiancee and get a B+/A- than put the extra hours in for the higher A. IM sounds like a pretty nice gig to me, but all the guys I know from school are surgical subspecialty guys, so the innate dissonance is there for sure

 

[SunsFun]

Absolutely nothing wrong with that. I personally find it more troubling to be around derm/ent/nsg/ortho-bound overachievers who are hypocrites about their real motives. I don’t mind people with big goals and ambitions in life, but if it is all about themselves only, I’d worry about trusting those individuals to have my back and not stab me in it to get ahead in life.

 

[libertyyne]

Absolutely nothing wrong with that. I personally find it more troubling to be around derm/ent/nsg/ortho-bound overachievers who are hypocrites about their real motives. I don’t mind people with big goals and ambitions in life, but if it is all about themselves only, I’d worry about trusting those individuals to have my back and not stab me in it to get ahead in life.

I wouldn't call everyone pursueing those specialties hypocrites. People can have genuine interest in a field and have to check boxes in order to match. Many of those fields require twice the training of IM and have worse lifestyles in terms of call and hours worked. Nsg, gen surg,for example .

I think people should just not compare themselves to others and do the best they can in school. The information being taught in preclinical might be low yeild for boards and patient care, but may come in handy . Do well in school and keep doors open. You never know how you might fall in love with a specialty.

 

[funtertaining15]

Med school has a terrible way of making us compare ourselves to classmates all the time. Sometimes I run into classmates who are so driven and focused and ambitious and will likely go to prestigious residency programs and do some sort of surgical subspecialty and be a baller in the medical field. And I'm just so not that medical student. Honestly, I feel like I just want to do something sort of non-competitive (maybe ID or general internal medicine) and will likely make whatever contribution I can to society with next to no fanfare or special awards. I'm just not ambitious or driven enough to be that other person. And while I know this is totally fine I sometimes feel down on myself for not wanting to be better, be more competitive, be more....whatever. Anyone else feel like you're in the same boat? I know it's really important to just be yourself, but being around so many people who want to achieve so much really has a way of making me feel like I don't belong in medical school.

Same. Can relate. No problem in feeling that way. I've learned to just focus on me and not worry about what everyone else is doing...can be hard when you see classmates doing research projects and working on doing aways and aiming for competitive specialties, but for me and I guess for you, I'd just like to go into a specialty that's interesting and where I can help people, not necessarily competitive. I want time to travel and do other things. A less stressful career. I didn't go into medicine for the money- once I pay off my parents house/med bills and help my brothers out with school, I just want a comfortable life. It'll be hard to do that with surg, etc.
Good luck ^_^

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using SDN mobile

 

[WedgeDawg]

I think it's a sign of maturity to be confident in your own path without having to vilify or denigrate the choices of others whose paths and priorities diverge from your own. People who want to be family doctors shouldn't be disparaging people who want to become orthopedic surgeons and aspiring orthopedic surgeons shouldn't be looking down on family doctor hopefuls.

 

[SunsFun]

I wouldn't call everyone pursueing those specialties hypocrites. People can have genuine interest in a field and have to check boxes in order to match. Many of those fields require twice the training of IM and have worse lifestyles in terms of call and hours worked. Nsg, gen surg,for example .

I think people should just not compare themselves to others and do the best they can in school. The information being taught in preclinical might be low yeild for boards and patient care, but may come in handy . Do well in school and keep doors open. You never know how you might fall in love with a specialty.

Oh I have no problem with people pursuing competitive things or even being gunners. As long as it is not done at the expense of others or under continuous false pretenses.

 

[libertyyne]

I think it's a sign of maturity to be confident in your own path without having to vilify or denigrate the choices of others whose paths and priorities diverge from your own. People who want to be family doctors shouldn't be disparaging people who want to become orthopedic surgeons and aspiring orthopedic surgeons shouldn't be looking down on family doctor hopefuls.

This. This also extends to other professions. Being a physician itself is a very ambitious choice. No reason to look down upon people who went into other healthcare professions. Not everyone had the luxury or opportunity we have had.

 

[CliveStaples]

My first two years of medical school I was very exhausted of the rat race and was squarely below average. Zero ambition. As a third year student I finally had a chance to explore options for my future and had much more success. I matched into the specialty of my choice (average competitiveness) and now I feel more ambition than ever before to be the best physician I can be. It gets better.

 

[treebeardette]

OP, as others have said, don't worry about what anyone else in your class is doing. All that matters is that you're passing and you're doing the best you can to serve your future patients. Find what you're passionate about and that's all that matters. Have a life and find balance.

I'm really disappointed by some of the bashing of high achieving students in this thread. Some of us work hard because we actually enjoy what we're doing. I'm terrified of being a doctor and having someone's life in my hands, so you best bet I don't think just getting a passing grade is good enough for me. As someone at the top of my class, I work hard, I'm disciplined, and I have a life and a family and hobbies. We're not all robots. Yes, some of us are going into surgical sub-specialties, but a bunch of those Junior AOA people are going into pathology and internal medicine and 😱 FAMILY MED. Yes, there are a few who are in it just for the prestige and the bucks, but those people are few and far between. I have had opportunities to make much better money with much better job security, but I chose to do this because I love it. I'm sure a bunch of my classmates think I'm really competitive, but that's their own insecurity. The reality is I don't pay attention to what anyone else is doing. The only person I compete with is myself and most of my classmates have used at least one of my study aids at some point in their medical career because I share everything I make. Many of my fellow AOA members are also heavily involved in med ed. I have never seen anyone outright sabotage anyone else, and those people would be unlikely to be at the top anyways because that's not actually how you do well in med school.

tldr: If you feel the need to bash on high achievers to make yourself feel better about your rank in med school, then maybe you're the competitive one and you need to take a look at your own insecurities. Just live your life and try to learn enough medicine not to kill people in the future.

 

[mistafab]

Extrinsic vs. internal locus of control, OP.

You say the environment MAKES you feel a certain way. That the people MAKE you compare.

No one makes you do anything dude, just you. Letting go of the “circle of worry” that you can’t control, and focusing on the circle of life that you can control, will only make you happier.

 

[DO2015CA]

Lol family med is one of my specialties of interest right now, and on a few occasions when I've told classmates I would be happy being a family doc, they say something along the lines of, "Don't settle! I'm sure you'll do fine on step!"

Edit: To be clear, most of my classmates are awesome and I don't find my school competitive at all. But there's always a few!

Ya I got that too.. I did well enough but am still choosing FM. Students get so wrapped up in the competitive environment that they couldn't fathom someone wants to do something uncompetitive.

 

[Stagg737]

Med school has a terrible way of making us compare ourselves to classmates all the time. Sometimes I run into classmates who are so driven and focused and ambitious and will likely go to prestigious residency programs and do some sort of surgical subspecialty and be a baller in the medical field. And I'm just so not that medical student. Honestly, I feel like I just want to do something sort of non-competitive (maybe ID or general internal medicine) and will likely make whatever contribution I can to society with next to no fanfare or special awards. I'm just not ambitious or driven enough to be that other person. And while I know this is totally fine I sometimes feel down on myself for not wanting to be better, be more competitive, be more....whatever. Anyone else feel like you're in the same boat? I know it's really important to just be yourself, but being around so many people who want to achieve so much really has a way of making me feel like I don't belong in medical school.

I get what everyone in this thread is saying, and I think balance in life is essential. However, I also think the bolded is a completely valid feeling, and frankly something everyone in medicine should be feeling if they're not legitimately working to be a better physician. We should be busting our butts in med school and residency to learn as much as possible. That doesn't mean being a gunner or comparing yourself to others, but it does mean you should be pushing yourself to learn as much as you can. People's lives literally depend on our knowledge (or will), and if you don't feel like you're doing as much as you can to ensure you will be able to provide the best treatment for your patients, you're doing both them and yourself an injustice.

This isn't a career to be satisfied with just competence or one where just "doing your job" is good enough. I'm not saying that one has to kill themselves and commit every waking hour to studying and learning. However, I do believe it's a field where everyone should be striving for constant improvement and not just settling for "good enough".

 

[austintr]

Med school has a terrible way of making us compare ourselves to classmates all the time. Sometimes I run into classmates who are so driven and focused and ambitious and will likely go to prestigious residency programs and do some sort of surgical subspecialty and be a baller in the medical field. And I'm just so not that medical student. Honestly, I feel like I just want to do something sort of non-competitive (maybe ID or general internal medicine) and will likely make whatever contribution I can to society with next to no fanfare or special awards. I'm just not ambitious or driven enough to be that other person. And while I know this is totally fine I sometimes feel down on myself for not wanting to be better, be more competitive, be more....whatever. Anyone else feel like you're in the same boat? I know it's really important to just be yourself, but being around so many people who want to achieve so much really has a way of making me feel like I don't belong in medical school.

You have a twin brother...

we triplets!

I've been described so well in this thread....

Working hard on my CV for ortho lol

As other have said though, you do you OP.

See you bros in anesthesia residency. #noshame

 

[NavyDoc23]

Don't sweat it, OP. People like us have more fun. I sometimes make fun of these people constantly studying/doing research, etc while I'm out having fun with friends/significant other/Netflix and chill. They are missing out on a good chunk of life. I'm not saying you shouldn't work hard, but damn, people are unhealthy in the amount of work they do sometimes.

 

[BadSanta]

I'm with you, OP.

I always remind myself that my story ends with me dying and another cog taking my place. This mentality helps me to realize that this is only a job and it does not, in any way, define who I am as a human being. I want to be a fantastic physician (whatever I consider that to be), but being a fantastic spouse, friend, and human being is more important to me. And you better believe that when it comes to doing optional research vs going on a hiking trip, I'm going hiking every time.

 

[Anti-PD1]

Med school has a terrible way of making us compare ourselves to classmates all the time. Sometimes I run into classmates who are so driven and focused and ambitious and will likely go to prestigious residency programs and do some sort of surgical subspecialty and be a baller in the medical field. And I'm just so not that medical student. Honestly, I feel like I just want to do something sort of non-competitive (maybe ID or general internal medicine) and will likely make whatever contribution I can to society with next to no fanfare or special awards. I'm just not ambitious or driven enough to be that other person. And while I know this is totally fine I sometimes feel down on myself for not wanting to be better, be more competitive, be more....whatever. Anyone else feel like you're in the same boat? I know it's really important to just be yourself, but being around so many people who want to achieve so much really has a way of making me feel like I don't belong in medical school.

Just do what you love, and be good at what you do. You'll earn everyone's respect.

If you go down Accolade Ave, it will never be enough. That sustains some, and drains others. You know who your are.

 

[Cinemed]

Med school has a terrible way of making us compare ourselves to classmates all the time. Sometimes I run into classmates who are so driven and focused and ambitious and will likely go to prestigious residency programs and do some sort of surgical subspecialty and be a baller in the medical field. And I'm just so not that medical student. Honestly, I feel like I just want to do something sort of non-competitive (maybe ID or general internal medicine) and will likely make whatever contribution I can to society with next to no fanfare or special awards. I'm just not ambitious or driven enough to be that other person. And while I know this is totally fine I sometimes feel down on myself for not wanting to be better, be more competitive, be more....whatever. Anyone else feel like you're in the same boat? I know it's really important to just be yourself, but being around so many people who want to achieve so much really has a way of making me feel like I don't belong in medical school.

I can't tell you how draining it is when I use to consider myself a competitive person, only to be surrounded by people who I honestly believe would push a special needs child out of the way to win a race. No, you're not crazy. Though, I do think it's best to try to surround yourself with the right people to motivate each other to do the best you can.

 

[onelastpuff23]

I wish the OP was in Canada. Primary care "seems" to be more prestigious. I think a good proportion of the top third of our class goes into Family medicine.