Feeling Incompetent

Started by SolarMed
Showcase Professionalism with the PREview® Exam
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
SolarMed

SolarMed

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
I feel so incompetent. At the interview, this one girl was already working as an EMT. Another was already a nurse. One guy has a phD in like biomed engineering. Here I am with barely any extra knowledge of medicine outside of the pre-req classes. Anyone on my boat. I just look at everyone in awe. I don't even see how I got in when there are so many more amazing people than me.
 
Stop.

The majority of people in med school are in the same boat. There's a girl in my class with a PhD in biomedical engineering and worked in cardiology. Sure, cardio was probably a little easier for her to grasp than for most of us, but she still had to study hard and there's still the rest of the med school curriculum. The person who is an EMT doesn't have that much more knowledge outside of the pre-reqs than you.

Med school is a humbling experience. It really brings everyone to the same level. There's no one just coasting through. You're guaranteed to feel incompetent many times throughout med school, but the important thing is to worry about yourself and stop worrying about others. Some people obviously perform better than others, and you might not be performing at the top of the class anymore, and that's fine. You are not an imposter. If you got accepted to medical school, you have the ability to work hard and get through it.
 
I don't consider myself knowledgeable in medicine aside from basic structure and function of systems in the human body. All I know is what I have learned from my pre-med courses. I'm in the same boat as you. I wouldn't worry too much about what other people are doing or how much they already know. As long as you are doing your own thing and effectively learning the material, you'll be caught up with them sooner or later.
 
I can see how some Top 20's interview a lot of Ivy applicants, but there's a lot of Top 20 schools that have strong in-state or regional biases.

I don't see Ivies being even half of the interviewees at UCLA, Baylor, UW, Vanderbilt, etc.
 
If it makes you feel any better, I am an EMT but feel as if my academics do not measure up to many other candidates (something I am working on 🙂)
Chin up! You have accomplished a lot.
 
It's normal to have these kinds of feelings. Even my friends who have amazing resumes go through random phases where they feel uneasy... Until my other friends and I knock some sense into them lol.

In the end, you just need to concentrate on yourself because that is all you can control.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
This is good. If you feel inadequate, you're recognizing how much there is to learn and how much farther you have to go. Once you start feeling too comfortable, that's when you become cocky and make mistakes. This is the problem with people who don't know what they don't know.
You're awesome. Otherwise, you wouldn't be in medical school. If you knew everything already, why would you waste your time studying?
 
Last edited:
I have been an EMT for 4.5 years, and I think that type of experience helps when the time comes to learn patient interaction, administering IV's, intubating, etc. in medical school. As far as academics go, I think everyone will need to study hard and will be relatively on the same level. Just have confidence my friend!
 
Just do your best! They obviously think you have the potential if they're even interviewing you.
 
At my interview there were UPitt, Duke, University Cambridge, UPenn and UC school graduates along with a pharmacist and a physical therapist. I took it as a compliment to be interviewing with these distinguished people. I made friends with a few of them and now they're going to be my classmates 🙂
 
At the interviews, I was basically awe-struck. No idea why I was accepted either, but I'm not going to question their decision. Haha
 
I didn't take time to read the other replies so someone may have covered this but I'll say it anyways.
You look at these people and are a little intimidated because they are older, wiser, and more experienced in medicine and life. They look at us, and they see this fresh kid just out of undergrad or still finishing undergrad and they are intimidated. Because from their viewpoint, we were so intelligent and hardworking that we got to the same point it took them longer to get to. Now yes, they will look good in an interview due to that experience, but if you have portrayed a well rounded application and maturity, you will also look good for your age. The interviewers are smart and they know this difference and do not expect to see EMT or something on a 22 year olds application. Feel me? Good luck!
 
Just wanted to say that seeing an EMT really should not intimidate you. They're fairly common for pre meds
 
If you're feeling incompetent now, consider yourself ahead of the curve for when med school starts. The students who have the hardest time adjusting are the ones who were always great at everything and don't get that big dose of humble pie until later on... But I promise it'll come for them too.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Blizzard18 said:
I didn't take time to read the other replies so someone may have covered this but I'll say it anyways.
You look at these people and are a little intimidated because they are older, wiser, and more experienced in medicine and life. They look at us, and they see this fresh kid just out of undergrad or still finishing undergrad and they are intimidated. Because from their viewpoint, we were so intelligent and hardworking that we got to the same point it took them longer to get to. Now yes, they will look good in an interview due to that experience, but if you have portrayed a well rounded application and maturity, you will also look good for your age. The interviewers are smart and they know this difference and do not expect to see EMT or something on a 22 year olds application. Feel me? Good luck!
Click to expand...

Just so you know...not-trads aren't intimidated by trad students. All the ones I've talked to feel bad for people going straight from college because they won't have the opportunity to live outside school as a young, early 20's person.
 
You need to work on your self-esteem. You were considered good enough for an interview, and not many people get that far.

There will always be better and worse people than you. Get used to that. You're you...be happy with that.

SolarMed said:
I feel so incompetent. At the interview, this one girl was already working as an EMT. Another was already a nurse. One guy has a phD in like biomed engineering. Here I am with barely any extra knowledge of medicine outside of the pre-req classes. Anyone on my boat. I just look at everyone in awe. I don't even see how I got in when there are so many more amazing people than me.
Click to expand...
 
SolarMed said:
I feel so incompetent. At the interview, this one girl was already working as an EMT. Another was already a nurse. One guy has a phD in like biomed engineering. Here I am with barely any extra knowledge of medicine outside of the pre-req classes. Anyone on my boat. I just look at everyone in awe. I don't even see how I got in when there are so many more amazing people than me.
Click to expand...
I've been a respiratory therapist for 5+ years. Yet at my interview I was like, "wow, I'm just some old dude, how can I compete with all these young prodigies that have research experience, tons of volunteering, and undergraduates that came from Ivies instead of no-name liberal arts colleges." I felt like I had been invited by accident or something, like I didn't even belong in the same room with all of these geniuses.

Then I realized we all have our own strengths we are bringing to the table and that no applicant is perfect. It's a bunch of different paths that end up converging on the same road, and once we reach the end of that road we'll all be physicians- no more, no less.
 
Admiration isn't so bad. Being humbled isn't so bad either. I basically was awe-struck by the interviewees. It makes me excited and honored to be accepted from that pool is students.
 
Cmdr_Shepard said:
At my interview, over 60% were from Ivies.

Meh. They're just regular people.
Click to expand...
I had an interview where it was 15 people, only 2 other people were from non-ivy's. I didn't want to talk to them before my interview so that I didn't psych myself out, but afterwards I did and they were very nice, smart people.

I think some of it has to do with when you interview. I think that some of it has to do with when you interview.
 
Mad Jack said:
It's a well known fact that lifting doesn't matter till residency. Then if (Bench+Squat+Deadlift+OHP)/4 is > your Step scores, you can substitute it instead and match whatever residency you want.
Click to expand...

I've heard this too. But the formula I've seen uses a free weights co-efficient, fw, which is usually between 1.1 and 1.3, depending on whether you use free weights for the exercises.

Then it's: fw*(Bench+Squat+Deadlift+OHP)/4.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Well I also included a video of me working out with free weights, a la Arnold, so we'll see if that makes any difference to admissions before residency.
 
I'd rather feel incompetent with an acceptance than overqualified without an acceptance. If you made it, go out and save some lives.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

D
Feeling lost
Replies
6
Views
1K
Goro
Goro
loopydoop
feeling lost
Replies
14
Views
3K
Goro
Goro
natanguyen
Feeling defeated I need help with med school apps
Replies
10
Views
2K
nobadwaves
N
springfieldsimpson
Am I competitive for T10s? I am feeling distraught...
Replies
10
Views
4K
Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight
I
Feeling lost about research applying straight through
Replies
11
Views
1K
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12