fit for medicine?

[medicalstdnt2b]

hello everyone. i just finished up my undergrad from a top 20 school with a stellar gpa. ive recently become very interested in science and medicine and i think i could get into a good school. the thing is that im pretty shy and developped a phobia for public speaking in college. i would get panic attacks and tons of anxiety early on. now i take meds when i need to go through with a presentation and i can make it through, but its very draining and not a fun experience overall... and that is just to small groups of people (less than 20).

based on your experiences, do you think i could make it through medical school and residency? its pretty depressing that a phobia could prevent me from reaching my goal. but if it means losing 10 years off my life from stress and anxiety, then maybe its not a great path to take.

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[CambieMD]

hello everyone. i just finished up my undergrad from a top 20 school with a stellar gpa. ive recently become very interested in science and medicine and i think i could get into a good school. the thing is that im pretty shy and developped a phobia for public speaking in college. i would get panic attacks and tons of anxiety early on. now i take meds when i need to go through with a presentation and i can make it through, but its very draining and not a fun experience overall... and that is just to small groups of people (less than 20).

based on your experiences, do you think i could make it through medical school and residency? its pretty depressing that a phobia could prevent me from reaching my goal. but if it means losing 10 years off my life from stress and anxiety, then maybe its not a great path to take.

Go to med school. As you get older you will realize that everything is stressful. If you do not follow through you will regret it. You don't have anything that a little SSRIs can't control.

CambieMD
p.s.
My worst phobia is of failure.

 

[ny skindoc]

hello everyone. i just finished up my undergrad from a top 20 school with a stellar gpa. ive recently become very interested in science and medicine and i think i could get into a good school. the thing is that im pretty shy and developped a phobia for public speaking in college. i would get panic attacks and tons of anxiety early on. now i take meds when i need to go through with a presentation and i can make it through, but its very draining and not a fun experience overall... and that is just to small groups of people (less than 20).

based on your experiences, do you think i could make it through medical school and residency? its pretty depressing that a phobia could prevent me from reaching my goal. but if it means losing 10 years off my life from stress and anxiety, then maybe its not a great path to take.

You are frequently called upon to make small group presentations in most med schools and in residency.If you feel that speaking to even very small numbers of people would be to much for you then med school might be a problem.There are many other stresses in medicine so to have this problem on top of them would be difficult.However people have made it through med school with similar or worse problems.If medicine is a dream for you then discuss this with a psychologist or psychiatrist before making a decision.I agree every job,and most things in life are stessful but some people are better at handling different kinds of stress.

 

[DoctorG]

based on your experiences, do you think i could make it through medical school and residency? its pretty depressing that a phobia could prevent me from reaching my goal. but if it means losing 10 years off my life from stress and anxiety, then maybe its not a great path to take.

I think it's a good start identifying an obstacle. The next question is what are you going to do about it?
I was somewhat like that most of my life. I remember while in undergrad, I avoid taking classes that required students to do presentation in class. Studying myself, i know that i could be loud, funny etc when with people i know or with whom I'm comfortable. I know that fear of public speaking will be an obstacle if i want to be doctor. I try to overcome the fear, not by taking medication (benzo or beta blocker or SSRI. ) but by practicing; randomly talking to people in public, maybe while riding the train, in the clubs, classrooms, joining social clubs, making more friends, volunteering in hospitals etc . The use of humor also works for me.
I am now a 4th yr applying for residency and i'm still somewhat shy. Maybe that's why I'm applying for Anesthesia which somewhat fits my personality.
Go ahead and apply. You will get better with practice. When it's time to apply for residency, you have the option to choose what fits your personality. In few yrs, I hope you can change your login to residentdoc2b
Good luck to you.

 

[scootad.]

While medical school may require a few presentations here and there, relative to other fields like law or business school, public speaking is really a very tiny fraction of it. It certainly should not deter you from pursuing med school. For the record, I too can relate, I get nervous talking in large groups but I've come to realize nobody gives a **** about what your saying anyway, most people are more worried about their own pathetic lives, their next f*ck, that nice sweater they saw at the Gap, their upcoming micro test, etc.

 

[cytoborg]

based on your experiences, do you think i could make it through medical school and residency?

Well, I did, and so can you. I'm not going to blow smoke up your @ss, my shyness was definitely a challenge during rounds, presentations, in the OR, getting pimped, etc. I panic in the spotlight - my mind goes completely blank. I'm sure there were many situations where I looked like a ******* because I panicked and couldn't remember an answer (which I would promptly remember as soon as the attending gave up and turned to someone else - so frustrating!). Sometimes I would get sick to my stomach before rounds or the OR, anticipating having so much attention directed at me. However, I am completely comfortable taking care of patients and families, talking one on one with attendings, and speaking with nursing or other staff. I have "people skills" in those areas, just not in the spotlight, I guess.

Recently I heard a couple of classmates joking about being nervous on rounds and having to take Xanax or something before presentations. It was a shock to me, because all my classmates seem so much more relaxed and composed than me. But I guess it's not such a rare problem...we just learn to hide it.

Good luck!

 

[Ergo]

hello everyone. i just finished up my undergrad from a top 20 school with a stellar gpa. ive recently become very interested in science and medicine and i think i could get into a good school. the thing is that im pretty shy and developped a phobia for public speaking in college. i would get panic attacks and tons of anxiety early on. now i take meds when i need to go through with a presentation and i can make it through, but its very draining and not a fun experience overall... and that is just to small groups of people (less than 20).

based on your experiences, do you think i could make it through medical school and residency? its pretty depressing that a phobia could prevent me from reaching my goal. but if it means losing 10 years off my life from stress and anxiety, then maybe its not a great path to take.

As you gain experience dealing with group work it will become easier to speak in front of strangers. You will personally grow a great deal during medical school, and will develop into a person with the needed skills. Follow your dream, do not shy away from medicine due to these anxieties. Experience will alleviate these fears.

 

[Ergo]

Quote of SCOOTAD:
"While medical school may require a few presentations here and there, relative to other fields like law or business school, public speaking is really a very tiny fraction of it. It certainly should not deter you from pursuing med school. For the record, I too can relate, I get nervous talking in large groups but I've come to realize nobody gives a **** about what your saying anyway, most people are more worried about their own pathetic lives, their next f*ck, that nice sweater they saw at the Gap, their upcoming micro test, etc."

It makes public speaking less stressful to realize that many in the 'audience' (of whatever size...) are thinking of themselves, and dont notice your self perceived errors.

 

[NinerNiner999]

Besides the presentations in school, in residency and in practice you will be called upon to lead family discussions, explain medical procedures, and discuss death and end-of-life care, which may be very stressful and anxiety provoking. You know yourself better than I and whether you would be capable of getting past your barriers to deal with these potential interactions.

 

[Peeshee]

based on your experiences, do you think i could make it through medical school and residency? its pretty depressing that a phobia could prevent me from reaching my goal. but if it means losing 10 years off my life from stress and anxiety, then maybe its not a great path to take.[/QUOTE]

Hi,
if becoming a medical dr. is a goal of yours, do NOT give it up just because of shyness!! You can overcome that, and with time and experience (and the help and encouragement of others), you can make it through and probably will even surprise yourself!

Of course, there will be obstacles in the way, but everyone has obstacles in med. school; it's just a normal part of the process. If you are afraid of stress and anxiety during med. school and residency, you will have to accept that stress is a normal part of it all. You can try relieving that stress in constructive ways though, and it's def. good to have an outlet (like exercise) to relieve all the tension from med. school.

So, I'd say if your career goal is medicine, then DO IT! Everything else will fall into place and you will look back in many years and say that it was worth it all! (rather than looking back and wishing you would have gone through med.school!)

good luck!

 

[cytoborg]

Besides the presentations in school, in residency and in practice you will be called upon to lead family discussions, explain medical procedures, and discuss death and end-of-life care, which may be very stressful and anxiety provoking. You know yourself better than I and whether you would be capable of getting past your barriers to deal with these potential interactions.

I don't know the OP either, but he did say his problem is with public speaking, not a generalized social phobia. Usually an isolated phobia of public speaking doesn't translate to intimate situations such as family discussions and other patient interactions. For some reason, sitting in a room with a patient seems like an entirely different thing than public speaking.

 

[Haiku]

i'd say go for it, and this is coming from someone who HATES speaking in public. it won't always be easy. there was one time in path lab that i got pimped in front of 30 - 40 of my classmates. i was shaking so badly that i couldn't hold the specimen still. i think the pathologist finally had mercy on me before i broke down.

there will be times that you may want to disappear. however, the light at the end of the tunnel is that by mid-3rd year (where i am now), it's not about me, it's about the patient. i spend enough time talking to my patient and thinking about their care that i can chime in during rounds. i actually learn well from "pimping" when it's done correctly (getting you to think clinically and developing judgment). although i still get nervous when i have to present topics at professor's rounds.

good luck to you!

 

[NinerNiner999]

I don't know the OP either, but he did say his problem is with public speaking, not a generalized social phobia. Usually an isolated phobia of public speaking doesn't translate to intimate situations such as family discussions and other patient interactions. For some reason, sitting in a room with a patient seems like an entirely different thing than public speaking.

I can recall several meetings dealing with 20+ family members - not nearly as intimate as one on one. Not sure if this fits within the realm of social phobia, but it may encroach upon public speaking...

 

[doc05]

regardless of how bad this phobia is, let's be realistic. if it will affect you as a physician, it will affect you in pretty much any other real job. get help if you need it, and go for medicine if you really want it. best of luck.

 

[yaah]

Medical school is a time to challenge yourself. Many people are uncomfortable with public speaking or being in the spotlight, but that is why you challenge yourself with these situations. You may find that your fears are unfounded, that you succeed in them, and that you are well suited for it. Truthfully, there are not many jobs out there for people who want to avoid public speaking and confrontation. There aren't a lot of jobs where you can sit in back of class and take notes and do well on the test and succeed. You have to advocate for yourself in the real world.

I was always afraid of public speaking, preferred to let others have the spotlight. Then I started doing it more and realized it was fun and wasn't anything to get clutched about. If you screw up, so what? A lot of times no one even notices.

Can you make it through medicine without any public speaking? Perhaps, but it's tough. Every day you are on rounds and presenting patients. During residency you give talks. There isn't any way out of it.

 

[Lactic Folly]

Please go and seek help for your social phobia, even if it is just self help. There is no reason to let it keep you from pursuing your goals, and no reason to just hope the fear will go away with experience, when effective therapies exist. In particular, cognitive behavioral therapy (+/- medications) can help a great deal. Search for books, websites, and counselling under social phobia or social anxiety (there are workbooks to lead you through and the thought/behavior patterns they teach are quite valuable). Although not anxious about public speaking, I used to be very shy.. however I am much better now, do not regret entering medical school one bit (currently in first year), and am glad I could keep up my confidence during the application process. PM me if you wish to discuss further.

 

[jhstuck]

You say that you have trouble speaking in front of groups of people. If it is just public speaking you are worried about, that is one thing, but I would really be sure you don't have trouble anytime you are in the spotlight. In many medical careers you will have to be in charge of what is called "running a code". At this time you will be in charge of a group of people in a room trying to save a patient's life. Could you see yourself being able to function in that capacity? Also, as a physician you will be required to perform somewhat intricate manual procedures on another living person (sometimes inherently dangerous procedures). Again you will most likely have others observing you at these times (patient, nurses, other physicians, med students, etc.) If you think this would make you nervous, well you are right, these such situations cause everyone some degree of anxiety. Also, these instances are what make a doctor a doctor. If just public speaking is your problem you should be fine in medicine. If these or similar situations would cause you to much stress, I would be sure that this is what you want to do with your life. Its a lot of time and money and you are probably smart enough to do anything you want.