Going Into Medicine With A Life Expectancy of 45 Years?

[965978]

I have a very close family friend whom I want to advise about their unique situation. This person is very kind and absolutely brilliant. He is going to a T10 undergrad and is a sophomore looking to go into medicine.

However, there is one problem. Due to a certain genetic and medical condition he has tested positive for, he has a life expectancy of about 45 years. His father and grandfather died at 48 and 44, respectively. Out of respect, I will not disclose what the medical condition is. However, it won’t affect his ability to practice while he is alive.

His medial background has a huge role in the development of his perspective, outlook, and personality. However, he is worried that medical schools will not want to admit someone who will only be able to practice medicine for about 12-15 years after residency.

What should I do? This is obviously such a sensitive and delicate situation. On some level I feel like I shouldn’t even be advising him because I don’t have the life experience to help guide someone in a situation like this.

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[wb100]

IMO, going through medical school and the pain of residency is going to burn through the little time he has left. If he really wants to do medicine, he doesn’t have to disclose his exact condition/life expectancy.

 

[RTC19]

Medical schools will have no way of knowing he has this health condition if he doesn't disclose what it is. It will be a non-issue for admissions in that case.

 

[965978]

Sorry if I wasn’t clear earlier. Basically, it would be weird for him not to disclose it because his condition ties together his entire life story.

He believes that his narrative will be seriously lacking if he doesn’t disclose it.

 

[RTC19]

Sorry if I wasn’t clear earlier. Basically, it would be weird for him not to disclose it because his condition ties together his entire life story.

He believes that his narrative will be seriously lacking if he doesn’t disclose it.

Oops. My apologies for the misunderstanding.

 

[wb100]

Sorry if I wasn’t clear earlier. Basically, it would be weird for him not to disclose it because his condition ties together his entire life story.

He believes that his narrative will be seriously lacking if he doesn’t disclose it.

I spoke about a medical condition in my PS, and while I felt comfortable to specify what it was, I could have still written about the things I learned from it without directly stating the condition. Your friend is fine and schools will (hopefully) respect that he didn’t want to be specific.

 

[On_The_Way_Up]

Talk about what he has learned having a medical condition but don’t outright say what it is or talk about his life expectancy. It would be foolish to tell medical schools. They aren’t going to admit someone who will die at 45. Harsh but it’s the truth. This is why they rarely admit people past age 50. They don’t have a lot of time.

 

[LizzyM]

We don't need to know what got him to the point where he thought that being a doctor might be a good career for him. We need to know why he wants to be a doctor. In other words, what does he want to be able to do? What difference does he hope to make in the world? His essay should be forward thinking with examples of what he has done, how he has tested his interest in medicine through interactions with patients (not family) and physicians (volunteering, work experience, shadowing).

Curiosity about one's father and grandfather and the genetic condition that all three carry might have piqued one's interest in medicine but one does not treat one's self and the dead have no need for treatment. The applicant needs to convince us that he wants to care for patients and going back to the story of his deceased relatives is not the way to go about it.

As for life expectancy. None of us know with certainty how long we have. I've had wonderful students who died young. We've lost some wonderful faculty members in their 40s and 50s and we, and their patients and students, would have been poorer without them had their chronic health conditions disqualified them for admission. Advances in medical science may make the condition treatable, or at least manageable. The student may have an unusual course like Stephen Hawkings had with his condition. Imagine if he had been dismissed from doctoral study because the life expectancy of someone with ALS back in 1963 was dismal.

Be supportive but recommend that stories about family members who have died are a dime a dozen and not very compelling in terms of making a case as to why one should be admitted to medical school.

 

[965978]

We don't need to know what got him to the point where he thought that being a doctor might be a good career for him. We need to know why he wants to be a doctor. In other words, what does he want to be able to do? What difference does he hope to make in the world? His essay should be forward thinking with examples of what he has done, how he has tested his interest in medicine through interactions with patients (not family) and physicians (volunteering, work experience, shadowing).

Curiosity about one's father and grandfather and the genetic condition that all three carry might have piqued one's interest in medicine but one does not treat one's self and the dead have no need for treatment. The applicant needs to convince us that he wants to care for patients and going back to the story of his deceased relatives is not the way to go about it.

As for life expectancy. None of us know with certainty how long we have. I've had wonderful students who died young. We've lost some wonderful faculty members in their 40s and 50s and we, and their patients and students, would have been poorer without them had their chronic health conditions disqualified them for admission. Advances in medical science may make the condition treatable, or at least manageable. The student may have an unusual course like Stephen Hawkings had with his condition. Imagine if he had been dismissed from doctoral study because the life expectancy of someone with ALS back in 1963 was dismal.

Be supportive but recommend that stories about family members who have died are a dime a dozen and not very compelling in terms of making a case as to why one should be admitted to medical school.

Thank you. However, when you were talking about how reflecting on his family’s death won’t have any benefit, that’s not what I was referring to.

What I was referring to is that fact that he has grown up his whole life with the knowledge that he will, in all likelihood, not live past his mid 40’s. Growing up with that knowledge can really affect your outlook on life and it has changed the way that he approaches patients at the hospital.

 

[LizzyM]

My apologies. I missed that inference in your original post. Clearly, he needs to work with a professional therapist to make the most of his own life in light of his family history. Please recommend this to him.

 

[IlDestriero]

I had a good friend in medical school who was in a similar boat, 2 actually I suppose. One finished the other dropped out in 4th year after their father almost died again because they didn’t want to “waste” so much of their remaining time in residency and working hard as a junior attending only to get sick and probably die in their 40’s when physicians are just hitting their stride.

 

[965978]

Thank you @LizzyM

@gyngyn @DrFortiusNatando Any thoughts?

 

[Goro]

Thank you. However, when you were talking about how reflecting on his family’s death won’t have any benefit, that’s not what I was referring to.

What I was referring to is that fact that he has grown up his whole life with the knowledge that he will, in all likelihood, not live past his mid 40’s. Growing up with that knowledge can really affect your outlook on life and it has changed the way that he approaches patients at the hospital.

If this path truly makes him happy, then he should follow his heart.

 

[IMGASMD]

If they want to advance the understanding of their disease, being a physician will probably not do it. If they wants to be a physician, then by all means.

I, personally, would not choose this path, if I knew I only have 10 good years to practice. By the time I pay off the loans it’ll be time. Or the fact that I will be studying while my contemporaries are out there enjoying and explore life and experiences.

I will echo some of what has been said. I would not include my own diseases in the personal statement. I may talk around it by mentioning seeing father struggle with it. I may not even mentioning grandfather in fear of the medical school connecting the dots. I think it’s a balance act for the PS, since your friend may question the acceptance or the rejection.

 

[differentiating]

I 100% agree that talking about it in the PS - especially to the point of bringing up a shorter life expectancy- is a bad idea. Said friend should focus on why they’re interested in medicine as a profession, which doesn’t necessitate sharing such intimate and potentially damaging details.

 

[siliso]

I guess live your best life during the time you have. If you’re a person who will enjoy studying medicine, being a medical student, being a resident...and then practicing in what time you have, and that’s the greatest enjoyment you can foresee having in the time you expect, do it. If you feel like as a student and resident you’re in limbo, wasting time, wasting life, not enjoying, f it do something else that will give you greater utility and meaning. If I knew I’d die tonight I wouldn’t have regret for having pursued medicine, and there’s no guarantee that I won’t die tonight (or that you or anyone else won’t). Any one of us could get hit by a bus tomorrow and there’s value in contemplating whether your life choices would make that okay but sad, or a tragic waste full of regrets. If your class is big enough some people will die during or shortly after medical school (RIP to several of my classmates), maybe it will be you. If you can live with that idea it’s a good sign you’re on the right path.

It’s not a qualification to have a life limiting condition though, and not application material. Not disqualifying either unless it’s Huntington’s or something else that will make you definitely impaired and probably unable to perceive your impairment until too late.

 

[deleted972488]

It’s not a qualification to have a life limiting condition though

It can show resilience and adaptability, which is a core competency.

 

[siliso]

OTOH it could show to some people that you’re a poor investment of resources in comparison to a person with normal life expectancy. Not saying that’s right or fair, just saying it’s true.

 

[965978]

OTOH it could show to some people that you’re a poor investment of resources in comparison to a person with normal life expectancy. Not saying that’s right or fair, just saying it’s true.

Thanks for answering the original question.

 

[siliso]

I hope you/your friend take it in the context of my original response, though. Which is not saying he’s truly a waste of resources (anyone can actually die genetics or not), only that some people could perceive it that way if disclosed. And sorry he has to face this prospect.

 

[deleted972488]

OTOH it could show to some people that you’re a poor investment of resources in comparison to a person with normal life expectancy. Not saying that’s right or fair, just saying it’s true.

A little off-topic, but would you say the same thing about, say, a cancer survivor who has increased risk of morbidity and mortality compared to the population at large? I think unique life circumstances and perspectives ought to carry some value. And, like you said earlier, none of us are guaranteed to have a “normal” life expectancy.

 

[siliso]

Speaking generally, I don’t think personal misfortunes are great application material. There’s always someone worse off than you and it’s always better to focus on your strengths, or problems you’ve clearly overcome and moved past. A higher medical risk (grasped by extrapolation) in the context of overcoming is a different thing from a straight declaration of certainty of poor outcome and limited lifespan in nearish future. Especially if the condition in question is likely to move through impairing disability before the end comes (like is it HD, something genetically certain and radically impairing such as that, as opposed to some condition causing high risk of sudden death without preceding disability, a giant aneurysm, Brugada’s, the worst kinds of FH or suchlike?) Again I’m speaking strategically about the wisdom or disclosure, and not in terms of actual moral acceptability of pursing medicine.

 

[Cassowary]

Poor guy. Thats horrible. wish the best for him whatever he pursues. I can’t imagine having such limited years

 

[Goro]

OTOH it could show to some people that you’re a poor investment of resources in comparison to a person with normal life expectancy. Not saying that’s right or fair, just saying it’s true.

We Adcoms don't think this way.

 

[965978]

We Adcoms don't think this way.

This is what I was afraid of. I’m worried that someone reviewing his app will have a cruel mentality.

 

[deleted972488]

This is what I was afraid of. I’m worried that someone reviewing his app will have a cruel mentality.

He never knows until he tries. Some might discriminate, others might not. And either way, it’s not like they give you a report on why they reject, so he wouldn’t be subjected to any cruel mentality.