"Guaranteed quality of life" and attrition

[AnAccount]

Hi all,

I just got accepted to med school (woo!) and I had this relief wash over me, like essentially "my future is sealed". Okay, it's a lot of work, but if I do the work, I'll make it. I'm questioning that just a tiny bit now.

I've thought about how few college premeds actually make it to this point, but now I'm wondering how many medical students get filtered out between medical school and residency. Medical school attrition seems to be in the low single digits, I would suspect it's similar for residency (varying by residency). If I'm being pessimistic, attrition is ~10%? That still feels like pseudo-guarantee at a decent life. What are your thoughts on this subject of attrition, or the general idea of medical school as a providing a guaranted floor for your quality of life?

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[Hollow Knight]

I had the same thought as you until I realized how hard it was just to pass med school.

Yeah, you’ll graduate, but you’ll probably have to work 80+ hours a week for the next 7+ years.

But at a certain point yeah, you just do the work and you get your MD. I don’t stress about school anymore as an M3

 

[AJS59]

Hi all,

I just got accepted to med school (woo!) and I had this relief wash over me, like essentially "my future is sealed". Okay, it's a lot of work, but if I do the work, I'll make it. I'm questioning that just a tiny bit now.

I've thought about how few college premeds actually make it to this point, but now I'm wondering how many medical students get filtered out between medical school and residency. Medical school attrition seems to be in the low single digits, I would suspect it's similar for residency (varying by residency). If I'm being pessimistic, attrition is ~10%? That still feels like pseudo-guarantee at a decent life. What are your thoughts on this subject of attrition, or the general idea of medical school as a providing a guaranted floor for your quality of life?

It's the best thing out there. Now that's not to say that you'll be able to rest on your laurels...you will WORK to get that MD, become board certified and establish yourself as an attending. But the hardest filtering part (unless your heart is set on only neurosurgery) is behind you, in my opinion.

 

[MoldToPenicillin]

I'll add that plenty of jobs have a poor quality of life. Sure, some individuals may work cush jobs, but the majority of people don't.

Life is short and it goes by fast. Medicine is hard. Do what you love and be true to yourself. It's all about perspective my friend. I certainly think it's worth grinding for.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Lucky you. See data report from AAMC.

https://www.aamc.org/media/48526/download

Top Reasons Students are Dropping Out of Medical School

If you are thinking about dropping out of medical school, your number one goal should be to take care of yourself.

financialresidency.com

IMO, you should have appropriate concern about your educational debt that carries over once you graduate with your degree. To me, proper management will dictate your QOL.

 

[Goro]

Hi all,

I just got accepted to med school (woo!) and I had this relief wash over me, like essentially "my future is sealed". Okay, it's a lot of work, but if I do the work, I'll make it. I'm questioning that just a tiny bit now.

I've thought about how few college premeds actually make it to this point, but now I'm wondering how many medical students get filtered out between medical school and residency. Medical school attrition seems to be in the low single digits, I would suspect it's similar for residency (varying by residency). If I'm being pessimistic, attrition is ~10%? That still feels like pseudo-guarantee at a decent life. What are your thoughts on this subject of attrition, or the general idea of medical school as a providing a guaranted floor for your quality of life?

Med school attrition is indeed low...like low single digits. Probably larger at the newer DO schools, as they have fewer resources to help struggling students.

You have to remember med schools WANT you to graduate. They will do everything in thier power to get you to walk that stage at graduation.

At my school, the biggest reason for LOAs, dismissals and withdrawals is due to mental and physical health issues, followed by poor coping skills combined with some life event, like mom getting cancer, or the family business going belly up. Very, very few of my kids fail for not being able to handle the academic rigor.

You should NOT be interested in the possibility of failure. Read this:

• Goro's Guide to Success in Medical School (2024 edition)

 

[AnAccount]

Med school attrition is indeed low...like low single digits. Probably larger at the newer DO schools, as they have fewer resources to help struggling students.

You have to remember med schools WANT you to graduate. They will do everything in thier power to get you to walk that stage at graduation.

At my school, the biggest reason for LOAs, dismissals and withdrawals is due to mental and physical health issues, followed by poor coping skills combined with some life event, like mom getting cancer, or the family business going belly up. Very, very few of my kids fail for not being able to handle the academic rigor.

You should NOT be interested in the possibility of failure. Read this:

• Goro's Guide to Success in Medical School (2024 edition)

That article is gold, I feel encouraged after reading it. Bonus points for all the study resources/guidance too! Thank you!

 

[lioneljohn]

Congrats on getting into med school—that’s awesome! Honestly, med school dropout rates are pretty low, usually just a few percent, so if you keep at it, you’re likely to make it through and match into residency.

Sure, your quality of life can depend on your specialty and where you end up, but overall, med school does set you up with a stable and respected career.