Having difficulty deciding whether to pursue medicine

[DrissShafi]

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Hi!

Long time lurker, been viewing SDN forums since...highschool? Anyways, my name is Driss, and I recently got accepted to Medical School.

Yeah, I should be happy, right? Uhm, but I'm a bit conflicted as to whether I want to pursue medicine.

I did a teaching degree undergrad, and I've been thinking of pursuing teaching. Reasons why I'm not as endeared to the world of medicine anymore is because of the stress. I'm afraid of being stressed out all the time in medical school, not getting married until my late twenties, putting that family behind my career, and being saddled with so much debt. I mean, stress and I do NOT mix well, I do yoga twice a day, meditate, and really plan my life so that I have ZERO stress, and I just don't feel as if medicine is conducive to a stress free life. Also, I want to retire early, I mean, really early, possibly when I turn 55, and return to my home, the Big Island, where I grew up. And with medicine, I really won't be earning until I'm 32-33, so will that push back my retirement?

If I do medicine, I'd like to do it working in an underserved area, probably an urban area. And I know I'd be making A LOT less, but that's just what I want to do, that's the only area where I feel fulfilled. Out of all my shadowing, that's the one experience that really resonated with me.

I get the same feeling from medicine that I get from teaching, that satisfaction is the same for me. But as far as the medical fraternity, I'm somewhat put off from it. From the community I come from, South Asian, I feel like people become physicians because it's a status symbol, and I don't want to be a part of that materialistic type society.


I don't know, I've made my deposit, and I've accepted a job as a Math teacher in my county, and within the next week or so, I have to say no to someone and I just wanted to get some feedback from fellow premeds that I don't know (because the premeds that I do know would give me biased advice, I feel).


Anyways, thanks in advance.

 

[QuinnTheEskimo]

Hi!

Long time lurker, been viewing SDN forums since...highschool? Anyways, my name is Driss, and I recently got accepted to Medical School.

Yeah, I should be happy, right? Uhm, but I'm a bit conflicted as to whether I want to pursue medicine.

I did a teaching degree undergrad, and I've been thinking of pursuing teaching. Reasons why I'm not as endeared to the world of medicine anymore is because of the stress. I'm afraid of being stressed out all the time in medical school, not getting married until my late twenties, putting that family behind my career, and being saddled with so much debt. I mean, stress and I do NOT mix well, I do yoga twice a day, meditate, and really plan my life so that I have ZERO stress, and I just don't feel as if medicine is conducive to a stress free life. Also, I want to retire early, I mean, really early, possibly when I turn 55, and return to my home, the Big Island, where I grew up. And with medicine, I really won't be earning until I'm 32-33, so will that push back my retirement?

If I do medicine, I'd like to do it working in an underserved area, probably an urban area. And I know I'd be making A LOT less, but that's just what I want to do, that's the only area where I feel fulfilled. Out of all my shadowing, that's the one experience that really resonated with me.

I get the same feeling from medicine that I get from teaching, that satisfaction is the same for me. But as far as the medical fraternity, I'm somewhat put off from it. From the community I come from, South Asian, I feel like people become physicians because it's a status symbol, and I don't want to be a part of that materialistic type society.


I don't know, I've made my deposit, and I've accepted a job as a Math teacher in my county, and within the next week or so, I have to say no to someone and I just wanted to get some feedback from fellow premeds that I don't know (because the premeds that I do know would give me biased advice, I feel).


Anyways, thanks in advance.

Based on what you wrote, I do not think you would enjoy a career in medicine.

 

[prettyNURSEtoMD]

I concur. I am not a dream killer but you have SO many negatives. Pray. Be humbled. And give your acceptance to someone who really without a doubt wants it! Good luck you!

 

[Lya]

What makes you think that teaching is less stressful than being a doctor, let alone becoming a doctor? Have you shadowed a math teacher in your country? Have you talked to med students in person?

You seem to have already made a decision that you would decline your acceptance offer from medical school, but just because you see that "people become physicians because it's a status symbol," it does not mean that you should decline the offer in order to convince yourself that you don't want that status symbol.


The first thing you need to do is to get rid of all the biases and all the negatives, and see both careers by yourself. Afterwards, if you still see yourself as a math teacher, then go for it.

 

[musicalMD]

I am an education major myself, so I know it is crazy trying to decide between education and medicine. What type of education are you looking to pursue? Not to burst your bubble, but teaching can also be a very stressful job too. This is what I have concluded: If I continue with medicine, and find myself unhappy or unable to continue due to family, I can always get a job as a teacher. If I get a teaching job right out of college, and find myself unhappy, I can't just become a doctor. I say go for it, try it for a year and see what you think. Hope this helps, and good luck with your decision!

 

[ES2]

Being successful at any career will require some degree of stress and desire to do better. Medicine demands these qualities and being a great teacher does as well, but it's easier to slip behind the side-lines as a teacher and be mediocre than it is as a physician.

 

[Davida]

I had to make this decision too, and I had similar reservations about medicine because of the debt, time, and lack of a family life. But when it came down to it, I decided that medicine was more fulfilling for me, and I would always regret not becoming a physician. That's the decision you need to make. If you didn't become a doctor, do you think you'd be less fulfilled in 10 years? Do you think you would always look back and wish you had gone?

There's no shame in saying that you don't want to do medicine. It's smarter than ending up imprisoned in a career you don't like because of student debt. And I disagree with an above poster - speaking as someone coming from a different career, I think it's much easier to have a first career and then switch into medicine. I don't know how you could just leave medicine if you have little experience in any other job and 300K in debt.

In most well-paying (and many not so well-paying) careers nowadays, there's always going to be stress. I will say that I feel like the baseline level of stress will be inherently higher in medicine than teaching, even though they are both demanding careers. If you make an honest mistake while teaching, you can usually fix it without long-term consequences. If you do that in medicine, you may be responsible for causing serious illness, disability, and death.

It's great that you already have some established techniques for minimizing stress, and picking a career that will grant you ample free time to use those techniques might be your best bet.

 

[Aerus]

Being a teacher can be incredibly stressful. Being a good teacher can be even more stressful. Your negatives seem impossible to avoid if you want any type of success in the future. Dealing with stress is something you must endure. But the thing about stress is, if you truly love what you're doing, you'll find ways to survive it. You haven't really listed reasons that would lead anyone to believe that you prefer one over the other, so I don't think anyone here can provide any useful advice for you until you tell everyone why you highlight better reasons why you love medicine or teaching.

 

[QuinnTheEskimo]

Being a teacher can be incredibly stressful. Being a good teacher can be even more stressful. Your negatives seem impossible to avoid if you want any type of success in the future. Dealing with stress is something you must endure. But the thing about stress is, if you truly love what you're doing, you'll find ways to survive it. You haven't really listed reasons that would lead anyone to believe that you prefer one over the other, so I don't think anyone here can provide any useful advice for you until you tell everyone why you highlight better reasons why you love medicine or teaching.

Teaching is definitely less stressful than medicine though. At the end of the day, you are not going to kill anyone if you make a mistake while teaching.

 

[Aerus]

Teaching is definitely less stressful than medicine though. At the end of the day, you are not going to kill anyone if you make a mistake while teaching.

I agree, but avoiding stress isn't a good reason to choose teaching over medicine, since both careers will have stress. If they preferred working with students in a classroom environment rather than diagnosing patients, then yeah that's definitely a good reason. OP isn't providing any clear reasons why one is preferable over the other. On a teacher's salary, retiring early is a bit difficult too.

 

[Chir0nex]

I would suggest you ask to defer for a year or two and pursue something like Teach for America. See if you enjoy teaching, if it is truly stress free enough for you and then make a choice.

You are right that medicine is more stressful than teaching in terms of the magnitude of each decision, but at the same time I think there is a corresponding increase in satisfaction, not to mention that you can combine teaching a medicine once you start your career. Also, you have to consider that retiring at age 55 is not that realistic for a teacher either, unless if you are working at a private school or multiple jobs, at which point your stress will go up. Bascially, you seem to want to make a ton of money quickly, with little stress, which is not realistic in general.

 

[sinombre]

I agree, but avoiding stress isn't a good reason to choose teaching over medicine, since both careers will have stress.

It may not be a good enough reason to justify choosing teaching over medicine by itself, but the amount of stress you'll encounter on the road to becoming a physician isn't comparable to the amount of stress you'll encounter becoming a teacher. There is a huge difference in magnitude.

 

[Aerus]

It may not be a good enough reason to justify choosing teaching over medicine by itself, but the amount of stress you'll encounter on the road to becoming a physician isn't comparable to the amount of stress you'll encounter becoming a teacher. There is a huge difference in magnitude.

No, I definitely agree. I never opposed the latter...I don't know why people are even entertaining the thought that anyone would think the stress levels were similar. I merely made the former point you agreed to (in bold). That's IT.

 

[DrissShafi]

What makes you think that teaching is less stressful than being a doctor, let alone becoming a doctor? Have you shadowed a math teacher in your country? Have you talked to med students in person?

You seem to have already made a decision that you would decline your acceptance offer from medical school, but just because you see that "people become physicians because it's a status symbol," it does not mean that you should decline the offer in order to convince yourself that you don't want that status symbol.


The first thing you need to do is to get rid of all the biases and all the negatives, and see both careers by yourself. Afterwards, if you still see yourself as a math teacher, then go for it.

Yeah, so I've shadowed a teacher for about 2 years, and I enjoy her pace of life. It's a chill environment where you get to kick it with fellow educators, but you also have meaningful relationships with the kids, which I love.

But all the posters are correct, I never mentioned what positives I see in medicine. I...LOVE medicine. I'm really into it as far as long-term patient care is involved. Like I said before, I'd like to practice in an inner-city environment, possibly in preventative care. The obesity crisis is near and dear to my heart, as I worked hard to lose weight and get in shape after middle school. I understand that whole psyche and I'd like to work with these kinds of patients that are living within food deserts and the sort. And once I get there, great! But it's the road to getting there, Step I, Step II, matching, and like forever and ever. I don't want to have two kids who I never see and when I'm 40 and finally have the kind of job I've wanted, I figure out I'm living with two strangers.


Also, I've had my bouts with hypochondria and I don't want that stress to be exacerbated when I get to medical school (I get that it might seem trivial or funny to people, but hypochondria is a real disorder and it takes some real getting over, it can really absorb you). My first experience with it was when I was taking a micro class in college, and it really shook me up for about a week or two. I know that once I am a physician I wouldn't deal with that as much, but in medical school, that could become a problem. But this reason alone isn't enough for me to not go to medical school, hypochondria I can get over, and I have ways to destress, and I can manage that. But it's just another factor...

 

[QuinnTheEskimo]

Yeah, so I've shadowed a teacher for about 2 years, and I enjoy her pace of life. It's a chill environment where you get to kick it with fellow educators, but you also have meaningful relationships with the kids, which I love.

But all the posters are correct, I never mentioned what positives I see in medicine. I...LOVE medicine. I'm really into it as far as long-term patient care is involved. Like I said before, I'd like to practice in an inner-city environment, possibly in preventative care. The obesity crisis is near and dear to my heart, as I worked hard to lose weight and get in shape after middle school. I understand that whole psyche and I'd like to work with these kinds of patients that are living within food deserts and the sort. And once I get there, great! But it's the road to getting there, Step I, Step II, matching, and like forever and ever. I don't want to have two kids who I never see and when I'm 40 and finally have the kind of job I've wanted, I figure out I'm living with two strangers.


Also, I've had my bouts with hypochondria and I don't want that stress to be exacerbated when I get to medical school (I get that it might seem trivial or funny to people, but hypochondria is a real disorder and it takes some real getting over, it can really absorb you). My first experience with it was when I was taking a micro class in college, and it really shook me up for about a week or two. I know that once I am a physician I wouldn't deal with that as much, but in medical school, that could become a problem. But this reason alone isn't enough for me to not go to medical school, hypochondria I can get over, and I have ways to destress, and I can manage that. But it's just another factor...

What about teaching in an underserved area? That might give you the sense of reward you are looking for, combined with a less stressful lifestyle (compared to medicine).

If you are having anxiety attacks due to a micro class...I don't see how you would make it through medical school. Medical school hypochondria is a very real thing that many people suffer from to some extent.

 

[Chipster.]

Have you ever considered the Health Corps? Their mission is very similar to yours and it would be a good commitment that would help with teaching exposure while involving health issues. They also work in many urban areas so I think it could definitely be something you'd like.

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

What about teaching in an underserved area? That might give you the sense of reward you are looking for, combined with a less stressful lifestyle (compared to medicine).

If you are having anxiety attacks due to a micro class...I don't see how you would make it through medical school. Medical school hypochondria is a very real thing that many people suffer from to some extent.

If OP wants to avoid stress, I wouldn't recommend that he/she teaches in an underserved area. Go teach at a yuppie private school.

 

[DokterMom]

OP, have you considered PA? You'd have much more time to spend interacting with your patients in ways that sound fulfilling to you, a much shorter and easier path to get there, much more free time, and much less stress in your career, and still an excellent paycheck.

If that's not something you've considered seriously, I suggest you do so now. If you have considered it, I'd be very curious why it's something you rejected...

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

OP, have you considered PA? You'd have much more time to spend interacting with your patients in ways that sound fulfilling to you, a much shorter and easier path to get there, much more free time, and much less stress in your career, and still an excellent paycheck.

If that's not something you've considered seriously, I suggest you do so now. If you have considered it, I'd be very curious why it's something you rejected...

👍 That's a great idea.

 

[Davida]

Yeah, so I've shadowed a teacher for about 2 years, and I enjoy her pace of life. It's a chill environment where you get to kick it with fellow educators, but you also have meaningful relationships with the kids, which I love.

But all the posters are correct, I never mentioned what positives I see in medicine. I...LOVE medicine. I'm really into it as far as long-term patient care is involved. Like I said before, I'd like to practice in an inner-city environment, possibly in preventative care. The obesity crisis is near and dear to my heart, as I worked hard to lose weight and get in shape after middle school. I understand that whole psyche and I'd like to work with these kinds of patients that are living within food deserts and the sort. And once I get there, great! But it's the road to getting there, Step I, Step II, matching, and like forever and ever. I don't want to have two kids who I never see and when I'm 40 and finally have the kind of job I've wanted, I figure out I'm living with two strangers.


Also, I've had my bouts with hypochondria and I don't want that stress to be exacerbated when I get to medical school (I get that it might seem trivial or funny to people, but hypochondria is a real disorder and it takes some real getting over, it can really absorb you). My first experience with it was when I was taking a micro class in college, and it really shook me up for about a week or two. I know that once I am a physician I wouldn't deal with that as much, but in medical school, that could become a problem. But this reason alone isn't enough for me to not go to medical school, hypochondria I can get over, and I have ways to destress, and I can manage that. But it's just another factor...

What about public health? The pay isn't anything to write home about, but there's room for promotion within the field - and compared with both medicine and teaching, it seems to be a lot less stressful. (I've worked in both public health and education, and I can say that it's definitely slower paced than teaching.) A lot of the issues you're talking about (prevention, obesity, food deserts) are really hot in public health right now. The downside is that it's moving away from direct patient care of any kind and more towards policy and research, but you could still end up working with those communities.