Medical How can I be sure that becoming a physician is the right career for me?

[lord999]

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I was accepted into an early Medical Selection Program as a sophomore in college. I’m currently here for the summer and I really like the city and everyone in the program. I was initially feeling overwhelmed because medical students and graduates of the program informed me how difficult and hard medical school is. I will admit that I did have some doubts about whether or not I would be able to handle the course work and be successful in the program. However, I also started having doubts about whether or not I would be a good doctor or if I would be happy being a doctor. Ive never shadowed a doctor before, so I don’t know what to expect. Will I like being in a hospital? How will I interact with patients? Will I have good social skills being with patients? I’ve worked so hard throughout my college career to get to medical school and now that I’m nearly here (I still just have to take the MCAT and get the required score for the program), but it feels surreal. It’s such a huge commitment to a career choice and path. I do have a tendency to overthink things and have anxiety and be hard on myself. Any tips and advice? It would be greatly appreciated

I have to honestly say that an early selection program that did not even consider background experience is something that they should work on, but in your case, congratulations! Unless you're doing anything else professional this summer, why not spend some time volunteering in a hospital or a clinic to find out? There is no substitute for experience in this case, and you might find out something about yourself doing so.

 

[MusicDOc124]

This is not uncommon, both in pre-med and in med school for many - I'd even argue that some residents feel this way as well. But just because it's not uncommon doesn't necessarily mean you need to stick with it if it's something you don't want to do either, rather you need to figure out. The questions you pose are ones no one can answer for you.

You mention you've never shadowed or anything, so what you should focus on sooner-than-later is getting shadowing experience to observe a day-in-the-life, the schedule, etc. If you can get a clinically-based job, that would be great (i.e. as a CNA, EMT, tech, etc). This would give you additional time to see how other health professions work while also giving you experience with seeing patients yourself in whatever capacity. Volunteering in clinical settings if available around you is also a way to go.

 

[MusicDOc124]

Thank you for the response! I really understood what you were saying. I’m here for the program in the summer and I really like the city, the school, and other people in the program. I’m taking a 6-week summer psychology class right now and I think it’s very interesting. I also got my white coat a couple of days ago and I got a nice name tag. It was so cool but also kind of surreal like it’s getting more real and official. If we got medical scrubs and a white coat, that would’ve been even more cool and surreal! Next week the program is going to start having us shadow doctors in a hospital so I’m excited but anxious too to see what it will be like. I’m hoping that the experience is good!

I was initially feeling overwhelmed because medical students and graduates of the program informed me how difficult and hard medical school is.

One extra thing to note that I didn't touch on in the initial reply is that this statement is correct though. Medical school is hard - it's hard for virtually everyone, and many students (and residents) also feel overwhelmed at many points. While school is difficult, we are capable of doing difficult things. I didn't want to have that masked after only talking about the need for you to have exposure.

Good luck with school!