How did you choose medicine?

[MedLove _02]

Hello everyone,
I am a communication disorders student who is having a rather hard time choosing what field I would like to go into. I have always been very attracted to the medical field as I genuinely enjoy helping people, in addition to some intense childhood experiences regarding my health. Because of this, I always thought that perhaps I should choose the medical school/ pa school path. The only problem here is I am not the best student when it comes to math (science I can handle for the most part with some regular studying). For one reason or another, math just does not stick for me, and I fear that if I do go down the road of med school I wont be able to keep up, or Ill mess up and cause someone some real problems. I also worry about the work life balance as I am someone who would like to have a family later on.

Now on the flip side, I have always enjoyed English and writing as it has always come naturally to me. With that, close family members have been pushing the idea to become a lawyer... and I'm not opposed to it, I enjoy law as well. With my background, it seems like its the more logical choice: No math, relatively stable with income, working with words (something I seem to be naturally good at) etc.


What it boils down to in my opinion, is a relatively stable job that I wont hate, and can actually derive some enjoyment from. Both law and medicine are noble professions, I just rather not start one, have a change of heart, and be thousands of dollars in debt on top of pursuing another field.


I was wondering if anyone could share their experiences with deciding to choose a medical career? What was the deciding factor that made you realize that medicine was what you wanted to do, and not something else? How can I get some experience in the medical field to see if its a right fit?

Thanks in advance.

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[Lannister]

If you can add and subtract, that's all the math you'll need in medical school

 

[getdown]

I didn't choose medicine ... medicine chose me.

 

[stickgirl390]

I commonly find that young people searching for a career tend to reference three paths: medicine, law, or teaching. I think the media places these three professions in the forfront and as a result, a lot of people see these professions as the most rewarding and prestigious. There are more careers out there than you can imagine, and I think you’d benefit from doing some more searching before making a big time and financial commitment to medicine or law. If your school has a career counseling service, see what it offers. Best of luck to you!

 

[HomeSkool]

The best way to get more exposure to healthcare is to do a combination of shadowing and clinical volunteering. As @stickgirl390 said, your school's career counseling service may be able to help, and you should also get in touch with the pre-professional office if your school has one. Both resources should be able to help you think about different career options, and they may also have contacts to help you set up shadowing or volunteering.

 

[BellaWriterChic]

I have always wanted to do medicine due to my exposure in my early years. It only solidified as I gained more exposure as I got older. Did shadowing, started talking with various physicians, and recently started scribing. You really will not know until you get into it and see it yourself. Best of luck!


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[RTC19]

I started volunteering at a hospice after I experienced a loss through death in my personal life. I chose the pre-med route (for me, it was a career change) after I found that to be incredibly rewarding. I had had done a lot of working and volunteering before in a lot of different settings but never quite loved something in my work the way I loved volunteering at that hospice.

If you are looking to do some research/get more experience, I would find a clinical volunteer position that interests you, volunteer there for awhile and see how you like it.

If the pre-med route is not your thing, you will find that out quickly volunteering in a clinical setting. Same if it is your thing.

I wish you all the luck in the world for finding a career that fits you well.

P.S. I echo the advice that if science is your friend, but math is not, you will be just fine.