How do you, personally, reply to the "why do you want to be a doctor" question?

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Lecter

Lecter

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Do you tell a story from personal experience? Start rattling off a list of personal traits? Interviewers seem like they're asking why you want to be a garbage man when they bring this question up.

One person I know always tells a story about some non-fiction medical books she's read and how they inspired her, and this reply usually blows interviewers away.

Sure this thread has been done many times but nothing good came up after searching.
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I answered this question so many times in great detail during the application process that now when someone asks: "Why do you want to be a doctor?" I just reply: "It's what I've always wanted to do."

It's true, I have always wanted to practice medicine, and it avoids all the other complicated explanations that would probably fall on deaf ears anyway.

edit: I'm done interviewing, so my response is just about random people who ask me. At interviews I explain everything in detail, but I don't feel like doing that here either.
 
It may sound cliche, but I want to help people. I want to wake up each morning and know that I'm going to make a difference in the lives of others. Plus, the field of medicine is high-paced, which I like, and the science of medicine is really interesting.
 
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Chemist0157 said:
It may sound cliche, but I want to help people. I want to wake up each morning and know that I'm going to make a difference in the lives of others. Plus, the field of medicine is high-paced, which I like, and the science of medicine is really interesting.
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It is good if it is true, but don't say this at any juncture in the application process, unless as a side-note in an interview or something. Adding the prefix "I know it sounds cliche" doesn't make it any less cliche or any more pertinent
 
This is obviously a very personal question, but let me tell you what I say and I can never second guess myself because hey its true :)
This is brief ofcourse...
had very memorable experience in a disadvantaged setting --> wanted to help somehow -->explored lots of different fields in high school, thought bio was the most challenging and intersting --> went with it --> enjoyed research opportunities and want to be a prof someday because of my teaching experiences --> all my extra curriculars have shown me that I want to work with people (so research work can sometimes become uninteresting unless you with a great group of students) --> medicine is the only thing that can combine all these together (actually pharmacy too so that is my: What would you do if you didn't get into med school answer)
 
I lied




no just kidding,
not kidding.




no just kidding
 
Chemist0157 said:
It may sound cliche, but I want to help people. I want to wake up each morning and know that I'm going to make a difference in the lives of others. Plus, the field of medicine is high-paced, which I like, and the science of medicine is really interesting.
Click to expand...

So how do you then answer their inevitable follow-up questions: there are other ways of helping people, there are other ways to make a difference, etc, etc. Your answer, verbatim, is what i've been told so many times to avoid saying even if it is true. There are other fast-paced science related jobs where you can help others...so i guess they are looking for something more specific and personal?

EpiPEN said:
I lied




no just kidding,
not kidding.




no just kidding
Click to expand...

lol wut?
 
I have a very funny response to that question, but I don't want to share it hear in case someone uses it on my interviewer right before me... :smuggrin:
 
I guess i do 2 things. I first talk about how i came to the decision of wanting medicine and from this i bounce into all the different aspects of medicine i like about it. Generally with each aspect i insert little things about my experiences with EC's or whatever that convey how i learned that i liked that aspect and that i have that quality. I conclude saying medicine offers a combination of all these aspects. What's good about this is that it sets me up for when they ask 'why not nursing/pharmacist/researcher?' because i can always name at least 1 or 2 aspects from my original point that these careers don't offer.
 
I reply simply and honestly.
 
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Never actually gotten this out, but this is what I’ve prepared and try to support with examples as of my last 2 interviews:

"1) I like learning and am curios, including especially about people, on an intellectual level but also physically observing and learning 2) I naturally find myself comparing what I learn and am observing to what else i know and trying to understand new observations relative to other knowledge and 3) I really only feel fulfilled to the extent I am involved in acting as part of and effecting these observations and synthesis of knowledge, even more so if this is working with people. So, I figure my work as a doctor would match my natural inclinations, abilities and what I find fulfilling because i would be offering to other people my curiosity in science and in people, intellectual and tangible, my synthesizing that with what i have already learned, and my acting and involving myself and working with a patient in the context of what I am learning about and trying to understand."

I wouldn't say this is an untrue answer. I also won’t say that is the reason except when my getting into medical school is decided by the person who is asking.

My honest answer would be, I don’t know. If you really want, I can tell you the history of my thoughts on this as I remember them or throw out some possible reasons I think I like the idea of being in medicine.
 
jult24er said:
"1) I like learning and am curios, including especially about people, on an intellectual level but also physically observing and learning 2) I naturally find myself comparing what I learn and am observing to what else i know and trying to understand new observations relative to other knowledge and 3) I really only feel fulfilled to the extent I am involved in acting as part of and effecting these observations and synthesis of knowledge, even more so if this is working with people. So, I figure my work as a doctor would match my natural inclinations, abilities and what I find fulfilling because i would be offering to other people my curiosity in science and in people, intellectual and tangible, my synthesizing that with what i have already learned, and my acting and involving myself and working with a patient in the context of what I am learning about and trying to understand."
Click to expand...

That's kind of just a flowery version of "I like science and want to help people" but I guess the delivery is key.

I think the answer to this can make or break an interview. Every other question I can answer quickly and convincingly off the top of my head, but this one still perplexes me even after thinking about it so much. More opinions please :cool:
 
why is the sky blue?
 
I hate this question and am struggling with how to word it in my PS. The real answer is "just because I want to"...but I'm guessing that won't suffice. It's almost as annoying as the "tell me something about yourself" question.
 
To be vague enough so that no one steals my answer =p

I talked about how I had two different academic interests and how a particular experience showed me that being a doctor allowed me to combine the two, and that solidified my desire to be a doctor. Within that, I talked about things I want in a career and how medicine fulfills that.

If I'm asked "tell me about yourself", then I basically go through an abridged autobiography starting at age 6.
 
Lecter said:
That's kind of just a flowery version of "I like science and want to help people" but I guess the delivery is key.

I think the answer to this can make or break an interview. Every other question I can answer quickly and convincingly off the top of my head, but this one still perplexes me even after thinking about it so much. More opinions please :cool:
Click to expand...

Yeah, my guess is that, like writing, if you can show why you're interested in medicine - relating things you've done, experiences you've had and the impact they had on you - instead of just telling why, people buy the story more.

Ha ha, I agree, that's because, the "reasons" behind why we do things aren't simple and no way I believe anyone can really say why they are applying to medical school.

Which do you think is more common -

a) people decide they want to go into medicine and then go seeking out the experiences that they can use to answer this question.

b) people have experiences that both motivate them to go into medicine and fit nicely into a story they can tell adcoms to get accepted.
 
whenever i see these threads, the cynic in me thinks:

OP is just asking to copy/steal a good reason when he or she is asked.
 
Isoprop said:
whenever i see these threads, the cynic in me thinks:

OP is just asking to copy/steal a good reason when he or she is asked.
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Okay here's a serious answer:

I hopped on the wagon for the promise of money and fame, but I stayed on because it gave meaning to what I learned and what I did.
 
jult24er said:
"1) I like learning and am curios, including especially about people, on an intellectual level but also physically observing and learning 2) I naturally find myself comparing what I learn and am observing to what else i know and trying to understand new observations relative to other knowledge and 3) I really only feel fulfilled to the extent I am involved in acting as part of and effecting these observations and synthesis of knowledge, even more so if this is working with people. So, I figure my work as a doctor would match my natural inclinations, abilities and what I find fulfilling because i would be offering to other people my curiosity in science and in people, intellectual and tangible, my synthesizing that with what i have already learned, and my acting and involving myself and working with a patient in the context of what I am learning about and trying to understand."
Click to expand...

I like the meaning behind these words. That meaning comprises a good answer. The language is a bit awkward though. Never stop thinking about the essay/paragraph format: thesis followed by supporting points. Everything should pyramid back to your final answer.
 
EpiPEN said:
Okay here's a serious answer:

I hopped on the wagon for the promise of money and fame, but I stayed on because it gave meaning to what I learned and what I did.
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i like that.
 
Isoprop said:
i like that.
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ah shucks...

well whoever wants to use the reason is cool by me. I'm already in so got nothing to proof to no body anymore (well until residency interviews come around that is:scared:, in which case if I knew you stole my reason, I'm going to hunt you down and cut you with my scal.... just kiddng... or am I?:eek:)
 
bodonid said:
Curios! The new alphabet cereal by Kellogs! Now you can misspell things in milk!
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LMFAO:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

now the guy nextdoor is probably wondering why I'm laughing like a maniac
 
EpiPEN said:
ah shucks...

well whoever wants to use the reason is cool by me. I'm already in so got nothing to proof to no body anymore (well until residency interviews come around that is:scared:, in which case if I knew you stole my reason, I'm going to hunt you down and cut you with my scal.... just kiddng... or am I?:eek:)
Click to expand...

do people even ask why medicine in med school? maybe, why <specialty>?
 
Isoprop said:
whenever i see these threads, the cynic in me thinks:

OP is just asking to copy/steal a good reason when he or she is asked.
Click to expand...

Ha! Well of course not, I'm just trying to get the wheels turning. The first time I answered this question in front of a group I went off on a tangent, crashed and burned.

EpiPEN said:
Okay here's a serious answer:

I hopped on the wagon for the promise of money and fame, but I stayed on because it gave meaning to what I learned and what I did.
Click to expand...

That's good, seems like it's true for a lot of people though.

Isoprop said:
do people even ask why medicine in med school? maybe, why <specialty>?
Click to expand...

Ahh, it never ends!
 
Lecter said:
That's good, seems like it's true for a lot of people though.
Click to expand...

Yeah probably, but you didn't have to say it, now I don't feel special anymore :(

we'll never be friends again



j/k
 
Okay I'm new to this, but can you answer with, "Because I'm interested in doing (insert specialty that you can only do with an MD/DO)." ?

Like, "Because I want to preform neurosurgery", and just expand on why? Or it has to be 'Why medicine' period?

Am I making any sense?
 
It's such a lame question; I've always found it really hard to succinctly answer. What I find really interesting is that I know a bad answer when I hear it but I can't figure out what the perfectly right answer is for me.

When I was asked I said I wanted to work with people and then I went into some lame engineering feedback explanation. It was sadly honest but I feel like all of my explanations fall short.

I think the lamest question ever is: if you could have dinner with 5 people who would you choose?

I need some restraints here people. Like can you go back in time and try to warn people? Can you go to the future and ask for advice? Can you foresee the historical implications of such time altering dinner plans? Can you serve veritum serum to guarantee that your guests engage in honest discourse? Can you endow yourself with qualities that would make you roughly equal to the people you have invited? I mean to meet Einstein would be amazing but I'm not so egotistical as to imagine that I could keep him entertained past appetizers.
 
SaveThisLabRat said:
Okay I'm new to this, but can you answer with, "Because I'm interested in doing (insert specialty that you can only do with an MD/DO)." ?

Like, "Because I want to preform neurosurgery", and just expand on why? Or it has to be 'Why medicine' period?

Am I making any sense?
Click to expand...

There was a thread on this about a week ago. One guy, a resident, said he would only let in people who felt this way. I think the vast majority of others thought this was dumb and that medical schools don't want to accept people who are already dead-set on one field and aren't interested in the rest of medicine because, what if they don't get into that residency?

I'm sure it can't hurt to talk specifically about parts of medicine that you are interested in, but i would guess you also need to be ready to show you are interested in medicine in general as well.
 
nevercold said:
I like the meaning behind these words. That meaning comprises a good answer. The language is a bit awkward though. Never stop thinking about the essay/paragraph format: thesis followed by supporting points. Everything should pyramid back to your final answer.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Will you accept me into your medical school? I'll work on my writing ...
 
For me, I was initially intimidated by the prospect of answering this at interviews. After completing my PS, though, and having thought through it on many levels (while prewriting for the PS), I found I was able to walk someone else through it in sort of a story-telling fashion. Not a lengthy and verbose one, but a brief narrative to convey my motivations. Often times in interviews the interviewer would use this as a jumping off point for further discussion. So if one of their first questions was "why do you want to be a doctor?" I could sort of explain how I first got interested in medicine and what has kept me interested as I've tested that desire. The more meaningful experiences you have had (vs. simply going through the motions by shadowing a doctor for a week and doing very little), the easier it is. It seems to have worked out for me well.
 
Why is prestige and job security left out of the mix? Both practical reasons for wanting a career in medicine.

And for anyone who answers, "I like people... i like to observe people...i want to help, etc etc", you should not be allowed to take a spot in medical school. You're a waste of time and energy if your sole reason for going into a competitive career is based on 'wanting to make people feel good.' That's like saying, "I want to be a doctor because I think scrubs are super-cool."

There have got to be better reasons, such as:

"After my four years in medical school, I want to teach people how to be healthy and prevent disease. I believe medicine affords me the knowledge and will bestow trust in those who are my patients"

"After graduating from your medical school, I want to use my engineering background in medicine to help develop specific devices to assist those people on the kidney transplant list, and subsequently work with those patients to improve their quality of life"

Look toward the future and tell your interview what you want to do with your M.D, not why people give you that warm fuzzy feeling inside your tummy. Be real.


etc etc.
 
annndyr said:
Why is prestige and job security left out of the mix? Both practical reasons for wanting a career in medicine.

Because I don't think saying that will help me with ADCOMs.

And for anyone who answers, "I like people... i like to observe people...i want to help, etc etc", you should not be allowed to take a spot in medical school. You're a waste of time and energy if your sole reason for going into a competitive career is based on 'wanting to make people feel good.' That's like saying, "I want to be a doctor because I think scrubs are super-cool."


There have got to be better reasons, such as:

"After my four years in medical school, I want to teach people how to be healthy and prevent disease. I believe medicine affords me the knowledge and will bestow trust in those who are my patients"

Sounds like a start to me. I think if you only state that, like above, and don't show it to be true or explain why, it wouldn't give an admissions officer much insight into your motivation to be a doctor.



"After graduating from your medical school, I want to use my engineering background in medicine to help develop specific devices to assist those people on the kidney transplant list, and subsequently work with those patients to improve their quality of life"

It seems unrealistic to me that you would have this clear of an idea of what you will want to do with your medical training seven years from now. I think if you use a specific example like this to illustrate ways in which you would be motivated within medicine, that could work.

Look toward the future and tell your interview what you want to do with your M.D, not why people give you that warm fuzzy feeling inside your tummy. Be real.

Being real is, I don't know what exactly I'll want to do with an MD. I don't think that makes me a worse candidate then someone who says they do.


etc etc.
Click to expand...

.
 
^^ Excellent comments.

I agree that a large portion of the application process is a sales pitch, so it becomes important that you tell the admissions committee what they want to hear. These are real people, though, and will sympathize with you when you speak realistically about the profession. They understand that medicine [generally] implies job security, and I'd reason to say that they will appreciate the practicality of such an answer. This can be said for any type of job interview as well. And you're right, my one sentence intro's should not be the end of such an open-ended question, but they are a start.

It is totally possible to have a clear picture of what you want to do with your degree. This is generally what separates medical school applicants. As an engineer (with some job experience also), I have a clear picture of what will make me happy in 7-8 yrs (getting there is a whole different story, however, :) ).

I'm just worried that the "I want to practice medicine because it's always been a dream of mine/i like people/my grandma died when i was young" will not be a sufficient answer anymore. To remain competitive, you need to be forwarded thinking. Do you want to be a clinical researcher, a rural medicine physician, a life-flight doc, etc etc... Medical school is by no means the end, and showing that you understand this may set you apart from the other candidates.

Of course this is only my opinion, however.
 
annndyr said:
^^ Excellent comments.

I agree that a large portion of the application process is a sales pitch, so it becomes important that you tell the admissions committee what they want to hear. These are real people, though, and will sympathize with you when you speak realistically about the profession. They understand that medicine [generally] implies job security, and I'd reason to say that they will appreciate the practicality of such an answer. This can be said for any type of job interview as well. And you're right, my one sentence intro's should not be the end of such an open-ended question, but they are a start.

It is totally possible to have a clear picture of what you want to do with your degree. This is generally what separates medical school applicants. As an engineer (with some job experience also), I have a clear picture of what will make me happy in 7-8 yrs (getting there is a whole different story, however, :) ).

I'm just worried that the "I want to practice medicine because it's always been a dream of mine/i like people/my grandma died when i was young" will not be a sufficient answer anymore. To remain competitive, you need to be forwarded thinking. Do you want to be a clinical researcher, a rural medicine physician, a life-flight doc, etc etc... Medical school is by no means the end, and showing that you understand this may set you apart from the other candidates.

Of course this is only my opinion, however.
Click to expand...

Good luck! Check back in in 2014?
 
Since I started off wanting to be a fine arts major, I'm going to try and draw a correlation between using my hands to paint and create art and using them to save lives. Cheesy as possible! :laugh:
 
Why does no one ask the interviewer that question?:confused::idea:
 
Kaustikos said:
Why does no one ask the interviewer that question?:confused::idea:
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Who said we didn't?

I asked each and every one of my MD interviewers why they became doctors and why they chose the school to which they are currently affiliated.
 
You need to find out this answer for yourself.

What experiences continue you on the pre-med path?
Why have you chosen certain coursework?

Whatever you do, do not take an anwer from someone in this thread use it as your own. You will be doing yourself a deservice. It is okay to not have the answer right away. Personal experience through shadowing, volunteering and clinical exposure have given me mine.
 
Know someone who literally answered, on the first day of class when some profs ask people to introduce themeselves, "i want to tell people to turn their head and cough."

awkward. :)
 
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