How sure are you that you want to be a doctor?

[fiznat]

I'm sure the answer from most of you has to be "very sure," but I'm interested in hearing the reasons why.

I am currently 24 years old, 2 years ago having graduated from Boston University with a BA in Philosophy and Psychology. Currently I am working as a Paramedic in a busy urban system near home, slowly completing (and not completing, as the case may be 🙁 ) my pre-med post-bacc reqs. I've had this interest in medicine since I first became an EMT back in college during my sophomore year. That interest has matured (I believe that is the word for it) over the past few years, eventually culminating with me pretty much peaking out in the EMS field, and looking for more at a medical school.

The question still lingers though, as I imagine it would for many in my position: is this med school thing really worth it? It really is SO much work. SO much commitment to a future that truly many of us know very little about. I've been lucky enough to see much of medicine "from the inside" working as a paramedic, but I'm the first to realize that my understanding of what Physician-level medicine truly would be like is VERY lacking. I have very little idea of what day-to-day life is like for an MD, or whether I truly am cut out for this kind of job.

How can any of you guys be so sure that you want to be a doctor? What are your reasons for making these sacrifices, and why does only becoming an MD (or DO) satisfy you? Why not RN? ...Or PA? How sure are you that you will fit in and that this is right for you?

I suppose we each have our own reasons, but I'm interested to hear from you guys who - like myself - have chosen "late" to change directions towards these ends. How is it that we can work so hard for something that many of us truly cannot understand until we have gone through it all? How can we be so sure?

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[daeojkim]

If you definitely, surely want to be a doctor for the right reasons, then it is definitely worth it. But no mater how much you want to be a doctor for the wrong reasons, then it is not worth it.

Some may find that they got into medicine for wrong reasons during first year of medical school and some may not realze until they are many years into their practice. Wouldn't it be reasonable to say that if after being a physician for many years one finds to hate what he/she is doing, then this person got into medicine for wrong reasons?

The right and wrong reason really depends on each individuals personality and value.

I think there are many reasons why one would choose to become a physician and not RN, PA etc. First reason that I can think about is that being a doctor does in fact allow you to do things that RN or PA can't do. e.g. if you want become a orthopasedic surgeon because you like the intensity of surgery and fixing people's knees or spine, then only an MD / DO could do it. Another reason that I can think of is, generally medical students tend to be high achievers , type-A's, so they want to be in a position that would be considered high up in the hierachy. And what is considered higher than a physician in field of medicine other than patients? (Well may be HMO but that's another story). Then there is money and security of the profession, etc. Perhaps many would not like to admit, but if high school teachers would get paid as much and get respect that physicians do, then M.Ed programs would be as competitive as medical schools.

 

[emeraldsky]

i think your EMT background and the fact that you are asking these questions means you're the kind of person who would do a lot of good in the medical field. i really hate hearing about college grads going off straight to med school without ever having volunteered in a hospital or without ever having had any patient interaction.

when i have periods of doubt, i reach out for help:
- my school offered externship opportunities where you could shadow a physician for a day or two so you could get a feel for it. i got to see both the clinical and administrative side of medicine. it's possible that your post-bacc school offers such opportunities. or as an EMT you may have built certain professional relationships with physicians or other health care workers who might be able to help steer you in the right direction.
- you can reach out to alums of your alma mater just to see if they're willing to answer questions. i'm fairly certain every school has a listing of the most recent contact info for alums available or networking opportunities. scan the ones for MDs or DOs.
- reach out to friends who went through med school or who are in med school. because like you said, it's a LOT you have to go through before you can come out a doctor on the other side. and listening to them talk about it all helped me think about if that's what i wanted for myself. all the schooling, the training, the examinations...
- reaching out to former pre-meds who decided to pursue other careers was the biggest help. because i needed to hear from them why they decided to change their minds, how they came to terms with their decision and made peace with it, and then how they went about making a career change. it helps to hear both sides and weigh your options.

as for the doctors versus nurses versus other health care workers thing, i will admit right now that i could never do what nurses do. from what i have come to understand from working in a hospital, you have to go through a lot of school to become a physician but you have to go through a lot day to day just being a nurse. i have incredible respect for nurses and i just plainly could not do what they do. and i actually prefer to see a PA to an MD myself but i really need to be where the action is (i'm hoping to go into surgical specialty) and that's not something i can do as a PA.

what my friends and mentors have taught me is that in the end it's about knowing what you want and knowing your limitations. the above has been helpful to me-- i hope at least some of it will be helpful to you too. good luck!

 

[relentless11]

How can any of you guys be so sure that you want to be a doctor? What are your reasons for making these sacrifices, and why does only becoming an MD (or DO) satisfy you? Why not RN? ...Or PA? How sure are you that you will fit in and that this is right for you?

I suppose we each have our own reasons, but I'm interested to hear from you guys who - like myself - have chosen "late" to change directions towards these ends. How is it that we can work so hard for something that many of us truly cannot understand until we have gone through it all? How can we be so sure?

Pretty much, on my end, although as an undergrad I already wanted to be a physician, my now clinically-oriented PhD thesis has only justified my reasons for wanting to be an MD. Thus, I will have to take many of the courses covered in the first 2 years of med school. In terms of clinical sciences, I've been tutored by the attendings, fellows and residents who assist me with my project. At night, I embrace the various texts on internal medicine to barely understand what these people do. I must admit, with all these physicians teaching me, and even asking me questions during rounds, my long days at our medical center has become an intellectual bootcamp. Dont' get me wrong, its fascinating, but it has shown me that I have much motivation for this field, thereby allowing me to want to learn more and more to successfully survive my encounters with our docs, and ultimately my thesis committee (and FDA).

So yea, in addition to wanting to help people, which can be accomplished by many fields not limited to individuals holding MD/DO degrees, I enjoy the subject, the science, the interaction, and of course the teaching of medicine. In the end, academic medicine appears to be what I want to do, and so far, everyday I go to school and to do research at the hospital, I justify my reasons for wanting to go to med school.

Now, in contrast, I have a friend who was just into helping people and liking science. Although she didn't use those words during her interview, she today is a 3rd year med student, and enjoying it, despite losing much sleep😉. So really, if you have the motivation than go for it, if not then consider something else. Its a long road, and you really have to look at getting an MD degree and using an MD degree as a full-time job from here on out. Learning never ends, its like perpetual school. I love it! 🙂 Never have to leave academia😉. Thats just from my perspective though. I agree with what everyone else said, but ultimately the person who knows yourself the best is YOU. So you will be the one that has to look deeply inside and find that answer to your question.

 

[zatojoshi]

I'm interested to hear from you guys who - like myself - have chosen "late" to change directions towards these ends. How is it that we can work so hard for something that many of us truly cannot understand until we have gone through it all? How can we be so sure?

"Sure" is a word that privileged kids whose parents, grandparents, uncles, etc. were all doctors and raised to wanna be nothing else, and had every educational and economic privilege to help them reach that goal. That's about .01% of the pre-med student population.

For the rest of us "normal people", there is no certainty. There is only chance. Chance that it's the wrong field for us, chance that we'll bomb out and waste money... I prefer to think of it as, there is a chance that I will get a career that is intellectually and emotionally fullfilling for me that I will enjoy and not wanna retire from. I'll take a chance at getting that, rather than being safe, and stuck in a job I hate.😎

 

[relentless11]

"Sure" is a word that privileged kids whose parents, grandparents, uncles, etc. were all doctors and raised to wanna be nothing else, and had every educational and economic privilege to help them reach that goal. That's about .01% of the pre-med student population.

I disagree, my family has never gone beyond a bachelors degree. I went public schools, and supported myself through undergrad to reach my goal. However, as stated previously, I'm quite sure that this field is for me. The question is where will I go and when, rather than if.

There are plenty of people out there who are sure about their lives just as there are people that aren't too clear about their future goals. Its not neccessarily due to what their family does for a living, economic status, or educational background. Your over-generalized statement appears to be biased. You're are normal either way. I personally applaud those that have family's who support their goals in the way you describe. But I see no difference in my motivation to become a physician vs. the people you describe. The root cause of what you describe is a person's lack of knowing themselves, not their family's level of education, economic status, etc.

Our chief of vascular surgery has a wife who is also surgeon, but the kid has decided to do something non-medical related. My PI's kids have also pursued the non-medical route, despite having generations of physicians in the family. Last but not least, my friend who is now an MSIII, has a younger sister, who seeing how horrible (in her opinion) med school is, decides to NOT want to be a physician. She knows what she wants, and acts upon it. Thats the difference of knowing if you are "sure" or as you said if you are "normal".