I dislike basic sciences, is medicine the wrong choice?

[123med321]

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Hi,
I am not speaking of myself. I would like to know if someone who dislikes basic sciences is choosing the wrong career by going into medicine. They get all A's and everything, but just don't enjoy them. How much chem and physics are used in the typical physician's day?

 

[ThaliaNox]

While chemistry and physics are not often used in the daily life of a doctor, they do form the foundation for biology, which certainly is used in the daily life of a doctor. If the friend doesn't like biology at least, I would recommend something else.

 

[MilkmanAl]

For what it's worth, I either hated or blindly pushed through most of my first year, but I'm still glad I'm here.

 

[ArkansasRanger]

I'm not at all interested in chemistry or physics, but it's still the route I want to go. Biology is cool for me.

 

[7starmantis]

i'm not a fan of physics or chem or even biology really. I do love clinical medicine and physiology. I think at least some appreciation of learning these "basic" sciences is needed to at least get through them.

 

[tremulousNeedle]

Some basic sciences are important for understanding physiologic and pathophysiologic concepts in medicine, but really have nothing to do with the actual practice of clinical medicine.

-senior med student (for 6 more days)

 

[sideways]

Don't fret. I'm in medical school and I pretty much hate science.

 

[getright]

I hope you're joking^

 

[sideways]

Not joking.

 

[CoolWhipp]

If you can't predict 3-D structure from amino acid sequence, then you are not fit to be a doctor.

 

[Doc187]

If you can't predict 3-D structure from amino acid sequence, then you are not fit to be a doctor.

That actually made me laugh out loud.

 

[123med321]

I understand that your last two years of med school are clinical years. Are the first two years a lot more basic sciences? How much do the grades in those first two years affect residency placement?

 

[tremulousNeedle]

I understand that your last two years of med school are clinical years. Are the first two years a lot more basic sciences? How much do the grades in those first two years affect residency placement?

This is the traditional model of medical school education, though there are several schools that have deviated from this pattern for more innovated ways of teaching medicine.

Yes, the first two years are basic science, more or less. However, basic history taking and physical exam techniques are also taught as well as medical ethics, some version of medical stats, and behavioral sciences.

Grades from the first two years aren't usually the priority of many residencies, but obviously for competitive specialties they may look at these more closely than other specialties. They can also be important to obtain entry into AOA (the med student honor society), which does look good on residency applications, especially for competitive programs.