To each his/her own. Everyone is different.
Some of my former medical school classmates are glad that they took their time before going to medical school.
They say it gave them perspective about life and gave them real life experience. It allowed them to appreciate the opportunity that medical school gives them. Some of the most jaded residents are the ones that went straight through without taking time off.
PreMeds/Medical Students/Residents complain about trivial matters all the time. The people that should be complaining don't even have an internet to voice their opinions because they don't have the privileges that we take for granted in our lives.
We all knew that we were going to be in debt and make peanuts as residents. This isn't some breaking news that we learned during residency. The reason it matters now is because when you are unhappy, you want to point at something now to make yourself feel better temporarily. Negativity is a frame of mind.
Instead focus on something that will make the situation better. It is about control. Many on here that complain feel TRAPPED. That is the issue.
This forum is filled with highly intelligent, driven people. The problem with intellect is that it predisposes one to analyze every single situation like a test question after the exam is returned i.e. why did I pick that answer choice. We all picked the best choice based on the information we had at the time. Don't discount your life choices because you regret it now.
To say one would have not gone to medical school and instead and gone to nursing school to become a CRNA or dentistry to go into orthodontics or cosmetic dentistry is just a way of feeling sorry for yourself.
Being a CRNA and a Dentist has its downside as well. We focus on the positive things in other fields but don't think about the complete picture. For example, Orthodontics and Cosmetic Dentistry is saturated in the best markets.
Let's face it. Dental and nursing school will never be as competitive as medical school. Going to medical school is still the best path if you want to go into health care. You just have to be honest with yourself and pick the right path for yourself.
Do you want prestige? Surgery, Cardiology, Sports Medicine
Do you want to make money? Orthopedics, Spine Surgery, Neurosurgery
Do you want lifestyle? Dermatology and Radiation Oncology.
Do you want to build relationships with patients? Family Medicine and Pediatrics.
Do you want power? Physician Executive/CEO.
Do you want to help mankind? Infectious Disease Physician in 3rd world countries.
Just remember if you pick prestige you might not get lifestyle. Or if you pick lifestyle you might not get prestige. If you want lifestyle don't pick ER or Radiology because you will work third shifts, weekends, and holidays. Analyze the pros and cons of every specialty. You have to be honest with yourself.
Everyone has a different path to happiness. Instead of focusing on past decisions as "bad choices" is defeating. Focus on the present and the future. You may feel trapped thus offer "advice" to make yourself feel better.
Stop feeling sorry for yourselves by being negative and bringing down the morale of everyone else. Misery does love company.
couldnt' have said it better myself. I think I would have been much happier if my family and loved ones were close by. I think its really important to have a very solid support system around you; which I unfortunately don't have.
My personal life is in the crapper and my relations with my family are at times strained... thats what gets me down more than anything else... if it wasn't for the long hours/lack of enough personal time things might be better.
Its not medicine I regret itself but the fact that I should have done it earlier, gotten in to a med school/residency closer to my immidiate family.
The med school debt weighs down on me quite heavily..I owe about 250K and am actually actively paying it off in residency.
If I had just one wish, it would be to do it over again but earlier, close to my family and to have put more time into my personal life. Ultimately, the ones who did not get AOA in med school or got into 'lower tiered' programs will be just as successful as myself. Many are happily married and have full lives. Its all about a balance... that I regretfully did not maintain.