- Joined
- Aug 3, 2005
- Messages
- 160
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- 25
I've been thinking for a while that I'd like to submit a post on SDN from the other side, after all my training was finished. I was on SDN and was helped out a lot on the beginning of the journey, and relied on the continued enthusiasm of pre-meds on here to keep me going during particularly difficult times of my training. Now that I'm done, I'd like to post some realizations I've had along the way. Take them or leave them. I promise this won't be the usual "Don't do it, it's not worth it" soul-destroying post that jaded residents and overworked junior attendings gift you with from time to time.
Having said that, I was reading through some of the posts today, and picked up on a big theme. There are a lot of people who want to become an MD (not DO, not NP, not PA) at any cost, without a lot of insight into what their next ten years will be like. I am about to start my first job as an attending; I am finishing my training after 2 years as a post-bacc, 1 gap year working as medical assistant, 4 years as a medical student, four years in residency, and 1 year of fellowship. I started at age 25 and finishing training at age 36. More or less no matter who you are, give or take a year, this is what you are looking at. I am where you guys are all saying you want to be in a decade from now. So here are my thoughts:
The big question is, would I do it again, knowing then what I know now? Yes and no. I would do it, but maybe a little differently. I actually like the field of medicine, but that was a happy accident. I had not really had any significant exposure to medicine even while I was taking post-bacc classes, other than being sick myself in the past and seeing other family members in the hospital. Although volunteering in a hospital and then being a medical assistant in clinic helped (when I eventually started doing it a year into my post-bacc), it really didn't even begin to give me a feel for what I was getting myself into.
Insight 1: Would have researched the medical field more, and gotten WAY more exposure o the field BEFORE starting my post-bacc.
Now that I am on the other end, I realize that part of my drive to be an MD was not because I really wanted to be a physician, but that I wanted to prove to the world and myself that I COULD become an MD. I had felt a little lost in my early twenties, feeling like I was supposed to be on track for success, and not sure how to do that. Getting an MD seemed like a great way to gain status and success in the world, and with that nice feeling of altruism that goes with pursuing a profession where you could "help people". Not exactly the best reason to choose a vocation, especially one with such high investment in time and resources up front. As it turns out, if it was just about money and success, I probably would have done better in a different field. Getting an MD really isn't a great way to be successful anymore, given the significant high investments up front, and diminishing payoffs on the other end. However, would I have been happy in any of the other, more lucrative fields? Who knows!
Insight 2: Would have done more soul-searching as to WHY I wanted to become an MD (not just the personal statement answer).
Also, now that I have been through it, I realize that I probably would have been happier as a PA or NP. I would have gotten through training a lot faster with less expense. As a result, I would have had more time to do things like get married and build a family sooner, go on more trips, pursue more hobbies, etc. I think I would have been a little better suited for those particular roles as well, given my personality. The things I like best about medicine I would have had more of in those roles, and maybe less of the stuff I hate in the role I am in now. In addition, the amount of money you make as a midlevel all that much different than as an MD (at least non-surgical/procedural MD), and midlevels are earning a lot more a lot sooner with less debt than someone in my situation. Granted, in the long run my upper salary limit is higher, but a lot of that money goes toward paying off student loans, licensing fees, etc.
Insight 3: Would have looked much more in-depth into other medical roles (NP/PA/midlevel) and the pros and cons of pursuing those routes versus an MD.
Insight 4: Would have thought a little more about what I would be giving up along the way (the chance of a marriage, family, travel, hobbies, or even the repercussions of delaying these things).
That being said, now that the sacrifice has been made and I am at the other end, am I sorry I'm a doctor? No. Is my career rewarding? A resounding yes. Do I feel like the sacrifices in my life were worth it? Yes and no. Maybe I won't ever know for sure until I get to the end of my life and look back on what I was able to do and experience. If I could give only ONE piece of advice, it would be to think hard about this journey before you take it, and examine why you want this, what your motivations are, what you want your life to look like in ten years, and how this journey would promote or prevent that.
Please post or PM with questions or if you need advice. Even now I come back and read your enthusiastic posts to remind myself why I embarked on this journey over a decade ago. Thank you for your enthusiasm, your drive, and your ambition. Thanks for proving to the world that your story is not pre-determined at 21, and that you can achieve anything with focus, concentration, and determination.
Having said that, I was reading through some of the posts today, and picked up on a big theme. There are a lot of people who want to become an MD (not DO, not NP, not PA) at any cost, without a lot of insight into what their next ten years will be like. I am about to start my first job as an attending; I am finishing my training after 2 years as a post-bacc, 1 gap year working as medical assistant, 4 years as a medical student, four years in residency, and 1 year of fellowship. I started at age 25 and finishing training at age 36. More or less no matter who you are, give or take a year, this is what you are looking at. I am where you guys are all saying you want to be in a decade from now. So here are my thoughts:
The big question is, would I do it again, knowing then what I know now? Yes and no. I would do it, but maybe a little differently. I actually like the field of medicine, but that was a happy accident. I had not really had any significant exposure to medicine even while I was taking post-bacc classes, other than being sick myself in the past and seeing other family members in the hospital. Although volunteering in a hospital and then being a medical assistant in clinic helped (when I eventually started doing it a year into my post-bacc), it really didn't even begin to give me a feel for what I was getting myself into.
Insight 1: Would have researched the medical field more, and gotten WAY more exposure o the field BEFORE starting my post-bacc.
Now that I am on the other end, I realize that part of my drive to be an MD was not because I really wanted to be a physician, but that I wanted to prove to the world and myself that I COULD become an MD. I had felt a little lost in my early twenties, feeling like I was supposed to be on track for success, and not sure how to do that. Getting an MD seemed like a great way to gain status and success in the world, and with that nice feeling of altruism that goes with pursuing a profession where you could "help people". Not exactly the best reason to choose a vocation, especially one with such high investment in time and resources up front. As it turns out, if it was just about money and success, I probably would have done better in a different field. Getting an MD really isn't a great way to be successful anymore, given the significant high investments up front, and diminishing payoffs on the other end. However, would I have been happy in any of the other, more lucrative fields? Who knows!
Insight 2: Would have done more soul-searching as to WHY I wanted to become an MD (not just the personal statement answer).
Also, now that I have been through it, I realize that I probably would have been happier as a PA or NP. I would have gotten through training a lot faster with less expense. As a result, I would have had more time to do things like get married and build a family sooner, go on more trips, pursue more hobbies, etc. I think I would have been a little better suited for those particular roles as well, given my personality. The things I like best about medicine I would have had more of in those roles, and maybe less of the stuff I hate in the role I am in now. In addition, the amount of money you make as a midlevel all that much different than as an MD (at least non-surgical/procedural MD), and midlevels are earning a lot more a lot sooner with less debt than someone in my situation. Granted, in the long run my upper salary limit is higher, but a lot of that money goes toward paying off student loans, licensing fees, etc.
Insight 3: Would have looked much more in-depth into other medical roles (NP/PA/midlevel) and the pros and cons of pursuing those routes versus an MD.
Insight 4: Would have thought a little more about what I would be giving up along the way (the chance of a marriage, family, travel, hobbies, or even the repercussions of delaying these things).
That being said, now that the sacrifice has been made and I am at the other end, am I sorry I'm a doctor? No. Is my career rewarding? A resounding yes. Do I feel like the sacrifices in my life were worth it? Yes and no. Maybe I won't ever know for sure until I get to the end of my life and look back on what I was able to do and experience. If I could give only ONE piece of advice, it would be to think hard about this journey before you take it, and examine why you want this, what your motivations are, what you want your life to look like in ten years, and how this journey would promote or prevent that.
Please post or PM with questions or if you need advice. Even now I come back and read your enthusiastic posts to remind myself why I embarked on this journey over a decade ago. Thank you for your enthusiasm, your drive, and your ambition. Thanks for proving to the world that your story is not pre-determined at 21, and that you can achieve anything with focus, concentration, and determination.
