Is it worth it?

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desigirl101

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Hi everyone,

I'm having doubts about whether I should be a doctor or not. Don't get me wrong, I love what doctors do, I love working with people, I love the sciences they study (except ochem!) and I'm not shying away from hard work. But what I struggle with is the system. I feel like being a doctor demands perfection. Perfect grades, perfect prereqs, perfect experiences, and perfect ranks. If you aren't at the top, there are twenty more people ready to take your place. I'm not going to lie, I've tripped quite a few times in life, academically, mentally (depression), and I don't know if I can be that perfect. Moreover, while I don't shy away from work, I also don't want it to be all I have in life. I've spent the past two summers shadowing doctors, working in hospice facilities, etc etc and I generally meet two kinds of doctors: those who absolutely love their work and those who hate it. The latter started out all bright eyed and excited like everyone else, but the long hours, never seeing their families, and pay that really ended up not being worth the massive loans and horrible hours have left them jaded and bitter. I love medicine but I don't want to turn into that! I know I'll do something in healthcare for sure so if you think I can't or shouldn't be a doctor, please go ahead and tell me, I don't mind. I'm just worried that if I'm filled with so many doubts and fears now, what will happen if actually DO go to med school. Also, I'm not from a rich family or anything so before I commit myself to something so expensive for 4 years, I'd rather take a step back and make sure it really is what I want

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Hi everyone,

I'm having doubts about whether I should be a doctor or not. Don't get me wrong, I love what doctors do, I love working with people, I love the sciences they study (except ochem!) and I'm not shying away from hard work. But what I struggle with is the system. I feel like being a doctor demands perfection. Perfect grades, perfect prereqs, perfect experiences, and perfect ranks. If you aren't at the top, there are twenty more people ready to take your place. I'm not going to lie, I've tripped quite a few times in life, academically, mentally (depression), and I don't know if I can be that perfect. Moreover, while I don't shy away from work, I also don't want it to be all I have in life. I've spent the past two summers shadowing doctors, working in hospice facilities, etc etc and I generally meet two kinds of doctors: those who absolutely love their work and those who hate it. The latter started out all bright eyed and excited like everyone else, but the long hours, never seeing their families, and pay that really ended up not being worth the massive loans and horrible hours have left them jaded and bitter. I love medicine but I don't want to turn into that! I know I'll do something in healthcare for sure so if you think I can't or shouldn't be a doctor, please go ahead and tell me, I don't mind. I'm just worried that if I'm filled with so many doubts and fears now, what will happen if actually DO go to med school. Also, I'm not from a rich family or anything so before I commit myself to something so expensive for 4 years, I'd rather take a step back and make sure it really is what I want

:whoa:

In all honesty, this is definitely not true. I've made a crap ton of mistakes in college academically, socially, etc. and still found a spot in medical school. Additionally I had to take a gap year to better prepare my application because of my long-meditated decision to enter medicine. Becoming a doctor doesn't require perfection, if anything it requires patience and hard work. To achieve in spite of difficulty and to continuing striving for excellence even when things go wrong. It is ultimately up to you whether you want to partake in this journey, and I'm not one to sway your decision either way. My recommendation is definitely to take some time and really think about it. You're doing the right thing in questioning yourself right now. Investigate other options, do something different, then come back to it and decide if it's what you really want. It will make you happier and also seem more well-rounded to ad-coms who may be better convinced that this is REALLY the path you want, having looked at alternatives. Good luck.
 
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Hi everyone,

I'm having doubts about whether I should be a doctor or not. Don't get me wrong, I love what doctors do, I love working with people, I love the sciences they study (except ochem!) and I'm not shying away from hard work. But what I struggle with is the system. I feel like being a doctor demands perfection. Perfect grades, perfect prereqs, perfect experiences, and perfect ranks. If you aren't at the top, there are twenty more people ready to take your place. I'm not going to lie, I've tripped quite a few times in life, academically, mentally (depression), and I don't know if I can be that perfect. Moreover, while I don't shy away from work, I also don't want it to be all I have in life. I've spent the past two summers shadowing doctors, working in hospice facilities, etc etc and I generally meet two kinds of doctors: those who absolutely love their work and those who hate it. The latter started out all bright eyed and excited like everyone else, but the long hours, never seeing their families, and pay that really ended up not being worth the massive loans and horrible hours have left them jaded and bitter. I love medicine but I don't want to turn into that! I know I'll do something in healthcare for sure so if you think I can't or shouldn't be a doctor, please go ahead and tell me, I don't mind. I'm just worried that if I'm filled with so many doubts and fears now, what will happen if actually DO go to med school. Also, I'm not from a rich family or anything so before I commit myself to something so expensive for 4 years, I'd rather take a step back and make sure it really is what I want
Agreed with Wonton.

OP, be careful about the bolded mentality... it is a distorted viewpoint, and it's not literally true.
 
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100% concur. I have students who have blown away entire academic years with poor performance, but still redeemed themselves.

My clinician colleagues would tell you the same thing.

Just be good at what you do, and love it.


Agreed with Wonton.

OP, be careful about the bolded mentality... it is a distorted viewpoint, and it's not literally true.
 
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