Lots of Negativity?!?!?!?

[SnowPlease]

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Reading a lot of these non-traditional forums, I sense a lot of negativity towards the long path to medicine. From "this is going to drain your life away" to "you'll be paying for this for years to come" to "If I knew this when I started, I'd wouldn't do it over again". Does anyone else see this?

 

[ShyRem]

The problem with some of the forums is it's written by current med students that work too much, study too much, have not enough time with family, not enough sleep, poor nutrition, but can't see the big picture. Sometimes you have to wade through a lot of manure to get to the meadow on the other side.

So, yes there is negativity. It's more work than you've ever done in your entire life. And it can be all-consuming. It's all too easy to leave your spouse and family behind (or have them feel left behind) by the extreme pace of learning. How you think changes. How you view people changes. And not everyone is prepared for it.

 

[fireflygirl]

Amen ShyRem! I had a previous career that I HATED so I know what it's like to be miserable and be bitching about my life all the time. On the other hand, I also know that I can control my happiness, at least professionally, and so I changed careers and am much better off and much happier. So I tend to ignore all the negativity and just realise that I am content with starting med school and the long road to becoming a doc. I know I have made the right decision for me. I know it's not going to be easy but my family is incredibly supportive, and I have wonderful friends and an amazing SO.

Finally, I grew up in a family where my father is a doc and I watched the ups and downs of a solo family practitioner so I am lucky to have been able to see the realities of medicine. But in the more than 30 years he's been practicing, he's always loved his job and until this day, doesn't regret going into medicine. Having somone like that to watch and learn from, for me, has been helpful in ignoring all the negativity I hear about elsewhere.