Love for Medicine

[christina44]

I have recently been accepted to a post-bacc pre-medical program (graduated from UC Berkeley as a non-science major last year), and have a question that may seem a bit silly.

I continually hear that the trials and tribulations of Med School + Residency are only worth it if you have a "Love for Medicine". I have not taken a real science class in years but I find myself thinking about becoming a doctor every single day now for the past year. Essentially my question is this: how can one know they love medicine until they actually study it? Furthermore--any insight on why non-trads took the leap of faith towards medicine?

Any comments are greatly appreciated.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[canjosh]

I see your point...maybe this will help.

Why do you want to be a physician? What has brought you to the conclusion that medicine is for you?

I know these questions sound rhetorical and maybe even superficial, but they really might help you think through your decision. For me, I made the leap once I realized that there was not another career field which married together so many of the things that are important to me: Autonomy; using science to guide decisions, yet allowing for artful practice; being with people in a time of great need; a constantly changing knowledge base, etc.

Sorry that was a bit wordy...I hope it helped more than hindered. Good luck!

 

[FrkyBgStok]

I think the "love for medicine" notion applies to those that think, "hey, I am gonna be a doctor and get rich and only work part time," and when things get real, they don't realize the sacrfice that is made. They also see the glamourized tv shows and think that's how real medicine is. If you don't love medicine it is easy to say wow this sucks. But the grass isn't always grenner. Many traditional students have also never had a job and getting pushed into the 70 hour work weeks takes people by surprise.

You can't know if you love it until you do it, that's why people take classes and shadow. As for as making the jump, many nontrads realize that real life sucks and if we gotta do this, we might as well do something we enjoy. If I am happier in my career, my family is happier in the home.

Just my two cents.

 

[OveractiveBrain]

I have recently been accepted to a post-bacc pre-medical program (graduated from UC Berkeley as a non-science major last year), and have a question that may seem a bit silly.

I continually hear that the trials and tribulations of Med School + Residency are only worth it if you have a "Love for Medicine". I have not taken a real science class in years but I find myself thinking about becoming a doctor every single day now for the past year. Essentially my question is this: how can one know they love medicine until they actually study it? Furthermore--any insight on why non-trads took the leap of faith towards medicine?

Any comments are greatly appreciated.

Ask yourself: Do I want to work hard, 80 hours a week, for the next 7 years minimum (4 med school, 3 residency), giving up hobbies, relationships, freedom, going massively into debt all for the sake of touching a few hundred people's lives each year? Is your heart in the betterment of mankind, the curing of the ailing, the meak, and the sick. Are you willing to help people who can't help themselves, knowing that your reward will be a couple of bucks and some warm fuzzies?

If your heart, your purpose, your why is rooted in solid principles of what medicine is supposed to represent (sacrifice, commitment, mastery) than you will truly enjoy the field. There is no other position in the country that takes as much time, as much training, and as much sheer mental capacity as medicine. Sure, it can be done with algorithms (ERs function just fine). But the reason you go into medicine isn't to be "some doctor" its to be the "master of the human; spirit, body, and mind." Its hard. Its long. It sucks. But if you have good values, a good reason, everything you do is worth it.

People choose a profession for one of 3 reasons:
(1) Money - oops, medicine not a good choice
(2) Social Status - ugh... losing that too
(3) Moral / Ethical - doing the right thing at the right time. I could be a social worker...

None of which medicine satisfies anymore. What I see the drive into medicine being is this:

(4) Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose - Yeah, there you go. The ability to do what you want, when you want to, because no one else is better trained than you are (especially not the MBAs at hospitals telling you which tests you can and cannot order). You alone will have mastered more about the human condition than any other person on the planet. You will have joined the top 0.0001% of the world in terms of knowledge and human understanding. Medicine has the best purpose of all: healing the wounded, curing the sick, preventing disease. To make people live longer, happier lives, all through the power of touch, through the power of our intellect.

Hows that for motivation?

 

[christina44]

Thank you all for confirming why I am taking this leap of faith! Best of luck to all of you in the future--truly appreciate your insightful comments.

 

[Prettywoman0172]

You are rare...and we need more like you.

Thank you for writing this.

Ask yourself: Do I want to work hard, 80 hours a week, for the next 7 years minimum (4 med school, 3 residency), giving up hobbies, relationships, freedom, going massively into debt all for the sake of touching a few hundred people's lives each year? Is your heart in the betterment of mankind, the curing of the ailing, the meak, and the sick. Are you willing to help people who can't help themselves, knowing that your reward will be a couple of bucks and some warm fuzzies?

If your heart, your purpose, your why is rooted in solid principles of what medicine is supposed to represent (sacrifice, commitment, mastery) than you will truly enjoy the field. There is no other position in the country that takes as much time, as much training, and as much sheer mental capacity as medicine. Sure, it can be done with algorithms (ERs function just fine). But the reason you go into medicine isn't to be "some doctor" its to be the "master of the human; spirit, body, and mind." Its hard. Its long. It sucks. But if you have good values, a good reason, everything you do is worth it.

People choose a profession for one of 3 reasons:
(1) Money - oops, medicine not a good choice
(2) Social Status - ugh... losing that too
(3) Moral / Ethical - doing the right thing at the right time. I could be a social worker...

None of which medicine satisfies anymore. What I see the drive into medicine being is this:

(4) Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose - Yeah, there you go. The ability to do what you want, when you want to, because no one else is better trained than you are (especially not the MBAs at hospitals telling you which tests you can and cannot order). You alone will have mastered more about the human condition than any other person on the planet. You will have joined the top 0.0001% of the world in terms of knowledge and human understanding. Medicine has the best purpose of all: healing the wounded, curing the sick, preventing disease. To make people live longer, happier lives, all through the power of touch, through the power of our intellect.

Hows that for motivation?

 

[ruraldocmom]

(4) Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose - Yeah, there you go. The ability to do what you want, when you want to, because no one else is better trained than you are (especially not the MBAs at hospitals telling you which tests you can and cannot order). You alone will have mastered more about the human condition than any other person on the planet. You will have joined the top 0.0001% of the world in terms of knowledge and human understanding. Medicine has the best purpose of all: healing the wounded, curing the sick, preventing disease. To make people live longer, happier lives, all through the power of touch, through the power of our intellect.

Hows that for motivation?

Dude. That is it exactly.

OP, get some clinic time. I used to volunteer at a certain Free Clinic in your general vicinity as a Medic. Life Changing. Even it is not for you (1.5 year commitment, after 6 months of sacrifice-your-life training) there are SO many AMAZING places to volunteer in Berkeley & the Bay Area.

How do you know if you want to do this? This is how I knew for sure: I would leave my full-time job, running down the street so I could get to the clinic early, and leave there about 1 am. Exhausted. And thrilled. Every day something new to see, someone new to do something for & make their life better, awesome fellow medics. And making a difference--fighting back to even up the power/information imbalance that people have about their health and their own bodies (oh, crap, did I just say that on SDN...) Anyway, that is what does it for me. I just hope the memory gets me through Med School.