med school/residency & family

[squeakyuk]

Hi,

I'm still getting my undergrad degree and I'm really interested in becoming a psychiatrist. I'm 22, married and have a 1 year old. I was just wondering if I'm crazy to go to med school with a family (though I'll be taking 2 years off between graduating and going to med school so my son will be like 4 1/2 then). And which seems to be harder for families, med school or residency?
I'm really good at organizing my time and I'm currently getting my undergrad abroad in the UK (from MA) and we're away from family 8 months a year (but we both miss out family and friends quite a bit).
Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks

~CJ

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[YOYO230]

Hi,

I'm still getting my undergrad degree and I'm really interested in becoming a psychiatrist. I'm 22, married and have a 1 year old. I was just wondering if I'm crazy to go to med school with a family (though I'll be taking 2 years off between graduating and going to med school so my son will be like 4 1/2 then). And which seems to be harder for families, med school or residency?
I'm really good at organizing my time and I'm currently getting my undergrad abroad in the UK (from MA) and we're away from family 8 months a year (but we both miss out family and friends quite a bit).
Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks

~CJ

well i am not going to med school but my boyfriend is and we've talked many times about the time commitments medical school/residency takes up. there is NOTHING to say that you CAN'T do it...i mean i'm sure people with families and children go to medical school all the time. it also depends on what your husband does. if he's going to graduate/law/medical school or has a job that takes up serious time you might think about your child. (example: would he/she be spending most time with a babysitter or other child care provider) while i have not yet experienced medical school (but will in the next year as my bf will be in his 1st year) i really believe having a family where two people are constantly working/studying would be difficult at times. now there's nothing to say that it can't be done. just think about what's going to make you happy and what's best for your family. good luck to you!

 

[Wifty]

It is completely possible! The more people though you have around you that can spend time with your child, the easier it will be, but it can be done just you and hubby. It helps that your son will be old enough to go to preschool if needed.

My hubby just got thru the Match (well, still waiting to see where he matched! Ugh!) and the past 4 years have been alot easier then we were geared up to handling. We had a child during his second year and the school let him have lots of time off to be with her when she was newborn.

Alot of it is choice - hubby decided at the start to aim at being a B student so that he wasnt' studying incessantly. Some classes he ended up with a C, others an A and an overall grade of a high B. We were very happy with that as he had to study only really for major tests. We also chose to go to a rotation site that was very family friendly and they have let him have days off as he needed them in order to be with us.

We don't have any family in the area and I am a stay-at-home mom which helps. If we had even one family person to occasionally watch our daughter, it would make things easier but things are definately doeable.

Just make sure your hubby is ready for the task and keep control of your time and aim for family-oriented goals (ie - grades, rotations, etc) and you will be done and be doing what you want in no time!

With smiles,
Wifty

 

[tussin]

Hi,

I'm still getting my undergrad degree and I'm really interested in becoming a psychiatrist. I'm 22, married and have a 1 year old. I was just wondering if I'm crazy to go to med school with a family (though I'll be taking 2 years off between graduating and going to med school so my son will be like 4 1/2 then). And which seems to be harder for families, med school or residency?
I'm really good at organizing my time and I'm currently getting my undergrad abroad in the UK (from MA) and we're away from family 8 months a year (but we both miss out family and friends quite a bit).
Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks

~CJ

Go for it if this is what you want in life. Besides, psychiatry has a fairly good lifestyle. Hours are pretty forgiving when it comes to a family life. If you really want to become a physician, do it. Your kids will have a better life and you will feel like you acomplished something worthwhile.