Medical student. Need help regarding the future

[Krok123]

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I am a 4th year medical student about to go into my 5th year (in a 6 year program). I have known since my 3rd year that medicine is not for me. When we started going to hospitals and interacting with doctors I realised I hated it. On top of that the I know for a fact i dont have the ability to be a doctor. I have always been practically incompetent and lacking in my ability to work as a team, think on my feet, and lead others. Despite this i have powered through because i kept thinking dropping out would have meant all that hard work and money spent would be for nothing. My reasoning do to medicine was based on my parents pushing me and saying that all other professions struggle to get jobs and that becoming a doctor would mean i would avoid the labour intensive hardship they went through whilst earning a decent paycheck. I am also to blame though, i never really thought about what i wanted to do, I was more concerned with getting good grades than putting effort into exploring and doing work experience to find my passion so after A-levels when the decision came about what to pursue I just went for the option that my parents presented in front of me. Now i dont know what to do. Should i quit with only 2 years left. If i do is it worth doing another degree and trying to find my passion. Something like computer programming could be more suited to my introverted methodical personality. Or should i just continue down the road of medicine knowing i will hate it whilst struggling to perform my job competently. Alternatively should i just finish my degree and have it in my back pocket and then pursue something else. Is a medical degree without a medical licence at all valuable?

Any advice would be appreciated. I am really lost and uncertain about what to do next.

 

[deleted480308]

finish the degree.....you might hate being a med student and not hate being a doctor

you WILL hate not being able to pay back your loans without a doctor's salary

 

[libertyyne]

Are you in an AMG?what kind of debt are you looking at?

 

[darmalee]

I think that if you already know that you hate it you are doing yourself a disservice to continue. You don't mention loans but if you do have them, whatever you have now is less than what you will have with two more years. A medical degree without a license has some value (you could work for an insurance company I'm fairly sure) but not anywhere near the value of one with a license. If you know for sure that you hate medicine I think you have already answered your question.

And as far as loans, if you have them, there are income based repayment programs (at least for the time being) that could cushion the blow of having to pay back debt for an unfinished degree.

 

[Donald Juan]

I would recommend finish it out as you've completed 4 of 6 years. For one, you might find you like something; if you're introverted and don't want to be running around seeing patients you can go into a field like pathology or radiology where you have less interaction. You might also start feeling more competent as you go along. You shouldn't feel ready to be a doctor at this point. It is normal to feel incompetent at this stage (and many after it). And you can always go into a different field but you'll have the MD behind you which could open opportunities.

 

[Dr G Oogle]

In this age it may be possible that having an MD and not practicing is more lucrative than practicing medicine. Finish your degree you can literally do anything with it, administration, work in industry (device/pharmacy), etc.

DOC

Check out this website it lists jobs for docs who want to leave (or not start) practice. I personally recall 2 students I've come across recently who had the primary intention of using their degree for something other than medical practice.

If you have a light at the end of the tunnel it will make the rest of Med school more bearable. I think (without actually knowing that much about you or your situation ) that part of your problems with school stem from not having a goal that you value, so look around for non clinical opportunities, there are plenty and make connections and plans and see if it makes the rest of your time in school seem more doable.

All the best

 

[Goro]

Finish the degree. The wise @gyngyn has previously posted about what one can do with an MD degree without practicing Medicine

 

[gyngyn]

Here's a good place to start looking at alternative careers for med school grads: Alternative Careers - Shape Your Career - Careers In Medicine

 

[clausewitz2]

finish the degree.....you might hate being a med student and not hate being a doctor

you WILL hate not being able to pay back your loans without a doctor's salary

OP talks about A-levels and says "whilst", I would bet large sums of money they are in the UK and not the US. The loan burden (and earning potential) are different orders of magnitude, making this a much less obvious decision.

OP, is there any opportunity to read a different subject or would you have to start again? Unfortunately the uni I attended in Britain is notoriously strange in how they do things so I am reluctant to draw conclusions from my experience about what your options may be, but surely you can get a place on some course or another with advanced standing? Do you have an advisor or DoS you could talk to about possible options? Probably more useful than Internet randos.

 

[guytakingboards]

On top of that the I know for a fact i dont have the ability to be a doctor. I have always been practically incompetent and lacking in my ability to work as a team, think on my feet, and lead others.

Is your program telling you this or or this just your own opinion? If it's the former, then you need to seriously evaluate continuing your education knowing your own feelings.

If you're just starting clinicals and no one else seems bothered by your performance, know that you have many more years to develop into a full-fledged physician. You're not expected to be competent now.

As mentioned above, there are specialties like pathology where you can be a bit more introverted. As a radiology resident, I interact with fair amount of clinicians and patients (particularly on body and vascular interventions).

 

[Krok123]

In terms of finance my parents have paid all my fees. I study abroad and not in the UK so there was no opportunity for a loan. Therefore I dont have the burden of debt on my shoulders.

The idea of becoming a radiologist or pathologist is appealing especially because i dont have to deal with people but the only issue is i really dont think i can handle the foundation years of training. From what i have heard (and seen on TV) it is a very intensive 2 year period even for those who are competent and know at least partially what they are doing. I know doing FY1 and getting a licence would be valuable but i cannot imagine myself being competent enough to even last 1 day.

Guystakingboard to answer your question. No one has told me I am incompetent but at the same time I am in 4rth year and my practical ability has rarely been evaluated so no one would know. We go to the hospital mainly for lectures. We hardly ever do practical work and when we do doctors are not there to evaluate us. The reason i know im terrible is just due to the fact that im far worse than all my colleges in performing tasks ever since GCSE throughout A-levels and now medical school. if anyone asks me to take history, do a physical or even something as simple as applying a bandage i somehow always seem to mess up.

As of now based on what everyone has said it seems like powering through the degree and using it to find a alternative career seems like the most logical option. Quitting and pursuing something else would be amazing but in reality i cant ignore the time,effort and money spent in getting this far
Alternatively i could try and go into a medical field involving little patient contact but would it be possible for someone like me to even get through FY1/2. Could anyone share their experiences of that time and tell me what was required of them. Is it really as tough as everyone says?

Thanks for all the advice everyone, Much appreciated.

 

[libertyyne]

In terms of finance my parents have paid all my fees. I study abroad and not in the UK so there was no opportunity for a loan. Therefore I dont have the burden of debt on my shoulders.

The idea of becoming a radiologist or pathologist is appealing especially because i dont have to deal with people but the only issue is i really dont think i can handle the foundation years of training. From what i have heard (and seen on TV) it is a very intensive 2 year period even for those who are competent and know at least partially what they are doing. I know doing FY1 and getting a licence would be valuable but i cannot imagine myself being competent enough to even last 1 day.

Guystakingboard to answer your question. No one has told me I am incompetent but at the same time I am in 4rth year and my practical ability has rarely been evaluated so no one would know. We go to the hospital mainly for lectures. We hardly ever do practical work and when we do doctors are not there to evaluate us. The reason i know im terrible is just due to the fact that im far worse than all my colleges in performing tasks ever since GCSE throughout A-levels and now medical school. if anyone asks me to take history, do a physical or even something as simple as applying a bandage i somehow always seem to mess up.

As of now based on what everyone has said it seems like powering through the degree and using it to find a alternative career seems like the most logical option. Quitting and pursuing something else would be amazing but in reality i cant ignore the time,effort and money spent in getting this far
Alternatively i could try and go into a medical field involving little patient contact but would it be possible for someone like me to even get through FY1/2. Could anyone share their experiences of that time and tell me what was required of them. Is it really as tough as everyone says?

Thanks for all the advice everyone, Much appreciated.

I am sure everyone feels incompetent. I dont think many people on this website will be able to give you any specific advice considering your training and prospects are very different compared to the US. That being said i would try to change your perspective, even though you feel incompetent your educators dont think so and have allowed you to progress to the year you are currently in. where are you studying? No one is born as house MD everyone has to fumble and bumble their way through.

 

[guytakingboards]

Guystakingboard to answer your question. No one has told me I am incompetent but at the same time I am in 4rth year and my practical ability has rarely been evaluated so no one would know. We go to the hospital mainly for lectures. We hardly ever do practical work and when we do doctors are not there to evaluate us. The reason i know im terrible is just due to the fact that im far worse than all my colleges in performing tasks ever since GCSE throughout A-levels and now medical school. if anyone asks me to take history, do a physical or even something as simple as applying a bandage i somehow always seem to mess up.

A few thoughts spring to mind. First, if no one is telling you you're below par then you either aren't OR aren't yet being judged for it. Based on your description of the lack of practical work and lack of physician evaluation, it sounds like you're only in earliest stages of clinical exposure; this sounds almost akin to learning clinical skills as a first year medical student and going into the hospital to do an H&P to turn into the preceptor. I can tell you from my experience some people were better than others at the very beginning and that means absolutely nothing down the line.

I'll even double down and say that you can be below average clinically at multiple points in your training and that still won't matter a whole lot. The great (and terrible) thing about medicine is that you are continually building and refining your skills. As long as you meet the minimum bar at each level (determined by your program and various standardized/licensing tests) then you will continue to progress and be given the opportunity to improve your skills whether as a trainee or staff.

 

[operaman]

Yeah stick with it. You haven't even gotten to the good part yet. Everyone struggles with things, even those who seem like it comes easy for them. Struggling is just part of the experience. There's a reason they make us all be supervised for so many years - getting good at this stuff takes time.

There are many careers inside and outside of clinical medicine that will suit your personality. Finish the degree.

 

[bannie22]

pathology?

 

[RandomDuck]

Keep on pushing and stick with itz


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