Necessary to have a "passion" for medicine?

[DBC03]

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No, just as stated, I'm passionate about the field. I am very intrigued by the human body and how it behaves. I am excited about the prospect of signing up for advanced physiology courses. Genetics, immunology, reproductive, neural and cardiorespiratory physiology, etc etc...I am really interested in both cancer and reproductive research. Virology. Radiology. I really want to learn about all of this and want to practice this. Studying through Med school does not sound like a drag to me because it interests me.

Several people say they want to become doctors because they want to help people...and they aren't as interested in the material as I am. I am not a heartless SOB. I just have never been the one to rush to the sick. I am good at being patient with people and listening to people.


CEO? I am not at all interested in the business world.

There’s always pathology and radiology. Perhaps even anesthesiology. There are so many varied fields that the term “physician” really isn’t specific - there are options for all personalities.


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[Ihave Nonamè]

Then be a biomedical researcher. I feel bad you gave me paragraphs and I'm only giving a couple sentences.

Why, when I could work as a physician?

 

[mcdocky]

No, just as stated, I'm passionate about the field. I am very intrigued by the human body and how it behaves. I am excited about the prospect of signing up for advanced physiology courses. Genetics, immunology, reproductive, neural and cardiorespiratory physiology, etc etc...I am really interested in both cancer and reproductive research. Virology. Radiology. I really want to learn about all of this and want to practice this. Studying through Med school does not sound like a drag to me because it interests me.

Several people say they want to become doctors because they want to help people...and they aren't as interested in the material as I am. I am not a heartless SOB. I just have never been the one to rush to the sick. I am good at being patient with people and listening to people.


CEO? I am not at all interested in the business world.

Have you by any chance considered a PhD in medical sciences?

Edit:

Why, when I could work as a physician?

One involves helping people, less autonomy, and having a persons life on your hands. Contrary to what you're probably thinking, you're not going to be House either. With the exception of a few specialties, you're going to be seeing a large sum of similar cases that don't require critical thinking. And then maybe a handful throughout your career that really push the boundaries of your diagnostic abilities.

Another involves critically applying the sciences that you supposedly are fascinated in to further the worlds understanding of them and possibly research cures for devastating diseases, chronic conditions, etc. Granted, most of your job will be thinking up ideas, writing grants, and some other administrative duties if you choose the academic approach.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Why, when I could work as a physician?

Because you don’t have strong feelings about taking care of people but love the science? Is that not obvious?

 

[infectiousdisease101]

Why, when I could work as a physician?

Because you don’t have strong feelings about taking care of people but love the science? Is that not obvious?

That supports my statement: you're in it for the money.

EDIT:

There are specialties that have much less patient interaction, but if those specialties are competitive, you may not get into their residency. If not, you're screwed. As a pre-med, you want to find a common ground in ANY specialty that you will enjoy so it does not matter where you end up as you will enjoy it regardless. With your mindset, you should not enter medical school. I think you're just lying to yourself so you can remain on the pre-med pathway at this point.

 

[Stagg737]

Hey Goro, I appreciate you taking the time to share some advice. I definitely understand your point that other jobs can make decent money as well. However, as I mentioned in my post, I have zero interest in these other careers. I at least have some interest in medicine. My dilemma now is basically: spend 4 more years in med school and 3-5 years residency for a career that I'd at least be interested in, but not necessarily super passionate about vs. going straight into the work force doing something I don't like at all. In the latter scenario, I may even have to go through more schooling anyway such as getting a master's if my engineering degree isn't what that other field is looking for.

You don't need to be passionate, but it certainly helps if you enjoy it. What you need is desire/motivation, willingness to sacrifice, and a strong work ethic. I think the fact that you're even asking these questions says a lot, and makes me believe you would be capable of succeeding. As you've said, go get some more experience, talk to physicians in various fields irl, and keep looking at various options. Just remember the amount of time, money, energy, and other sacrifices that go into becoming a physician before diving in.

In order to be great at anything, you need to have a passion for it.

This is absolutely false. Andre Agassi was one of the greatest tennis players ever, and he hated the sport basically more than anything else since he was a teenager. Literally the only reason he played was because his dad forced him to and he was so good it made sense to make money off of it. He wasn't driven by passion, he was driven by fear of failure and embarrassment. Not a path I'd recommend, but just an example of how passion is completely unnecessary.

My friend, there are easier ways to make a living. If you feel you won't burn out in medicine without actually loving what you do, please feel free to take the plunge.

There are plenty of ways to make a living, however very few of them come with the financial and career security of being a physician and many of them have issues with burnout and lack of job satisfaction as well.

What if a person is passionate about the field but not about taking care of other people?

I do like to help people out -I especially like having the answers- but I can't honestly say that my life is devoted to caring for others.

Plenty of routes. How do you feel about research? Teaching (clinical or in the classroom)? Administration/curriculum development? Consulting? People fail to realize that there's more to medicine that just seeing patients or working in hospitals/clinics. The only additional comment I'd make is that if you're not going to pursue a career seeing patients, you start figuring out your career path now instead of waiting until farther down the road.

 

[Ihave Nonamè]

That supports my statement: you're in it for the money.

EDIT:

There are specialties that have much less patient interaction, but if those specialties are competitive, you may not get into their residency. If not, you're screwed. As a pre-med, you want to find a common ground in ANY specialty that you will enjoy so it does not matter where you end up as you will enjoy it regardless. With your mindset, you should not enter medical school. I think you're just lying to yourself so you can remain on the pre-med pathway at this point.

You do know that there is no extra money in the career, right? In fact, someone made some video to show that a UPS driver makes more in the long run. The money helps but that's not what it's all about for me. The point of this thread seemed to be - is the pursuit worth it if...? When actually interested in the material, then yes, I believe it is worth it. When the motivation is there, then yes, it is doable.


I'm sorry, but I won't be swayed so easily.

 

[onyxbell]

This is absolutely false. Andre Agassi was one of the greatest tennis players ever, and he hated the sport basically more than anything else since he was a teenager. Literally the only reason he played was because his dad forced him to and he was so good it made sense to make money off of it. He wasn't driven by passion, he was driven by fear of failure and embarrassment. Not a path I'd recommend, but just an example of how passion is completely unnecessary.

I totally, totally second this. I was in the military doing intel and cryto stuff (basically those I-can-tell-you-but-I-have-to-kill-you type). Not really a fan back then but still put in the effort (including a best trainee best cadet yada yada yada) because of sentiments like duty, order etc. Also because doing well had better perks like longer leaves to visit home. I'm still indifferent towards it with a "meh" attitude. Then again this is n=1 anecdotal evidence so take it however you wish.

 

[dr_kateb]

You do know that there is no extra money in the career, right? In fact, someone made some video to show that a UPS driver makes more in the long run. The money helps but that's not what it's all about for me. The point of this thread seemed to be - is the pursuit worth it if...? When actually interested in the material, then yes, I believe it is worth it. When the motivation is there, then yes, it is doable.


I'm sorry, but I won't be swayed so easily.

But do the hoes all chase the UPS driver? I think not.

And the bolded part is fake news. UPS drivers make more until age 34, and if drivers get overtime, the age goes up to 41 for specialists and 53 for primary care. You plan on dying before 53 or what?

Here it is:

 

[calivianya]

No, just as stated, I'm passionate about the field. I am very intrigued by the human body and how it behaves. I am excited about the prospect of signing up for advanced physiology courses. Genetics, immunology, reproductive, neural and cardiorespiratory physiology, etc etc...I am really interested in both cancer and reproductive research. Virology. Radiology. I really want to learn about all of this and want to practice this. Studying through Med school does not sound like a drag to me because it interests me.

Several people say they want to become doctors because they want to help people...and they aren't as interested in the material as I am. I am not a heartless SOB. I just have never been the one to rush to the sick. I am good at being patient with people and listening to people.


CEO? I am not at all interested in the business world.

I don't think this is a bad thing. This is a lot of how I am. One of the things I'm looking forward to tremendously about becoming a doctor is the shorter interactions with patients and their families. I'd rather talk to a huge number of people for 10-30 minutes each than talk to one person for five hours, and I can really shine in those shorter, more limited kinds of interactions. I start fraying at the edges once I've had to talk to a stranger for more than a couple of hours straight.

I like the pathophys. I like managing the medications and thinking about the disease process. I do NOT enjoy the days where I have a 1:1 awake patient, and I literally have to sit in the room with an awake patient staring at me for 12 hours straight, for three days in a row. It's way more exhausting than managing a super sick, unconscious, vented patient, because I have to be pleasant, approachable, and friendly. All the time. My god, it's being on stage all the time, and at some point I get worn out. Or when the same family members stay my entire 12 hours shift for multiple days in a row. There's only so much talking about medications and interventions that can happen when you spend 20+ hours with the same people. At some point, you start getting grilled about your family, are you married, where did you go to school, etc. and it wears me down.

I like people in small doses. I do not enjoy being stuck in the room with the same strangers for hours on end.

Physicians interact with people, but they're generally not in the room long enough to get grilled about their personal lives by patients and families, and being able to avoid those conversations for the most part is going to be awesome. I'm sure it will still happen, but it's not going to be every patient/family every day, and that will help a lot.

 

[infectiousdisease101]

You do know that there is no extra money in the career, right? In fact, someone made some video to show that a UPS driver makes more in the long run. The money helps but that's not what it's all about for me. The point of this thread seemed to be - is the pursuit worth it if...? When actually interested in the material, then yes, I believe it is worth it. When the motivation is there, then yes, it is doable.


I'm sorry, but I won't be swayed so easily.

If you don't want to interact with patients, then biomedical research is the best field for you then you say why that when you can be a physician. So you basically want to turn down a career that matches more closely with your interests to pursue a career that includes an element you don't enjoy. Why do you want to be a physician then? Refer back to an earlier post where I said if I interviewed someone who told me they never considered any other career, the best I would give them is a "recommend with reservations". You seem to fall under that category. I also refer you to my analogy about having a crush vs falling in love, also found earlier in this thread. Stealing what @HomeSkool said since he stole my analogy, you're infatuated with medicine. I gave another career (let's call it Career B) some serious consideration and if you had asked me what I planned to do with my life two years back, I would have said Career B. I only solidified my pursuit of medicine 2-3 months ago. Have you considered any other career to the point you almost thought you would do that career instead of medicine?

You said you're not devoted to caring for others. You can be devoted to caring for people without interacting with them such as going over their chart, history, X-ray, etc very diligently. If you can't do that, why medicine at all? I hope you are aware people's lives and well-being depend on you doing your due diligence.

 

[Ihave Nonamè]

If you don't want to interact with patients, then biomedical research is the best field for you then you say why that when you can be a physician. So you basically want to turn down a career that matches more closely with your interests to pursue a career that includes an element you don't enjoy. Why do you want to be a physician then? Refer back to an earlier post where I said if I interviewed someone who told me they never considered any other career, the best I would give them is a "recommend with reservations". You seem to fall under that category. I also refer you to my analogy about having a crush vs falling in love, also found earlier in this thread. Stealing what @HomeSkool said since he stole my analogy, you're infatuated with medicine. I gave another career (let's call it Career B) some serious consideration and if you had asked me what I planned to do with my life two years back, I would have said Career B. I only solidified my pursuit of medicine 2-3 months ago. Have you considered any other career to the point you almost thought you would do that career instead of medicine?

You said you're not devoted to caring for others. You can be devoted to caring for people without interacting with them such as going over their chart, history, X-ray, etc very diligently. If you can't do that, why medicine at all? I hope you are aware people's lives and well-being depend on you doing your due diligence.

I do want to interact with patients. It's simply that I'm not as Mother Theresa as a number of pre-Meds make themselves out to be. I honestly wouldn't volunteer if it weren't an expectation.

It'd be awesome to know what is ailing a person and be able to help them get better.

 

[HomeSkool]

It'd be awesome to know what is ailing a person and be able to help them get better.

Yes, but it sucks ass to know what's ailing them and have to watch them die anyway. You don't get to savor the sweet without also tasting the bitter.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I totally, totally second this. I was in the military doing intel and cryto stuff (basically those I-can-tell-you-but-I-have-to-kill-you type). Not really a fan back then but still put in the effort (including a best trainee best cadet yada yada yada) because of sentiments like duty, order etc. Also because doing well had better perks like longer leaves to visit home. I'm still indifferent towards it with a "meh" attitude. Then again this is n=1 anecdotal evidence so take it however you wish.

Agreed. I had zero passion for most of my old job in the military, but I still advanced really quickly, got almost all EP evals (highest you can get), and awards. It wasn’t cause I was passionate. It’s because it was my job, and I try to do the best I can at my job, particularly when being a **** bag can and will adversely affect other people (or even get them hurt or killed, like in medicine). You can totally succeed in a job you even hate so long as you have integrity and a good work ethic.

Since I’ve been in healthcare in the military and now as a student, I have that passion. But several of my classmates don’t, and they are still doing just fine and did just fine as healthcare providers.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

It'd be awesome to know what is ailing a person and be able to help them get better.

It is awesome. You know what else is awesome? When a new piece of technology helps a patient get through a case successfully when they couldn’t otherwise. I’ve seen that happen in the OR a number of times, and it’s badass. It would be super cool to know something you developed is helping thousands or millions of people. There are ways of helping people without being a doctor. Not saying you shouldn’t go for it, but it’s not the only path, particularly if you really enjoy research.

 

[AsianPersuasion]

I can't genuinely say I live, eat and breath medicine. But I will say that other life experiences and my own previous employment history has led me toward medicine and made me realize the scope that I was missing this whole time. Am I salty that I'm running into old co-workers who are now NPs making north of 6 figures prescribing Robitussin for Lisinopril cough? Yeah.

Just pick something that you enjoy doing.

 

[HuskyMD Emeritus]

I think the number of people whose profession is also their passion are few. Most people train/study for an occupation that fit their abilities, situation and sometimes, the job is whatever was available at that time (think actors who are waiters).
To be a good doctor, you need a combination of intelligence, memory, diligence, persistence, obsessive-compulsiveness, stamina, integrity, and you have to care about your patients and those you work with (it's a team sport). You have to have a motivation to keep working, such as family to support (this is where money and job stability comes in). If you use passion as your driving force, you will burn out and be very disappointed very quickly. Most in this profession don't have passion, especially after 30 years of treating noncompliant patients, being dumped on by other doctors, having patients tell you what they need because Dr. Google said so, doing endless paperwork and charting (this is the majority of the work of a doctor, by the way).
I think we should have passion for nonmedical activities instead, or else you will burn out from thinking medicine 24/7.
Use the money you make as a doctor to finance your passions. It's ok to not make medicine your passion and still be a good doctor.

 

[EvenStevens]

My (seems like unpopular) opinion, coming from a family that struggled with financial insecurity for most of my upbringing, is that it is reasonable that financial stability is an important factor in choosing medicine as a profession. If you don't care about other factors (location, specialty choice), there are a pathways in medicine where you can work 4 days a week and live a pretty lucrative lifestyle. At the end of the day, medicine is just another job and I think this obsession with passion in the application process is a by-product of the American notion of self-identity being inextricably tied to profession.

Agreed, you can find your passion along the way. For example: Interest in medicine but not passion for a specific specialty until rotations where you fall in love with one.
besides, passions are very wishy washy for most people and our economic system doesn't incentivize explorations and discovery of passions

 

[mistafab]

Medicine is like a relationship. How could you be passionate about her/him if you just met him/her?

You get to know medicine when you start to be her friend (shadow) and see how she is. You start to like the things you see, you start to picture yourself with that person. Then you ask them out and if she says yes (Med school) you start to date. Things start building from there.

In med school, you learn about medicine and things about her. The more you learn, hopefully, the more you start to like her. I don't think you can be passionate if you really don't know medicine yet. You two haven't even started dating!

So do you need passion at the start? No. Not really. You just need to be attracted to medicine and be honest with yourself if you will be okay with the committment that a budding relationship may entail. You aren't going to get through on passion alone - you'll just be a passing fling that won't last. If you only have passion you'll just burn out. You have to have common interests and you have to be willing to see where things will go. You can't just pick out medicine because she'd be a cool trophy wife! Just like all things, she'll age... So you'll never be happy that way.

 

[Stagg737]

I'm going to share a little advice here that has been regularly given in allo/osteo forums when students ask what field to pick. "Don't pick a field where you love the cool cases. Pick a field where you like the bread and butter cases you'll see over and over for the next 30-40 years and where you can tolerate the BS."

I think that applies to all of medicine. Having passion is great, but true passion wears off. Especially after you see the same case for the 10,000th time (which you will literally do multiple times over in most fields). I think finding a field you enjoy and can tolerate doing long-term but will allow you time to do things outside of medicine you love will lead to far less burn out than finding a field you think you have boundless passion for now but are unsure about having to do 24/7. Medicine, like everything in life, requires balance, which is important to understand coming into med school and why ECs and personal life is emphasized in the medical school admission process.

 

[Valyria]

I'm going to share a little advice here that has been regularly given in allo/osteo forums when students ask what field to pick. "Don't pick a field where you love the cool cases. Pick a field where you like the bread and butter cases you'll see over and over for the next 30-40 years and where you can tolerate the BS."

I think that applies to all of medicine. Having passion is great, but true passion wears off. Especially after you see the same case for the 10,000th time (which you will literally do multiple times over in most fields). I think finding a field you enjoy and can tolerate doing long-term but will allow you time to do things outside of medicine you love will lead to far less burn out than finding a field you think you have boundless passion for now but are unsure about having to do 24/7. Medicine, like everything in life, requires balance, which is important to understand coming into med school and why ECs and personal life is emphasized in the medical school admission process.

I think this is 100% truth. People love to talk about passion and medicine as a 24/7 way of life, but the truth is it is a career. You need to have balance to do well. People say the applicants focused on extrinsic factors like money will burn out, but I think those with that passionate blind love of medicine do too. They feel jaded when reality comes into play and the “passion” fades. It’s all about balance. That’s what makes people happy in any career and in life in general.