New Student Questioning Attending Medical School

[anony123]

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Hey all,

I just started my first year of medical school three weeks ago, and to be blunt, I'm having tremendous doubts now about my continued interest in being a physician.

To give you some background info on me, though I was pre-med in college, I worked in management consulting for two years before going to medical school. I know I've just started class, but none of the science feels like it truly interests me at the moment (histology, anatomy, biochemistry), and the extensive discussions about ethical treatment choices and philosophies make me long for the mixture of logic and creativity that I was able to use in my career as a consultant. I desperately miss the feelings of accomplishment and achievement that I would have after a long day of work, when I could look back and see the tangible accomplishments I had made on a daily basis.

I know that I've really just started, and still have yet to have any patient interactions, but I'm a bit overwhelmed with a feeling of concern that I'm in the wrong place. Has anyone else ever grappled with this in a similar way to me, or seen it play out with someone else? And is there any advice you can offer?

Thanks,
-a

 

[operaman]

Tough to say. You're pretty early in the year and may (depending on your school's policy) be eligible for some measure of refund if you drop now. While M1 is nothing like actual patient care, there's still a long road ahead before getting there. I guess it depends on what drew you to medicine in the first place and whether that is realistic. Many fields of medicine don't really see "tangible accomplishments...on a daily basis." You sound like someone who might be drawn into a surgical or procedural field, but are you up for doing what's required to get there?

I think you would benefit from some candid conversations with people who know you beyond one post on a forum. Tell them what you're feeling and get a few points of view. Try and get a sense of what your actual day in and day out will be like when you finish and see if that's something that will honestly make you happy and fulfilled professionally. If so, then head down and push through the grind of M1/M2. If not, then maybe it's worth pulling the rip cord before running up a 6-figure tab.

 

[mvenus929]

You can't judge what a career in medicine will be like based on the first couple weeks in med school. They are quite literally nothing alike. I hated histology and anatomy and biochemistry too, but I love treating children every day, and do have that sense of accomplishment when I get home at night. Most night, anyway.