Pipe Dream?

[Freesia88]

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This is gonna sound weird to those who have read some of my posts and know what I'm about, seeing as I usually am rabid at the mouth about my reasons for wanting to go to med school and what I hope to achieve with a medical degree.

Does anyone think that it is a pipe dream? I feel that way sometimes. Like there is not even a slight chance that I would be able to do anything to get the standards of healthcare better in my country and maybe on the African continent as a whole.

I know that I have the drive to do what I need to do to get into med school, but as to what I will be able to do after....sometimes it just seems to pointless.

Perhaps, I am jumping the gun and should just focus on getting in for now?

 

[NickNaylor]

It's a pipe dream to those who expect to change the world and have the ground they walk on because medicine is such a holy and noble profession. If, instead, you see it as a cool and interesting CAREER in which you will get to directly impact (and hopefully improve) the lives of many, many people, it will likely be what you expected.

 

[lobo.solo]

I don't think is a pipe dream. I'm sure that is something that motivates you to keep going. I know that is the case with me; getting in is the first step of a long journey.

 

[Narmerguy]

Well there's nothing wrong with just settling for getting into a med school at the moment, but I actually think it's a shame that more people don't stop to think about these things. It's easy to just fall into the path, do the minimum it takes to do a good job, and enjoy a happy productive, "comfortable" (as people on SDN love to say) life. Nothing wrong with that, you're a full grown adult who has worked hard to get where you are.

But there are also a lot of big problems out there that desperately need some smart minds that care about these issues. Why tell yourself you can't change an important part of the world? It's not a pipe dream at all. Dream big man. 👍 There's a lot of people in the world whose lives depend on it.

 

[ShenanigansMD]

Yeah, just keep the self-righteousness at the door, and the cynicism will go away (well, hopefully).

 

[NickNaylor]

Well there's nothing wrong with just settling for getting into a med school at the moment, but I actually think it's a shame that more people don't stop to think about these things. It's easy to just fall into the path, do the minimum it takes to do a good job, and enjoy a happy productive, "comfortable" (as people on SDN love to say) life. Nothing wrong with that, you're a full grown adult who has worked hard to get where you are.

But there are also a lot of big problems out there that desperately need some smart minds that care about these issues. Why tell yourself you can't change an important part of the world? It's not a pipe dream at all. Dream big man. 👍 There's a lot of people in the world whose lives depend on it.

I think it's good to have some of the optimism, but it's also good to realize that you almost certainly will not be able to make the changes you hope for. That has nothing to do with one's skills, passions, etc. and everything to do with the reality of the real world.

 

[Freesia88]

Yeah, just keep the self-righteousness at the door, and the cynicism will go away (well, hopefully).

😀 I probably deserve that.

Well there's nothing wrong with just settling for getting into a med school at the moment, but I actually think it's a shame that more people don't stop to think about these things. It's easy to just fall into the path, do the minimum it takes to do a good job, and enjoy a happy productive, "comfortable" (as people on SDN love to say) life. Nothing wrong with that, you're a full grown adult who has worked hard to get where you are.

But there are also a lot of big problems out there that desperately need some smart minds that care about these issues. Why tell yourself you can't change an important part of the world? It's not a pipe dream at all. Dream big man. 👍 There's a lot of people in the world whose lives depend on it.

You are so right. There are many health care professionals from my country here in the US. I cannot blame them for making their lives and plying their trade here as that is what they want to do and with good reason. On the other hand, the problems back home are not going to solve themselves and I don't know if I could live with myself if after all the hard work it will take to become a qualified doctor, I find I cannot reallly walk the walk.

I think it's good to have some of the optimism, but it's also good to realize that you almost certainly will not be able to make the changes you hope for. That has nothing to do with one's skills, passions, etc. and everything to do with the reality of the real world.

It is exactly this dichotomy that has me conflicted. There have to be people out there who feel the same way about things as I do but who are not able to make much of a change seeing as things a regressing instead of progressing...in my experience anyway.

 

[ShenanigansMD]

😀 I probably deserve that.

I meant it in a friendly way sorry; tone is hard to discern in a forum.

 

[Freesia88]

I meant it in a friendly way sorry; tone is hard to discern in a forum.

No worries. I do get a tad self-righteous, so you're not so far off.