Please tell this tired nontrad its worth it

[slinquii]

I am a "younger" nontraditional student with 6 years experience as an LPN. I'll be taking the MCAT in a few months. Naturally I'm going through a lot of stress because I'll be applying soon. I have worked so hard at this for so long. I need someone to tell me that medical school is going to be better than undergrad. I've read so many posts where people have asked this question, and they all get answers like "Oh HAR HAR if you can't handle undergrad how will you ever handle med school HAR HAR".

I'm not asking because I can't intellectually handle undergrad. Sure it is challenging.. but I'm asking because undergrad is so terribly boring and unstimulating. And as a nontrad who is already in a medical profession, I can get quite down on myself for, in a sense, neglecting my *first* profession (nursing) for the pursuit of medicine. For example, I see former classmates moving on to get their RN and working these amazing hospital jobs.. and I think...wow, they actually get to go work in the hospital and learn REAL THINGS and gain experiences while I'm sitting here memorizing physics equations and drawing out the TCA cycle for the Nth time! I want to get my hands dirty. I want to learn and be stimulated. I want to be challenged. I guess I just can't wait for medical school.

Can someone please tell me that they love medical school a lot more than undergrad? Reassure me that I will one day get to actually learn about medications, lab tests, and surgeries!!!

Signed,
So over this bull

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[Brorthopedic]

The material you learn in first year will be similar to the material you're learning now in terms of "dryness". You will most likely draw out the TCA cycle for the Nth time during your first year and will also be doing physics (cardiophysio). However, the environment and atmosphere you are in is completely different. You are surrounded by people within your profession.

This is what is largely different during the first year in comparison to undergrad (also the drastically increased workload). In your second year you will be studying subjects that are more relevant to medicine; however, if you're yearning to get your hands dirty, you'll have to wait until the third year of medical school.

 

[slinquii]

Thanks for the reply. I know it's not going to be all sunshine and rainbows, but I am really really excited for med school. I hate to admit it but sometimes I deal with jealousy issues because a lot of my peers are in medical professions that take a lot less training/time but are still really awesome (nursing, paramedic, respiratory care). Seeing them succeed is great but I feel like a kid missing out on the playground, as silly as that sounds. I definitely want a career in medicine, and not the professions I mentioned although I'm sure I'd love each of those too lol. I know my time will come, but it is still hard. I've tried talking to some of my friends at school but they don't really see what I mean.

 

[mspeedwagon]

First year is going to be EXACTLY like undergrad with more stress and much more boring material. Don't come in expecting it to be any different. It's a high school like environment with a graduate like workload. Go listen to a histology lecture online and tell me how interesting or exciting that is. Now try biochem, cardio-phys. You'll struggle, but you'll probably make it through if you are devoted and don't quit.

As per everyone I know, medical school becomes exciting in the 3rd year. It's a marathon. As a former distance runner, I can tell you that training for a race sucks the whole time. But, when you cross that finish line it all becomes worth it. I'm not far enough along, but that's the sense I get from peers.

 

[Ddrumem]

Med school is way better than undergrad. Yea you have some stuff that is minutiae but it is still relative to medicine. I too am a non trad student and former RN. For me nursing had a definite ceiling that I knew would not satisfy my career aspirations. Relax enjoy med school it's actually relatively smooth sailing once you solidify your study habits. I had Lots of free time and you will eventually get your hands dirty and memorize the TCA cycle a million times over and then promptly forget it.

 

[dozitgetchahi]

If you enjoy medicine and science, you'll enjoy medical school.

I found all of it to be quite stimulating and interesting and always was surprised to see so many people who didn't seem to like reading and learning about medical topics in medical school.

While the volume is challenging you also have this feeling you're learning the fine details about how the body works etc. I mean, a genetics lecture that starts with the line 'cancer cells are immortal'? An in-depth lecture about the pathophys behind Alzheimer's? Dissecting a body in anatomy lab? Even learning the Krebs cycle etc? If you don't think this is cool ****, what are you doing in medicine?

Those other professions have very abrupt 'ceilings' that wouldn't have satisfied me and probably wouldn't have satisfied you either.

 

[ortnakas]

Thanks for the reply. I know it's not going to be all sunshine and rainbows, but I am really really excited for med school. I hate to admit it but sometimes I deal with jealousy issues because a lot of my peers are in medical professions that take a lot less training/time but are still really awesome (nursing, paramedic, respiratory care). Seeing them succeed is great but I feel like a kid missing out on the playground, as silly as that sounds. I definitely want a career in medicine, and not the professions I mentioned although I'm sure I'd love each of those too lol. I know my time will come, but it is still hard. I've tried talking to some of my friends at school but they don't really see what I mean.

It's worth it, or at least it can be worth it, but it's definitely delayed gratification. You have to be okay with the "missing out on the playground" feeling, and it's not just friends in other faster-to-get-to jobs, it's friends having babies and buying houses and going on adventures.

I'm not trying to talk you out of it if it's what you really want to do-- I'm happy most of the time, I promise, and you're right that learning about medicine is awesome-- but the "missing out" feeling will stick with you past the MCAT into med school and even into residency.

 

[mspeedwagon]

There are a lot of people that hate medical school, but love being a doctor. Here is such an example: http://askanmd.blogspot.com/2010/08/i-hate-medicine.html. There are literally thousands of such blogs on the internet.

OP, medical school is delayed gratification. But, don't fool yourself that the first year of med school is going to have a lot of boring science.
Schools differ quite a bit, so I would recommend getting input from folks at the school you end up at rather than sdn.

If you enjoy medicine and science, you'll enjoy medical school.

I found all of it to be quite stimulating and interesting and always was surprised to see so many people who didn't seem to like reading and learning about medical topics in medical school.

 

[67552931811]

There are a lot of people that hate medical school, but love being a doctor. Here is such an example: http://askanmd.blogspot.com/2010/08/i-hate-medicine.html. There are literally thousands of such blogs on the internet.

OP, medical school is delayed gratification. But, don't fool yourself that the first year of med school is going to have a lot of boring science.
Schools differ quite a bit, so I would recommend getting input from folks at the school you end up at rather than sdn.

Seriously. Advice I got from physician friends/family members before starting: "med school sucks. Especially the first two years. Just get through the first two and you'll be fine."

 

[feeling-dizzy]

Med school is the hoop to jump thru to become doctor. You would not and should not expect much fun out of the hoop. Want to make a lot of money or whatever goal you want to become a doctor, there is a price to pay.

 

[slinquii]

Thank you all. I'll keep doing what I need to do because I know it's worth it. mspeedwagon, very interesting blog, thank you.

 

[dozitgetchahi]

There are a lot of people that hate medical school, but love being a doctor. Here is such an example: http://askanmd.blogspot.com/2010/08/i-hate-medicine.html. There are literally thousands of such blogs on the internet.

OP, medical school is delayed gratification. But, don't fool yourself that the first year of med school is going to have a lot of boring science.
Schools differ quite a bit, so I would recommend getting input from folks at the school you end up at rather than sdn.

False dichotomy in that blog.

Lots of people work with patients to fight disease both because they love 'the cause' (helping patients, duh, why else are we here) and because they like the science behind it.

The ones who don't like the science as much tend to have less medical knowledge and be more poorly prepared to treat patients (and yes, you can tell - I promise you). They tend not to keep up as well with the literature after training too.

Like I tell med students all the time here and elsewhere - you'll be surprised at how much of this 'useless knowledge' crops up on a daily basis on the wards, in clinic, in patient questions and during pimping sessions. Much of it that seems pointless is actually the bedrock foundation of medical practice, although you may not realize it yet. In nephrology and in the ICU, you will need every bit of physio you learned in med school...and then some. If you're going to be a surgeon, pathologist or radiologist, that dreaded cadaver dissection is going to come in awful handy. And so on.

Re: med school - if you try hard to actually enjoy things you don't like, you'll find (surprise!) that you may actually like them more. It makes life go by a little bit easier and all. Plus, remember that you can drop dead at any time for any reason...you should probably be trying to enjoy your life every day rather than grinding your teeth over it.

 

[kalat]

Pre-clinical years suck. It feels like exactly like undergraduate to me but with more stress (and some random patient encounters). I heard over and over from doctors about how pre-clinical years were the worst, and while I didn't listen, I now agree. You will learn some very interesting things that grow your passion for medicine, and you will learn a lot of useless details that no one cares about but a graduate student that happens to be researching it across the country. The good news is it's just two years.

Some people enjoy the preclinical years, but they'll probably go into pathology or academia. Maybe they'll just be exceptional physician-scientists. We're all different, right? Just know that some people go into medicine for the practice and some for the study. Do not believe you need to love preclinical years to be a good physician. Just know what you're there for and what you have to do to get to that point.

 

[mspeedwagon]

I would argue it is entirely possible to know, understand and keep up with the science in your field and still hate medical school. I know plenty of specialists that feel this way. You'll find more doctors that hate med school than loved it. I also came to school from a healthcare background.

I can promise you that I will keep up with medicine within my field, but not at med school pace and I certainly won't be memorizing things like say the Krebs cycle for fun while in practice.

I would caution people to go in prepared to find that some things in med school are dull and boring but need to be learned.

False dichotomy in that blog.

Lots of people work with patients to fight disease both because they love 'the cause' (helping patients, duh, why else are we here) and because they like the science behind it.

The ones who don't like the science as much tend to have less medical knowledge and be more poorly prepared to treat patients (and yes, you can tell - I promise you). They tend not to keep up as well with the literature after training too.

Like I tell med students all the time here and elsewhere - you'll be surprised at how much of this 'useless knowledge' crops up on a daily basis on the wards, in clinic, in patient questions and during pimping sessions. Much of it that seems pointless is actually the bedrock foundation of medical practice, although you may not realize it yet. In nephrology and in the ICU, you will need every bit of physio you learned in med school...and then some. If you're going to be a surgeon, pathologist or radiologist, that dreaded cadaver dissection is going to come in awful handy. And so on.

Re: med school - if you try hard to actually enjoy things you don't like, you'll find (surprise!) that you may actually like them more. It makes life go by a little bit easier and all. Plus, remember that you can drop dead at any time for any reason...you should probably be trying to enjoy your life every day rather than grinding your teeth over it.

 

[yanks26dmb]

I am a "younger" nontraditional student with 6 years experience as an LPN. I'll be taking the MCAT in a few months. Naturally I'm going through a lot of stress because I'll be applying soon. I have worked so hard at this for so long. I need someone to tell me that medical school is going to be better than undergrad. I've read so many posts where people have asked this question, and they all get answers like "Oh HAR HAR if you can't handle undergrad how will you ever handle med school HAR HAR".

I'm not asking because I can't intellectually handle undergrad. Sure it is challenging.. but I'm asking because undergrad is so terribly boring and unstimulating. And as a nontrad who is already in a medical profession, I can get quite down on myself for, in a sense, neglecting my *first* profession (nursing) for the pursuit of medicine. For example, I see former classmates moving on to get their RN and working these amazing hospital jobs.. and I think...wow, they actually get to go work in the hospital and learn REAL THINGS and gain experiences while I'm sitting here memorizing physics equations and drawing out the TCA cycle for the Nth time! I want to get my hands dirty. I want to learn and be stimulated. I want to be challenged. I guess I just can't wait for medical school.

Can someone please tell me that they love medical school a lot more than undergrad? Reassure me that I will one day get to actually learn about medications, lab tests, and surgeries!!!

Signed,
So over this bull

I F'd or D'd loads of classes in undergrad. I was also lazy and didnt take much more than the bare minimum pre-reqs. I'm now in the top percent of my medical school class.

It's all about when you turn it on. It can be done.

 

[petyr_baelish]

I F'd or D'd loads of classes in undergrad. I was also lazy and didnt take much more than the bare minimum pre-reqs. I'm now in the top percent of my medical school class.

It's all about when you turn it on. It can be done.

As a brief aside if OP doesn't mind, did you find it difficult to learn how to study for medical school classes?

 

[yanks26dmb]

As a brief aside if OP doesn't mind, did you find it difficult to learn how to study for medical school classes?

To be honest, no. My poor start in undergrad was pure laziness; I really didn't study or go to class. Even after I got a bit more mature, I took easy class/major so still didn't study much. I went back to school in my mid 20s to take the pre-reqs...by this point I had worked, lived in the real world, matured, and developed an insane work ethic.

Now, I'm able to work my way to the grades I get through sheer hours put in. I basically turn each lecture into an anki deck, study the anki deck, repeat repeat repeat....perhaps repeat more times than necessary even. But when the test comes, I average in the 90s because I've repeated these steps so many times.

That said, I'm sure there are others who study much less than I do and perform as good or perhaps even better. This is what works for me, so I do it.

 

[Oblique]

Medical school is not going to be better than undergrad. Sorry bud

 

[Rekt]

Medical school is not going to be better than undergrad. Sorry bud

Yeah honestly. If you're already questioning if it's worth it, it isn't. If you're looking at what others are doing (your RN friends), it only gets significantly worse in medical school. I rememer my anatomy professor talking about a good book he read, he then said you can put on a list when you have time to read seven years from now. And he's right. You're putting your life on hold for at least seven years.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Yeah honestly. If you're already questioning if it's worth it, it isn't. If you're looking at what others are doing (your RN friends), it only gets significantly worse in medical school. I rememer my anatomy professor talking about a good book he read, he then said you can put on a list when you have time to read seven years from now. And he's right. You're putting your life on hold for at least seven years.

I mean, I think we all question whether we can do it. If you weren't then honestly you weren't being all that honest with yourself when you decided to go become a doctor. But honestly, chances are medical school will be even more dry than undergrad for most people. I know for me medical school is a lot of having to motivate myself to focus on the lecture as opposed to my cell phone. When I was an undergrad taking even a dry course I found myself a lot more capable of paying attention in class ( though this is partially because a 50 minute class + a 20 minute walk outside to your next class is a lot better than 2-4 hours sitting down + a 10 minute chat or run to the coffee shop for my attention).

I mean, I don't think you're really ever putting your life on hold tbh. I think this is a very negative view of reality where people imagine that they've somehow divorced themselves from their former lives as human beings. I mean I manage to party, play video games, read a good amount of blogs, and watch plenty of netflix and am still quite often than not slightly above average in my class ( I consider that personally good since I consider my medical school and class to be very competitive and challenging). My point is, it's really not the end of the world.

 

[Ddrumem]

There's a lot of doom and gloom on here. If you manage your time well you will have more than enough free time and not feel overwhelmed. I remodeled a house had a baby played in a band saw my friends and did very well on boards and I'm having no problems getting interviews. It's hard work but no where near as bad as people make it out to be

 

[VagabondKing]

By boring and unstimulating do you mean the material is easy? A lot of med school, boards, etc is essentially the same core sciences - biochem, embryology, histology, genetics, etc but cranked up to much higher volumes in shorter periods of time. Will it get better in the sense that you will after a few years start doing actual clinical things? Yes. Will the core sciences, and nitty gritty details go away? Probably not for a long time. A lot of people came in here with the "We can finally do medicine!" mentality, and are shocked because they're spending 10 hours in the library studying biochemistry.

Edit: Undergrad was magnitudes easier than med school, but you will learn the lab tests, drugs, surgeries, etc or at least the theories behind them here.

 

[DocWinter]

No, it's not that much different. The biggest (best difference) was not having a job in medical school, so I'm not balancing work/study/sleep on a fine line like UG. That was hell. But yes, it is like UG in that it's a ton of dry minutia that needs memorizing, and the stress shifts from "will I get in" to "will I pass/will I do ok on boards/will I ever see the sun" kind of thing.

Oh, and if you had a job before, you'll remember what having money is like. Having money>>>>not having money.

3/4th year are a different animal.

 

[yanks26dmb]

One other thing to keep in mind...

Yes, the road is long. very long. But you know what? Time flies by and I can't tell you how many (very smart friends btw) friends I have who went to college, and spent the next 5-7 years working the same lame job. In the blink of an eye, this time has passed. They're not "passionate" about their jobs. They don't get to improve people's lives every day...they get to make a corporation more money. They're going to be doing what they're doing for the foreseeable future. Why don't they leave? I hear them talk...they hate what they do, they hate the rate race, they hate their bosses.... but put up with it because they're making good money (80-110k).

The time you're in school is going to fly by. You're going to get out, presumably do something you love forever, and be compensated so much better than the average Joe at his corporate job (who in reality is so far from the real "average" Joe out there). This is how I look at it...when I get out of school, those same friends will still be chugging along that rat race, still hating their jobs, and still never get to chase what truly motivates them. "Don't be them" is kind of the mantra I repeat when I go through rough patches of med school....it'll all be worth it in the end.

On the other hand...I have a couple friends who moved to the other side of the planet and seem to do nothing but surf and chill out. I just pretend these people don't exist when I hit said rough patches

 

[Seth Joo]

I am a "younger" nontraditional student with 6 years experience as an LPN. I'll be taking the MCAT in a few months. Naturally I'm going through a lot of stress because I'll be applying soon. I have worked so hard at this for so long. I need someone to tell me that medical school is going to be better than undergrad. I've read so many posts where people have asked this question, and they all get answers like "Oh HAR HAR if you can't handle undergrad how will you ever handle med school HAR HAR".

I'm not asking because I can't intellectually handle undergrad. Sure it is challenging.. but I'm asking because undergrad is so terribly boring and unstimulating. And as a nontrad who is already in a medical profession, I can get quite down on myself for, in a sense, neglecting my *first* profession (nursing) for the pursuit of medicine. For example, I see former classmates moving on to get their RN and working these amazing hospital jobs.. and I think...wow, they actually get to go work in the hospital and learn REAL THINGS and gain experiences while I'm sitting here memorizing physics equations and drawing out the TCA cycle for the Nth time! I want to get my hands dirty. I want to learn and be stimulated. I want to be challenged. I guess I just can't wait for medical school.

Can someone please tell me that they love medical school a lot more than undergrad? Reassure me that I will one day get to actually learn about medications, lab tests, and surgeries!!!

Signed,
So over this bull

In all honesty if you really feel these way you should just become an RN or an NP, the latter can do much of the things that primary care doctors do every day.

 

[solitarius]

Not worth it.

On balance, I like medical school. There's stuff I hate. I just deal.

You don't seem to be able to deal. There's a lot of hoop jumping in medical school. So in a sense, pre-med has prepared all of us well with this mentality.

 

[W19]

I mean, I don't think you're really ever putting your life on hold tbh. I think this is a very negative view of reality where people imagine that they've somehow divorced themselves from their former lives as human beings. I mean I manage to party, play video games, read a good amount of blogs, and watch plenty of netflix and am still quite often than not slightly above average in my class ( I consider that personally good since I consider my medical school and class to be very competitive and challenging). My point is, it's really not the end of the world.

It's a sentiment that I have seen expressed often here and I am not sure why... Maybe my med school is easier; my peers party every two weeks after each exam. They also travel and do cool things during breaks.

First year of med school is like a harder version of undergrad, but I think 2nd has been more enjoyable so far...

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

It's a sentiment that I have seen expressed often here and I am not sure why... Maybe my med school is easier; my peers party every two weeks after each exam. They also travel and do cool things during breaks.

First year of med school is like a harder version of undergrad, but I think 2nd has been more enjoyable so far...

It's this notion of well, my friends are getting jobs and buying houses and getting married, and I'm still in school so I must be missing out on normal human milestones.

 

[marginalhx]

I am a "younger" nontraditional student with 6 years experience as an LPN. I'll be taking the MCAT in a few months. Naturally I'm going through a lot of stress because I'll be applying soon. I have worked so hard at this for so long. I need someone to tell me that medical school is going to be better than undergrad. I've read so many posts where people have asked this question, and they all get answers like "Oh HAR HAR if you can't handle undergrad how will you ever handle med school HAR HAR".

I'm not asking because I can't intellectually handle undergrad. Sure it is challenging.. but I'm asking because undergrad is so terribly boring and unstimulating. And as a nontrad who is already in a medical profession, I can get quite down on myself for, in a sense, neglecting my *first* profession (nursing) for the pursuit of medicine. For example, I see former classmates moving on to get their RN and working these amazing hospital jobs.. and I think...wow, they actually get to go work in the hospital and learn REAL THINGS and gain experiences while I'm sitting here memorizing physics equations and drawing out the TCA cycle for the Nth time! I want to get my hands dirty. I want to learn and be stimulated. I want to be challenged. I guess I just can't wait for medical school.

Can someone please tell me that they love medical school a lot more than undergrad? Reassure me that I will one day get to actually learn about medications, lab tests, and surgeries!!!

Signed,
So over this bull

I won't lie to you--I am a nontrad MS1 who is having a pretty hard time adjusting to medical school. The most difficult thing so far has been adjusting to the culture. There is a disconnect between what you are taught in H&P--empathy toward patients, professionalism, commitment to service--and the treatment that you receive (from administration) as a student. It is worse at some schools than others, and if you would like to know more about my own experience, feel free to private message me.

You have to love medicine. You have to envision the role that you will have in society and you have to focus on that vision because that is what your life will be about. Hold on to the people in your life outside of medical school, and seek help as soon as you run into trouble. The environment is pretty brutal if your personality is not cut out for it. Some people thrive, some people struggle, but in the end you can expect to assimilate the material and achieve competence, which is the key to doing what you actually want to do: apply expertise in the betterment of lives.

I have found the pre-clinical material interesting, but the pace at which you have to digest takes the fun out of it. I can't lie to you--the bad aspects of undergrad are amplified in medical school, without any of the good stuff (time to think). It's a sacrifice. It can be rewarding if you focus on how much you're actually learning on a weekly basis, but its a grind and it can be a very isolating experience.

Anyway, do reach out if you need more insight. Enjoy the holiday.

 

[kalat]

I won't lie to you--I am a nontrad MS1 who is having a pretty hard time adjusting to medical school. The most difficult thing so far has been adjusting to the culture. There is a disconnect between what you are taught in H&P--empathy toward patients, professionalism, commitment to service--and the treatment that you receive (from administration) as a student. It is worse at some schools than others, and if you would like to know more about my own experience, feel free to private message me.

This is something I never see anyone talking about and it annoys me to no end. As medical students we're supposed to be well-rounded, well-adjusted, happy, and balanced individuals that live a good life with everyone else and have other passions, but when it comes to scheduling, exam questions, tuition, grades, attendance, or "professionalism..." suddenly, it's oh you can study for 12 hours straight, oh you can learn all that material in a day or two on the same week as the test, oh you had some unconstructive criticism suck it up, oh you don't need to see your family for thanksgiving, oh your relationships are negatively affecting your performance, oh you don't need that time off its better to pad your CV with clubs, events, research...

The best is when you have a completely packed schedule and it's like "Oh, I know you all have literally 500 things to do for no reason, but we also need you to write a well-thought out essay on how to be a balanced individual. That's due at 5 PM today, by the way!" What's crazy is tons of people buy into all this stuff and don't realize how hilariously malicious (even if it is sometimes unintentional) it all is for emotional health. It's like they're so far up their own ass for "being a doctor" they forget what it's like to be a normal person. I can almost pick out the best students in the class by how well they fit in with other medical students! Who else are they gonna relate with?

 

[costales]

That crap will not end until you graduate from your residency. You have to compartmentalize and desensitize to succeed - or at least to meet the expectations and metrics. It is a skill that can be learned.