Possible to be a novelist while in Medical School?

[MedicalAuthor]

I am 23, a recent Stanford grad, and about to enter a post-bac to finish up my pre-med requirements, and plan to apply to medical school in either 2012 or 2013. I wish I could continue on this path with one passion which takes priority, but I can't. I have been writing very seriously for the past 4 years and have aspirations of both being a doctor and a novelist.

I am very nervous that starting school again and going to medical school will kill my dream of being a writer, even if for just the next 10 years. I honestly don't think I will be happy if I am not able to write on a regular basis. I have written about three books, all unpublished, and am working on a fourth. Like many authors, I never expected my first few novels to be instant successes, and consider them all learning processes. I very much want to continue writing novels and seeking publication, but many people seem to think it is very unrealistic to try to do this during medical school.

People say things like 'well, you could write for the school paper' or 'a short story every once and a while won't hurt' or (and this one stung), 'will you be able to continue to write? I think so. Will you be able to crank out another novel? Probably not.' The problem is that I DO want to "crank out another novel." I don't see writing as something that would go on the back-burner. It is very much a top priority for me, as is medical school. I know that goes against the definition of the word 'priority' but they are both up there. I don't want to a) be unhappy by neglecting either nor do I want to b) screw myself over in the long-run.

Does anyone have any advice/insights? Is it possible to write 5-10 hours per week while in medical school? Is it irresponsible? What do people do when they have a passion they hold just as high as their path to medicine?

Any thoughts are welcome.

(PS: I am new here and unsure of how the forums work. If someone thinks I will get better answers by posting this on the forums for actual medical school students, let me know, but since I am still pre-med myself, I didn't want to post in the wrong place...)

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[BadHorse]

I am 23, a recent Stanford grad, and about to enter a post-bac to finish up my pre-med requirements, and plan to apply to medical school in either 2012 or 2013. I wish I could continue on this path with one passion which takes priority, but I can't. I have been writing very seriously for the past 4 years and have aspirations of both being a doctor and a novelist.

I am very nervous that starting school again and going to medical school will kill my dream of being a writer, even if for just the next 10 years. I honestly don't think I will be happy if I am not able to write on a regular basis. I have written about three books, all unpublished, and am working on a fourth. Like many authors, I never expected my first few novels to be instant successes, and consider them all learning processes. I very much want to continue writing novels and seeking publication, but many people seem to think it is very unrealistic to try to do this during medical school.

People say things like 'well, you could write for the school paper' or 'a short story every once and a while won't hurt' or (and this one stung), 'will you be able to continue to write? I think so. Will you be able to crank out another novel? Probably not.' The problem is that I DO want to "crank out another novel." I don't see writing as something that would go on the back-burner. It is very much a top priority for me, as is medical school. I know that goes against the definition of the word 'priority' but they are both up there. I don't want to a) be unhappy by neglecting either nor do I want to b) screw myself over in the long-run.

Does anyone have any advice/insights? Is it possible to write 5-10 hours per week while in medical school? Is it irresponsible? What do people do when they have a passion they hold just as high as their path to medicine?

Any thoughts are welcome.

(PS: I am new here and unsure of how the forums work. If someone thinks I will get better answers by posting this on the forums for actual medical school students, let me know, but since I am still pre-med myself, I didn't want to post in the wrong place...)

Look up a guy named Chris Adrian. One of the New Yorker's 20 under 40, amazing writer, did most of his published work from med school and residency. Also graduated from the Iowa Writers' Workshop and Harvard Divinity School, the dude's pretty much my idol.

I'm in the same boat, I'm hoping to continue writing in med school, it's definitely doable.

 

[toff4l]

Dude, the best advice I received is that you should only pursue medicine if you can't see yourself doing anything else.

Also, if you want to study medicine, where did the writing novels come from? I don't see the relationship.

I'm not there yet, but I'm assuming there will be no time to write novels when you are in med school.

 

[Zedor]

Michael chrichton...sir arthur conan doyle

 

[BadHorse]

Dude, the best advice I received is that you should only pursue medicine if you can't see yourself doing anything else.

Also, if you want to study medicine, where did the writing novels come from? I don't see the relationship.

I'm not there yet, but I'm assuming there will be no time to write novels when you are in med school.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrjwaqZfjIY[/YOUTUBE]

 

[ridethecliche]

Dude, the best advice I received is that you should only pursue medicine if you can't see yourself doing anything else.

Also, if you want to study medicine, where did the writing novels come from? I don't see the relationship.

I'm not there yet, but I'm assuming there will be no time to write novels when you are in med school.

So you want doctors to be one dimensional tools with no other interests or passions but medicine.

Sure wouldn't want you to be my doctor...

See: Paul Farmer, Atul Gawande, Abraham Verghese, Siddhartha Mukherjee, etc etc etc.

Edit: Badhorse not only beat me to it, but did it better. Damn.

 

[venacontracta]

The amount of free time medical students have seems to vary a lot depending on the student, school, study habits/preferences/efficiency, and where along the four years you are. Some students who find research very important somehow manage to find quite a bit of time during some of medical school to spend in the lab, but this largely disappears during third year. I think that might be a guide for you. Wherever you go, finding a spare 10 hours a week during third year might be darn near impossible, but for most of medical school, it should be doable if you really need to make it happen. Can anyone guarantee that you'll have the time? No. There are too many variables, you being the biggest of them all. You'll just have to go down the medical school path, assuming you decide it's what you really want to do, and to some degree hope for the best.

 

[toff4l]

[YOUTUBE]WrjwaqZfjIY[/YOUTUBE]

Where do some of you guys get the time to post these videos and ridiculous pictures???????

They take up a lot of space and are rather annoying.

 

[MedicalAuthor]

Dude, the best advice I received is that you should only pursue medicine if you can't see yourself doing anything else.

Also, if you want to study medicine, where did the writing novels come from? I don't see the relationship.

I'm not there yet, but I'm assuming there will be no time to write novels when you are in med school.

I have inherent talents in math and science but read a lot (A LOT) as a kid and developed a broad imagination and a will to write. My favorite author was and still largely is Michael Crichton.

I don't think the two desires stem from the same roots, but they are both in me nonetheless.

 

[dawgbone]

If 5-10 hours per week is all you require, you won't have an issue with doing both.

For example:

• 
  168 hours in a week

• 14 hours a day dedicated to class/studies = 98

• 7 hours of sleep a night = 49 hours

• 168 - (49 + 98) = 21 hours of free time

Don't let anyone tell you that you can't succeed in med school because you have outside interests. We all must have our vices/outlets.

 

[eli20]

Dude, the best advice I received is that you should only pursue medicine if you can't see yourself doing anything else.

Also, if you want to study medicine, where did the writing novels come from? I don't see the relationship.

I'm not there yet, but I'm assuming there will be no time to write novels when you are in med school.

No to this.



The truth is, if it's something your passionate about, you'll find a way to do it. There are lots of doctor-authors - its definitely possible. There may be a period of your life where it's more difficult (ie 3rd year & residency) but its a small fraction of your life. Good luck

 

[toff4l]

So you want doctors to be one dimensional tools with no other interests or passions but medicine.

Sure wouldn't want you to be my doctor...

See: Paul Farmer, Atul Gawande, Abraham Verghese, Siddhartha Mukherjee, etc etc etc.

Edit: Badhorse not only beat me to it, but did it better. Damn.

If you read the OP's post carefully, he is saying that he wants to crank out some books. He does not want to do this as a hobby.

Medical school and medicine is a commitment. Everybody has hobbies but the OP wants to have like a second career in writing. I didn't see how you could do that or why you would want to do that. Medicine should be your first priority.

 

[MedicalAuthor]

If you read the OP's post carefully, he is saying that he wants to crank out some books. He does not want to do this as a hobby.

Medical school and medicine is a commitment. Everybody has hobbies but the OP wants to have like a second career in writing. I didn't see how you could do that or why you would want to do that. Medicine should be your first priority.

To clarify, maybe 'crank out books' was the wrong phrase to use. I meant moreso that since I enjoy writing novels, I would still want to work on novel-length works. I've written about a novel a year in the past three years. Would I want to/expect to continue at this pace? No. But at the same time I wouldn't want to go 10 years without making significant progress on novel-length works, if that makes sense.

 

[slatermd]

I very much want to continue writing novels and seeking publication, 1) but many people seem to think it is very unrealistic to try to do this during medical school. People say things like 'well, you could write for the school paper' or 'a short story every once and a while won't hurt'

Does anyone have any advice/insights? 2) Is it possible to write 5-10 hours per week while in medical school? Is it irresponsible? What do people do when they have a passion they hold just as high as their path to medicine?

Welcome, OP. Just for your reference, you posted this in the right place. Had you posted it in another forum it would have been moved to pre-allopathic. I'm not sure what types of novels you have written or are planning to write, but I personally enjoy good medical narratives. Some great physician-authors wrote during medical school to keep themselves sane, so I encourage you to continue. Regarding the points I numbered in your post:

1. Ambitious deviations from the norm frequently get this type of response. As long as you talk openly about your writing, you will encounter naysayers. Just keep in mind that people don't like to feel like slackers. So if you're succeeding in medical school and working on getting a book published, this will grate some of your over-achieving colleagues who aren't publishing novels. If you want support, you need to be careful about where and with whom you look for it; plenty of people won't hesitate to discourage you. If you enjoy success with this, don't flaunt it like a douche--make sure to have some tact.


2. 10 hours a week is a doable amount of time. A lot of people who complain about being sooooo busy in medical school definitely spend 10 hours screwing off throughout the week. Many medical students successfully devote that much time to some combination of video games, television and movies, playing an instrument, going out/partying, exercise, volunteer work, and a number of other pursuits. It should be no problem to keep writing as one of your priorities, and it sounds like it will be healthy for you to do so. The busier you get the more difficult this will be, but it can be done.

Lastly, would you like to edit my personal statement for me?

 

[torshi]

I'm sure you have time to write novels while pursuing medicine.

 

[slatermd]

[2x diarrhea]

no

Michael chrichton...sir arthur conan doyle

See: Paul Farmer, Atul Gawande, Abraham Verghese, Siddhartha Mukherjee, etc etc etc.

Michael J Collins, Emily Transue, Frank Vertosick, Jerome Groopman, Brian Freeman...list goes on

Can anyone guarantee that you'll have the time? No. There are too many variables, you being the biggest of them all.

Excellent post; it depends on you more than anything else

If 5-10 hours per week is all you require, you won't have an issue with doing both.

For example:

• 
  168 hours in a week

• 14 hours a day dedicated to class/studies = 98

• 7 hours of sleep a night = 49 hours

• 168 - (49 + 98) = 21 hours of free time

Don't let anyone tell you that you can't succeed in med school because you have outside interests. We all must have our vices/outlets.

This makes it pretty clear, OP

 

[eli20]

Originally Posted by toff4l
[2x diarrhea]

no

 

[HumbleMD]

An MD/PHD in my class just published a non-fictional book in his second year. I think he had gotten started on it earlier. Possible? Certainly. Prohibitively difficult to do? Probably.

I'm graduating now and seeing a lot of kids at my school either not do residency or have second thoughts, with very serious consequences (not getting into them now).

Please don't just 'do' med school for the experience or because you think it will make you a better writer. At least tell us you want to write to improve health and health communication in the US. Anything else is just selfish and probably misguided.

 

[Myuu]

It is certainly possible, but you definitely won't have the same amount of dedicated time to work on it as you do now. Progress will be slower. Much slower.

But writing is not something you will have to or even should give up for medical school.

 

[silverhorse84]

Students have all sorts of extra-curricular activities in medical school. The most common is probably sports (at least here it is), but we all have things we do outside of school. For instance, I make jewelry and even attend some classes at beading stores to expand my knowledge of that hobby.

You may not write them as fast as you did before school, but you can definitely do it.

 

[eli20]

Please don't just 'do' med school for the experience or because you think it will make you a better writer. At least tell us you want to write to improve health and health communication in the US. Anything else is just selfish and probably misguided.

And you get to determine this? Sorry, but it's possible to want to be more than a doctor - and it sounds like the OP is genuinely interested in being both a physician and a novelist.

 

[BadHorse]

Please don't just 'do' med school for the experience or because you think it will make you a better writer.

OP seems very serious about medicine, did you even read his post? The idea of going to medical school to be a better writer is like learning the clarinet to be a better sushi chef. Where are you getting this crap?

At least tell us you want to write to improve health and health communication in the US. Anything else is just selfish and probably misguided.

We're all a little selfish. If you don't have any substance to your being outside of medicine I sincerely pity you.

 

[rafflecopter]

Why wouldn't it be possible? I've written novels and screenplays while working full-time and being in school. It's definitely doable, but it probably requires a bit more micro-time-management than most people (ie 4 hrs of studying then 1 hr of writing etc). You likely wont be the most productive writer, but you can still churn out a novel every 1-2 years while in school/residency. And to the guy who said you can't be both since the two aren't related...

Michael Crichton (admittedly now deceased, maybe being a novelist/MD killed him?)

Ken Jeong, actor and MD

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, writer and MD

Khaled Hosseini, writer and MD

John Keats, writer and MD

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, news correspondant and MD

Dr Drew Pinsky, radio show host, reality tv star, and MD

So, yeah. Derp.

 

[toff4l]

This is big talk coming from two guys who are in the same boat as me.

 

[slatermd]

This is big talk coming from two guys who are in the same boat as me.

toff, I consider it pretty small talk, actually; I'm not trying to dis on you as a person. I am sure that we have much in common. It's ok for our opinions to differ on this matter.

 

[eli20]

This is big talk coming from two guys who are in the same boat as me.

What boat is this? And where's the nearest port so I can get the hell off?

 

[slatermd]

What boat is this?

toff, do answer this part. I'm curious what you meant. And then we must end this thread hijack. Appropriate emoticon for boats and threadjacks:

 

[Lil Mick]

I'm a writer myself (mostly short stories and poetry), but I'm still finding time to work on my novel, do substantial research, and still hang out with friends and work out. It's mostly about time management and priorities. I'm not going to be at the top of my class while doing these other things, but I'm not too stressed out about school when I'm doing what I love to do. My advice would be to test it out in the beginning and adjust the writing-studying balance as you go.

 

[toff4l]

toff, do answer this part. I'm curious what you meant. And then we must end this thread hijack. Appropriate emoticon for boats and threadjacks:

The pre-med boat.

 

[HumbleMD]

You're both pre-meds who haven't experienced med school. That's the boat.

Let's all tone down the rhetoric. Sorry I came off a little harsh -was typing this up while muching on an early lunch.

You HAVE to be balanced and have (at least one, but probably one primary) other interest outside or only semi-related to medicine. You'll drown without it. (For me it was a chef's program before med school, and continuing my culinary passions)

1) Everyone sounds serious about medicine from their personal statement.
2) If medical school is a mere stepping stone or an experience to have on your way to something else, you're wasting your time and the nation's sick. Yes, it happens, but no medical school's mission statement says that they want to make the next great venture capitalist. They want to train doctors and leaders in medicine. A leader in medicine could be an expert in the field, a researcher improving health even in basic sciences, a policy-maker, or more public figure (ie Sanjay Gupta). Do I think Michael Crichton advanced health in the US, as consistent with his medical school's mission statement? Not so much. I also wouldn't hold up his pop-fiction novels as a testament of anything.
3) Note I said it's possible, but make sure you want to be a doctor first and writer second. An MD is too much money, energy, and time time, and suffers too much opportunity cost otherwise.

PS medzealot, many, especially in psychiatry, or with a family member dealing with mental illness, would consider your poking fun at Sheen insensitive.

 

[Torr]

I resent the tendency people have to place limitations on med students right off. If the OP had asked "will I be able to see my kids for 5-10 hours a week" or "will I have 5-10 hours to workout or see friends" you wouldn't be so quick to give him a no but because most people here aren't capable of publishing a book even if they'd taken time off for it they assume no one can do it while in med school.

Unless you're an author yourself and know what med school is like don't come in here telling people what is possible and what isnt and what they're capable of.

If you have time management skills then allotting some portion of your day/week for writing is doable. People will tell you about the constraints of med school but we all hear about the stand out students that start-up clinics, publish research, work abroad and balance their studying with all types of outside projects. I have no idea if the stresses you encounter as a med student are going to kill your writing or fuel it but no one can predict that. I sincerely hope you're able to keep writing.

 

[ridethecliche]

You're both pre-meds who haven't experienced med school. That's the boat.

Let's all tone down the rhetoric. Sorry I came off a little harsh -was typing this up while muching on an early lunch.

You HAVE to be balanced and have (at least one, but probably one primary) other interest outside or only semi-related to medicine. You'll drown without it. (For me it was a chef's program before med school, and continuing my culinary passions)

1) Everyone sounds serious about medicine from their personal statement.
2) If medical school is a mere stepping stone or an experience to have on your way to something else, you're wasting your time and the nation's sick. Yes, it happens, but no medical school's mission statement says that they want to make the next great venture capitalist. They want to train doctors and leaders in medicine. A leader in medicine could be an expert in the field, a researcher improving health even in basic sciences, a policy-maker, or more public figure (ie Sanjay Gupta). Do I think Michael Crichton advanced health in the US, as consistent with his medical school's mission statement? Not so much. I also wouldn't hold up his pop-fiction novels as a testament of anything.
3) Note I said it's possible, but make sure you want to be a doctor first and writer second. An MD is too much money, energy, and time time, and suffers too much opportunity cost otherwise.

PS medzealot, many, especially in psychiatry, or with a family member dealing with mental illness, would consider your poking fun at Sheen insensitive.

I guess someone got nightmares from jurassic park as a kid.

 

[HumbleMD]

I guess someone got nightmares from jurassic park as a kid.

Glad you're focusing on my literary tastes rather than the concerns of the OP.

 

[toff4l]

You're both pre-meds who haven't experienced med school. That's the boat.

Let's all tone down the rhetoric. Sorry I came off a little harsh -was typing this up while muching on an early lunch.

You HAVE to be balanced and have (at least one, but probably one primary) other interest outside or only semi-related to medicine. You'll drown without it. (For me it was a chef's program before med school, and continuing my culinary passions)

1) Everyone sounds serious about medicine from their personal statement.
2) If medical school is a mere stepping stone or an experience to have on your way to something else, you're wasting your time and the nation's sick. Yes, it happens, but no medical school's mission statement says that they want to make the next great venture capitalist. They want to train doctors and leaders in medicine. A leader in medicine could be an expert in the field, a researcher improving health even in basic sciences, a policy-maker, or more public figure (ie Sanjay Gupta). Do I think Michael Crichton advanced health in the US, as consistent with his medical school's mission statement? Not so much. I also wouldn't hold up his pop-fiction novels as a testament of anything.
3) Note I said it's possible, but make sure you want to be a doctor first and writer second. An MD is too much money, energy, and time time, and suffers too much opportunity cost otherwise.

Notice how the med student agrees with this pre-med.

 

[kansaskid]

Welcome, OP. Just for your reference, you posted this in the right place. Had you posted it in another forum it would have been moved to pre-allopathic. I'm not sure what types of novels you have written or are planning to write, but I personally enjoy good medical narratives. Some great physician-authors wrote during medical school to keep themselves sane, so I encourage you to continue. Regarding the points I numbered in your post:

1. Ambitious deviations from the norm frequently get this type of response. As long as you talk openly about your writing, you will encounter naysayers. Just keep in mind that people don't like to feel like slackers. So if you're succeeding in medical school and working on getting a book published, this will grate some of your over-achieving colleagues who aren't publishing novels. If you want support, you need to be careful about where and with whom you look for it; plenty of people won't hesitate to discourage you. If you enjoy success with this, don't flaunt it like a douche--make sure to have some tact.


2. 10 hours a week is a doable amount of time. A lot of people who complain about being sooooo busy in medical school definitely spend 10 hours screwing off throughout the week. Many medical students successfully devote that much time to some combination of video games, television and movies, playing an instrument, going out/partying, exercise, volunteer work, and a number of other pursuits. It should be no problem to keep writing as one of your priorities, and it sounds like it will be healthy for you to do so. The busier you get the more difficult this will be, but it can be done.

Lastly, would you like to edit my personal statement for me?

This is great advice, thanks!

It is certainly possible, but you definitely won't have the same amount of dedicated time to work on it as you do now. Progress will be slower. Much slower.

But writing is not something you will have to or even should give up for medical school.

This is good to know. I'm a very serious novelist myself, working on getting a novel finished up and starting through the publishing process before med school starts.

And you get to determine this? Sorry, but it's possible to want to be more than a doctor - and it sounds like the OP is genuinely interested in being both a physician and a novelist.

I second this. I am exactly the same way. I can see myself happy as both but any future of mine really does include both.

I resent the tendency people have to place limitations on med students right off. If the OP had asked "will I be able to see my kids for 5-10 hours a week" or "will I have 5-10 hours to workout or see friends" you wouldn't be so quick to give him a no but because most people here aren't capable of publishing a book even if they'd taken time off for it they assume no one can do it while in med school.

Unless you're an author yourself and know what med school is like don't come in here telling people what is possible and what isnt and what they're capable of.

If you have time management skills then allotting some portion of your day/week for writing is doable. People will tell you about the constraints of med school but we all hear about the stand out students that start-up clinics, publish research, work abroad and balance their studying with all types of outside projects. I have no idea if the stresses you encounter as a med student are going to kill your writing or fuel it but no one can predict that. I sincerely hope you're able to keep writing.

+1 Torr. I am liking you more and more!


This issue is very near to me. I think to continue to be productive in med school, we writers are going to have to have a lot of planning. And if you're serious about publishing like I am, it's going to take even more. Find an agent or someone who knows the publishing world very well and can help you navigate it. I took a class (and got departmental recognition) in writing and learned so much about the bizz. I'm really hoping to make this a big part of my future, writing both medicine related novels and the middle grade reader (my particular specialty )

 

[slatermd]

The pre-med boat.

You're both pre-meds who haven't experienced med school. That's the boat.

Acknowledged. I see the important point that you're getting at, but let's not go off the deep end and say that my answers to this question are the same as any other premed's answers, because "we're on the same boat." The spectrum of experience on that boat is pretty heterogeneous.

Just to clarify, my advice to the OP has more to do with juggling multiple, yet reasonable, ambitions and dealing with naysayers. That is the boat I'm paddling in this thread.

My intention was not to say "I know what medical school is like, trust me." If anyone got that impression, I apologize. Having acknowledged this, my answer (an many others' answers) remain unchanged:

OP: Is it possible?
Others: Yes--here's evidence.

You don't need to go through medical school and publish a novel in order to point out that it's been done before, multiple times over.

Unless you're an author yourself...

Personally, I'd also consider answers from people who successfully made a discipline of devoting ~10 hours/week to any non-medical skill, project, or activity that was in place before med school and continued throughout.

PS medzealot, many, especially in psychiatry, or with a family member dealing with mental illness, would consider your poking fun at Sheen insensitive.

Strangely, I was going to change this today, but your comment bothers me for a number of reasons. On the record, I'm not poking fun at Sheen, at all. I take him at face value...there's no undertone of ridicule.

He was on a humorous sitcom, and I legitimately enjoy his comedy. When he intends to be funny, he is! I'm not laughing at his misfortune, and I'd note that he doesn't seem to see it as misfortune at all.

Furthermore, I approve of his decision to stop using drugs. Regarding the rest of his personal life, I will refrain from commenting except to say that even though I make vastly different decisions than he does, I don't judge him. Poking fun at him is so far off my radar that I never even considered it could be interpreted that way--a mistake on my part to be sure.

And Humble, while you had good intentions with that comment, you're still pointing your finger and making assumptions about someone with whom you have absolutely no acquaintance. I'm not even sure you noticed, but your comment assumes that I (and my entire family) have never dealt with a psychiatric condition. Why would you assume that?

 

[90minIPA]

I'm suprised you guys didn't know that writing medical thrillers can help you match into Derm at Mayo...

http://www.mayo.edu/msgme/profiles-spanogle.html

 

[tabascosauce]

This is big talk coming from two guys who are in the same boat as me.

did someone mention boat?

i agree with the poster who goes by the handle david06. it largely depends on you. i hear you have to make time for fun in med (medical) school. it just takes away time naturally from other things u would like to do like oh ionno going out with friends or what not. these are choices you have to make and live with. i would encourage u to continue nurturing your interests outside of medicine. we all have to stay sane. for example, i plan on setting aside time in order to meet THE WOMAN OF MY DRAYMS.

 

[BadHorse]

You're both pre-meds who haven't experienced med school. That's the boat.

Let's all tone down the rhetoric. Sorry I came off a little harsh -was typing this up while muching on an early lunch.

You HAVE to be balanced and have (at least one, but probably one primary) other interest outside or only semi-related to medicine. You'll drown without it. (For me it was a chef's program before med school, and continuing my culinary passions)

1) Everyone sounds serious about medicine from their personal statement.
2) If medical school is a mere stepping stone or an experience to have on your way to something else, you're wasting your time and the nation's sick. Yes, it happens, but no medical school's mission statement says that they want to make the next great venture capitalist. They want to train doctors and leaders in medicine. A leader in medicine could be an expert in the field, a researcher improving health even in basic sciences, a policy-maker, or more public figure (ie Sanjay Gupta). Do I think Michael Crichton advanced health in the US, as consistent with his medical school's mission statement? Not so much. I also wouldn't hold up his pop-fiction novels as a testament of anything.
3) Note I said it's possible, but make sure you want to be a doctor first and writer second. An MD is too much money, energy, and time time, and suffers too much opportunity cost otherwise.

PS medzealot, many, especially in psychiatry, or with a family member dealing with mental illness, would consider your poking fun at Sheen insensitive.

Humble, sorry bout my own heated rhetoric.

I would argue that, while medical schools may not intend to educate people who will make their biggest mark outside of medicine, in the end it's not really their decision. Most doctors don't do anything to significantly advance healthcare and to cast scorn on those that make significant contributions in other fields is to cast scorn against anyone who has ever made a life choice outside of medicine. Fiction can be beautiful beyond sense, life affirming and life transforming.

Most physician authors do it on their own, and it's not like they're trading patients' lives for a manuscript, they would be doing something else in their free time if not this.

The thing about being a writer is it's not a profession. For every one that makes it big and can actually draw a living wage from writing there are a thousand that fail. Writers, to be blunt, need a day job. If a writer is passionate about medicine then there it is. The amazing thing about physician authors is that, even when they get huge book deals and could sustain themselves with their writing, they tend to stay in medicine. These passions are not mutually exclusive, and fulfillment in one does not cancel out the need for the other.

I agree that it's ridiculous to view an MD as a stepping stone to anything beyond being a doctor, but I don't think that the OP (or anyone, for that matter) has this in mind.

Also, lighten up! MZ has demonstrated that he's a good guy countless times on these threads, and I'm a firm believer that you've got to maintain your sense of humor in the face of all the nonsense this profession will throw at you.

 

[NickNaylor]

ITT: several people giving advice with no background to do so.

 

[tabascosauce]

ITT: several people giving advice with no background to do so.

what does ITT mean?

 

[eli20]

Notice how the med student agrees with this pre-med.

Otherwise - nice resolution guys

 

[slatermd]

ITT: several people giving advice with no background to do so.

There's also a bit of substantive discussion that's irrelevant to the OP. Here are the cliffs for anyone who is interested in the actual topic but would like to ignore the premeds.

Is it possible to write 5-10 hours per week while in medical school?

It is certainly possible, but you definitely won't have the same amount of dedicated time to work on it as you do now. Progress will be slower. Much slower.

But writing is not something you will have to or even should give up for medical school.

/

 

[ridethecliche]

Glad you're focusing on my literary tastes rather than the concerns of the OP.

I was joking.

See also: lightening the mood.

 

[Torr]

I was joking.

See also: lightening the mood.

No one expects pre-meds to have a sense of humor. Throws them off.


speaking of being thrown off, new avatar.....

 

[slatermd]

speaking of being thrown off, new avatar.....

Here, let me tl;dr that for you:

PS medzealot, many, especially in psychiatry, or with a family member dealing with mental illness, would consider your poking fun at Sheen insensitive.

Strangely, I was going to change this today, but your comment bothers me for a number of reasons. On the record, I'm not poking fun at Sheen, at all. I take him at face value...there's no undertone of ridicule.

He was on a humorous sitcom, and I legitimately enjoy his comedy. When he intends to be funny, he is! I'm not laughing at his misfortune, and I'd note that he doesn't seem to see it as misfortune at all.

Furthermore, I approve of his decision to stop using drugs. Regarding the rest of his personal life, I will refrain from commenting except to say that even though I make vastly different decisions than he does, I don't judge him. Poking fun at him is so far off my radar that I never even considered it could be interpreted that way--a mistake on my part to be sure.

And Humble, while you had good intentions with that comment, you're still pointing your finger and making assumptions about someone with whom you have absolutely no acquaintance. I'm not even sure you noticed, but your comment assumes that I (and my entire family) have never dealt with a psychiatric condition. Why would you assume that?

 

[Torr]

PS medzealot, many, especially in psychiatry, or with a family member dealing with mental illness, would consider your poking fun at Sheen insensitive.

Here, let me tl;dr that for you:

Srs?

That comment was just an odd, self-righteous jab.

I've "experienced" mental health disorders through friends as well as family members so I don't know what HumbleMD means exactly.

That just bummed me out .

 

[Law2Doc]

It is certainly possible, but you definitely won't have the same amount of dedicated time to work on it as you do now. Progress will be slower. Much slower.

But writing is not something you will have to or even should give up for medical school.

Agreed.
First, I would point out that almost all (if not all) of the physician authors listed on this thread did not do substantial work on their novels WHILE IN MED SCHOOL. Most were already physicians in residency or beyond by the time their first book was written. And Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was someone who did med school so many years ago and in such a different healthcare system that it's silly to even reference him. Better recent examples would be folks like Peri Klass of Harvard, who wrote about med school/residency experiences and likely was at least keeping a log during that time.

Second, I would suggest that you will have a finite amount of free time during med school. It will be more free time in the pre-clinical years and at the end of 4th year, and not so much free time during 3rd year and at the beginning of 4th year (when you may be juggling a Sub-I, applications/interviewing, away rotations). But everyone has "some" free time, which most use to decompress. If your way of decompressing is to write a few pages of a novel, that's fine. Others will watch an hour of TV, play video games, talk someone's ear off on the phone, work out, do research, etc. You pick your vices as mentioned above. Now you won't have free time every day, but you are going to have some. Spend it as you choose. But bear in mind you don't get to both do this AND use your free time in some other way. So understand that working on a novel will come at the expense of some other way you might want to spend your free time. College is a really bad comparison because you have free time in such abundance that you never have to choose. In med school you have to choose, to ration. Coursework comes first, a survival amount of sleep comes second, and everything else has to fit into whatever time is left over.

As for needing to write at a given pace (ie not wanting to take 10 years to get another novel done), that's something no one can promise you. If it takes you a couple of years to finish a novel now, it may well take you a decade at the pace you might have to work at to squeeze it on the side during med school and a long residency. In that respect, I think it's going to be problematic to regard medicine and writing as equivalent, because one is going to make the other very short on time. One (medicine) has to be the main focus and the other (writing) the hobby or it's not going to work. But nobody should say you won't have "some" time for a hobby. It just might not be as much as you are picturing as a premed.

 

[LizzyM]

It can be done... others have done it. Most people don't have the desire, or the discipline, to do it or they lack the talent to do it well.

 

[DumbMD]

I am 23, a recent Stanford grad, and about to enter a post-bac to finish up my pre-med requirements, and plan to apply to medical school in either 2012 or 2013. I wish I could continue on this path with one passion which takes priority, but I can't. I have been writing very seriously for the past 4 years and have aspirations of both being a doctor and a novelist.

I am very nervous that starting school again and going to medical school will kill my dream of being a writer, even if for just the next 10 years. I honestly don't think I will be happy if I am not able to write on a regular basis. I have written about three books, all unpublished, and am working on a fourth. Like many authors, I never expected my first few novels to be instant successes, and consider them all learning processes. I very much want to continue writing novels and seeking publication, but many people seem to think it is very unrealistic to try to do this during medical school.

People say things like 'well, you could write for the school paper' or 'a short story every once and a while won't hurt' or (and this one stung), 'will you be able to continue to write? I think so. Will you be able to crank out another novel? Probably not.' The problem is that I DO want to "crank out another novel." I don't see writing as something that would go on the back-burner. It is very much a top priority for me, as is medical school. I know that goes against the definition of the word 'priority' but they are both up there. I don't want to a) be unhappy by neglecting either nor do I want to b) screw myself over in the long-run.

Does anyone have any advice/insights? Is it possible to write 5-10 hours per week while in medical school? Is it irresponsible? What do people do when they have a passion they hold just as high as their path to medicine?

Any thoughts are welcome.

(PS: I am new here and unsure of how the forums work. If someone thinks I will get better answers by posting this on the forums for actual medical school students, let me know, but since I am still pre-med myself, I didn't want to post in the wrong place...)

Consider the possibility that they are not only not contrary, but that there may actually be a synergy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Crichton