question about the med school experience

[sweetsangria]

This is probably a dumb question and people on this board have probably answered it a million times but here goes...

So what is med school like academically? I'm a sophomore undergrad and I've only recently decided to consider medical school and I still have over half the requirements left. I'm really not enjoying these science classes and I've realized that I don't really know what medical school is like (sure I know the admissions stuff, but nothing about the actual experience) Is medical school pretty much 4 years of science classes?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[fpr85]

Ok, I have a question for you. How can you be passionate about medicine if you don't enjoy science?

Yes, medical school is a combination of science classes and patient interaction.

Good luck!

This is probably a dumb question and people on this board have probably answered it a million times but here goes...

So what is med school like academically? I'm a sophomore undergrad and I've only recently decided to consider medical school and I still have over half the requirements left. I'm really not enjoying these science classes and I've realized that I don't really know what medical school is like (sure I know the admissions stuff, but nothing about the actual experience) Is medical school pretty much 4 years of science classes?

 

[Hoya11]

I think he meant he did not enjoy science CLASSES. Who does?

Med school in my opinion is like orgo to the max. Lots of minutia, mostly irrelevant. There are interesting parts, but you are mainly tested on ridiculous detail. Its two years of total hell in classes, but then the job itself is awesome, or so i imagine.

I never did understand how being an extremely good student makes you a better doctor, it still seems like a mismatch. Geeky/wierd nerd types acing tests and thinking they are great, when most patients will be probably walk out of the room laughing at what a maniac the dr. is.


SOrry for the rant, the point is, yes it sucks. It only gets worse, but then it gets a lot better and dont let the fact that you are not a science study maniac hold you down, you do not need to be to be a happy dr.

 

[GiantGiantsFan]

Ok, I have a question for you. How can you be passionate about medicine if you don't enjoy science?

Yes, medical school is a combination of science classes and patient interaction.

Good luck!

whoa, easy there killer.

To the OP, it's good that you are trying to learn more about medicine. I will be an MS1 next year. I dont think many people at all enjoy the first 2 years of med school, which is mainly memorization-based. So if you appreciate and enjoy science but don't like the classes, then I wouldn't worry about it. If you dislike science, on the other hand, then that would be a reason against becoming a doctor.

There was a good post a week or two back on one of the residency forums. Current residents were asked whether or not they would pursue medicine again, if they had the chance to go back in time and choose, and many of them said "No." I would keep on asking people, and get some clinical experience so you can decide whether the whole process would be worth it.

 

[sweetsangria]

Thanks for the suggestion GiantGiantsFan. The thread was both helpful and eye-openning (not that I'm basing my entire decision on the thread). Although I'll talk to some doctors and the pre-med advisor at my school in the fall before making a final decision, I'm starting to see that medicine is probably not the career for me. It's a conclusion that I've been building up for the last few months. I still think I'm a little naive and I may be going into medicine with the wrong intentions. I don't think my interest in medicine is strong enough to withstand the pressures of med school and residency.

 

[GtownCobra]

whatever, i'm a third year student, and I think it kicks ass. actually, i thought the first 2 years were decent too.... i never went to class, studied 3 weeks before the test blocks and still passed everything okay, including the boards. which left me basically with like a crap load of free time. 1st year is worse because you pretty much have to go to lab, but 2nd year is very independent.

i don't like a lot of what i learned either, i hated biochem, stats, nutrition, histology, etc... i hated orgo in college, wansn't too happy about physics... but once you hit third year, things really start coming together, seeing patients and running around the hospital like a tool is actually quite interesting and makes all that pre-clinical and undergrad science crap well worth the hastle....

bottom line: get as much hospital experience in as you can, shadow some residents and docs, talk to people.... if you like what you see, then all the bull crap classwork suddenly will seem worth the hastle