Aw, it's pretty cool being a doctor. I don't know why some people say there is no prestige in it. I get a lot of respect automatically from most people who know that I am a doctor and my wife is very proud of me, even though now that she knows some of my friends she has a more realistic view of what doctors are really like.
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Which is true. My wife noticed last year that I was getting sullen at home and didn't feel like doing much so she kind of pushed me to get out in the sun and exercise every day as well as making sure that I get enough sleep when I come home from night shifts.
OK, here are a few facts. First I'll start with things that prepared me for the crazy up-and-down world of medicine. After I got my bachelor's degree in psychology, I needed just 2 more credits to officially graduate (however, they did let me walk), so the administration told me I could take just one course at a community college and transfer the credits back to get my diploma. It turns out I had always had an interest in medicine and in the helping professions (which is why I majored in psych in the first place). So, I enrolled in an EMT-I course at my local community college and "caught the bug" so to speak. I LOVED and still love emergency medicine. My EMT-I education allowed me to spend a good deal of time doing rotations both on ambulance rigs and in the ER. This experience was invaluable!
But, as everybody knows, life is unpredictable. Remember that old saying, "life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."? A month after I got my EMT-I certificate, I was offered a job at the American Institutes for Research doing psychological research, running cognitive lab trials, conducting focus group studies, and writing up reports on my findings. As such, I never worked on an ambulance because I landed this research job before I could get my emergency vehicle driver's license. As a recent psych grad, this was a dream job. Still, the calling of the ER was there. So, I volunteered with the Good Samaritan Hospital Auxiliary in San Jose, CA while still working for the American Institutes for Research. Every Wednesday night after work I would put in a 4-hour shift doing such things as delivering meds from the main hospital pharmacy to the ER, stocking supply cabinets with clean linens, IV drip sets, 1000cc NS bags, syringes of varying sizes and needle gauges, 4x4 gauze pads, tape, etc. I also got to clean up the sometimes bloody mess in between patients, but it didnt bother me at all. While doing this volunteer position it was also the first time I had ever watched a person die. But the best part of this volunteer position was that when my duties were done or otherwise had any down time, I got to shadow the doctors, PAs, and nurses. I learned SO much over my one year of just watching and asking questions.
Which brings us back to my day job as a psych researcher. While I enjoyed it quite a bit, there was a certain PhD there who didnt care for me very much. The reason was because I could do in one day what he expected me to do in 5 work days. Though I was 5 times more efficient than he expected me to be, he called me into a private meeting one day and told me point-blank, Im the PhD. You do things exactly as I say even if you think you can do things faster your way. I am your boss and you work for ME. End of story. Got it? Needless to say, I was perturbed by his response, so much so that I brought it up to his superior, the director of research. While the director applauded me for my work efficiency, he sided for his colleague, stating that as an entry-level research associate, you must always do exactly as you are told so long as what you are told is not unethical or illegal. The next day, I tendered my resignation.
Now, back to medicine! I next made the mistake of enrolling in an uber-accelerated 11-month private nursing school program to get my LVN/LPN certification and to get the classroom and clinical hours needed to qualify to sit for the NCLEX. The one and only reason I went the private school route was that the public nursing school programs are so impacted, some have 3-4 year waiting lists!!
Now, let me say first that my nursing instructors were fantastic. I really mean that. The problem was that the volume of knowledge and practical skills they had to impart to us in just 11 months was simply too much. As one example, we had to learn basic pharmacology in just 10 days. That included roughly 200 drugs, their chemical class their functional class, their indications, their contraindications, their S/E, their Black Box Warnings if applicable, their nursing considerations (ie, what follow-ups are needed after administration), and their client teachings (what you as a nurse must instruct the patient on regarding taking the medicine). At the risk of sounding conceited, I got the highest grade in my class. What I did really, really like about the nursing program though was all the clinical hours we got. After the first semester, we spent 3/5 of our time in clinical rotations. It was great to spend time with REAL patients, as opposed to plastic dummies in the classroom, and to do minor procedures like performing Foley catheterizations, performing wound care, passing meds, suctioning tracheotomies, and performing G-tube bolus feedings, and more, all on real patients.
Tragedy struck though in my final semester of nursing school. My father, who I love dearly suffered bacterial meningitis, then just two weeks later, suffered a CVA which rendered him A&O x 0 and so dysphasic that he could only make a grunting sound. I ended up spending so much time visiting him in the hospital that I went from the top of my class to a flunk-out. My teachers, knowing how bright I am and how well I work with patients made an appeal on my behalf to the administration of the school, but the director said that regrettably it would cause a disturbance in the school if a student who had technically flunked out was allowed to continue despite extenuating circumstances.
Now, as a 3rd year med student I can honestly say that the 11-month nursing program was slightly more intense. Key word here is slightly. But, once again, I LOVE rotations. Im a people person and I am loving working with patients again.
So as to the original question. Sorry this post ended up being so long!! Is it worth it to become a doctor? In my opinion, YES, emphatically so. BUT, ask yourself these questions:
1. Am I willing to spend a GREAT deal of time away from family and friends?
2. Am I aware that the salary-to-education ratio of medicine is actually quite low? For example, I know a number of MBAs who are making close to $200,000 and they are the same age as I am. And I know for a fact, they partied HARD every weekend while I was hitting the books.
3. Do you have no other passion in life that you think could fill the void of practicing
medicine?
Thanks for reading my novella of a post!!! And best of luck!!!
- Mark
