Scared of going into medicine

[emmaeloise]

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I've wanted to be a doctor since around the end of high school, and I feel that I have a pretty good chance of getting in, but i'm starting to have doubts. I'm a very hard worker, but I'd rather be actually working than sitting at a desk studying every minute of every day. Those first 2 years of med school sound horrible to me, and I don;t know if I'd be able to handle it. Another issue I have is that every doctor or med student I've talked to has discouraged me from going into the field. None of them seem very satisfied with their choice, and it seems like this is just getting worse as new changes in healthcare are coming about. I'm in my last year of undergrad so I feel that by now I should be absolutely sure about my career choice...Any advice?

 

[kyamh]

I'm in my last year of undergrad so I feel that by now I should be absolutely sure about my career choice...Any advice?

First of all, this is completely false. You do NOT have to know what you want to do with your life after undergrad, relax. Even if you did know, some of the most successful people I know changed their minds (2/4 of the PIs on my floor at a top ten med school where I am a tech started off in medical school and decided to do research full time much later).

Few people want to go to medical school per se, most of us want to become doctors and medical school is a step along the way. Your job is to figure out what end goal you want (in whatever career) and then make it happen. 2 years is doable. Even if you don't want to be studying, you can do it for 2 years when you have a light at the end of the tunnel, a goal that you can watch yourself nearing. To that end, you can search for schools that break up the first two years with a lot of clinical exposure so that you have an easier time keeping your goal in mind.

I don't think you have talked to enough doctors. Don't talk to residents or med students - they are tired and overworked. Talk to someone who has the career you might want. Just like you got over the stress of applying to college and are happy you went (I hope), you will likely get over the stress of medical school when you get to practice medicine. In fact, I've seen some recent posts by medical students who are already having a hard time thinking back to the incredible ***t show that was their application year.

All that said, yes, medicine is hard. In all sorts of ways - surgeons have incredible physical demands, dealing with acutely ill patients takes a mental toll on physicians, certain fields require incredible amounts of training etc. It isn't for everyone and you need to figure out whether it is for you.

Take some time off. Get a job after graduating, get your mind off doing schoolwork all the time. By the end of my senior year I felt pretty burned out and didn't want to look at another text book. Now, a while out of school, I am eager to go to class and learn new things and even to do homework. I look back on my once-awful-seeming labs with fondness and miss the camaraderie of studying with my friends for a big test late into the night. Maybe a bit of time will get you excited too?

 

[Ten Tails]

As for your first point, I believe that if you are capable of getting into college and performing well in the prerequisites courses, then you are probably capable of surviving years one and two of medical school. I have no experience in this matter, but it is fairly logical to assume that success in medical school is correlated with intelligence; since success in college courses (and success on the MCAT) is a solid indicator of intelligence, the odds are certainly in your favor for success in medical school.

And finally, you will run into many doctors who are cynical about the state of their profession. However, the issues that they are concerned with are primarily political in nature; also, persuasion in political disputes tends to rely heavily on the use of hyperbole and exaggeration. Medicine is still a very respected and high-paying career path. I do not recommend giving up on your goal of becoming a doctor simply because of changes in the healthcare industry.

 

[Gauss44]

I've wanted to be a doctor since around the end of high school, and I feel that I have a pretty good chance of getting in, but i'm starting to have doubts. I'm a very hard worker, but I'd rather be actually working than sitting at a desk studying every minute of every day. Those first 2 years of med school sound horrible to me, and I don;t know if I'd be able to handle it. Another issue I have is that every doctor or med student I've talked to has discouraged me from going into the field. None of them seem very satisfied with their choice, and it seems like this is just getting worse as new changes in healthcare are coming about. I'm in my last year of undergrad so I feel that by now I should be absolutely sure about my career choice...Any advice?

It's normal to have doubts. It means that you are thinking about your future. Often times in college, people learn about other occupations, more details about where they're headed, and all of that raises questions.

Find out all you can. Ask for the specifics behind any discouragements you are hearing. Ask to shadow a physician in the specialty you are interested in. Ask your primary care physician if s/he can refer you to someone you can shadow.

Know yourself and what you need to live a good life. Look at different medical specialties and alternative careers, and compare what they offer to what you want.

 

[Chir0nex]

While the first 2 years can be rough it may not be as bad you think. Different schools may have programs which are more PBL and small group focused and more to your liking. Some programs have clinical exposure (either through the curriculum or student clinics) that help keep things interesting. Also, keep in mind that even though you will be studying a lot, you still have a life. You can still go out with friends, have a hobby, and get out of the library.

 

[deleted508066]

I've wanted to be a doctor since around the end of high school, and I feel that I have a pretty good chance of getting in, but i'm starting to have doubts. I'm a very hard worker, but I'd rather be actually working than sitting at a desk studying every minute of every day. Those first 2 years of med school sound horrible to me, and I don;t know if I'd be able to handle it. Another issue I have is that every doctor or med student I've talked to has discouraged me from going into the field. None of them seem very satisfied with their choice, and it seems like this is just getting worse as new changes in healthcare are coming about. I'm in my last year of undergrad so I feel that by now I should be absolutely sure about my career choice...Any advice?

I think you should keep going and rock it the first two years at med school. A lot of people say discouraging things about medicine, but even more still enjoy their career. I think a lot of people want to go into medicine for the wrong reasons and so two things happen. 1) they become the people who are saying these discouraging things, and don't enjoy it, or 2) some people try to weed through the people who are going in for the wrong reasons (i.e. the people who aren't serious, don't work hard, etc.) and scare them off. I would read through everyone's comments so far, take a deep breath, and sleep on it. If you're still feeling unsure, you can always re-evaluate your decision. Med school isn't going to be pretty, and it's not going to be a cake-walk, but that doesn't mean it doesn't pay-off. Maybe try to meditate on what got you interested in medicine in the first place or ask around to see if there's anyone on this site who has survived the first two years of med school, and still are passionate about what they do.

p.s. if it's safe to assume your first name is emma, then we have the same first name 🙂

 

[jombojuice22]

You should be scared. This is a big decision that will pretty much define the rest of your life. Look at how many physicians say they are unhappy and/or would not choose medicine again, if given the chance. There is a reason AdComs want to see shadowing and hospital volunteering - they want to make sure you have a good idea of what you're getting yourself into. Once you get on this train it's extremely difficult to get off.

You don't need to know what you want to do by the time you finish undergrad... Spending some time in the real world might do you a lot of good. I'm very glad I chased other dreams and didn't go straight to med school. I'm jealous of friends who are already close to finishing residency, and I won't be as well-off financially as I could be because of my late start, but I don't think that would have been the right path for me. Try to avoid constantly comparing yourself to other people, and figure out what will make YOU happy.

 

[aesculapian]

Few people want to go to medical school per se, most of us want to become doctors and medical school is a step along the way. Your job is to figure out what end goal you want (in whatever career) and then make it happen.

+10000000 yes.

 

[Goro]

Medicine is calling, so if you really, really feel the pull, you know you have to do.

I've wanted to be a doctor since around the end of high school, and I feel that I have a pretty good chance of getting in, but i'm starting to have doubts. I'm a very hard worker, but I'd rather be actually working than sitting at a desk studying every minute of every day. Those first 2 years of med school sound horrible to me, and I don;t know if I'd be able to handle it. Another issue I have is that every doctor or med student I've talked to has discouraged me from going into the field. None of them seem very satisfied with their choice, and it seems like this is just getting worse as new changes in healthcare are coming about. I'm in my last year of undergrad so I feel that by now I should be absolutely sure about my career choice...Any advice?

 

[274631]

First of all, this is completely false. You do NOT have to know what you want to do with your life after undergrad, relax. Even if you did know, some of the most successful people I know changed their minds (2/4 of the PIs on my floor at a top ten med school where I am a tech started off in medical school and decided to do research full time much later).

Few people want to go to medical school per se, most of us want to become doctors and medical school is a step along the way. Your job is to figure out what end goal you want (in whatever career) and then make it happen. 2 years is doable. Even if you don't want to be studying, you can do it for 2 years when you have a light at the end of the tunnel, a goal that you can watch yourself nearing. To that end, you can search for schools that break up the first two years with a lot of clinical exposure so that you have an easier time keeping your goal in mind.

👍👍👍

Agree so much with this. I decided to get an MPH before medical school because, honestly by the time Junior year rolled around, I wasn't 100% sure it's what I still wanted to do. I had some of the same fears you have. Taking the step back and getting some perspective really helped. Think about the end goal.

 

[VictorAlpha]

Granted I just started but...I think that the first two years is really going to be over in the blink of an eye. And I'll tell you why I think that. There is enough to do that I don't really have too much time to think about how long it is or how fast it's going. There's always something more to study or another lesson or homework assignment or something and like before you know it the week is over...then the month is over ...etc... yeah, it's a lot of work but I dunno, it seems like it is flying by. Again, I have limited experience but that's what I think anyway.

 

[Shjanzey]

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[mcloaf]

I've wanted to be a doctor since around the end of high school, and I feel that I have a pretty good chance of getting in, but i'm starting to have doubts. I'm a very hard worker, but I'd rather be actually working than sitting at a desk studying every minute of every day. Those first 2 years of med school sound horrible to me, and I don;t know if I'd be able to handle it. Another issue I have is that every doctor or med student I've talked to has discouraged me from going into the field. None of them seem very satisfied with their choice, and it seems like this is just getting worse as new changes in healthcare are coming about. I'm in my last year of undergrad so I feel that by now I should be absolutely sure about my career choice...Any advice?

There's really no downside to taking some time off unless you're concerned about waiting longer to eventually earn a physician salary.

Over 70% of my M1 class took at least one year off, myself included, and everyone I've talked to about it is glad they did. Much like you I didn't really want to jump straight back into school after I graduated college, and it was nice to take a couple of years off and not have to worry about studying and doing homework at night. After four years of college it's nice to have a period of time where you can get home at the end of the day and just relax.

Many people do it, but I would have been a little bit overwhelmed going straight through. Studying in medical school is quite a bit different than undergrad; you're much more in charge of your own learning and the volume of material is much greater. I'm glad to have had a bit of time to relax so I can approach medical school as a professional, full-time student instead of a continuation of undergrad.

If you're not excited about the first two years of medical school then I see no reason not to wait for a bit and apply when you feel more ready to tackle the workload and expectations. If you don't want to deal with it now it's only going to get worse when you get in somewhere and they open the firehose on you.

Lastly, I don't think you've necessarily gotten a representative sample of doctors or students. All of my clinical mentors loved their jobs, and all of my classmates love medical school. Granted we're only first year preclinical students, but all of the older students I've spoken with are happy with their choice as well. The true mean obviously lies somewhere between these groups of very happy people and very unhappy people, but by no means do all physicians regret their choices.