Medical Should I leave medicine after 1st year?

[Goro]

I've thought about being married to medicine for the rest of my prime since I'm 24, as supposed to just being a career, and I'm not sure it's worth it. I thought I wanted to be a surgeon for a while, but I realized that means perfecting other people's methods, potentially modifications of them, and mostly direct patient care. I always wanted to ultimately be a part of the bigger picture, creating things, engineering, finding ways to manipulate the environment and technologies that helps other people, intra and entrepreneurship.

I know that some doctors make it to residency, and then they have an "oh s___" moment where they think its not what they want to do. Some actually make that decision, but finish the first years of their residency at least so that they can use those credentials to work in consulting and mid-level management positions in biomed tech and pharma companies.

Have you seen other people in this position?

Have you just started med school?

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[Matter]

Finished first year

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

There are other fields besides surgery. If you JUST started medical school, I may give it a shot until you at least start seeing patients to make sure you absolutely hate it. Although it wouldn't be ideal to be in medicine if you hated it, it would also not be ideal to leave and then wish you hadn't.

 

[Goro]

Finished first year

Can't recommend leaving unless you are absolutely miserable. The year will pass quickly.

 

[Goro]

I'm just not sure if what I'm looking to get out of it matches what it is.

Your perspective will change rapidly one you hit the clinic

 

[tantacles]

The first year of medical school is hard and almost completely unrelated to clinical medicine. my suggestion is to just survive the first two years, and spend your third year figuring out what you like about medicine. My first and second year also gave me doubts, and third year was a great reminder of why I wanted to be a doctor.

 

[Goro]

Well, I got into medicine because I thought it was the most convenient way for me to implement scientific knowledge creatively and have broad impact whatever I design or come up with.

You can always do a research intensive fellowship, like at the NIH and then head into research or industry.

 

[Goro]

Where can I find more information about these research intensive fellowships?

Go to the NIH's website?

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

You can also tailor your career/practice to your wants. For example, at academic centers you can do 70/30 research/clinical.

At the end of the day, you gotta do what YOU want to do. I think we are just suggesting not making a decision based on how you feel as a MS1/2.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

I just see myself doing product and system ideation, more than I see myself doing direct patient care with my prime years.

You know yourself better than any of us. If you are absolutely, positively not wanting to be a physician (which we advised to wait till you hit clinical rotations), then you know what you have to do. I just hope you don't make a decision you regret. Good luck in your decision!

 

[Goro]

I'm not positively not wanting to be a physician, so much as not liking the prospect of spending a decade doing clinical rotations for a given board cert.

Out of curiosity, didn't you know what you were getting into?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Go to the NIH's website?

HHMI hosts and funds the Clinical Scholars Program at the NIH, and there are more listed on the NIH Postgraduate Program (I think that's the name? Not on my computer right now) website.

OP: I also have to ask: how were your grades after first year?

 

[tantacles]

Out of curiosity, didn't you know what you were getting into?

I don’t think anyone truly knows what they’re getting into until after they finish residency.

 

[gutonc]

I'm going to be a little contrary here.

If you've got a career plan outlined that only uses the MD degree as a stepping stone to that, and there are other stepping stones you could use to the same effect, then get out now.

If you want to be a physician who also has a side hustle (that maybe becomes your main hustle), then hunker down and finish.