Stick it out with medicine or explore different career?

[corgo]

I have always dreamt of becoming a doctor. In the Philippines, most kids rely on their parents for everything until they get their degree and marry off. Work is frowned upon (unless you are within poverty line), scholarships are scarce, and parents pay for school so no one really does loans/ get into student debt. Everyone is expected to go to college straight after HS. It’s common to take 18-26 credits a semester. So when I was in my last year of premed in the Philippines, while my classmates were working on their medschool applications.. I encountered a recruiter in the US (during a family vacation) and decided to enlist in the US Army. It’s because I realized I had not gained any life skills and wanted to make sure that it was the right career path for me. I come from a family of doctors, dentists, and lawyers so I knew part of why I wanted it was being influenced by family. I was also the only one born in the states (since my father did a lot of his fellowships and specializations here) and I craved the independence. Sure enough, I have not regretted my decision. I have gained so much experience and knowledge over the past 6 years since leaving home. I currently serve as a US Army medic and have graduated with honors with a biology degree at my local university.
After completing my Active Duty contract, I decided to join the National Guard and am now working part-time at civilian medical clinics as a medical assistant. I’ve seen the toll and frustrations the docs have with the healthcare system as a whole. I find myself increasingly getting tired by it while balancing medschool app preparations. I also realized how much I dislike certain people/ patients. I try my best to be understanding and empathetic all the time but I’m not sure if I can handle that for the rest of my life. I am now second-guessing if I should pursue medschool (since being part of the medical field for a while now and leaving my home to work towards it) or completely change careers..

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[Dral]

Don't forget there are a few fields that have minimal to no patient contact such as radiology, pathology, and preventive medicine. While it may not be the best to decide on one of those before even entering training, it's something to consider.

However, I agree if you're already exasperated by those patients before you're even the primary person responsible for addressing their personalities/concerns, then you may easily land in a place you are unhappy with.

I'm in a field that has both clinical and non-clinical options (luckily). Since I started out, I have gravitated toward the non-clinical side of my field more and more. A decent part of the reason for it is due to the things you mention. Dealing with those things surely isn't for everybody.

 

[Goro]

I think that other career paths would be more optimal for you.

 

[Crayola227]

Don't be afraid to steer clear of medicine.

I frequently say, it's a field best pursued by those we meet the definition of addiction: continued pursuit in the face of increasing harm. Because self harm is a big part of the pursuit, at least initially and ongoing in the form of burnout.

If you don't feel in your heart of hearts a burning passion to be nothing else but a physician, I would say do yourself a favor and do something else. It's a very long very grueling path.

Yes, there are fields where some of the negatives are less and you don't deal with patients much (if you're not in such a field, you WILL be dealing with some of the worst people on some of the worst days of their lives, if you feel drawn to that and fascinated by it and want to do that then it might be for you, otherwise it can be very awful), but like someone said you need to go into medicine either accepting the type of work it is (think customer service but way higher stakes all around) with people or else a career path planned to avoid patient contact.

I think if the passion doesn't increase with continued patient contact in a low stakes setting, that is a big red flag. Some people say, well, when you're more invested and you have more direct responsibility that's better for some people. So you need a little self understanding to know or guess which type of person you are with regards to the medical field.

 

[Crayola227]

I will not encourage my own daughter to pursue medicine. If that is what she wants I will support her with my knowledge and experience of course. But it will have to be something she wants more than anything independently, and if the bug bites her I will genuinely feel bad for her. Just to give you my own perspective.

You have to want if for you, at the least. Do NOT do it because of family pressure.

 

[RangerBob]

Last summer, I took up flying lessons out of curiosity and I fell inlove. I am close to my private pilot’s license. I know that if I do pursue aviation, I’ll be limited to the smaller planes such as a Cessna 152 since I’m less than 5 ft tall. I am considering aerospace medicine since it blends the 2 together and I do love the military. I just don’t know if I should go for medschool (so I don’t have regrets later on) or completely change career paths.
If you’ve read up to this point, thank you. It’s a long thread but these are my thoughts! I’d love to hear yours

I don't think aerospace medicine has much in common with flying other than you're clearing people to fly. And a very small number of aerospace physicians may be working with the space program. To my knowledge none of them are regularly flying for their work. So if you want to work with pilots (and others employed by the airlines), then it's a good option. But if you just like to fly, maybe being a psychiatrist is better so you have enough free time to go out and fly!

It sounds like you don't like certain populations, but you're happy in the military. First, that might just be a sign that where you're at is a great place to stay. The military has lots of room for advancement and great camaraderie. If you like the military population but also find yourself scratching the itch to go into medicine (which I don't really hear in your posts), then you could go the 100% military route. Go to to Uniformed Services and then stay on as a military physician.

I really enjoyed working with the active duty and veteran population. Unfortunately it's not an option for me to continue working with them where my family lives, but they are a unique and rewarding population to work with.

If that's a route that excites you, head on over to the military medicine forums for more advice.

Other options are become an aerospace engineer or other profession where you get to work with planes, still have the option to stay in the military. Or keep on trucking along and work towards promotions within the military. Or if you're truly happy, stay exactly where you are.

 

[corgo]

Don't forget there are a few fields that have minimal to no patient contact such as radiology, pathology, and preventive medicine. While it may not be the best to decide on one of those before even entering training, it's something to consider.

However, I agree if you're already exasperated by those patients before you're even the primary person responsible for addressing their personalities/concerns, then you may easily land in a place you are unhappy with.

I'm in a field that has both clinical and non-clinical options (luckily). Since I started out, I have gravitated toward the non-clinical side of my field more and more. A decent part of the reason for it is due to the things you mention. Dealing with those things surely isn't for everybody.

Thank you for the response! I understand leaning more towards non-clinicals. I do like people.. I guess it’s just not ALL the time. Having been working closely with PAs and docs they complain a lot about certain patients. Some patients have such a high level of self-entitlement and disrespect. However, I realize all career fields have bad parts to it. It’s just what you’re willing to put up with. I try my best to detach myself from situations, I’ve been yelled at/vomited on/ gotten blood all over me and it did not faze me. It’s just seeing how cruel some of these people are to my providers.. but I know you can’t really control how others react, it’s all about your mindset. I guess I was just surprised at some patients we see at the civilian clinics I’ve worked at.

Thinking it over, I don’t think I’ve ever had any issues treating/caring for soldiers or vets so I am leaning more towards continuing military medicine. I find the clinical side of things so fascinating! and having been deployed to Iraq a couple years ago, we’ve encountered trauma patients. The level of skill and care that goes into that lights me up. I get in “the zone” when the docs let me do procedures. I also fit really well in the back of a Blackhawk to perform trauma assessments/treat injuries/ give injections, etc. Seeing people get better after being in so much pain fills up my heart too! but so does flying.. I have a lot to think about still

 

[corgo]

I don't think aerospace medicine has much in common with flying other than you're clearing people to fly. And a very small number of aerospace physicians may be working with the space program. To my knowledge none of them are regularly flying for their work. So if you want to work with pilots (and others employed by the airlines), then it's a good option. But if you just like to fly, maybe being a psychiatrist is better so you have enough free time to go out and fly!

It sounds like you don't like certain populations, but you're happy in the military. First, that might just be a sign that where you're at is a great place to stay. The military has lots of room for advancement and great camaraderie. If you like the military population but also find yourself scratching the itch to go into medicine (which I don't really hear in your posts), then you could go the 100% military route. Go to to Uniformed Services and then stay on as a military physician.

I really enjoyed working with the active duty and veteran population. Unfortunately it's not an option for me to continue working with them where my family lives, but they are a unique and rewarding population to work with.

If that's a route that excites you, head on over to the military medicine forums for more advice.

Other options are become an aerospace engineer or other profession where you get to work with planes, still have the option to stay in the military. Or keep on trucking along and work towards promotions within the military. Or if you're truly happy, stay exactly where you are.

Thank you so much for your input! I think that if I do end up in aerospace/aviation med.. it would be beneficial to understand aeronautics deeper. I've trained a bit with some military docs and flight paramedics in the past who have told me they fly for recreational purposes/on their off days! additionally, I have been fortunate to get my aviation medical cert from a retired USAF flight physician who has told me some pretty cool stories!
but yes, I will definitely check out military medicine forums I am gravitating more towards HPSP and will be including USUHS in my medschool list

 

[corgo]

I think that other career paths would be more optimal for you.

Thank you for the reply. I will make sure to do more research on what's available. Also, reading this instantly made me think about the flipping coin concept - if you dislike the side it lands on, choose the other option haha

 

[corgo]

I will not encourage my own daughter to pursue medicine. If that is what she wants I will support her with my knowledge and experience of course. But it will have to be something she wants more than anything independently, and if the bug bites her I will genuinely feel bad for her. Just to give you my own perspective.

You have to want if for you, at the least. Do NOT do it because of family pressure.

You sound just like my father! He never forced me/told me directly he wanted me to pursue medicine. Growing up, I would be the one to ask if I could observe him during his operations or follow him around during "bring your kid to work day" (even if he told me to just stay in his office). He told me he's happy with whatever field I go into and when I left the country I grew up in and made a life over here by myself, he said that no matter what I pursued next, he is already proud of me. I really just want to someday be able to work alongside him on an operation/case. That would be unforgettable