Thus far, only a few people know. When others ask me why I'm still taking classes, I tell them its for personal development. (Which I suppose it technically is)
Hate to say this, b/c I don't want to sound negative, but I agree with the above comment. People are walking around with all kinds of issues. You will get one negative set of reasons and rationales after another from people. A number of their points may be sound; but it's your path. There is so much involved in this process, and it is too easy to get very discouraged at any point along this very drawn out process. I say, why add to it w/ people who may or may not be as insightful or as supportive as needed--for whatever reasons?
I will listen to points made by those that have walked the path already, even though I know going in--and I have known for many, many years, that a good number of folks that take the path get very disillusioned, disappointed, or drained to the bone after having taken it. It's great to get volunteer experience and work experience that puts you in the field of view about what goes on in the process--but still, until a person is there, well, they can only see so far.
To me I feel at least some of this is philosophical. Nothing, not one darn thing in this life is every going to be ideal or perfect. Americans that have grown up without war or major economic depression, etc, well, it feels like some sense of entitlement, whether they know it or not. It is as though they think that they will reach this dream and "POOF!" all will be "Happy Ever After." It's like the fairytale ideas people have about wedding planning and marriage and raising a family. Say what? Tough things are only supposed to happen to "the other guy/gal?"
This is hard. Life is hard, and here in America, we have it a lot better than a great many other billions of people throughout the planet.
The process is hard, and being a physician will continue to be hard--although one learns to gain confidence with experience.
So to my original point, I say do you best to insulate yourself from the naysayers as long as you can. The negatives will crop up all on their own soon enough.
I mean you can tell people to try to fight their cancer, and probability-wise, it may not look good. I saw my dad do this with his leukemia. The probability for survival overall was very low. I had to allow him to make his choice, up to the point when he said, "I'll do this; but I am not doing that again." It was hard for reasons I cannot begin to describe here today. In the end, it was his choice, and I think he learned something is the process and so did I. No experience is wasted if we can find a way to grow and help others from it.
I see families everyday with babies/kids that should have been born or stayed "normal." The moms often enough have done everything right in pregnancy; but regardless, they find that they have this medically complex child that they will have to love and support and take a huge chunk out of their lives to be there for--perhaps until they die. They go into astronomical debt for this child. They cannot as easily come and go and do things in life as the once could. Even getting to the market is a struggle.
Sometimes I want to say to people, "What did you think life would be? Sunshine, flowers, tea and sconces?"
I know of a woman that got through medical school and she had severe bipolar disorder. The hell of MS and becoming a doctor was longer and more of a hell for her than it is for the average MS. She got help and made it through, but it's one terrible illness to have--to face on a daily basis. Imagine all the guff she had to take when people saw her trying to get to and through MS.
Tell those that will truly and earnestly support you in your goals. The others will find out in due time--or for me, for all I care, not at all.
