Torn and worried about what to choose.

[lady1]

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Hi dear people,

Ever since I was a child I had a dream of becoming a physician. Can't really explain why, but everything health related caught my attention (and still does). Plus I liked being in the dr and dentist office.
When I tried for med school in 2012, my application was turned down.

In 2013 I got diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. In the beginning I could do without medication, but over time it's gotten worse, now I'm getting regular infusions. I just never imagined that Crohns would take such a part in my daily life.

I got my law degree this year and have been working ever since. I'm really unhappy, because I feel that I should have pursued a healthcare professsion. I'm really an caring person, open, and altruistic. Now I'm stuck in an office with mostly corporate people. I feel like my work is useless in the grand scheme of things..like what can I really provide an person with? I feel like being in an healthcare profession gives me the ability to add some value to someones life in a more direct way..and brings out my true personality and makes me even feel better about myself.. Because frankly, what is more important than health?..very few things in life.

Anyway,

Because I have already done an degree (I'm 26) I am torn between choosing Medicine or Dentistry.
But I can't help and think about Crohns disease, and if I could be a good Dentist or Physician with that disease.

How should I choose between the 2 careers?
I have already shadowed an dentist and even worked in a hospital for a while.

ANY ADVICE?
ANY Recommendations on what I should choose?

Everything will be very much appreciated!

 

[CloverBale]

As someone with Crohn’s disease and who is applying to medical school I can totally relate. However, you can succeed in whichever field you choose despite your condition. It’s just managing stress and creating a routine for yourself that will be very important to you. (Meal prepping, excercising, de-stressing, etc). It’s the only way I’ve managed my condition without medication and school ( and I had one of the worst cases possible). There are plenty of docs out there in both fields that have Crohn’s disease.

 

[HomeSkool]

I'm sorry to hear about your situation.

In order to give helpful advice, we'll need a few more (somewhat personal) details. For example, to what extent did your symptoms and treatment schedule impact your life? Do you have to rush out of meetings due to GI symptoms? Do you have to schedule work obligations around treatments? Are you having to take much time away from work? Those and other related details would make it easier to opine on your suitability for a healthcare career.

Also, what sort of law do you practice?

Sent from my Pixel 2 using SDN mobile

 

[Goro]

Hi dear people,

Ever since I was a child I had a dream of becoming a physician. Can't really explain why, but everything health related caught my attention (and still does). Plus I liked being in the dr and dentist office.
When I tried for med school in 2012, my application was turned down.

In 2013 I got diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. In the beginning I could do without medication, but over time it's gotten worse, now I'm getting regular infusions. I just never imagined that Crohns would take such a part in my daily life.

I got my law degree this year and have been working ever since. I'm really unhappy, because I feel that I should have pursued a healthcare professsion. I'm really an caring person, open, and altruistic. Now I'm stuck in an office with mostly corporate people. I feel like my work is useless in the grand scheme of things..like what can I really provide an person with? I feel like being in an healthcare profession gives me the ability to add some value to someones life in a more direct way..and brings out my true personality and makes me even feel better about myself.. Because frankly, what is more important than health?..very few things in life.

Anyway,

Because I have already done an degree (I'm 26) I am torn between choosing Medicine or Dentistry.
But I can't help and think about Crohns disease, and if I could be a good Dentist or Physician with that disease.

How should I choose between the 2 careers?
I have already shadowed an dentist and even worked in a hospital for a while.

ANY ADVICE?
ANY Recommendations on what I should choose?

Everything will be very much appreciated!

I've had several students with CD...didn't stop them.

But if you're getting worse, then you need a better gastroenterologist. My Microbiologist colleague has mentioned something about CD sometimes being successfully treated as an occult mycobacterial infection. Anybody ever hear about this?

 

[lady1]

As someone with Crohn’s disease and who is applying to medical school I can totally relate. However, you can succeed in whichever field you choose despite your condition. It’s just managing stress and creating a routine for yourself that will be very important to you. (Meal prepping, excercising, de-stressing, etc). It’s the only way I’ve managed my condition without medication and school ( and I had one of the worst cases possible). There are plenty of docs out there in both fields that have Crohn’s disease.

Thank you.
Crohn's disease manifest itself so different in each patient.
I always did meal prep, exercise and try to de-stress. But in the last years the disease has become more selfish.
First I would get a flare when I would be stressed or had eaten something that was too spicy or had something in it that trigged a flare.
But in the last year I had a flare for almost 8 months, which had come up quite suddenly without anything going wrong beforehand.

May I ask why you did choose for medicine?
And did you ever consider dentistry?

I like the idea of dentistry because of the life style and that I could work from an home practice for example.
But sometimes I get these joint pains (Which goes along with crohns disease when the gut is irritated), and think to myself..isnt dentistry too physically taxing....

 

[lady1]

I've had several students with CD...didn't stop them.

But if you're getting worse, then you need a better gastroenterologist. My Microbiologist colleague has mentioned something about CD sometimes being successfully treated as an occult mycobacterial infection. Anybody ever hear about this?

Thank you.
Med students you mean?

 

[lady1]

I'm sorry to hear about your situation.

In order to give helpful advice, we'll need a few more (somewhat personal) details. For example, to what extent did your symptoms and treatment schedule impact your life? Do you have to rush out of meetings due to GI symptoms? Do you have to schedule work obligations around treatments? Are you having to take much time away from work? Those and other related details would make it easier to opine on your suitability for a healthcare career.

Also, what sort of law do you practice?

Well I don't rush out of meetings unless I am in a full flare.
Right now I get remicade infusions, which are planned every 6 weeks, sitting in the hospital for 3 hours.
But it may be possible that I'm on a different medication in 2 months. The levels are not yet what they are supposed to be.
In total it's when I'm flaring that I need time off from work and social obligations. Overall I am of course more easily tired and sensitive to stress than ''healthy'' people.

I would like to help people as an physician or dentist, and still have an lifestyle where I can work around 32 hours and still make a decent living.
A decent living meaning around 56k per year. I know thats maby not much for the US, but I live in Belgium.

I practice Civil law..

 

[CyrilFiggis]

But why medicine, @lady1 ? It seems you want to have a more altruistic career and impact in the world, well lawyers can do that. I have plenty of friends who are lawyers and do pro bono work or practice in areas that do make an impact. And those that don't use their time outside of work to volunteer, help in their community, etc.

Not trying to discourage you, but many people think a "boring" or "unfulfilling" career means a boring and unfulfilling life. If you can put in all the effort it takes to getting into med school, you can do the same outside of work.

 

[lady1]

Well I don't rush out of meetings unless I am in a full flare.
Right now I get remicade infusions, which are planned every 6 weeks, sitting in the hospital for 3 hours.
But it may be possible that I'm on a different medication in 2 months. The levels are not yet what they are supposed to be.
In total it's when I'm flaring that I need time off from work and social obligations. Overall I am of course more easily tired and sensitive to stress than ''healthy'' people.

I would like to help people as an physician or dentist, and still have an lifestyle where I can work around 32 hours and still make a decent living.
I don't like an stressfull environment (Like emergency care). In med school I would probably only be interested to pursue an career as an general practitioner, youth healthcare physician, psychiatrist, GI.
A decent living meaning around 56k per year. I know thats maby not much for the US, but I live in Belgium.

I practice Civil law..

 

[lady1]

But why medicine, @lady1 ? It seems you want to have a more altruistic career and impact in the world, well lawyers can do that. I have plenty of friends who are lawyers and do pro bono work or practice in areas that do make an impact. And those that don't use their time outside of work to volunteer, help in their community, etc.

Not trying to discourage you, but many people think a "boring" or "unfulfilling" career means a boring and unfulfilling life. If you can put in all the effort it takes to getting into med school, you can do the same outside of work.

I understand why you are asking it though. 🙂
I really tried to work in different fields this year.
But I always detested that all my work was with papers and frankly I don't like that my job consists of writing the whole time.
I'd much rather prefer to help in a direct way, with a talk/ a touch.
I can understand if writing is part of my job, like administration. But not when it's my main job.

I also feel that there is a lot of competition out there, my education doesn't set me apart from all the other people that have studied Law. Which makes it hard to land a decent career (where I could work less or flexible because of crohn's and still maintain a decent living for a family) in law, even if I had the passion..which I don't have.

 

[LizzyM]

I understand why you are asking it though. 🙂
I really tried to work in different fields this year.
But I always detested that all my work was with papers and frankly I don't like that my job consists of writing the whole time.
I'd much rather prefer to help in a direct way, with a talk/ a touch.
I can understand if writing is part of my job, like administration. But not when it's my main job.

I also feel that there is a lot of competition out there, my education doesn't set me apart from all the other people that have studied Law. Which makes it hard to land a decent career (where I could work less or flexible because of crohn's and still maintain a decent living for a family) in law, even if I had the passion..which I don't have.

A friend of mine was a public defender and later a supervisor of public defenders and managed post-verdict portion of criminal cases. That's really helping people when they are very vulnerable... and, some would say, undeserving.

 

[HomeSkool]

In total it's when I'm flaring that I need time off from work and social obligations.

This is why I asked those questions about your health. Never say never, but I think it'd be very difficult to find a residency program that can accommodate repeated needs for sick leave.

I would like to help people as an physician or dentist, and still have an lifestyle where I can work around 32 hours and still make a decent living.

Those hours aren't even close to realistic for medical students, not to mention residents in any specialty. After you finish residency, you can make your career what you want it, but it's the getting to that point that will be problematic for you.

I don't like an stressfull environment (Like emergency care).

If you do embark on this path, you need to know that medical school and residency are very stressful, and that stress will last at least seven years depending on your specialty. To put the stress of residency in perspective, I did my master's after finishing residency, while working as an attending and with a wife and several children. Even with all that on my plate, my master's seemed easier than undergrad after having completed residency -- that's how bad residency is. And I had it pretty good as a resident. I'm not saying you can't do it. I'm saying that you need to ask yourself whether you really want to go down this training pathway. I love my job and I wouldn't trade it, but if I'd really appreciated what the training would be like before I started medical school, I may not have had the guts to do it.

I practice Civil law..

Healthcare helps keep people alive and healthy, but many other professions go into generating a good quality of life. There's a lot of good to be done in civil law. Don't be so quick to dismiss your own contribution to people's well-being!

Ultimately, the decision of whether to pursue a healthcare career is yours to make. But remember that healthcare isn't the only road to professional happiness. You can contribute a huge amount right where you are. You could branch into healthcare law and make a living on the legal consulting team of a hospital or health system. You could specialize in medical malpractice law. You could work on the legal team for a medical school. There are ways for you to make an indirect contribution to health and wellness without going through the crucible of medical training.