Unsure about medical school

[jenny3040]

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I've wanted to be a doctor all my life, but I didn't learn how difficult the entire application and training process was until I got to college. I'm now nearing my junior year, almost done with my pre-requirements (minus physics), and I'm starting to doubt my decision to become a doctor.

My friends have asked me, "Why do you want to become a doctor?" and I don't have any real answer other than job security. I also don't feel as cutthroat as the other pre-med students in my school. If I were accepted to medical school at this very moment, I don't know if I'd actually choose to enroll and begin my journey as a doctor-in-training.

And yet, I remain "pre-med" because somehow, I want to have all my classes done and over with "just in case" I suddenly want to attend and apply to medical school. Is this a bad decision? Does it even matter if I complete all my pre-requirement classes in my undergrad years if I'm relatively sure that I won't want to matriculate into medical school immediately after college?

 

[goofball]

Everyone talks a big game about how they want to go into medicine to "help people," to be an academic leader in their specialty, to save lives, etc. Everyone thinks that premeds are covering up the real reasons they enter medicine: money, security, prestige, etc.

The truth lies somewhere in the middle. Every single person going into medicine has selfish AND selfless reasons for doing so.

If someone says they want to "help people," why not become a nurse/psychologist/social worker?

If someone says they want an upper middle class income, why not become an accountant/actuary/dentist/lawyer/engineer/programmer/etc??


The fact remains that we all have several concurrent reasons for going into medicine. NEVER let anyone tell you that some reasons are better or more valid than others.





The way I see it, if your reasons to be a physician can get you through the med school admissions process, the hardest professional school admission process by far, then they are more than good enough.

 

[pathologyDO]

Dude you're weak sauce if the only reason you don't want to practice medicine is because of the application process. You will have to compete to get into many graduate schools and other good jobs. Really think this through. Everyone has their doubts through this process... Dig deep and find why you TRULY want to be in medicine. Think this over long and hard... It's this decision that you will need to live with the rest of your life

 

[alanwatts]

Everyone talks a big game about how they want to go into medicine to "help people," to be an academic leader in their specialty, to save lives, etc. Everyone thinks that premeds are covering up the real reasons they enter medicine: money, security, prestige, etc.

The truth lies somewhere in the middle. Every single person going into medicine has selfish AND selfless reasons for doing so.

exactly. and perhaps one of the most universal and genuine reasons...medicine is fascinating!

 

[gravitywave]

don't think so much. instead, do.

I'm thinking you need more clinical experience, or more depth of clinical experience. Actually being around patients and the healthcare environment should help you in this choice.

 

[NYRangers230]

I'm in the exact same situation as you, OP. Just about to finish my Sophmore year as well. I'm not much of a help considering that fact that I'm in the same boat, but I wanted to let you know that you're not the only one who is unsure.

 

[Slowpoke]

don't think so much. instead, do.

I'm thinking you need more clinical experience, or more depth of clinical experience. Actually being around patients and the healthcare environment should help you in this choice.

👍

 

[scene]

I have said this once before but I will reiterate for the sake of this thread.

I work as a scribe and have worked with various EMs in my region and I have come to a solid conclusion of my career choice. Before I tell you the conclusion, let's discuss my past experiences as a scribe and why I wanted to become a doctor. I was the typical highschool kid that thought the life of a doctor was a wonderful thing. The pressure, the high you supposedly get from helping people, the pay grade, the difficulty. I was told numerous times from MDs of different specialties to "quit while you are ahead" throughout my high school days and first years of college. I always shrugged their notions off and thought they were being facetious.

That is until I realized how much **** MDs put up with on a daily basis and came to a strong realization that the MD life is seriously a burden. As a scribe you don't do any patient care however you are with an attending physician at the start of the shift and at the end of the shift. From ****ty/difficult patients, patients that waste your time, patients that come in for non-emergent complaints, difficult hospital administration, decreased pay, frustrating hours (at times), and frivolous lawsuits (I actually had to testify one time since I was documenting on behalf of the MD). The MD life is not what it seems. While the stories I have heard from many of the doctors are good experiences and nevertheless interesting (I definitely have a lot of stories even though I am a third party observer). I just don't find it to be all that worth it anymore, especially after years of medical training/schooling/numerous examinations for licensing. I applaud anybody that truly wants to become a doctor despite having to deal with all of the aforementioned.

 

[JohnFe]

I was unsure at first that's why I didn't apply in my senior year and last year. (I graduated in 2012). I was also a pre-pharm.

Now, with more clinical experience and volunteer hours, I can see myself as a physician and will jump hurdles to get there.

 

[Ohyeah]

That is until I realized how much **** MDs put up with on a daily basis and came to a strong realization that the MD life is seriously a burden. As a scribe you don't do any patient care however you are with an attending physician at the start of the shift and at the end of the shift. From ****ty/difficult patients, patients that waste your time, patients that come in for non-emergent complaints, difficult hospital administration, decreased pay, frustrating hours (at times), and frivolous lawsuits (I actually had to testify one time since I was documenting on behalf of the MD). The MD life is not what it seems. While the stories I have heard from many of the doctors are good experiences and nevertheless interesting (I definitely have a lot of stories even though I am a third party observer). I just don't find it to be all that worth it anymore, especially after years of medical training/schooling/numerous examinations for licensing. I applaud anybody that truly wants to become a doctor despite having to deal with all of the aforementioned.

I think it's valid to say that the reality seems less glorious than the picture painted by pre-med idealism. But that might be a specialty- and personality-dependent thing. I have definitely met and shadowed doctors who acknowledge the challenges but absolutely love what they get to do for a living.

But I agree with the point here -- more clinical experience and depth of experience = more understanding of your motivations for medicine (or lack thereof)

 

[Arijos0222]

Everyone talks a big game about how they want to go into medicine to "help people," to be an academic leader in their specialty, to save lives, etc. Everyone thinks that premeds are covering up the real reasons they enter medicine: money, security, prestige, etc.

The truth lies somewhere in the middle. Every single person going into medicine has selfish AND selfless reasons for doing so.

This is absolutely GENIUS.

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

It's okay to have doubts, but it sounds like you need to get a better idea of what you're getting yourself into to make an informed decision. Like others said, I would try to get some more experience around medicine, or simply talking to doctors that won't suger coat the profession. As an aside, making pre-meds shadow an intern for a week would be an awesome way to do this. If after this you find that it's not for you, then look for alternatives. You're young, you have plenty of time to change gears.

One thing you definitely shouldn't do is commit to medical school without being sure this is what you want. It isn't easy to back out once you're in.

Take some time, find out what is important to you, and go for it. Whether that is medicine or not, only you can decide.

 

[sankri92]

Everyone talks a big game about how they want to go into medicine to "help people," to be an academic leader in their specialty, to save lives, etc. Everyone thinks that premeds are covering up the real reasons they enter medicine: money, security, prestige, etc.

The truth lies somewhere in the middle. Every single person going into medicine has selfish AND selfless reasons for doing so.

If someone says they want to "help people," why not become a nurse/psychologist/social worker?

If someone says they want an upper middle class income, why not become an accountant/actuary/dentist/lawyer/engineer/programmer/etc??


The fact remains that we all have several concurrent reasons for going into medicine. NEVER let anyone tell you that some reasons are better or more valid than others.





The way I see it, if your reasons to be a physician can get you through the med school admissions process, the hardest professional school admission process by far, then they are more than good enough.

Bravo, beautiful post!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

 

[rain4venus]

To answer your question about prereqs:
If you've done almost all of your prereqs, I think it seems silly to not do physics now just because you're not sure about med school. You don't HAVE to apply to med school just because you have the prereqs, and although you can always take the class later if you decide you do want to apply, it seems like it would be a much bigger hurdle to jump at that time.
I'd say reduce your barriers to entry as much as possible. Take physics. It's not going to hurt anything. That way you have the option to apply in the future without having to go back to school first.

If you haven't already, get some clinical experience, try to find out what being a doctor is really like, and if you'd be happy not being one. Tons of people apply to med school a decade or more out of undergrad. This isn't a decision that can only be made within the next year.

 

[fayebym]

The fact remains that we all have several concurrent reasons for going into medicine.

 

[TangoDown]

To answer your question about prereqs:
If you've done almost all of your prereqs, I think it seems silly to not do physics now just because you're not sure about med school. You don't HAVE to apply to med school just because you have the prereqs, and although you can always take the class later if you decide you do want to apply, it seems like it would be a much bigger hurdle to jump at that time.
I'd say reduce your barriers to entry as much as possible. Take physics. It's not going to hurt anything. That way you have the option to apply in the future without having to go back to school first.

If you haven't already, get some clinical experience, try to find out what being a doctor is really like, and if you'd be happy not being one. Tons of people apply to med school a decade or more out of undergrad. This isn't a decision that can only be made within the next year.

Yeah, and you can always apply to other allied health careers if you have the grades but no longer the desire to be a physician. PA, Nursing/NP, PT, etc. You may find you have more motivation as to those professions.

Keep your mind open.

 

[lilyroots]

If I were accepted to medical school at this very moment, I don't know if I'd actually choose to enroll and begin my journey as a doctor-in-training.

And yet, I remain "pre-med" because somehow, I want to have all my classes done and over with "just in case" I suddenly want to attend and apply to medical school. Is this a bad decision? Does it even matter if I complete all my pre-requirement classes in my undergrad years if I'm relatively sure that I won't want to matriculate into medical school immediately after college?

I was in the same boat as you with regards to this part. I took all the prerequisites to keep the path open in case I wanted to pursue it later, and being a physician seemed like something I wanted to do (I like to help people and I loved the drug interactions that I learned about in undergrad) but I was not sure if I was up for the commitment. I had a lot of self-doubt about whether it was right for me and whether I could actually do it, and I felt like I couldn't sign away a decade of my life (what if my desires or goals change in the future?).

Having doubts is normal. It shows that this is important to you and you take decision-making seriously. From my experience (I graduated in '12 and am doing 2 gap years), I do wish that I'd applied to med school sooner so that if I wanted to attend it now, I would be able to. Taking a year or two off to work at a job or something else that is not related to your deep-seated desires in life can feel like a waste of your time and youth. On the other hand, I'm glad I took this time to figure out what I really wanted. My real world experience has been invaluable and it has helped me grow as a person. And I didn't have a good answer for why I wanted to become an M.D. before, but I do now.

I would say to definitely keep taking the pre-reqs to keep your options open. Take your time to decide, and get lots of volunteer/clinical experiences to help you understand if it's what you really want to do. If you're not sure (like I was), then going to med school likely will not make you happy and will impede your achievements if you're not fully committed. Plus, you don't want to find out during training that medicine is not for you, then be trapped by debt into doing something you don't like.

I hope this was helpful. Best of luck to you! 🙂