Want To leave Medicine to study Physics

[Medical2010]

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Hi all , I'm now 20 Years old in 4 th year medical school and medical education is free of charge in my country. I applied for a medical school not becoz I love it and wanna be a doctor but Becoz when I was a high school students my parents told me its the only way to get employed and earn money coz I'm in Egypt , a third world country . Now I do not want to be a medical doctor . When I was young I was extremely interested in math and Physics and I am still .also I love thinking in math and I'm tired from those astronomical amount of uninteresting material that have to be memorized for Exams.So I wanna be a physics scientist thats my dream from the time I was sixteen till now . I 've 2 options the first is to leave medicine and apply for a physics Bachelor and having wasted 4 years of my life in medicine . The second is to continue medicine until graduation and then apply for a physics bachelor and then apply for a theoretical Physics grad school to get PhD in it.Please Any Advice??????

 

[rachmoninov3]

Have you considered radiation oncology? VERY strong physics component, and the residency interviews include questions about physics.
Another option, perhaps, depending on Egypt's medical education system is to look at doing an MD/PhD.

 

[Medical2010]

Have you considered radiation oncology? VERY strong physics component, and the residency interviews include questions about physics.
Another option, perhaps, depending on Egypt's medical education system is to look at doing an MD/PhD.

Thanks , I'm not interested in radiation oncology . I'm interested in theoretical physics , something that has nothing to do with medicine at all . I do not want to do PhD in clinical medicine , I want to be a Theoretical Physicist not an oncologist .

 

[ar2388]

Thanks , I'm not interested in radiation oncology . I'm interested in theoretical physics , something that has nothing to do with medicine at all . I do not want to do PhD in clinical medicine , I want to be a Theoretical Physicist not an oncologist .

it sounds like youve made the decision already. why not just finish med school fof since youre a 4th year and then go for physics?

 

[MCAT guy]

To this and all the other posters who start threads like this.

Man up and just do it.

If you don't want to do medicine then don't. Having people back up your decision or oppose it won't make it any more right or wrong.

Just do it. You don't need permission from anyone.

 

[derspiegel]

To this and all the other posters who start threads like this.

Man up and just do it.

If you don't want to do medicine then don't. Having people back up your decision or oppose it won't make it any more right or wrong.

Just do it. You don't need permission from anyone.

I agree. If that's what you really want -> just do it.

I did the same 2 years ago, left medical school and started first year in an applied physics program. After succesfully finishing that year I returned to medical school because as it turned out: studying was still studying🙂 and I figured the social aspect of working as a doctor was more 'my thang'

But who knows: I might have continued if I had truly found my passion like I first thought... The only way you can find out is by trying.

Good luck!

 

[KeyzerSoze]

it sounds like youve made the decision already. why not just finish med school fof since youre a 4th year and then go for physics?

4th year med school in Egypt (and most of the world) is not the same as 4th year med school in a North American four year post-undergrad program. The OP is 20 - only two years older than most Americans are when they start undergrad. If he's sure he's not interested in medicine, he should absolutely leave medical school and do something else.

 

[muhali3]

How do you know you're going to be happy as a theoretical physicist? Yeah, the subject matter may be interesting but that's not what a job is all about...in the same way that taking tests/memorizing is not what clinical practice is about. You gotta make sure that it'll be worth it in the end. You're like the opposite of this guy from the book "Intern": http://www.sandeepjauhar.com/author.html

 

[Medical2010]

Thank you Guys for the kind replies . I want to know if it is possible to pick up a second physics major while still completing my medical degree . I decided I should finish my degree in medicine as I'm half the way now through medicine or else 4 years of my life would be wasted.
I know what a physics profession entails . My dream is to have a PhD degree in theoretical Physics to get a permanent position in a university . Also medicine would be a back up for me if Physics do not pay the bills . I'm really interested in the idea that I may pick up a second physics degree while studying medicine at the same time . I am sure I'm going to be happy as a theoretical physicist coz this is my dream I'm not only interested in popular Physics like time machines or wormholes I'm interested in the Mathematical side of things . and I know it's hard to do a Phd in Physics but I can do it

 

[SeekerOfTheTree]

How do you know you're going to be happy as a theoretical physicist? Yeah, the subject matter may be interesting but that's not what a job is all about...in the same way that taking tests/memorizing is not what clinical practice is about. You gotta make sure that it'll be worth it in the end. You're like the opposite of this guy from the book "Intern": http://www.sandeepjauhar.com/author.html

He's not very good looking.

 

[Medical2010]

4th year med school in Egypt (and most of the world) is not the same as 4th year med school in a North American four year post-undergrad program. The OP is 20 - only two years older than most Americans are when they start undergrad. If he's sure he's not interested in medicine, he should absolutely leave medical school and do something else.

The Problem is that If I quit now this would not be good news for my family . Also , I would have wasted 4 years of my life .

 

[gro2001]

Thank you Guys for the kind replies . I want to know if it is possible to pick up a second physics major while still completing my medical degree . I decided I should finish my degree in medicine as I'm half the way now through medicine or else 4 years of my life would be wasted.
I know what a physics profession entails . My dream is to have a PhD degree in theoretical Physics to get a permanent position in a university . Also medicine would be a back up for me if Physics do not pay the bills . I'm really interested in the idea that I may pick up a second physics degree while studying medicine at the same time . I am sure I'm going to be happy as a theoretical physicist coz this is my dream I'm not only interested in popular Physics like time machines or wormholes I'm interested in the Mathematical side of things . and I know it's hard to do a Phd in Physics but I can do it

I highly doubt that it is possible to study both concurrently. Medicine is a lot of work, and so is physics. Studying either would probably be a full time commitment. You would risk failing out of both programs if you try to do both at the same time. Do you really want to start your career in physics without being able to give it your 100% right from the start?

I believe medical school in Egypt is 6 years? If so, you are 2/3 of the way done. Also, I imagine that for your medical education to be any sort of financial 'back up', you really need to at least graduate from medical school.

Finally, I am not entirely sure about how medical education is structured in Egypt, but in many countries the last few years, the ones where you begin to have some clinical responsibilities, are really different from all the previous years. For many students, that's the 'fun' part of medical school.

IMHO, stay the course and take 2 years to finish medical school and then think about whether you still want to pursue physics.

 

[HumbleMD]

What a waste.
1) Learn to spell because
2) Don't bother with a residency if you're already having second thoughts.
3) An MD will serve you well in physics/med research (certainly thinking imaging). Talk to a medical physicist.

 

[RapplixGmed]

I studied engineering & physics in undergrad and almost went for a MD/PhD but decided to go with straight MD instead. I might be able to give you some perspective on this.

My question for the OP is: how much experience do you really have with physics?

When you're not in the field, its easy to think that it is romantic and that you will be happy. (Just like many people outside of medicine see it is as exciting and heroic all the time)

Modern physics is also very very different from classical physics and you should at least take an introductory class in modern or quantum physics before you decide that a physics career is for you.

Physics is a very very tough field and at least in the US, the job prospect in academics is not very good. I know of people who have done PhDs who ended up with a job in finance or statistics because the jobs just are not there. I may be wrong but I'm going to guess that the situation may be even worse in Egypt.

To become a good researcher and professor in physics, you need to not only be good at math. You need to be naturally talented in math or you simply will not succeed. You need to ask yourself if that adjective applies to your math skills.

Becoming a good physician is much much easier than becoming a good physicist. I'd suggest that you finish your MD and take a few physics classes in your free time. If after you get your MD, you really still hate medicine and really do love whats going on in physics, then switch.

You're already almost a doctor. It will help you in the future even if you decide to switch to physics. Don't throw it away.

 

[FutureMDSurgeon]

Hi all , I'm now 20 Years old in 4 th year medical school and medical education is free of charge in my country. I applied for a medical school not becoz I love it and wanna be a doctor but Becoz when I was a high school students my parents told me its the only way to get employed and earn money coz I'm in Egypt , a third world country . Now I do not want to be a medical doctor . When I was young I was extremely interested in math and Physics and I am still .also I love thinking in math and I'm tired from those astronomical amount of uninteresting material that have to be memorized for Exams.So I wanna be a physics scientist thats my dream from the time I was sixteen till now . I 've 2 options the first is to leave medicine and apply for a physics Bachelor and having wasted 4 years of my life in medicine . The second is to continue medicine until graduation and then apply for a physics bachelor and then apply for a theoretical Physics grad school to get PhD in it.Please Any Advice??????

Take it from me man, theoretical physics is not something you want to pursue. I don't know about your country, but here in the States, theoretical physicists are extremely restricted in their options. The current craze in theoretical physics is in string theory, and they tell me that if you don't specialize in string theory, you would be getting academic suicide, i.e. no funding, etc. etc. Even then, most funding is currently restricted to trying to stuff like proving the existence of bosons and fermions and super symmetry that would provide anecdotal evidence to string theory.So unless you REALLY love it and can't think of anything else you want to be doing, stick to something practical like medicine.
PS. I double majored in Physics and Chemistry.

 

[Medical2010]

Thank you guys . I'm going to complete my medical education anyway cause perhaps in the future I may regret leaving medicine and because medicine in Egypt is a ticket for a Stable permanent Career , So I will pursue a physics degree after I finish medical school . I know what physics is all about and that it is very hard to get a permanent Research position in a university . I know exactly what my math skills are and I'm very keen about theoretical Physics Actually I have teached myself calculus , linear algebra and went through quantum mechanics the last summer in my free time and it was much more funnier to study these stuff than the huge amount for material One should study that takes a large period of time that I should memorize for the final exam in medical school .

 

[shadowfox87]

OP, life's not over. I'm like you - love physics and math, in fact, I majored in engineering, but then I switched to medicine. There are many specialties like radiology which involve math and physics still. You can also do research to pursue your endeavors more.

However, since you're only 20, I'm not going to say it's a bad choice for you to switch careers. You can try medical physics, engineering physics, biophysics, some of the new emerging fields in universities. All I'm saying is don't let those 4 years of medical knowledge go to waste, use it for something even if you plan to quit.

 

[ar2388]

yeah calculus, linear algerba, and quantum mechanics barely begin to scratch the surface of modern physics.... until you take some partial differential equations and realtivistic quantum mechanics and the like, i dont think you know what it entails.

 

[shadowfox87]

yeah calculus, linear algerba, and quantum mechanics barely begin to scratch the surface of modern physics.... until you take some partial differential equations and realtivistic quantum mechanics and the like, i dont think you know what it entails.

👍 All those courses are like 1st year of undergrad. In 2nd year, you get to do do diff eqns. Then the fun begins in 3rd year when you actually start to get into the application of all the math you learned. Most engineers aside from quantum mechanics will go through this.

 

[mohamed agwa]

Hi all , I'm now 20 Years old in 4 th year medical school and medical education is free of charge in my country. I applied for a medical school not becoz I love it and wanna be a doctor but Becoz when I was a high school students my parents told me its the only way to get employed and earn money coz I'm in Egypt , a third world country . Now I do not want to be a medical doctor . When I was young I was extremely interested in math and Physics and I am still .also I love thinking in math and I'm tired from those astronomical amount of uninteresting material that have to be memorized for Exams.So I wanna be a physics scientist thats my dream from the time I was sixteen till now . I 've 2 options the first is to leave medicine and apply for a physics Bachelor and having wasted 4 years of my life in medicine . The second is to continue medicine until graduation and then apply for a physics bachelor and then apply for a theoretical Physics grad school to get PhD in it.Please Any Advice??????

 

[crimsonkid85]

Please, for the love of god. If you don't want to do medicine, LEAVE! There are enough people crowding into medicine these days already.

 

[mohamed agwa]

hello bro that is my problem and i am from Egypt too that is my facebook account <https://www.facebook.com/mohamed.agwa.54>please add me and tell me what u have done?

 

[brunkn06]

The OP was in April of 2011... Just sayin...

That being said, if you don't want to do medicine, don't. You will be doing your potential patients a favor, and us who do want to do medicine as well.