What made you decide to be a doctor?

[snowhite]

Just curious...what made you decide to be a doctor and when?

I've always wanted to be a doctor myself and couldn't imagine doing anything else. I've known this for as long as I can remember. everytime I volunteered and shadowed docs, it just felt right.

What about you guys?

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[Pinkertinkle]

For the women, for the women.

 

[snowhite]

You did it to attract women? lol. How come it has the opposite for women? from what I know...most women who want to become doctors are less attractive to men.

 

[Luck]

I did it because my parents wanted me to be a doctor.

 

[oasis786]

I did it because my parents wanted me to be a doctor.

My parents wanted you to be a doctor too.

 

[DieselPetrolGrl]

my mom and dad inspired me
by watching them slave through calls i felt ..what the hell..pain should be a family affair..i go apply now

 

[DrPharaohX]

Honestly, I find those people lucky who really knew medicine was for them and nothing else, because at least the decision and motivation for them was relatively easier than for me.

I was "torn" between medicine and some form of engineering. In the end, even though I love math and playing with equations and numbers, I found the sciences more dynamic and exciting and I pursued pre-med more or less for the challenge, and I'm not one to back away from a challenge

It took me a long time of questioning my reasons, ambitions, and finding my motivation for wanting to get into this field. At the same time, I found and realized other reasons that made medicine really appealing to me, reasons I hadn't thought about or experienced before.

I think I'm re-couping from having adjusted my habits and finding my motivation, because these aspects affected my chances in the app cycle and as a result I've yet to be admitted (though I'm hopeful with my one waitlist )

At least I know that after all the extensive self reflection and psychoanalysis that my family and I engaged in, I'm now more sure of this than anything else in my life, and I will pursue this goal to the end

 

[samurai_lincoln]

Midlife crisis. Seriously. I totally reconsidered my life direction after my 30th birthday a few months back. Now I find myself enrolling in intro bio and chem classes with 18 year olds in the fall. Wait a minute, thinking of those nubile young females, why didn't I think of this a few years ago?

 

[snowhite]

DrPharoax

I'm intrigued by people who decide to do medicine when at first pursuing something else. Yes, I always wanted to be a doctor, but in a way, I feel left out of other things in the world. Not that I regret it, but I've always looked for the health/medicine/science things in life that I wonder how life would have been without being so focused. I applaud your reflection and decision to come into medicine and it seems that you would be a great addition and bring a different and interesting persepctive into it. Wish you the best of luck.

 

[snowhite]

Midlife crisis. Seriously. I totally reconsidered my life direction after my 30th birthday a few months back. Now I find myself enrolling in intro bio and chem classes with 18 year olds in the fall. Wait a minute, thinking of those nubile young females, why didn't I think of this a few years ago?

Way to go! Love stories like these.

 

[DieselPetrolGrl]

keep em comming!

 

[snowhite]

Midlife crisis. Seriously. I totally reconsidered my life direction after my 30th birthday a few months back. Now I find myself enrolling in intro bio and chem classes with 18 year olds in the fall. Wait a minute, thinking of those nubile young females, why didn't I think of this a few years ago?

What were you doing before school?

 

[snowhite]

my mom and dad inspired me
by watching them slave through calls i felt ..what the hell..pain should be a family affair..i go apply now

are your parents both docs? Did they make you apply or try to persuade you to?

 

[samurai_lincoln]

What were you doing before school?

I worked as a mechanical engineer for 2 years, then went to law school. 3 years of drudgery as an attorney at a large firm... will probably request a shift from partnership track to an "of counsel" position, since I need the extra time and would never want to make partner in a million years.

 

[snowhite]

Wow....engineering AND law? Now medicine...that's awesome. Great to have future docs with a plethora of life experiences.

 

[kchan99]

I really suck at business. I think I'm no good at making money--too sympathetic, maybe. I think my investment skills are okay though.

Actually, I thought my orthopedist whom I saw in elementary and middle school was really cool. He didn't fix my back. Nature did. My scoliosis stopped getting worse when I stopped growing... Now I think I'm too short to be a surgeon. Plus my back kinda hurts or is stiff once in a while because my scoliosis is still around.

 

[NDESTRUKT]

I worked as a mechanical engineer for 2 years, then went to law school. 3 years of drudgery as an attorney at a large firm... will probably request a shift from partnership track to an "of counsel" position, since I need the extra time and would never want to make partner in a million years.

glad i won't be doing the law thing...not that it's a waste of time, well for me it would be, but yay for doing med school earlier (but not THAT early)

 

[Gleevec]

I want to work in a Mexican restaurant and waste as much taxpayer money on my education as possible. So I've decided to pursue my MD/PhD from Johns Hopkins so that I may be qualified and educated enough to pursue both dreams simultaneously.

 

[34140]

I want to work in a Mexican restaurant, so I've decided to pursue my MD/PhD from Johns Hopkins so that I may be qualified and educated enough to pursue that dream.

hahahahahahahahahahahaha

 

[snowhite]

I want to work in a Mexican restaurant, so I've decided to pursue my MD/PhD from Johns Hopkins so that I may be qualified and educated enough to pursue that dream.

It's so funny...when I was trying to get a part-time job after getting my bachelors and starting my masters, people who had a lot less education than me got it. I think people won't hire you if you're over-qualified. I had a friend who got his masters and Burger King wouldn't even hire him. I think one has to dumbify their resume to get a common job.

 

[34140]

no its cause they know you wont stick around....so they dont give u the job

 

[DrPharaohX]

DrPharoax

I'm intrigued by people who decide to do medicine when at first pursuing something else. Yes, I always wanted to be a doctor, but in a way, I feel left out of other things in the world. Not that I regret it, but I've always looked for the health/medicine/science things in life that I wonder how life would have been without being so focused. I applaud your reflection and decision to come into medicine and it seems that you would be a great addition and bring a different and interesting persepctive into it. Wish you the best of luck.

Thank you It was just hard for me at first to find motivation, or to REALLY know why I want to do medicine. I even knew I was going to pursue medicine even with my strong interest in mathematics and physics from high school, which is again because of that challenge that came with it but I believe I did have the first few signs of wanting to enter a dynamic field and work with people "multidimensionally" so to speak.

I'm just glad I have solid reasons now, and I'm glad I'm not (thankfully) the fickle type, because I stuck with this and it seems to be a great decision so far (still waiting for that acceptance though!)

 

[kaikai128]

I always (well since I was about 11) said that I wanted to be a doctor. While working at a restuarant and waitressing, I met a man at the end of my shift and started speaking to him...about his life, his regrets, about my dream, etc. He gave me the motivation to pursue my dream...and I have been working toward applying ever since.

 

[Prozach]

I think medicine is one of the most diverse fields out there. You can do *anything* with a medical degree. So whether I wanted to work in Preventive Medicine at the CDC or be a rural family doctor in Kansas, I can do it with an MD or DO. So I guess I want to be a doctor because of the sheer number and variety of options it provides......you can never get bored!

 

[snowhite]

My thoughts exactly. I never understood people who went into accounting, or business (like my sister), or engineering and such. It seems so redundant and uninteresting. But then again, I never enjoyed and never did well in classes somewhat related to these. I guess different strokes for different folks.

 

[NDESTRUKT]

My thoughts exactly. I never understood people who went into accounting, or business (like my sister), or engineering and such. It seems so redundant and uninteresting. But then again, I never enjoyed and never did well in classes somewhat related to these. I guess different strokes for different folks.

Those majors can be diverse and interesting, well not accounting, but business and engineering. I'm not sure about business as much but engineering applies to everything in the world. Every device you use is designed or manufactured by an engineer. If you're a mechanical or electrical engineer you can basically work in any field you want, solving any type of problem you want in that field. I worked on things from car engines, to speaker design, to circuit board manufacturing, to XM satellite, to aircraft engine design. To be passionate about engineering is to be passionate about the way things work and how things can be designed or improved to solve a problem. That's sometimes how I see medicine...in fact physiology is basically engineering applied toward a specific system (I've heard this analogy many times over by professors of both physiology and engineering). Who designs pacemakers, artificial limbs, nanodevices, linear accelerators for radiation therapy, x-ray machines, imaging devices, and hearing aids? That's right - engineers. Who is in charge of manufacturing them in the factories and plants? Yeah, engineers again. I was told by 4 out of 6 adcoms during my interviews that engineering was the most diverse and applicable field available to study.

But I will agree with the "different strokes for different folks" statement. The world be horribly boring if everyone was an engineer.

 

[McP]

I decided I wanted to be a doctor the summer between my Sophomore and Junior years of college, while working in a doctor's office. I was a government major and had spent the past two years trying to decide if I'd rather be a lawyer or a wedding planner. Also, I'd completed my bio & phys for non-majors requirements and was CONVINCED that I hated science and was not good at it. (Things have since changed. )

The doctors I worked for were incredible and I loved discussing syptoms and diagnoses with them. I couldn't believe there was a job out there that was so intriguing and interesting and inspiring. On top of all of that, the doctors really loved their patients. Even the ones who were miserable to put up with or didn't pay on time. How often do you see that? Anyway, I finally decided that even if the pre-med sciences were horrible to suffer through, it would be worth it to get a chance to study something truly interesting and have a job that was really fulfilling. And it turned out that my pre-med classes were tons better than I could have ever imagined!

 

[patzan]

Midlife crisis. Seriously. I totally reconsidered my life direction after my 30th birthday a few months back. Now I find myself enrolling in intro bio and chem classes with 18 year olds in the fall. Wait a minute, thinking of those nubile young females, why didn't I think of this a few years ago?

So are you only planning on living to 60? Maybe now that you're more involved in medicine, you can live longer and have another mid-life crisis when you are 50!

 

[xadmin]

I wanted to be a doctor to help people.

 

[DieselPetrolGrl]

are your parents both docs? Did they make you apply or try to persuade you to?

nope...my brothers going into biz..but im too " bubbly" and i love kids so i am dying to be a doctor. pref in ER in a childrens hospital..like holz or miami childrens...* dreamy *

my dad is more into publishing and my moms more into trauma within her specialty.. i actually had middle school fluctuations where i didint know if i wanted to work like them but once i got into the swing i realized the rewards outweigh any compromises.

 

[samurai_lincoln]

So are you only planning on living to 60? Maybe now that you're more involved in medicine, you can live longer and have another mid-life crisis when you are 50!

If I lived until 60, I would be pretty happy... while I am in great physical shape externally, I probably have the liver of a 90 year old alcoholic from the massive quantities of alcohol and drugs I consumed during my late teens/very early twenties. It was fun while it lasted but I probably shouldn't make light of it, and certainly wouldn't recommend this course of action to others.

Maybe some of my recent revelations in this regard are contributing to my newfound direction? Probably so, at least on some level.

 

[patzan]

If I lived until 60, I would be pretty happy... while I am in great physical shape externally, I probably have the liver of a 90 year old alcoholic from the massive quantities of alcohol and drugs I consumed during my late teens/very early twenties. It was fun while it lasted but I probably shouldn't make light of it, and certainly wouldn't recommend this course of action to others.

Maybe some of my recent revelations in this regard are contributing to my newfound direction? Probably so, at least on some level.

ps- I miss your avatar.

 

[mdsadler]

You did it to attract women? lol. How come it has the opposite for women? from what I know...most women who want to become doctors are less attractive to men.

This isn't always the case. Last summer when I was lifeguarding a woman came up to me and asked if she could swim-jog in the deep end. She then came back and gave me her medi-pager and told me to tell her if it went off. As soon as she did I had troubles watching the rest of the pool!

 

[DocHoo]

I didn't decided to try to become a physician until my sophomore year of college (going into senior year now). But what really influenced me was the physicians I have seen in action! My father has been sick since I was pretty little so I have see the inside of many hospital walls. There is just something about it that draws me there and I couldn't see myself doing anything else. I will do whatever it takes to get in!!!

This was a great post... thanks!

 

[snowhite]

I didn't decided to try to become a physician until my sophomore year of college (going into senior year now). But what really influenced me was the physicians I have seen in action! My father has been sick since I was pretty little so I have see the inside of many hospital walls. There is just something about it that draws me there and I couldn't see myself doing anything else. I will do whatever it takes to get in!!!

This was a great post... thanks!

Thank you. I'm glad I'll be surrounded by fellow doctors who have great motivation and who actually care about what they are doing.

I've known many people wanting to be a doctor for the "prestige" or the "money" or purely for "golf buddies." and I'm glad to know that there are people out there who actually care.

On an inspiring note...I knew someone who had a 4.0 and a thirty something (can't remember now) MCAT and got interviews at ALL schools he applied to and was accepted at zero. I also know of someone who made MCAT=19 with a 2.8 sci GPA and was accepted on the first try. Apparently, statistics aren't everything.

 

[Pickle Salt]

the opiates.

 

[Swiper]

It's something I knew I wanted to do growing up, but after a few lousy premed years in college I knew I wasn't yet ready. At 25, I made the decision that it was finally time to take the leap and go all out. I haven't looked back since.

 

[KatieOConnor]

I started out college as a premed. Then I decided to go into industrial chemistry. Then I took a semester off from school to go camping. After that I had an internship in an industrial chemistry lab and hated it. When I returned to school I had no idea what I wanted to do so I took another semester off from school and worked in a neuroscience lab and loved it. I decided I might want to go into cognitive neuroscience. When I graduated, I started with the lab work again and ended up in a clinical lab while taking neuroscience courses. The neuro courses were very relevant to medicine, and doctors even audited one of them. The clinical lab, likewise, was very relevant to medicine. I then realized that I really wanted to do medicine afterall. I love science, I love working with people... and as a doctor I'd have so many choices.

 

[Leukocyte]

Whaching the TV show "er".
Real world Medicine is NOTHING like "er".

 

[vinoyp]

I was at a crossroads in my life. Either work in the Senate for beans, but at least get a start on my political ambitions. Or, go to med school.

Needless to say, I chose poorly.

--Vinoy

 

[Keberson]

love your quote "what doesn't kill you only makes you want to die.."
perfect for a med school forum

 

[hakksar]

I clearly remember the moment I decided to become a doctor. I was at the bottom of a cliff, kneeling over a critically injured person, and thinking that joining Arapahoe Rescue might have been a mistake. I had never been exposed to a person who might die, not to mention a person who had fallen 70 feet and become lodged in a crevice. I was scared, and, being relatively new to search and rescue, unsure of what to do. Then a fellow member of my search and rescue team said "Get him into the litter and get him out of here. All we can do for him is get him to a doctor!" At that moment, my fear became a passion for helping injured people. Since then, I have focused my life on learning both the science and clinical skills to allow me to be who that patient needed.

 

[Swiper]

I clearly remember the moment I decided to become a doctor. I was at the bottom of a cliff, kneeling over a critically injured person, and thinking that joining Arapahoe Rescue might have been a mistake. I had never been exposed to a person who might die, not to mention a person who had fallen 70 feet and become lodged in a crevice. I was scared, and, being relatively new to search and rescue, unsure of what to do. Then a fellow member of my search and rescue team said "Get him into the litter and get him out of here. All we can do for him is get him to a doctor!" At that moment, my fear became a passion for helping injured people. Since then, I have focused my life on learning both the science and clinical skills to allow me to be who that patient needed.

Is that your first paragraph?

 

[samurai_lincoln]

I clearly remember the moment I decided to become a doctor. I was at the bottom of a cliff, kneeling over a critically injured person, and thinking that joining Arapahoe Rescue might have been a mistake. I had never been exposed to a person who might die, not to mention a person who had fallen 70 feet and become lodged in a crevice. I was scared, and, being relatively new to search and rescue, unsure of what to do. Then a fellow member of my search and rescue team said "Get him into the litter and get him out of here. All we can do for him is get him to a doctor!" At that moment, my fear became a passion for helping injured people. Since then, I have focused my life on learning both the science and clinical skills to allow me to be who that patient needed.

Arapahoe as in county or A-basin? Probably the latter since the county is pretty flat. Cool story either way.

 

[acidbreeze]

Becoming a doctor requires mad skills. nuff said

 

[hakksar]

It is Arapahoe as in the County. However, when I was active and this happened it served Arapahoe, Douglas, and southern Jefferson counties. They still exist although now they serve Arapahoe County and mutal aid for the entire state. For more info www.Arapahoe-rescue-patrol.com

Also, it was the first paragraph of my PS . . . figured I did not need to write it again.