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I spent the last year working abroad as a teacher and spent time traveling the developing world. Since I have been away from most of my friends, who are primarily in business or law school, and have had an opportunity to clear my head, I have returned to my roots and am considering medical school again.
Here are a few reasons why:
1.. .I have a strong desire to help people and make this world a better place. I dont know what it is other than a gut feeling that a career as a doctor is what I should be doing. I walk into a hospital or doctors office and feel at home. I need to do something constructive and contribute to something that is bigger than myself.
2.. .I feel that I would be a great doctor. Im confident I have the brains but I also have an uncanny ability to empathize and connect with people. Im told this is a crucial trait of a great doctor. Being able to understand the uniqueness of each patient and what they are going through separates the good doctors from the great ones. I can do that.
3.. .I believe I would derive a tremendous amount of utility from the relationships I would develop with my patients. Knowing that the service I am providing to my patients will have an impact on their lives in some shape or form would give me great satisfaction.
4.. .I performed very well in my science course in both high school and college. Courses include first year General Chem in college and my AP Phyisics, Biology, Chemistry and Calc tests in HS. (This wouldnt necessarily make me a good doctor so much as it is an indicator for possible future success in post bac)
5.. .I can be my own boss if I choose. I know that my personality type is suited to a profession that would afford me autonomy. A career as a physician would fulfill this need and allow me to support both me and my family without concern for where my next paycheck might come from. I like this option as opposed to running my own business. Its not often you hear of medical groups failing, although, I could be totally wrong on this.
6.. .Being a doctor will provide me with a comfortable lifestyle and some security in the future when jobs are changing and dissapearing all together. Although there are major changes going on in the healthcare sector, doctors will probably still be compensated enough to live a modest yet comfortable lifestyle. The chances of future unemployment are slim. People will always get sick.
.
.
While all these reasons sound dandy, here are a few reasons why I am apprehensive about going back to school and trying for medical school.
1.. .Simple economics. The amount of money it takes to become a physician is staggering. The quarter million dollars plus of debt that I will incur through the extra courses I have to take as either a formal or informal post bacc and medical school is very discouraging.
2.. .Even if money was no object, time still is. I will be delaying the start of my life for another 6 years as I work through school. If I were to matriculate this fall (unlikely) I would be 30 when I graduate with my MD. While Ill still turn 30 one day regardless, most of my friends will probably be married and have kids at this point and that is...strange to me. I do love my social life and there are many things I want to do in my 20s that I may not be able to do for sometime if I choose to go back to school. These include continuing to travel the world, living a lifestyle better than a broke college/grad student/vagabond, dating, and saving money. This was probably the primary reason (coupled with my OCD and now defunct germ phobia) why I abandoned the pre med track in college. I sometimes have a problem with delayed gratification .although, in the end that is probably the best kind.
3.. .Fear of not making it to med school, bombing the MCAT. I suppose I am not as worried about this if I decide to commit to it, but nevertheless, its a concern I have. I am certainly smart enough to get the grades I need and hopefully the test scores but do I have the dedication? I suppose this is only one that I can answer. That said, if I did bust my butt and dedicate myself, and then didnt get in .then what?
4.. .Concern that I will change my mind in the next 6 years. This is probably the variable that weighs most heavily on me. I have a hard time deciding on anything. From picking out a bottle of wine at the grocery store to what I will wear in the morning. So making a career decision, especially one that requires more schooling and money, is a tough one for me. Money aside, 6 years is a lot of time to commit to something. And picking an area is another difficult choice. While Im sure it will be exciting and new, pursuing a specialization concerns me because it requires a lifetime commitment to learning about one particular field of medicine. On the other hand, becoming a general practitioner concerns me because Im worried it will be more varied but will become too routine and leave me feeling trapped.
5.. .Sciences. While I did well in my hard science classes in HS and intro courses in college before I abandoned my pre-med plan, Im not terribly certain I really enjoy them and maybe this is an indication that this is not what I should be doing. I certainly found them very interesting, but I find most things interesting.
.
.
It seems like Im back where I was 4 years ago when I was picking my courses for sophomore year.
Advice, comments, input from docs, future docs, post bacs and the like would be warmly appreciated.....lay it on me 🙂
Sorry for the length of this post....
I spent the last year working abroad as a teacher and spent time traveling the developing world. Since I have been away from most of my friends, who are primarily in business or law school, and have had an opportunity to clear my head, I have returned to my roots and am considering medical school again.
Here are a few reasons why:
1.. .I have a strong desire to help people and make this world a better place. I dont know what it is other than a gut feeling that a career as a doctor is what I should be doing. I walk into a hospital or doctors office and feel at home. I need to do something constructive and contribute to something that is bigger than myself.
2.. .I feel that I would be a great doctor. Im confident I have the brains but I also have an uncanny ability to empathize and connect with people. Im told this is a crucial trait of a great doctor. Being able to understand the uniqueness of each patient and what they are going through separates the good doctors from the great ones. I can do that.
3.. .I believe I would derive a tremendous amount of utility from the relationships I would develop with my patients. Knowing that the service I am providing to my patients will have an impact on their lives in some shape or form would give me great satisfaction.
4.. .I performed very well in my science course in both high school and college. Courses include first year General Chem in college and my AP Phyisics, Biology, Chemistry and Calc tests in HS. (This wouldnt necessarily make me a good doctor so much as it is an indicator for possible future success in post bac)
5.. .I can be my own boss if I choose. I know that my personality type is suited to a profession that would afford me autonomy. A career as a physician would fulfill this need and allow me to support both me and my family without concern for where my next paycheck might come from. I like this option as opposed to running my own business. Its not often you hear of medical groups failing, although, I could be totally wrong on this.
6.. .Being a doctor will provide me with a comfortable lifestyle and some security in the future when jobs are changing and dissapearing all together. Although there are major changes going on in the healthcare sector, doctors will probably still be compensated enough to live a modest yet comfortable lifestyle. The chances of future unemployment are slim. People will always get sick.
.
.
While all these reasons sound dandy, here are a few reasons why I am apprehensive about going back to school and trying for medical school.
1.. .Simple economics. The amount of money it takes to become a physician is staggering. The quarter million dollars plus of debt that I will incur through the extra courses I have to take as either a formal or informal post bacc and medical school is very discouraging.
2.. .Even if money was no object, time still is. I will be delaying the start of my life for another 6 years as I work through school. If I were to matriculate this fall (unlikely) I would be 30 when I graduate with my MD. While Ill still turn 30 one day regardless, most of my friends will probably be married and have kids at this point and that is...strange to me. I do love my social life and there are many things I want to do in my 20s that I may not be able to do for sometime if I choose to go back to school. These include continuing to travel the world, living a lifestyle better than a broke college/grad student/vagabond, dating, and saving money. This was probably the primary reason (coupled with my OCD and now defunct germ phobia) why I abandoned the pre med track in college. I sometimes have a problem with delayed gratification .although, in the end that is probably the best kind.
3.. .Fear of not making it to med school, bombing the MCAT. I suppose I am not as worried about this if I decide to commit to it, but nevertheless, its a concern I have. I am certainly smart enough to get the grades I need and hopefully the test scores but do I have the dedication? I suppose this is only one that I can answer. That said, if I did bust my butt and dedicate myself, and then didnt get in .then what?
4.. .Concern that I will change my mind in the next 6 years. This is probably the variable that weighs most heavily on me. I have a hard time deciding on anything. From picking out a bottle of wine at the grocery store to what I will wear in the morning. So making a career decision, especially one that requires more schooling and money, is a tough one for me. Money aside, 6 years is a lot of time to commit to something. And picking an area is another difficult choice. While Im sure it will be exciting and new, pursuing a specialization concerns me because it requires a lifetime commitment to learning about one particular field of medicine. On the other hand, becoming a general practitioner concerns me because Im worried it will be more varied but will become too routine and leave me feeling trapped.
5.. .Sciences. While I did well in my hard science classes in HS and intro courses in college before I abandoned my pre-med plan, Im not terribly certain I really enjoy them and maybe this is an indication that this is not what I should be doing. I certainly found them very interesting, but I find most things interesting.
.
.
It seems like Im back where I was 4 years ago when I was picking my courses for sophomore year.
Advice, comments, input from docs, future docs, post bacs and the like would be warmly appreciated.....lay it on me 🙂
Sorry for the length of this post....
