Would you go to medical school if you had to choose again?

[tr]

Meanwhile, friends from college who decided on academia are landing those tenure track positions, finance folks are millionaires, and folks in politics are getting good positions in the current administration. They all have free time, hobbies, and are starting families.

This sounds like a bad case of grass-is-greener to me. I don't know where you live, but all the finance people I know are out of a job and in a whole pile of worry right now. (And when they were riding high, they certainly didn't have time for hobbies.) My academic friends are mostly getting jobs (a testament to their awesomeness) but lord knows they are struggling to find them - those 100 applicants for every 1 job stats are pretty sobering. They sure don't get to pick where they want to live.

From a superficial perspective your position probably looks just super to your old college buddies - solid training in a reliable field where it's easy to find jobs. People often don't talk about their life dissatisfactions. Are you telling your financial/academic/political friends how unhappy you are with medicine?

Since you hated the #@!!$! PhD so much, how did you pull through it?

Sheer stubbornness. I kept thinking it would get better. But it just turned out to be throwing good time after bad.

And, if you want to do research in the future, why would it be a waste of time?

Because I'm now more interested in research areas that are more directly related to my clinical work, and almost not at all to my PhD stuff. The PhD in a barely-related field is not much practical help, just some window dressing for the resume at this point.

But the real reason I feel that it was a waste of time is because it sucked. I hate the thought that I spent good years of my 20s feeling awful and stressed out most of the time. If I had had a more enjoyable experience I wouldn't feel so much that it was a waste of time. I did learn a lot.

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[BlondeDocteur]

BD, I appreciate your posts most of the time.

However, just quitting is not an option for those of us with serious debt. 200K at 6.5-7% interest requires a hefty salary in order to just make the payments.

There aren't many jobs that I could get that would allow me to make my payments and own a house, a car, raise children, etc. For most of us, finishing residency is our only reasonable option.

I agree. Though I feel for HappyChair, there are options.

 

[Bubb Rubb]

i'm glad i don't have to go through all i've gone through again, and, frankly, i'm not sure if i could make it.



that said, i'm reasonably happy with how things are now, and have faith that the future is brighter yet.

 

[digfast]

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[Osteoimperfecta]

Yes I will do it again, because I still will not know any better. Most people who choose this path are like this guy

Something does not feel right, but you keep chasing the precious

 

[FCBarca1990]

Awesome thread! Great things to think about before heading through the gates of medical school...

 

[michaelrack]

This sounds like a bad case of grass-is-greener to me. I don't know where you live, but all the finance people I know are out of a job and in a whole pile of worry right now. (And when they were riding high, they certainly didn't have time for hobbies.) My academic friends are mostly getting jobs (a testament to their awesomeness) but lord knows they are struggling to find them - those 100 applicants for every 1 job stats are pretty sobering. They sure don't get to pick where they want to live.
.

It's only going to get worse- this time also for the academics.

 

[LCSULLA]

mmmm

 

[thepoopologist]

MS3 here:

Absolutely not.

Knowing what I know about myself now, I would've abandoned all practicality and explored my true interests. Medicine is tolerable and sometimes enjoyable but the first two years were absolutely brutal for me, not to mention the two years prior to that taking prereqs and trying to get in.

I'll be 34 years old when I finish a 3 year residency, with 350k in debt at that point. If I'm not making at minimum $10,000/month after tax by then I will not be a happy camper.

 

[thecalccobra]

MS3 here:

Absolutely not.

Knowing what I know about myself now, I would've abandoned all practicality and explored my true interests. Medicine is tolerable and sometimes enjoyable but the first two years were absolutely brutal for me, not to mention the two years prior to that taking prereqs and trying to get in.

I'll be 34 years old when I finish a 3 year residency, with 350k in debt at that point. If I'm not making at minimum $10,000/month after tax by then I will not be a happy camper.

Even if you decide to go into family medicine- which is the least paying along with psychiatry and peds- you will be making around $10k a month. No worries.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Even if you decide to go into family medicine- which is the least paying along with psychiatry and peds- you will be making around $10k a month. No worries.

Ah, we psych people make more than peds and FM. And we have an easier residency and better lifestyle. All win.

 

[2012mdc]

Ah, we psych people make more than peds and FM. And we have an easier residency and better lifestyle. All win.

psych is an underrated field. outpatient private practice psych has good hours and little overheard.

I guess it does take a specific type of person to do pysch though. Definitely not for everyone

 

[lastcall]

I'm only an M2 but I would never choose to go through this again.

 

[Drmuru]

I would even though med sch has been tough on me.

 

[QofQuimica]

I don't regret going to medical school; I really enjoy seeing patients, and I was fortunate enough to find a subspecialty that I am madly in love with. I was also lucky enough to be fully scholarshipped and not have to take out any loans. But if I could do it all again, I think I'd go to pharmacy school instead. I'm not particularly fascinated with the human body, but I do dig the drugs.

 

[username456789]

I don't regret going to medical school; I really enjoy seeing patients, and I was fortunate enough to find a subspecialty that I am madly in love with. I was also lucky enough to be fully scholarshipped and not have to take out any loans. But if I could do it all again, I think I'd go to pharmacy school instead. I'm not particularly fascinated with the human body, but I do dig the drugs.

Forgive me if this is something you intentionally avoid talking about on a public forum, but what subspecialty are you going into?

 

[45408]

I don't regret doing it, nor do I really wish I had done something else, but I wouldn't repeat it, which is kind of what the poll asks. I would not do this whole process twice.

 

[DeadCactus]

Only an MS3, but I have no regrets about going into medicine yet. Given the chance, I might add a year or two between college and medical school to do explore a little.

I've always felt that 95% of the complaints about medicine stem from some combination of people never having worked a real job before, projection of blame for self-imposed stress onto an external source, a grossly exaggerated perception of what life owes to them, and the never-ending human instinct to b--ch about anything and everything.

I'll admit my ignorance and maybe my attitude will change as I get further along, but I've yet to see anything to dispel my belief...

 

[DrArete]

I don't regret going to medical school; I really enjoy seeing patients, and I was fortunate enough to find a subspecialty that I am madly in love with. I was also lucky enough to be fully scholarshipped and not have to take out any loans. But if I could do it all again, I think I'd go to pharmacy school instead. I'm not particularly fascinated with the human body, but I do dig the drugs.

Even the one with the 43 MCAT and no debt would have done something else...

 

[MJB]

Only an MS3, but I have no regrets about going into medicine yet. Given the chance, I might add a year or two between college and medical school to do explore a little.

I've always felt that 95% of the complaints about medicine stem from some combination of people never having worked a real job before, projection of blame for self-imposed stress onto an external source, a grossly exaggerated perception of what life owes to them, and the never-ending human instinct to b--ch about anything and everything.

I'll admit my ignorance and maybe my attitude will change as I get further along, but I've yet to see anything to dispel my belief...

Absolutely would choose to do it again. Probably would have chosen differently with regard to some financial decisions, but choosing to return to Med School was the best thing I ever did.

I'm 100% convinced everyone that has even an inkling of doubt (and likely regardless) should work for at least 3-4 years in the "real world" before they even think about going to Med School. The vast majority of those I find who "hate it" and would never ever recommend it to anyone are those that have never done anything else.


Granted, I get frustrated with the system, but I still know (because I've been there) that it's better than most any other job in the world with the exception of things that just aren't realistic for the majority of people (professional athlete, model, actress, celebrity of another sort, etc....).

If you are looking for the most direct route to a good paying job with great job security in a field where what you do actually matters in a meaningful way, I don't see a better alternative.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Like others have said, I'm glad I don't have to do it again. If the world were different, maybe I wouldn't do it, but I don't know -- there are worse places to be in. And yeah, I've been to law school (and did well, mind you), and I'd still so much rather do medicine than that. I can't imagine doing business is much better.

Now if I had a trust fund, nah, I wouldn't do this.

 

[DrArete]

Absolutely would choose to do it again. Probably would have chosen differently with regard to some financial decisions, but choosing to return to Med School was the best thing I ever did.

I'm 100% convinced everyone that has even an inkling of doubt (and likely regardless) should work for at least 3-4 years in the "real world" before they even think about going to Med School. The vast majority of those I find who "hate it" and would never ever recommend it to anyone are those that have never done anything else.


Granted, I get frustrated with the system, but I still know (because I've been there) that it's better than most any other job in the world with the exception of things that just aren't realistic for the majority of people (professional athlete, model, actress, celebrity of another sort, etc....).

If you are looking for the most direct route to a good paying job with great job security in a field where what you do actually matters in a meaningful way, I don't see a better alternative.

Here's a non trad post from today:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=846648

Let me state flat out that I regret my decision to go to medical school. I actually love the subject matter, the work, and the people. But I hate what it has done to my family. I'm a non-trad, married with kids. Spent 4 years working full-time through undergrad, applied and got in, and am now a third year. My wife got sick of me being gone all the time and had an affair. I scarcely give my kids the time they need, and when I do I'm often so tired that I can't keep up with their energy level. And forget about me being able to provide fun things like vacations and dinners out for my wife and kids, much less hardly the things they need.

Now many will answer by saying, "This may all be true, but in another 5 or 6 years you'll be making amazing money at a stable job". This is true. And assuming I am by some miracle still married, and assuming my kids aren't in prison because their dad was never around, we should have a pretty killer lifestyle. (Let's just say I ain't going into General Surgery or Family Medicine). But so what? How does that compensate for what my family is missing out on now? What they will end up having missed out on FOR 11 OR 12 YEARS!!!!

Let me put it to you this way: Pretend there was a career out there which paid 20 million dollars a year and had 100% job security. But say it also required a full 30 years of training, 100 hours a week. 30 years of living on loans, dirt poor, and working insane numbers of hours. Would you do it? I doubt many of you would say yes. But why not? Heck, even though you wouldn't start your career until like age 60, you could work for just 5 years and make 100 million dollars and retire in insane luxury. So why wouldn't you do it? Why would I definitely not do it? BECAUSE NO MATTER HOW GREAT THE BENEFITS AT THE END MIGHT BE, THE SACRIFICE WOULD JUST NOT BE WORTH IT. Raising your kids in poverty, never seeing them, losing your marriage..... not worth it. So you could give each of your kids $20 million bucks when they were in their 40's. Still not worth it.

So apply that to medicine. Sure you'll make good bucks. Sure you'll work nice hours eventually (if you're smart about it). But at what cost? Are you OK with your kids spending 2/3 of their childhood not seeing you enough and living at poverty level? Are you OK with the real possibility that your marriage will fall apart? Believe me, my wife is the last person anyone would have expected this from. Go back and read Panda Bear MD's stuff. I always thought it sounded like as bad as the process was, his family would make it. And look what happened. No one is immune, and if you want to take the risk fine, but don't kid yourself into thinking it couldn't happen to you.

I only need to look next door to understand my mistake. My neighbor is an electrician, he'll probably never make over 50 or 60 K. But he comes home every afternoon and never works a weekend. He can frequently, so I am told, be seen in his yard playing ball with his kids. Never misses a t-ball game, never misses a birthday, never has to explain to his family why something else is, or at least seems, more important than them. He takes his family on a trip every summer. On occasion he buys nice steaks and throws them on the grill. He is saving for retirement, and paying down his mortgage. He has time to exercise and isn't killing his body. Money isn't everything. Having a "noble career" isn't everything. In the end, his kids might not live in a huge house or travel all over when they are 15. But they will have had their dad. They will have thousands of fond memories. They will have had a great childhood.

If you absolutely have to do it, do it. Don't get me wrong. Medicine is interesting. I love my patients, I love those I work with. But I love my family even more and I have failed them. Ask yourself if the sacrifice is worth it. Will you be happier making $250K in 12 years when your kids are all but grown, than you would be making $60K as a nurse or $100K as a PA but getting to be with your family? It's something to think about. I wish I had.

In the end I will finish because I'm 5-6 years away at this point, am in tons of debt, and would spend a few years training to do something else anyway. But if I had it to do over, I'd choose my family. Just something to think about. Best of luck in whatever you decide to do.

 

[DeadCactus]

Here's a non trad post from today:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=846648

And my question is why the hell a third year can't find time for his family? Yea, maybe it's medical schools fault. But every-time I've seen a classmate complain, it's a person who chose to sit in the library for 14 hours a day because good isn't good enough.

I'm sure there are some people out there who simply just have an incredibly difficult time surviving medical school. But what I see true far more often is the person who throws away his or her personal life because anything less than Neurosurgery at Hopkins isn't good enough.

People actively choose to sacrifice their personal life for the bigger bucks or the more prestigious training and then pretend it's medicine's fault. You can be the academic bottom of the barrel in medicine and still pull a job as a psychiatrist or hospitalist making six-figures with comfortable hours. Yet somehow it's medicines fault your marriage fell apart and your kids don't know you?

I'm not faulting people who push themselves, but let's stop pretending this is some sacrifice we were forced to make. The simple truth is that the vast majority of the time, we made those sacrifices as an investment to satisfy our pride and our own personal desires.

And sure, part of the driving force is a desire to take the best care of our patients that we can. But I'm not convinced that the difference in academic effort between the BC hospitalist from a low ranked IM program and the Harvard Ortho surgeon is anywhere close to proportional with the difference in the quality of care their patient's receive...

Medicine doesn't cause people to lose their wives and friends. The constant desire to be at the top and the ever increasing levels of competition do that. People can blame medicine if they want, but your kids don't know you any better if you're in the library at 3am trying to get all honors, at the office wrapping up the report you hope will win you a few brownie points with the boss, or grabbing drinks with the client you hope will take your business to the next level.

CLIFF NOTES: People confuse the demanding requirements to be at the top of any career with something unique to medicine. People try to blame medicine for their own decision to constantly fight for a spot in the top percentile.

 

[Janedoedoctor]

Yes, I'd do it again.

The grass is very definitely not greener on the other side. My friends who went into business are either depserately job-searching or putting in 60+ hours a week in fear of loosing their jobs.
I don't know where Mr Hat finds that job-secure, solid-income, never-works-a-weekend electrician, but it certainly isn't anywhere near me. All I see is people treading water like crazy, trying to keep their heads above the surface.
In comparison, my medical career is a haven of security. A fellow's income isn't much, but it's enough. Enough to drive up to the pump whenever my car is running low, and just pull that handle untill the tank is full. I can whip out my card and pay for it without having to worry if it'll work. If I feel like going skiing for a weekend, I can. If my husband wants a new bike, he buys it. The chance that either of us will get layed off is essentially zero. And in a couple of years, our income will multiply.

Yes, we have to work hard, but who doensn't these days?
Many doctors suffer from a heady combination of self-pity and 'grass is greener-syndrome'. We're not the only ones working hard, and we're certainly among the most secure and best compensated.

 

[MJB]

And my question is why the hell a third year can't find time for his family? Yea, maybe it's medical schools fault. But every-time I've seen a classmate complain, it's a person who chose to sit in the library for 14 hours a day because good isn't good enough.

I'm sure there are some people out there who simply just have an incredibly difficult time surviving medical school. But what I see true far more often is the person who throws away his or her personal life because anything less than Neurosurgery at Hopkins isn't good enough.

People actively choose to sacrifice their personal life for the bigger bucks or the more prestigious training and then pretend it's medicine's fault. You can be the academic bottom of the barrel in medicine and still pull a job as a psychiatrist or hospitalist making six-figures with comfortable hours. Yet somehow it's medicines fault your marriage fell apart and your kids don't know you?

I'm not faulting people who push themselves, but let's stop pretending this is some sacrifice we were forced to make. The simple truth is that the vast majority of the time, we made those sacrifices as an investment to satisfy our pride and our own personal desires.

And sure, part of the driving force is a desire to take the best care of our patients that we can. But I'm not convinced that the difference in academic effort between the BC hospitalist from a low ranked IM program and the Harvard Ortho surgeon is anywhere close to proportional with the difference in the quality of care their patient's receive...

Medicine doesn't cause people to lose their wives and friends. The constant desire to be at the top and the ever increasing levels of competition do that. People can blame medicine if they want, but your kids don't know you any better if you're in the library at 3am trying to get all honors, at the office wrapping up the report you hope will win you a few brownie points with the boss, or grabbing drinks with the client you hope will take your business to the next level.

CLIFF NOTES: People confuse the demanding requirements to be at the top of any career with something unique to medicine. People try to blame medicine for their own decision to constantly fight for a spot in the top percentile.

You pretty much took the words outta my mouth. Before I even read your post I had to wonder why the "non-trad" had been "forced" to not pay attention to his family during medical school. I made it through medical school just fine (above average) and feel like I had plenty of time to spend with my wife and child. Now that I'm in residency, there will be months that I don't see them much, but that's pretty much true of most residencies, and was true of my old job at times.

As for the electrician, I've seen plenty of examples of exactly what that poster explains. Hell, my FIL worked for 30 years, retired early, and had plenty of time with his family, etc...and was MISERABLE. He still tells me nearly every time I talk to him how much he admires the fact that I had the fortitude (or insanity) to give up what was a very, very good (but boring and mind numbing, not to mention unfulfilling) job to return to med school.

Life is a series of CHOICES. I would say that the "non-trad" chose to not spend time with his family and wife and that medicine likely had very little to do with why his marriage is having trouble. It merely helped along the doubts that were already there in his wife's mind.

I did find it interesting that he specifically mentioned "not doing FP" so he could have a good lifestyle. I chose FP in part because of the lifestyle afforded by the specialty. You can make 200K plus and work Outpatient only with no nights, weekends, holidays, or call. To me, that's pretty damned good...and beats the hell out of crawling around in attics as an electrician, for instance.

Haven't looked, but I have to wonder how "non-trad" he is. Sounds like he just got married early and had kids during undergrad. Could be wrong.

 

[PistolPete]

Definitely a lot of great posts and thoughts on this thread.

I'm only an 4th year med student, so take this with a grain of salt, because perhaps it will change with time/residency, but I'm no longer so sure I'd do medicine again. Right now I'm about 50/50.

The great thing about medical school and having gone through several brutal rotations is that it has taught me what I truly value in life. I have realized that I love the theory of medicine, the intellectual aspect of it, but practically there are many things that I hate about it. I tolerated 3rd year, but I didn't love it. I hate the hazing that came with 3rd year, and I realized I hated call. I hated that so much of medicine is paperwork and social stuff. The sacrifices I've had to make have been more than what I originally thought. I love medicine, but I know now that it is only a part of me, and I hate that nowadays medicine is so demanding and requires so much of you that it can almost tear you apart.

Man, if I only knew 3 years ago what I know now. The day-in-day-out practice of medicine is so much different than one can imagine. You can't really know what you're getting into unless you actually do it, and by then it's usually too late to back out.

I'd still stay in a healthcare field if I could go back, but I definitely should have given dentistry a harder look. If not that, maybe PA school.

I'm optimistic about 4th year, and residency, and I'm looking ahead. Now that I know what my priorities are, I think I can better adjust and work to attain those priorities, and live my life as fully as possible. It will be an interesting year, and I'm curious to see where I will end up, and I'm curious to see how the state of medicine in the US will change in the coming years.

 

[QofQuimica]

Even the one with the 43 MCAT and no debt would have done something else...

No, not really something else. I'd just be working in a similar field from a slightly different angle, and with fewer years of training required, that's all. That, and I'm more interested in the topics covered in the pharmacy curriculum compared to, say, anatomy or histology. But I don't regret going to med school. Well, not most of the time, anyway.

 

[thecalccobra]

Yes, I'd do it again.

The grass is very definitely not greener on the other side. My friends who went into business are either depserately job-searching or putting in 60+ hours a week in fear of loosing their jobs.
I don't know where Mr Hat finds that job-secure, solid-income, never-works-a-weekend electrician, but it certainly isn't anywhere near me. All I see is people treading water like crazy, trying to keep their heads above the surface.
In comparison, my medical career is a haven of security. A fellow's income isn't much, but it's enough. Enough to drive up to the pump whenever my car is running low, and just pull that handle untill the tank is full. I can whip out my card and pay for it without having to worry if it'll work. If I feel like going skiing for a weekend, I can. If my husband wants a new bike, he buys it. The chance that either of us will get layed off is essentially zero. And in a couple of years, our income will multiply.

Yes, we have to work hard, but who doensn't these days?
Many doctors suffer from a heady combination of self-pity and 'grass is greener-syndrome'. We're not the only ones working hard, and we're certainly among the most secure and best compensated.

 

[dragonfly99]

I think all the premeds and residents hating on the guy whose wife had the affair should chill out. I'm not sure where you trained, but where I went to med school no matter how "laid back" one's personalty was, even getting a just passing/adequate grade in 2nd and 3rd year required a great deal of effort. We only had 3 or so people in my class who had kids during 1st/2nd/3rd year of med school, and one of them had to repeat parts of 2nd year (the others were guys w/a stay at home wives). I don't think it's always or only the people who want derm or ortho, or only want to train at Harvard, who end up having to take hits in their personal lives during training. You can think that you are (or are going to be) the exception to the rule, but being a physician (or in some other highly demanding fields, as others have pointed out) can have negative repercussions on one's social life (if single) and/or family life (if married). It's just something people have to be aware of and guard against, but I don't think people should be so arrogant as to think that it will never or could never happen to them.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I think all the premeds and residents hating on the guy whose wife had the affair should chill out. I'm not sure where you trained, but where I went to med school no matter how "laid back" one's personalty was, even getting a just passing/adequate grade in 2nd and 3rd year required a great deal of effort. We only had 3 or so people in my class who had kids during 1st/2nd/3rd year of med school, and one of them had to repeat parts of 2nd year (the others were guys w/a stay at home wives). I don't think it's always or only the people who want derm or ortho, or only want to train at Harvard, who end up having to take hits in their personal lives during training. You can think that you are (or are going to be) the exception to the rule, but being a physician (or in some other highly demanding fields, as others have pointed out) can have negative repercussions on one's social life (if single) and/or family life (if married). It's just something people have to be aware of and guard against, but I don't think people should be so arrogant as to think that it will never or could never happen to them.

Overall, I agree. I'm a resident in a fairly lifestyle friendly specialty, but I still work a lot more than most people. I don't spent as much time with my partner as I'd like to, and I think things would definitely be difficult if I had kids. As it is, we've had a couple of issues with our cats this past year, and my partner has had to deal without much help from me because I had to go to work. No matter what choices you make, you're going to have periods where you have to work pretty hard and where things are pretty stressful.

I can relate to the other posters, though, because leading up to my third year of medical school, I really didn't kill myself. And it did seem to me like the people who were dramatic about studying all the time were doing that for other reasons than necessity. Of course I didn't have to deal with the stress of a kid having a crisis during an exam block or usmle studying time. Without a solid partner, I expect that would be pretty difficult.

But yeah, residency is tough, and I'm sure being an attending is tough. I used to think it was silly to talk about medicine being so different from other lines of work, but now I get it.

 

[lilnoelle]

Nah, I don't think I'd do it again. I think I'd be a high school art teacher. I agree with the non trad with family, its very taxing on a familly. Med school was rough, especially 3rd and 4th year. Residency has been worse. My first year of residency has been one of the hardest years of my life, quite honestly - for multiple reasons. Yes, the hours are bad, yes, its rough getting minimal sleep, yes, its bad to be back on the bottom of the totem pole again, yes it stinks to spend minimal time with my children and husband, but even all of that does not really approach why its been hard. Its been mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausting and the body, emotions, and mind never have a chance to recover. And time doesn't stop in the rest of the world, so my older children are growing up, my baby is reaching major milestones in my absense, I'm missing family reunions, extended family vacations, holidays, weddings - important moments that can never be relived. And, to make matters worse, I feel zero fulfillment with what I do. I went into medicine to make a difference, contribute to a community, impact lives. Well, I don't see it happening. Maybe I am, maybe I'm not, but I don't see the impact. I don't feel fulfilled. And to add insult to injury, for as hard as I try, I'm not performing up to expectations (both my own and those around me). I can't find time to read, my mind is so exhausted that I remember nothing that I learn and seem to have lost all recollection of what I learned in med school. I go into most shifts optimistic and motivated, with ideas of how to improve and pick up the pace (time is forever my enemy) and go home defeated. This has been very hard for me to get used to, because I was a very good medical student.
I'm hoping that a lot of the issue is 2/2 the wrong specialty choice and I will be more successful and feel more fulfilled with the change, but regardless, I don't think its been worth the sacrifice.

Oh, and I should add that my answer would've been different at the end of med school. I started residency excited, motivated, optimistic, and really thought I enjoyed medicine. Now I still think the potential to enjoy medicine is there - but the reality is different than what I had hoped.

 

[Drogo]

I must commend everyone for the honesty presented in this thread. It's threads like this that make me really admire what SDN has to offer. I'm real glad to be in a position where I more or less have acknowledged the sacrifice and potential toll that might be placed on certain aspects of my life going into med school and beyond.

It seems to me those who are single with no kids are not as 'stressed' as others, but obviously everyone has their unique hurdles to overcome.

 

[jace's mom]

MS-IV, married, four kids. Would definitely do this again; med school has been once of the best decisions I ever made. The one caveat I would add is that I'm going into a "family friendly" residency, so that helps. If I'd fallen in love with something like surgery, I would have had to think long and hard before dragging my family through that.

I always knew I wanted to be a doctor, and now that I'm almost there, I can honestly say that I'm having the time of my life!

 

[cowme]

I must commend everyone for the honesty presented in this thread. It's threads like this that make me really admire what SDN has to offer. I'm real glad to be in a position where I more or less have acknowledged the sacrifice and potential toll that might be placed on certain aspects of my life going into med school and beyond.

It seems to me those who are single with no kids are not as 'stressed' as others, but obviously everyone has their unique hurdles to overcome.

I personally found myself a lot more stressed about school when I was single. Being tied down (especially to someone outside of medicine) makes you realize how ******ed and meaningless most of the day to day stress was in med school and beyond. Granted, I'm sure kids would add a whole other dimension of stress.

 

[Drogo]

I personally found myself a lot more stressed about school when I was single. Being tied down (especially to someone outside of medicine) makes you realize how ******ed and meaningless most of the day to day stress was in med school and beyond. Granted, I'm sure kids would add a whole other dimension of stress.

I'm guessing a real patient and caring significant other could really help alleviate a lot of the daily stress.

I'll just remain single for now because I have had no luck finding a gal who doesn't give me major headaches after a few months.

 

[Janedoedoctor]

I personally found myself a lot more stressed about school when I was single. Being tied down (especially to someone outside of medicine) makes you realize how ******ed and meaningless most of the day to day stress was in med school and beyond. Granted, I'm sure kids would add a whole other dimension of stress.

This is very true. Having a SO outside of medicine helps you to see it as the surrealistic circus it often is. The healthy dose of realism I get every evening when I come home and tell about the hospital shenanigans is priceless.
Having a kid would possibly add a layer off stress, but it can be alleviated if you have enough of a support system to look after the kid when you don't make it home in time.

 

[chris pe bacon]

I'm an MS-1, about to start my third week. I know I'm so, so early in the game but even I'm having doubts about this decision. It's a ridiculous amount of information and I've heard that 3rd year is better in some ways, but you're still expected to commit a ton of hours to schooling. I'm debating on CRNA or Physical Therapy potentially, if I drop out. You still get to help people and make some good money.

 

[danzman]

I'm an MS-1, about to start my third week. I know I'm so, so early in the game but even I'm having doubts about this decision. It's a ridiculous amount of information and I've heard that 3rd year is better in some ways, but you're still expected to commit a ton of hours to schooling. I'm debating on CRNA or Physical Therapy potentially, if I drop out. You still get to help people and make some good money.

Figure out what you want out of life, not what you want to be when you grow up, and be realistic. And lest we forget that PT or CRNA would still require significant debt/time.

I think many people go into med school thinking that they will either save lives and be respected, or that they will do ortho and drive a 911. Neither will likely occur. Few people who matter care what you do for a living, and saying you are a doctor will only impress old people and pre med students. Most people will do either IM, or FM and will not make millions, those that do either work harder or steal it somehow. The training is long and can be painful, you WILL sacrifice aspects of your social and love life to it, and the cost of medical school is nuts and will only get worse. Its a job, and most don't really even like their job. I wish that most pre meds could understand that.

All that said, I know of no other career that can offer the guaranteed income and security of medicine all while being stimulating and garnering some degree of prestige. I have friends in all other fields of healthcare who also suffer from the same problems but get few of the benefits.

Im a 4th year now and it has been interesting to talk to other students about how their views have changed over the years. The realization that you just can't be any type of doctor you want has been tough for many to accept. No matter how hard many work, they will never get to do what it was that they initially wanted, and many have been quite surprised to learn just how tough some fields really are. I have told the story on here before about the girl who, on the first day of class, told me that she wanted to be triple boarded in neurosurg, OBGYN and peds so she could open up a free clinic in Africa to save babies. She dropped out a few months into third year...

I think I would do it again at this point, but only because there was nothing else I could do that would give me a decent lifestyle with a biology degree. If I won the lottery tomorrow, I would do an intern year so that I could do something with my degree but would not finish residency

 

[MJB]

I'm an MS-1, about to start my third week. I know I'm so, so early in the game but even I'm having doubts about this decision. It's a ridiculous amount of information and I've heard that 3rd year is better in some ways, but you're still expected to commit a ton of hours to schooling. I'm debating on CRNA or Physical Therapy potentially, if I drop out. You still get to help people and make some good money.

I would hope that if you were going the CRNA route (which would likely take you longer than doing MS and Res in Anesthesia at this point, unless of course you already have an RN and some experience), you would still have to learn (and know) a "ridiculous amount of information"...especially since you'll be the one actually taking care of the patients in many cases.

 

[QofQuimica]

I'm an MS-1, about to start my third week. I know I'm so, so early in the game but even I'm having doubts about this decision. It's a ridiculous amount of information and I've heard that 3rd year is better in some ways, but you're still expected to commit a ton of hours to schooling. I'm debating on CRNA or Physical Therapy potentially, if I drop out. You still get to help people and make some good money.

chris, you are at the point in medical education where you should be trying to figure out where the bathroom is, not contemplating major life decisions like whether you should drop out of medical school. There is *always* a tough adjustment period whenever you start something new. You're out of your comfort zone. You're struggling to do something that is very difficult. Of course you have doubts. Everyone does when they're in your shoes.

I'm an intern, and I felt the same way during the first month of residency (and sometimes still do). I mean, I moved to a new city in a new state where I knew no one. I was expected to do a doctor's job, but I didn't really know any more than a fourth year medical student (and arguably still don't). Didn't know how to use the EMR, didn't know where anything was, didn't know how to get things done in the system. It was overwhelming at the beginning, and I thought about wanting to quit every day for the first few weeks. Now that I'm in my third month, I only want to quit a few days per week instead of every day. Progress, right?

All kidding aside, you will get better adjusted, and it will get easier to cope with the stress you're under as you get into your new routines. Give yourself some time for that transition to happen. If you are still feeling this way at Christmas break, then maybe you're right that you should consider doing something else instead of medical school. But my guess is that if you come back in a few months and update us, you will be feeling a lot better about your decision to go to med school than you do right now.

Hang in there, and best of luck.

 

[MrBird]

Not the greatest profession. But not the worst.

Bumping in lieu of all the "is it worth it"-type threads that have been popping up.