Is it even worth it to become a doctor?

[Toodlee]

For my entire life, I have had dreams of becoming a family physician. However, now that I am ready to begin applying to universities for my undergrad to begin my journey, I feel myself getting cold feet. I've wanted to become a doctor not for the money, but for the experiences with patients, for the ability to understand how the human body works (which I've always found fascinating), and to be able to help people. However, I find myself questioning whether this career is meant for me: is it worth it to sacrifice my youth to become a doctor, to rack up a ton of debt, to give up my social life, to voluntarily work 60-hour weeks, and be under constant stress? My other goals in life include getting married and having kids, and I'm worried that becoming a doctor may impede my ability to be a good wife and/or mother. I'm also doubting whether I'm even smart enough to become a doctor.

 

I do well in school, have tons of extracurriculars and am constantly volunteering. All my friends, family, and teachers tell me that I'll have no problem becoming a doctor, but I keep doubting myself. Anyone have any words of advice or assurance?

 

Doubt yourself and you might as well give up now. From the people I have seen attain their dreams in medicine, self confidence in their ability was one of the most primary determining factors. Sorry to beat a dead horse but pick a program you will enjoy, take ur premed sciences, do not exceed 5 courses per term, spend your summers attaining work experience, volunteer at 2 spots a year and begin studying for your mcat in your 2Y summer---- you'll be cushioned.

 

BUT OP be warned before undertaking all this seek deep within yourself and answer this: will getting into medical school give you ease of mind after 4 years? If yes-go forth. All the best on your journey!

[The_B]

I don't know what stories you've heard, but becoming a doctor does not mean sacrificing your youth, giving up your social life, working non-stop, and always being stressed. And sure, you'll likely be in debt, but you'll be able to pay it back.

 

Wow is that ever a lie... or at least an inaccurate absolute. Of course it means sacrificing some of your youth. I don't know about how your social life is when you are training, but aside from the two pre-clerkship years, I know few people who have a lot of social time (compared to most people our age). As for stress, that is an individual thing, but there is no denying that medicine training is more stressful than most careers.

 

The debt thing is true though.

[Wolvenstar]

Wow is that ever a lie... or at least an inaccurate absolute. Of course it means sacrificing some of your youth. I don't know about how your social life is when you are training, but aside from the two pre-clerkship years, I know few people who have a lot of social time (compared to most people our age). As for stress, that is an individual thing, but there is no denying that medicine training is more stressful than most careers.

 

The debt thing is true though.

 

 

That depends on the type of social activities you enjoy. I don't see someone whose idea of an awesome social life as going out and getting trashed every weekend keeping it up in the medical career. However more laid back, and low-impact social events are easy to manage with any job.

 

Mostly what I mean is that if your social life helps you reduce stress, while not exhausting you, it shouldn't be to hard to keep it up. As well if you are participating socially in say a public sport league, attendance is lenient, so if you have to miss games or leave early no one is going to exclude you overly much. I can see it hard to maintain the same level of social engagement in residency but as a doc it isn't hard, it is about knowing what is important to you, and managing your priorities.

[mbene085]

I had a lifelong dream of practising medicine. I just finished my first year of med school - and it has been far, far more awesome than I had even hoped. If you know deep down that medicine is something that just 'fits' you in a way nothing else could, there's no reason to hold back. Sure, some specialties (e.g. neurosurgery) do require tremendous lifestyle sacrifices, but not all of them do, by any means. You'll be able to find something that has the right balance of job satisfaction and desired lifestyle, if you're passionate enough about medicine to put in the work for it.

 

Or, you could be like my high school biology teacher and tell your class every week about how you had such great grades you "could have been a doctor," but chose something else instead. I'm not ragging on teachers at all, it was just clear (both through his statements and his terrible job teaching) that he really regretted the path he chose.

 

The moral of the story is that, if you're passionate about medicine, it's not really a choice - it's a calling. There are plenty of happy docs with good family lives, so don't let anyone scare you away from the field with horror stories about 'wasted youth' (that's complete and utter crap). Sure, if you honestly think a few years of spending more time in the bars/clubs/wherever will enrich your life more than a lifelong career in medicine, then that's what you should do. But the years of training are actually enjoyable if this is your passion.

[Heffalump]

The moral of the story is that, if you're passionate about medicine, it's not really a choice - it's a calling. There are plenty of happy docs with good family lives, so don't let anyone scare you away from the field with horror stories about 'wasted youth' (that's complete and utter crap). Sure, if you honestly think a few years of spending more time in the bars/clubs/wherever will enrich your life more than a lifelong career in medicine, then that's what you should do. But the years of training are actually enjoyable if this is your passion.

 

Thank you for your awesomely encouraging reply! I am not in the same situation as the first poster, but reading your words of wisdom have renewed my faith (in a career in medicine)!

A little background (of why this is so important to me): I am a 28 y.o. female who has applied to medicine 5 times in the past. I have a MSc in Biology and a BEd (for high school teaching). I have had 3 interviews (total) and just this past year I was placed on the "bad" waitlist (best I've ever done)! My BEd was intended as my backup career but I have yet to really believe that it's where I belong. I have been wanting medicine for a while now, but this last application cycle I said would be my last... but then the school gave me renewed hope (by placing me on a waitlist)... and now I'm at a loss of what to do. I want to reapply, for myself, but I'm concerned it's too selfish (when I consider my potential life-partner is already on the medicine path, and 2 people in one family making an excessive amount of money is not necessary). I have the opportunity this fall to start a PhD, but I don't see myself continuing into academia, or even staying in research.

So some thoughts I've been struggling with include: Do I waste 3 years to get a PhD (for my supervisor to have someone to do the project, and for myself, I get a PhD out of it, instead of 3 years of tech work)? Do I reapply to medicine and not consider the thoughts of my partner (if they conflict with what I want to do - and keep in mind we haven't discussed this yet)? Do I teach for the rest of my life, have an awesome pension at the end, but possibly regret not re-applying to medicine (because now I think I've figured out the whole application cycle and I'm almost certain I have a good chance of getting in next year)??

Any insight would be great!! Thanks very much!

Heffalump

[Jochi1543]

Thank you for your awesomely encouraging reply! I am not in the same situation as the first poster, but reading your words of wisdom have renewed my faith (in a career in medicine)!

A little background (of why this is so important to me): I am a 28 y.o. female who has applied to medicine 5 times in the past. I have a MSc in Biology and a BEd (for high school teaching). I have had 3 interviews (total) and just this past year I was placed on the "bad" waitlist (best I've ever done)! My BEd was intended as my backup career but I have yet to really believe that it's where I belong. I have been wanting medicine for a while now, but this last application cycle I said would be my last... but then the school gave me renewed hope (by placing me on a waitlist)... and now I'm at a loss of what to do. I want to reapply, for myself, but I'm concerned it's too selfish (when I consider my potential life-partner is already on the medicine path, and 2 people in one family making an excessive amount of money is not necessary). I have the opportunity this fall to start a PhD, but I don't see myself continuing into academia, or even staying in research.

So some thoughts I've been struggling with include: Do I waste 3 years to get a PhD (for my supervisor to have someone to do the project, and for myself, I get a PhD out of it, instead of 3 years of tech work)? Do I reapply to medicine and not consider the thoughts of my partner (if they conflict with what I want to do - and keep in mind we haven't discussed this yet)? Do I teach for the rest of my life, have an awesome pension at the end, but possibly regret not re-applying to medicine (because now I think I've figured out the whole application cycle and I'm almost certain I have a good chance of getting in next year)??

Any insight would be great!! Thanks very much!

Heffalump

 

Wow, 5 times, that's a lot of perseverance!

 

Have you ever tried speaking with the adcoms at the schools you applied to? They can provide some very valuable insights into what is missing from your app. It doesn't sound like it's research (your post makes it sound like you already have a master's), so it could be grades, MCAT, interview skills, or even just a bad reference letter that you are not aware of.

[mbene085]

Thank you for your awesomely encouraging reply! I am not in the same situation as the first poster, but reading your words of wisdom have renewed my faith (in a career in medicine)!

A little background (of why this is so important to me): I am a 28 y.o. female who has applied to medicine 5 times in the past. I have a MSc in Biology and a BEd (for high school teaching). I have had 3 interviews (total) and just this past year I was placed on the "bad" waitlist (best I've ever done)! My BEd was intended as my backup career but I have yet to really believe that it's where I belong. I have been wanting medicine for a while now, but this last application cycle I said would be my last... but then the school gave me renewed hope (by placing me on a waitlist)... and now I'm at a loss of what to do. I want to reapply, for myself, but I'm concerned it's too selfish (when I consider my potential life-partner is already on the medicine path, and 2 people in one family making an excessive amount of money is not necessary). I have the opportunity this fall to start a PhD, but I don't see myself continuing into academia, or even staying in research.

So some thoughts I've been struggling with include: Do I waste 3 years to get a PhD (for my supervisor to have someone to do the project, and for myself, I get a PhD out of it, instead of 3 years of tech work)? Do I reapply to medicine and not consider the thoughts of my partner (if they conflict with what I want to do - and keep in mind we haven't discussed this yet)? Do I teach for the rest of my life, have an awesome pension at the end, but possibly regret not re-applying to medicine (because now I think I've figured out the whole application cycle and I'm almost certain I have a good chance of getting in next year)??

Any insight would be great!! Thanks very much!

Heffalump

 

I'm glad you were encouraged by my post! You obviously have a lot of factors to weigh in making your decision, but if there's one thing I've learned from my application experience (which involved some really bad decisions that nearly bit me in the ass), it's that this is a decision you have to make for yourself - and not your partner. If medicine is what you really want, I'd say go all-out in chasing that dream. Sounds like you fortunately don't have to worry about the money factor (e.g. you have a stable and reliable back-up plan, and you aren't having to support children as you apply to medicine, etc), so your decision about the PhD should boil down to whether you would enjoy the research experience, and whether you would rather be able to apply for the next 2 years instead of waiting for the end of your PhD to be able to apply to medicine again. Maybe it's a bit hedonistic, but I really do feel that unless you have responsibilities weighing you down (such as children), you should do everything you can to chase your dream and make it happen.

 

So, sure you could teach for the rest of your life, and enjoy the perks of the schedule and pension, but the important question to ask yourself is - would that truly make you happy? Or do you think you would feel more fulfilled by a career in medicine?

[Wolvenstar]

My questions: How many schools have you applied to? Have you considered applying to out of country schools?

[Heffalump]

My questions: How many schools have you applied to? Have you considered applying to out of country schools?

 

Here's the long list...

1st year: 5 Ontario Schools (there were only 5 at the time) rejected from all

2nd year: 3 Ontario Schools (all requiring no MCAT) 1 interview (NOSM) - rejected

3rd year: 1 Ontario School (NOSM) rejected

4th year: 1 Ontario School (NOSM) interview, then rejected

5th year: 3 Ontario Schools (all requiring no MCAT) 1 interview (NOSM) - bad waitlisted

 

I have also written the MCAT 3 times and have faired quite poorly each time - 19L, 20M, 21O

 

Because I have not really improved in my MCAT scores, and I know that I do horribly on standardized exams, I do not have any desire to rewrite my MCAT, and therefore will not be applying for out-of-country schools.

 

Thank you everyone for your kind responses. It is true that I need to do what will make me happiest, and if my potential life partner is the right guy for me, then he will be supportive in my decisions. And it does make a huge difference that I do not have other responsibilities to consider (i.e. children), so I have a while to keep pursuing my dream.

I've been thinking lately, do I really want to be a Mom who tells her kids to never give up on their dreams, but then tell them, oh, yeah, I gave up on my dream... not a very good role model.

 

Have a great summer everyone and congratulations to everyone who already is, or will be soon, living the dream!

 

Heffalump

[Halcyon]

It seems your MCAT is really holding you back. Is your GPA competitive for Ontario and other provinces?

 

If you really want medicine, you might want to re-write your MCAT. NOSM is a great school, but you shouldn't put all your faith in one school.

 

Good luck!

[Renin]

Have you tried taking a prep class for the MCAT? Or tried getting a private tutor and writing the heck out of those sample papers you can get from the AAMC?

[Heffalump]

Undergraduate GPA is not as competitive as it needs to be, to succeed in the application process at other schools in ON and most likely out of province.

I have not tried taking a prep course for MCAT due to financial constraints, however, I did have a tutor at one point who gave us 5 previous MCAT tests in which we went through and discussed for a whole academic year. This did not help me as much as it should have, unfortunately.

I know it's odd to put all of one's eggs into one basket (i.e., NOSM), but without doing another undergraduate degree (which I'm not too sure I'm willing to do either), I don't know of another school that would work for me... plus I have been involved with NOSM for 3.5 years now and I couldn't imagine having to go elsewhere for medicine... I know I'm running my chances thin by sticking with only one school, but I really like it here. I'm sure so many of you could say awesome things about the schools you are at too - which is excellent!!

Well I have until September to decide my plans, so I'll just have to wait and see where life takes me in the next couple of months!

[Wolvenstar]

It sounds like you know what your biggest stumbling block is, and that it is your MCAT. Indeed if you could improve that you would be able to apply out of country...if you are willing to move. Personally my plan for applications is this:

 

1st attempt: In Canada schools only, 4 in ontario plus 2 in BC

2nd attempt: Same schools in Canada, plus a couple in UK and the States.

3rd attempt: same as before with the addition of schools in israel that have been discussed in another post.

 

I know that will end up costing me, but it will be worth it if it means getting into med school. I will probably also apply to U of C but haven't decided on whether to do it in the second or third attempt. After the third attempt, I will continue applying if not accepted but not add any more schools to my list.