This may be an unusual post...

[Pathfinder]

...but since I've been (secretly) on this site for so many years now, I thought I'd declare that....I'm giving up on medicine. I'm a non-trad and like so many of you on here, have wanted to become a doctor for as long as I can remember. It took me while to complete my undergrad, had a difficult time in the middle but turned things around in my last two years and made myself at least somewhat of a competitive applicant for med school. But in the process, especially this last year, as I've reflected - I realized that I have been following medicine for the wrong reasons. I think I was in love with the *idea* of being a doctor, not the actual work involved. And looking at this forum alone has shown me that there are so many people who are REALLY passionate about medicine and want it for all the right reasons, and their commitment to sacrifice so much to achieve their dream has revealed this (especially many of you non-trads).

 

It may have taken a while but at least I've realized now that medicine is really not for me. I may not have even ever been accepted either but at least now I know I won't regret my decision in the future. I'm still very interested in human health but will focus on it from a different angle now - I'm very passionate about public health and social policies that improve living conditions (and in turn promote better health).

 

I hope to be working alongside you future health-care practioners in the future and wish you all the best of luck in your journey!

 

Off to carve my path!

 

One love.

[hopeforthebest]

Congratulations for having the strength to admit your change of heart. It must be a difficult choice, but if it isn't for you, then you might as well do what you think is best.

 

However, don't let a bunch of obnoxious premeds (myself included?) determine what you think about yourself.

 

I wish you nothing but the best in the future!

[LostLamb]

Hi Pathfinder,

Thanks for your thoughtful and insightful post. It is an excellent reminder that one has to follow the right path for them, and that realistically this path can change over time.

 

Live life without regrets! All the best in your chosen profession!!!

 

LL

[Shell]

Ok so I have a million dollar question, how can you tell if you are in it for the right reasons? How can you tell that you really want to be a doctor or just in love with the *idea* of being a doctor. HOWWWWW CAN YOU TELLLLL?

[Pathfinder]

Thanks for the kind words guys! Yeah it did take a lot of courage to make the decision since I had pursued it for so long but things turn out as they should.

 

Ok so I have a million dollar question, how can you tell if you are in it for the right reasons? How can you tell that you really want to be a doctor or just in love with the *idea* of being a doctor. HOWWWWW CAN YOU TELLLLL?

 

Well I think everyone's reasons for this may be different. For me personally, the realization didn't come until just a while back when I'm at the point of ending my undergrad. I did a non-traditional pre-med major (health and society) which basically looked at all the social, political, economic determinants of health as opposed to life or health sciences. And the more I delved into it, the more I became really passionate about it because a lot of the stuff hit home for me. After nearly six years, I've figured out that I have a lot more passion for public health than I do for medicine...so sometimes, it's just a change in interests that can happen and you no longer wish to study what you originally planned...

 

it's sad now that I think about it but I think the main reason I even pursued it was because I wanted to be known as a doctor. As a kid, someone had told me that I wouldn't amount to anything. so for some reason, I set out in my mind that i'd prove him wrong him by going to medical school because of the prestige that comes with having an MD by your name. stupid, I know but that's what it came down to, in honesty. but that enough isn't recipe for success or happiness right? I mean, don't get me wrong - I'm still really interested in health but the more I looked into the study of medicine and the role of a doctor, I realized that I just wouldn't be happy. the lifestyle, the approach of biomedicine, all of that wasn't for me. so I had to make a decision. it was definitely a hard one but I had to do it...

 

anyway to make a long story short, if you've looked into everything that comes with being a doctor (the lifestyle, the schooling, etc) and still feel that there is NOTHING else you'd rather be doing, then you'll know it's for you. even the desire to "help people" isn't always the best way to tell because there's a lot of other ways we can help people too...so my advice would be to look into everything, think carefully, understand what you want out of your career and life...and I'm sure you'll figure it out. sometimes, it just takes some time and experience to figure yourself out.

 

anyway don't stress over it. like I said, you learn a lot of things over time and with experience. life teaches you what you need to know. part of the reason I posted here was to show pre-meds that although it's wonderful to work hard to follow your dream and achieve it, it's still ok if for some reason one isn't able to become a physician. there's many other wonderful professions where one can make a huge difference and life is much too short to be miserable and hung up over one thing.

 

Good luck with everything!

[Julie]

Ok so I have a million dollar question, how can you tell if you are in it for the right reasons? How can you tell that you really want to be a doctor or just in love with the *idea* of being a doctor. HOWWWWW CAN YOU TELLLLL?

 

I agree with the OP. If you want to be a doctor because you're really interested in the medicine and you want to take care of people who are sick using knowledge about medicine, than that's probably the right reasons. Keeping in mind, of course, that sick people are not always in a good mood or happy to see you and that many times you won't be able to help them that much, so it's not like you'll be saving a life every time you see a patient... You'll just be doing your best and sometimes they'll be angry at you - sometimes for good reasons.

 

If you want to be a doctor because you think people will look at you and be impressed, then definitely I don't think you'll be very happy. If you're in it for the money or the prestige, you'll likely be disappointed. I guess you just have to think hard about what interests you about the profession... Wonder if you can get the same things elsewhere, and if you still come back to being a doctor because it's the job that sounds the most enjoyable to you, than I'd say you're probably in it for the right reasons...

[trymeover]

...but since I've been (secretly) on this site for so many years now, I thought I'd declare that....I'm giving up on medicine. I'm a non-trad and like so many of you on here, have wanted to become a doctor for as long as I can remember. It took me while to complete my undergrad, had a difficult time in the middle but turned things around in my last two years and made myself at least somewhat of a competitive applicant for med school. But in the process, especially this last year, as I've reflected - I realized that I have been following medicine for the wrong reasons. I think I was in love with the *idea* of being a doctor, not the actual work involved. And looking at this forum alone has shown me that there are so many people who are REALLY passionate about medicine and want it for all the right reasons, and their commitment to sacrifice so much to achieve their dream has revealed this (especially many of you non-trads).

 

It may have taken a while but at least I've realized now that medicine is really not for me. I may not have even ever been accepted either but at least now I know I won't regret my decision in the future. I'm still very interested in human health but will focus on it from a different angle now - I'm very passionate about public health and social policies that improve living conditions (and in turn promote better health).

 

I hope to be working alongside you future health-care practioners in the future and wish you all the best of luck in your journey!

 

Off to carve my path!

 

One love.

 

Can you please re-post this in the general pre-med section. It is sure to have an impact on many pre-meds; they'll be thinking deeper about their goals and life after giving it a read.

[NWOsw]

I understand your decision is made, however there is always the option of doing both: medicine and public health. There are several excellent MD community health programs out there where you can work towards becoming the Medical Officer of Health at a Public Health Unit. I can tell you, if you are passionate about the social determinants of health, there is no greater position where you can have as much direct impact and make concrete change as that. The research is there, we just need the right people in the right positions to implement what is already known!

[Shell]

Okay so this is why I want to pursue this profession, let me know what you guys think...

 

A while back I asked myself what would I want to do if everyone that I loved/close to died and it was just me, what would I want to do. I came back to the profession of medicine, just have this desire to be around sick people and make them feel better, healthier. Sounds kind of morbid. I want to heal/cure/treat.

 

I was reading a book by Malcolm Gladwell (I think it is called Blink) anyways he was saying that sometimes one’s desire is so big that it blinds one from seeing the fact that what they want is not good for them – so perhaps my desire for med is too great that it is blinding me from seeing that it may not be for me.

Anyways I just feel that I am way too close to the situation to see if med is really my calling. I know only I can decide but I am open to other’s points of view.

[Julie]

Okay so this is why I want to pursue this profession, let me know what you guys think...

 

A while back I asked myself what would I want to do if everyone that I loved/close to died and it was just me, what would I want to do. I came back to the profession of medicine, just have this desire to be around sick people and make them feel better, healthier. Sounds kind of morbid. I want to heal/cure/treat.

 

I was reading a book by Malcolm Gladwell (I think it is called Blink) anyways he was saying that sometimes one’s desire is so big that it blinds one from seeing the fact that what they want is not good for them – so perhaps my desire for med is too great that it is blinding me from seeing that it may not be for me.

Anyways I just feel that I am way too close to the situation to see if med is really my calling. I know only I can decide but I am open to other’s points of view.

 

Well, it doesn't sound like a bad reason. Like the OP said, did you carefully consider the alternative choices that would allow you to be around sick people and make them feel better & healthier? Nursing comes to mind, as do dietitians, physios, psychologists, OTs, social workers...etc. Did you find something unique to medicine that makes you think it'll make you happier than the other professions in spite of it's great demands on your time (ie 28 hr shifts)?

[biomed1010]

I'd think that about 70% of the people on this forum want to be MDs because of the fact that it looks impressive/ pushed into it from parents/ money.

 

This is an underestimated statistic. It's probably 90%.

[hkmedic]

I'd think that about 70% of the people on this forum want to be MDs because of the fact that it looks impressive/ pushed into it from parents/ money.

 

While it does look impressive, and it is a stable profession, these people will sooner or later hate it.

 

The only reason why I know I want medicine is because I've seen relatives (father, siblings, uncles) go through the s%^t involved, and I think that I'd enjoy it still.

 

Although not everyone has a unique vantage point from the inside that I had, from what I've seen, people want to go to medicine for reasons based on TV shows...I'm not even kidding.

 

Really though, who's to blame them? besides volunteering (which really gives you very little exposure to what MDs do,) they really don't have where else to get their ideas from.

 

I agree with neuronix that most people are probably in it for the prestige, recognition and wealth. I've also met quite a few people who were 'pushed into medicine by their parents'. And of course, no one bluntly admits it. But just by reading some of the posts on this forum, people posting their ridiculous stats, asking for advice on what ECs to do and then forcing themselves to do these ECs, and asking for advice about which schools/undergraduate studies would 'up' their chances of entering medical school ... it's just pathetic sometimes. On the other hand, there are certainly genuine people on this forum too.

 

Pathfinder - Thank you for the great insight. I've also taken a few undergraduate courses in sociology and economics which included topics in public health and policy options, and it is certainly a very interesting and important field. Best of luck to you in your future pursuits.

[jenna-m]

...perhaps my desire for med is too great that it is blinding me from seeing that it may not be for me.

Anyways I just feel that I am way too close to the situation to see if med is really my calling.

 

I worry about this all the time too. Growing up I learned it is a privilege and responsibility it is to choose your own career - something you want to wake up and do every day because it has meaning to you or you enjoy it, not just to pay the bills. It's amazing when you think about it, how few people really get that chance (for whatever reason - poverty, parental pressure, whatever). I always hope I am making the right choice!

 

I'm studying medical illustration right now, and I see a lot of absurdly talented people who are going to graduate and get top jobs in the field and be ridiculously successful, but if you talk to them they'll say they are the shame of their families because they are not getting an MD. It's really sad (but not as sad as the ones who don't stick to their guns and DO end up going for that MD to appease mum and dad). Other end of the spectrum, my parents were pressured to get jobs straight out of highschool (their families' attitudes were more or less 'we came to Canada to get better paying jobs, not to pay for extra school now that you're old enough to go earn money') and so they have spent the better part of their lives doing what they do 'just to pay the bills'.

 

Anyway, not sure if I have a point, other than it is inspiring to see people on this post reflecting and discussing and considering such an important life choice so carefully. Thanks for starting it, Pathfinder and all the best to you!

 

(sorry for my ramblings!!)

[Noodle]

I'm in the midst of serious soul searching. I would like to be a doctor (Science! Interacting with people! Problem-solving! Teaching! Life-long Learning!), but I am aware of the sacrifices would need to be made in order to get through medschool (ex: little sleep, little time to balance oneself, big commitment), so I say like, not love....at least not yet...we will see what my soul searching reveals; I'm hoping that I find the love!

 

My parents totally flipped out today when I told them that I wasn't 100% sure whether I wanted to be a doctor (I am 90% sure, I'd say) but I have to be true to myself and acknowledge that there is a tiny doubt on my part that questions whether medicine is the right thing for me....and I have to figure out why that is. Am I putting up raoadblock because I'm scared to jump in (I am a fan of putting these up, and thankfully, most of the time I am able to drive over them)? or am I just in like (and not in love) with medicine? This is what I need to find out before I interview so that I can present myself in the most honest way; I would not like to take a seat away from someone more deserving.

 

I really think that medicine is choice that needs to be thought out throughly, and I think the patient would appreciate knowing that the doctor went into medicine for the right reasons. I think it is healthy to question, right?