Current Med students, have any of you experienced doubts?

[BlurstOfTimes]

I'm not in med school yet but since I was accepted I've had a few really great conversations with physicians who I really trust and admire, and a couple of them told me that they ended up in similar situations at some point during med school. These are people who have now been practicing medicine for 20+ years and absolutely love their jobs. I found that comforting; although I don't have any doubts of my own at the moment, it's good to know that if I ever do get to that point, I'll know that it's not the end of the world.

 

You're definitely not alone in how you feel, but given the investment you've already made (not just financial, but also all the time and effort you put in to get here) - I think it's worth sticking with it, and using the resources that are available to help.

[spontaneouscombustion]

I am getting financial assistance from family, and I also carried scholarships/bursaries that made my undergraduate essentially almost free. However, an MSW would be another 20-40k tacked on to my debt and that could be difficult to manage based off of a social workers average salary. I am currently considering family (perhaps with a +1 in psychotherapy), psychiatry and neuro or PMR and maybe emerg but have almost completely ruled out neuro due to the lifestyle (though it was one of my interests during undergrad, unfortunately. I have no interest in any of the ROADs or path so I haven't been gearing myself towards either of those, and honestly, I feel so amotivated without a clear pathway that I haven't become involved in too many extracurriculars which will be a detriment during CARMS.

 

You've only done one year, so there's still plenty of time to get involved. Don't dismiss the ROAD specialties because of your lack of motivation, because you never know - you might end up liking them and that could be your motivation.

[someoneelse]

Don't forget that you can take time off and return.

 

My partner did that; after 3rd year she hated medicine, so she took a year's leave of absence and spent the entire year climbing and meditating.

 

She came back refreshed, got into her first choice residency spot, and loves her job. It's a decision she is really happy she made and has expressed multiple times that she wishes other people would consider it more too before they burned out. It's worth considering.

 

Remember, your school has a ton of support for you and they want you to succeed. Your student affairs office is an awesome resource.

 

This is something I may have to look into. Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll try connecting with my student affairs office and see what advice and options they have.

[someoneelse]

Just as an update, I have connected with the student affairs office and have explored counseling and other avenues in the past month. My feelings of ambivalence towards medicine have not changed significantly and am contemplating a leave of absence. Does anyone have advice regarding taking such a leave, will it affect my residency application and so forth. Thank you.