I often write about why I am so happy that I choose medicine as a profession. Some physicians do not share my ongoing joy. Some enjoy the profession for a period of time – then something changes. The Bioethics Discussion Blog has this interesting post on this topic – Uncertainty and the Life of a Doctor
… But then there is the day when we experience the cold sweat of personal concern: was the diagnosis correct? was the treatment the best? why did the patient die? …
Please go clickety click and read the entire post – including a thought provoking poem. As a medical educator, I believe that it is my responsibility to role model addressing bad outcomes. When patients do not do well, we pull out the retrospectoscope and try to learn what we did right and what we may have done better. Yesterday we had a noon conference – a Morbidity and Mortality Conference – on a young patient who died. The panelists participated in a spirited discussion of what was wrong with the patient and what they might have done differently. The audience learned a great deal during this session. A potentially treatable diagnosis was missed in the ER – leading to an inevitable downward spiral. At the end of the session, the moderator shared that he was the attending for the patient. He exposed all his team's decision making to an audience of over 200 physicians. He served (and has served for many years) as a great role model for all physicians and housestaff. Only by exposing our decision making to careful scrutiny can we make it more likely that we will help the next patient. Or we could just quit medicine.
{ 43 comments… read them below or add one }
So I’m curious, since so many doctors I’ve talked to (both young and old) say “don’t do it, it’s not worth it” — can you point to something you’d say makes it worth it? Is there something different about the path you’ve chosen, or is it more about your attitude? I realize that it’s difficult to compare yourself to my hypothetical doctors, but I’m assuming you might know some of these naysayers.
I don’t think about why I chose the medical profession. It has been my life for almost 50 years. But if I thought about it, as I am doing now, I guess it had to do with joining as a human being a unique profession which is given by society tremendous challenges, responsibilities and permissions to other humans and which is given to noone else. We can hold the comfort but also the life of others in our own hands. We are different than the airline pilot or bus driver who is responsible for the life of many but that also includes their own. When we save a life it is not because to do so saves our own life. And I think that difference is important. But there is more to wanting to be a doctor than society’s approval. There is the good feeling from doing good to someone but also the wonder and excitement (even to the point of raising gooseflesh) of making emotional and spiritual contact with your patient. This kind of “closeness” with another human being, which is possible as a physician, is just plain remarkable and fulfilling.
Has current medical practice turned off some? Perhaps, but medical students are still coming into the profession. ..Maurice.
Great responses, both. It’s nice to read positive, encouraging words when there’s so much negative out there. Thank you!
i hope not many residency directors read this, cos ill be using some ideas in my interviews/PS …if u dont mind
I needed to know what doctors do apart from helping people. Basically what do doctors do outside of the health care part of medicine. Is there anything (apart from seeing that they are changing lives of patients) that excites current doctors to stay?
Thanks
I am on the way of becoming a doctor. I think docors are different people, but if they are not, anyway thay have to be…
why become doc ?:
recession proofed industry is a real plus, yeah feudal residency programs -> becuase who cares about democracy or free market.
if i can charge $75 for a cup of generic jello than u bet, those med students will keep coming
10,000% mark-up… is that what you mean by “spiritual contact” ?
as always do yourself and your family a favor, go overseas (its not just for the rich anymore)
Alright, I’ve been thinking about this for quite some time. I’m a fresh med school grad who hasn’t even started making money. I loved Physics, I enjoyed solvin Geometry homework. I aced Maths at school, but again, I aced everything else.
I love electronics and when I watch discovery documentaries about engineering, my eyes flare up and I become very interested.
I’ve dealt with electronics and computers since I was 6. As a matter of fact, when I was 2, I was heard on a audio tape recording saying: “Wanna Press Button. Press Button!”
So why did I become choose to become a doctor?
1- I was extremely curious about the human body. For me, I felt that everybody should study medicine to know about how his/her body works.
2- It was a challenge. I know this is another stupid reason, but I survive on challenges. Being a med student is a challenge, being a doctor is a challenge, and being a good doctor is another challenge.
Now that I’m a graduate, I wish I had chosen something I LOVE doing. This is what keeps you going on. So the solution? Choose a speciality that I love the most.
In retrospect, I know it isn’t enough to love what you do. I know that as a child, I would construct airplanes out of glued toothpicks and tear out engines from other radio controlled car toys. I remember that i=I would draw blueprints for my next radio controlled plane. My father is a Professor of Engineering. So was my uncle. Engineering seemed to run in the family. I would be the first doctor in the family. I also remember my father indirectly discouraging me from Engineering, and so I became a doctor.
I guess that till now, I have only seen reasons to hate medicine. I haven’t seen the real world of medicine, yet. I haven’t cured a patient, helped a person or anything. Not even make a few money. I hope that when I start seeing the post-grad part, my opinion would change.
But again, don’t be fooled my ER, Scrubs, or Grey’s Anatomy. Don’t be a doctor because you can. Be a doctor because you LOVE learning, you LOVE researching, you LOVE HELPING PEOPLE.
As for me, I hope I can find a means to find bridges between medicine and my tech-savviness.
hey Tarex,
thanx man
okay so i am thinking about becoming a doctor so can anyone please tell me how hard it is i mean i know its hard but how many hours do you spend in class, studing, and doing other stuff thanks alot
If you are a desiplined and somewhat inllegent individual you can ge through medical school. But, in order to be a physician you have to be strong in the since that you can not be fearful of being told your wrongdoings. When you make mistakes the ability to pick up the pieces and go forward. As a young physican I would only incourage someone to go into medicine if they had a passion for people, caring,, loving, and sacrificing. It is hard form more aspects that the medical school.
Hey TareX, that was a pretty good post. Thanks.
I am finding myself in a similar predicament right now. There was a time in my life since the age of 12, the ambition of becoming a doctor was imprinted in my mind due to many varying reasons. I’ve worked all the way towards this one sole goal and ignored almost everything else. I’ve always had a keen interest in writing, but never properly pursued that.
Now here I am, in a Medical program. And I find myself doubting my place. I’ve been so cooped up in the whole idea of being a doctor that I’ve failed to explore other options that may have suited me better. I got into Med school with only the vision of helping others with my own hands and being able to see the results in front of my own eyes. But the interest in the science of medicine and the body was never really there, not for long, anyway. Now, I wonder if that is enough to get me through Med school: the passion’s there, but not the interest in the means leading to it. Will I enjoy the Med profession armed only with this?
I’m considering changing courses, to law or something.
So to any prospective medlings out there, please do your homework well and research everything you need to prior to considering a life in the medical profession. Speak to med students, speak to doctors. Be sure that that is what you want, and nothing else would make you happier. Medicine is a long and ardous journey.
Medicine? You can’t be romanticised by the mere idea of being a doctor. You’ve got to love being one.
Hi, I want to seek answer to this question. I have asked myself many times but i can’t get answer. Why do I want to work as a doctor in rural area. What are tha advantages? What are the advantages of working in such a university promoting rural medicine, and the country’s native people.
TareX, from what you write you sound like the perfect candidate for a clinical research career as a physician. In this career you can both interact with patients and at the same time enjoy the use of all your technical skills and brain power to solve medical problems and unknowns and not only help one patient butmany, many patients.
Medicine needs doctors who can bridge the gap between clinical and research medicine. Good luck. ..Maurice.
I’m currently a sophomore in college I’ve chosen to pursue a career as a doctor. In a chance meeting with one of my professors he asks me, “Why did you choose or want to become a doctor?†I really had no reply except on how I want to help people. He then asks, “Are you ready for the work load?†Feeling blindsided I answered with a quick, “I think so.?†I mean what are you supposed to say? That night I looked up my future class load and stared at some of the classes I need to take. In no way do I think I’m incapable of finishing them, but how well do I need to complete them? Are there tricks that help you through it? What are they? Also is there a thought or an idea that kept you motivated, and wanting to continue the long road to being a doctor?
how manageable is it for a woman to become a doctor, especially when raising a family is a factor that needs to be taken into consideration?
i have heard that after some years practicing medicine things become routine, which makes sense since years of experience and encounter of the same maladies can make treatments second nature. but then what?
after four years of high school you change and go to college, after four years of college you switch and perhaps go to medical school, . . . once you become a doctor does life become static? does the academic learning process come to a halt?
Also, upon reaching this point in life do doctors have flexibility to develop other areas of interest? By this I mean, is there time or does the hospital consume most of your time. Can a doctor practice part-time? Does it depend on the specialty?
Also, how do you go about choosing your specialty? I’ve always wondered about certain doctors, dermatologist for example. What an interesting passion to develop, does an individual wake up one day and say, I want to be a skin doctor?
Lastly, for those physicians out there, if you could start life over, do you think you would still pursue medicine?
I wanna know is it worth it to become a doctor? How much money do they got a year like a family doctor or something in that area? How many years does it take to become a doctor?
i have always wanted to become a doctor. The most amazing thing was that it was never about the money it was the joy of knowing that i can save a life and that families can be together and enjoy God’s creation. I love this profession and wouldnt change it for any other career coz i know that life is precious and if it can be saved then it should. I am a very emotional person and i know that seeing people suffer brings me to tears coz i know that i dont want to suffer or be in pain lately i have come to think whats the point of saving life when people will die anyway Pliz someone tell me i am doing the right thing by doing this proffesion?
Flick, I believe you got the wrong idea of becoming a doctor. If your aim is to help people following medicine is not the only option. You can save lives by becoming a firefighter or even a policeman. I doubt you would want to do any of those but you get my point. Becoming a doctor is about not about wanting to help people. Thats one of the perks you get AFTER 7 years. You should be more interested in learning the human science first..
I just changed my major from nursing to bio so that I can become a doctor. I spent many days in the hospital the past few months because my girlfriend had kidney failure (at nineteen!) and she keeps checking in because her blood pressure sky rockets some nights. All the nights in the hospital I got to see how important the job of a doctor is. Since no one can really help a serious ill person, people hope that a doctor can save their life. When a doctor walks into the room he/she is so highly respected.
However, it is NOT about the boring science shit that you’ll probably learn in med school, but it is about being able to apply some of the boring things learned in med school to help a patient. That is where the sense of reward and accomplishment would come for me. That is what would drive me through all the boring studies, knowing that one day I’ll be able to help someone in need. Because of the extreme responsibilities of a doctor you should be motivated to succeed in med school; and more importantly, you should try to be the best doctor you can be.
You only live once. You have to be able to enjoy what you do. If it’s too late for you to change your career than stop thinking about how you would have been happier doing something else. Try to adjust, and enjoy helping others; live and love.
I am a freshman student at a US university and i came to know that majority of US university accepts only greencard holders or permanent citizens in a medical school. I have a keen interest in Medicine and wondering whether i will be able to get in one such school after my bachelors. Please give me a list of current medical schools accepting international students in a medical school. Your help will be really appreciating.
I have a BBA in finance from the University of Texas and am considering med school. I have been pushed away from this career my entire life but after graduating and entering the investment world, I find myself constantly looking up doctor stuff on the internet. I have always had amazing mechanical abilities (robotics, electronics, car engines, etc) and I excelled in all areas of science and math in college. The only classes I didn’t like actually we’re the business focused ones. I feel this is the career for me but I’m not sure how to get started. Anyone in here go to medical school with a background other than pre-med? Do you suggest I take the core classes at a local college? And, do you have any recommendations on where I should look for information related to applying to med school as a non pre-med applicant? Also, any other advice would be appreciated as I’m feeling pretty lost right now.
Hey Flick! Like you I am very passionate about the people that surround me. My life goal has always been to save people’s lives and to just help somebody out. No offense to Jenny, but if you are passionate about what you are doing then GO FOR IT!!!! I’m personally the kind of person that gets sad or feels hurt because somebody around me is in a bad mood. I’m rambeling, but my point is that think about what a difference you have made! With each and every patient you are making a difference in somebody’s life, no matter what the condition is! Even if it is something as diagnosing the flu! Point being, you are doing something amazing with your life. You are making an impact one person at a time.
If being a doctor in a hospital or clinic is no longer your dream, then work somewhere else! But never doubt your abilities and what you are doing! You are making a difference!
Hi Brian- It was ironic that you posted this comment. Currently I am a finance major at the W.P. Carey School of Business and I actively involved in our honors investment program on campus. Tomorrow I have phone interview with Vanguard and Thursday and interview with Goldman Sachs. But still– with these interviews and the rarity of offers in the finance / banking / investment area I am not excited. I have always wanted to be a doctor and have already switched my major from biology to finance as a sophomore. I will let you know there is hope! Generally you need:
-Bio I / II w/ Labs
-Gen Chem (inorganic chem) w/ labs
-Organic Chem w/ labs
-Physics I & II w/ labs
-1 year of calculus
-1 year of english studies.
Most of these you can take over the course of two years or less if you hammer them down!
Good luck… its challenging world to make a life changing decision like this.
I like to ask you guys how old is too old to become a doctor? I am 24, but I will have to find work in my area(finance) to support myself if I go to med school. I could take part time classes while working full time. But the whole thing is unnerving…Oh, I am not an US citizen or a green card holder.But my visa allows me to study part time though!!
I always dreamt to be a doctor. i am presently doing biotechnology. i have got admission into a medical school in London, but i am really confused whether i should join the medical school (something that i really want to do) or continue with biotechnology which everybody tells me to do because it’s one of the most upcoming field and does not take as much time as being a doctor does!!!
i am currently applying to a pre med course but the fact is that i dont really want to become a doctor, I never did. I am only aaplying because it seems likt there in no other thing to do. i love math, i was amongst only five students in the whole country who score full grades in the final exam. Althouh i always got high grades in biology, it was never really my passion. I actually hated bio throughout my highschool years. But according to my parents, one an engineer and the other a doctor, becoming a doctor is the only option that i have.Seems like the only option . Now i have to write a statement to the university saying why i want to become a doctor. What should i write? ” i really dont want to but i am forced?”
Hey Brian. I just got this book; Med School Confidential. It offers so much advice, comfort and support. It even devotes part of the book for people considering a career change. One thing it emphasizes is that non science majors are very welcome. It is about your experiences in life that admissions look for. The fact that you have a different background than many applicants will make you stand out. However, it is important to really know this is what you want… and WHY! Volunteering is always a good idea. Not only does it show your desire to help people, but YOU get exposure and experience that will help you learn yourself and how happy you will be.
Hi Lina. You should absolutely not be a doctor if you truly do not want to. There is also research you could do if that at all interests you. Though you said you don’t really like biology. I would suggest getting exposure to different careers and follow what makes you happy. Even if you have wonderful things to say, it will show when you are interviewed that it is not your passion. You need the passion and motivation to truly excel in medical school. If you were to become a doctor somehow, it is not just a 9 to 5 that you can sacrifice your happiness. It will be who you are. Think of you!
I am currently a sophmore in high school and have recently become very interested in choosing doctor and medical as my career path. Currently I have my mind set on neuroscience for the human brain fascinates me. I guess what I really want to know is whether seasoned doctors, med school students, or residents find the pursuing of medicine worth the time and dedication to studies required and whether or not you feel it’s made you miss Out on life experiences.
i just finishing my college studies.and i got an offer to further my studies in pharmacy course.but this is not what i want.my interest is to take the med course. everyone told me that taking the pharmacy course is just the same as the med course.it just that,it is more easier because the risk to fail is lower.but i love bio compared to chemistry…what should i do..do i still have to apply for med course or just accept the pharmacy course?.
So, the idea of being someone has always intrigued me, the idea of proving my uncle wrong seems to be weighing down on my decision as to what I want to be for the rest of my life.
Honestly, There are so many reasons I want to study medicine, I find humans, so fascinating, everything about us, the way we work think, why we work the way we do, why we think the way we do, what makes us tick.
My curiosity is greater than any need I have to prove my uncle wrong.
Their is a great pride in knowing you have saved a life, But I see it all so as holding an innocent life in ones hand that you could indeed destroy by human error.
How at seventeen do you know what you want to be for the rest of your life?
Becoming a doctor will take me years, and I worry one morning I will awake and realize I have made a horrible mistake.
I hope my passion for understanding humans, will outweigh any thoughts of what else could I have been.
I got accepted in to USC.
Four more years before I can apply for The medical school.
Maybe that gives me enough time to decided.
I know I wasn’t sure I wanted to be a doctor Until a year ago.
So. we’ll see.
I have been on this course for what seems to be my whole life….
When I was 16 I had to decide what kind of courses I wanted to take in college. I planned out the courses I had to take to gain my premed requirements as well as two majors.
I love one major; yet dislike the other. One major deals with clinical aspects in the world of speech pathologists and the more macro scale of the human body and how it works. While the other major Microbiology tends to have pure memorization and confusing test questions for me. My question is… where in medical school does the pure/rote memorization stop? I don’t memorize things from lists and from lectures very well unless I understand a concept, and have somehow made it my own. I can do this with one major rather easily and when they ask questions regarding what should be done with a patient, I feel fulfilled when I correctly answer and diagnosis. Yet, on a scale with microbiology my mind takes a lot longer to memorize the names and facts about each given organism and apply to the type of questions they place upon the exams. …
Is there a time in med-school where you know enough not to have to memorize what seems like a book a week? Also does the medical classes that come within the med-programs tend to focus on the cellular level or the body function level?
I will say this… I have a passion for learning, diagnosis, and helping others… I know that once the medical school journey is over I will like being a doctor so I am trying to find out how hard medical school will be for me.
Medicine is just one opportunity which I am looking into… I am mainly wondering what type of things are covered in the medical school programs…. I love learning about the body to a certain level but have a hard time memorizing things by rote which I can not experience…. Telling me a pathway is what makes “this” happen does me very little good unless I break down the pathway to see how. …
So… to those that have been in medical school recently… what type of courses did you have to take? How were they?
I think medicine is woth it if you could see yourself doing it all the time. If you aren’t sure you should become a doctor you should look into other careers. You don’t want to get really far just to find out that becoming a doctor is not your passion. In med school you will probably really think twice about becoming a doctor and if you don’t have a real motivation that will not be broken after staying up all night and putting off fun for studying you may want to think twice about your career. It may seem like there is a lot of preasure to pick a career fast but it is a decision of what you will do with the rest of your life and where you will be. So take the time to really reseach and find out the right career for yourself. By the way don’t think of the money when becoming a doctor because first of all that won’t get you through med school and secound there are easier ways of making good money. How are you supposed to enjoy you life or enjoy the money if you hate your job because that is where you will be spending most of your time.
I am 43 years old. I am working on my Associate Degree in Crime Justice-Crime Scene Investagation. I know that I need a Bachelors Degree to get into to medical school. I am thinking that when I am in my mid 50′s I might become a Doctor. I am quite a late bloomer, but I feel good and ready for a challenge. Being a mom and grandmother, I guess I am pretty much Doctor Mom. This is a goal of mine. I feel truly in my heart that no one can stop me. But, it would be nice to have an opinion. I love going to school, learning new things. What I really would like to do is to become a medical examiner. I love to investigate and ask many questions. Please give me some advise. Thank you.
I am a college student. I’ll be getting into a pre-Med program at my University while getting my bachelor degree. I decided before some years ago that I want to become a neurologist. I am facinated with the idea of studying the human brain, how it works, and how what happpens there may affect people physically and mentally. I find a little insecure on whether I have what it takes to go thorugh with it and not cruble under the stress under such a demanding career. However, I do know I will regret it if I don’t give myself a chance at it, knowing it was and still is a childhood dream that for some years I thought of as silly and beyond reach. If this doesn’t work then I’ll still have my bachelor and other backup plans that I have. If I do make it work however, I’ll write agin to let you know why it is such a great carrer to persue.
Hey, I am an 8th grader intersted in becoming a doctor. I love the human body and I enjoy going to see a doctor. I've always wanted to help those who need me, like a sick child. I don't know what exactly BIOTECHNOLOGY is but if I need it to reach my dream… Then I must learn it.
Hello. I am a 32 year old independent film director and an artist. I have made a couple films and had a couple shows but have become worn out by Hollywood for various reasons. I spent 10 years as a Physical Therapy Tech. and got my BA in film. I am now at a crossroads and find myself seriously considering pursuit of a much older dream of mine – dating back to childhood when I watched my mom go through the OT master's program and played Medical Monopoly – being a doctor. Specifically, I am interested in psychiatry as the mind has always fascinated me immensely, as seen in my films. While that is important, I realize the most important consideration when entering medical school is not only an interest in one's specialty but a curiosity about medicine and the body. I have this curiosity but I am still grappling with the idea of such a big change. I have looked into postbacc. programs and see a path but I still wonder – medicine – really? Is this for me? Can I do this? Do I need to "become a different person?"
What I would like to know from some of the more experienced medical professionals or students here is – do you know any creative people who go into medicine? Do you find multifaceted or multi-talented people in the field or are most life long bio/math oriented? I have the aptitude for math and a strong interest in science but I would have take all of the prerequisites for med school as my bachelor's degree did not require any of it. I would appreciate any insight on non-traditional approaches to medical school and on doctors or med students and creativity.
I am looking to make a decision soon but need some kind of feedback from an unbiased source. Thank you!
This is a question for tarex if he or she ever come back to this page. Also for anyone else who think they can help.
What if you had only one of these passions? You don't like learning but you can do it. You hate challenges but you'll face them if necessary. What if in all honestly all you really cared about was helping people? What if that's all to it. What do you then? Do you go with your instinct and try or do you find an easier way?
I don't know why or how I decided medical. All i know is that I want to do my part, no, not as a duty but as a human being. Is that being cheesy or a goody goody? When all you really care about is caring.
I really want to be a dotor…problem is that il be graduating as an engineer in some months. The closer i get to graduation, the stronger the urge to study medicine. anybody out there who has made this switch? id really appreciate your input. The biggest reason that i want to be a doctor is that i want to make a difference. i want to tell people that its going to be okay…that they will get better. is it reason enough to make a caree shift?
This is for faith. I believe that if you tryly believe in you ability to practice medicine and stand up against those negative comments ( which will appear ) then you can do anything. YOU CAN MAKE THAT SWITCH. As long as youre sure that it's what you really want to do and not just a passing whim.
This is it! I have decided that I’m gonna do it. No more self-doubt, no more hesitating. I am gonna go to medical school and become a doctor. If I fail it will be on me and if I pass I’ll celebrate but at least I’ll never look back and wonder What if. I’m gonna do it. I just have to keep on saying that until the shock leaves and determination takes over.
Hey im riya!
I was wondering if someone could help me find the advantages of learning medicne in a university which empahsises on rural medicine and the country’s native people?
Why would if an asset to study medicine in rural areas?
Thanks alot
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