# Medical School?



## contranigma (Jun 24, 2009)

I have a lot of people tell me that I'm very smart and that I should be a doctor. A lot of people for how many people I interact with, so I guess it's a high ratio, but actually a small amount of people. I graduated from college with a b.s. in life science with a 3.5 gpa and I'm in an associate degree program now for polysomnography (sleep technology).

Anyway, considering the idea of going to med school is stressing me out a little at the moment. On one hand, I think I am intelligent enough and that there would be some medical specialties that I would enjoy as a career and it would be untruthful to say that the salary isn't a motivating factor.

On the other hand, the stress of the process seems overwhelming and like it could break me. I would be looking at four more years of school, while working nights 3 times a week (I plan on using my sleep degree), but the worst part to me seems like the first year of residency. 80 hours a week with everyone looking down on you and giving you the worst jobs and dealing with so many people. My social anxiety is at it's worst with authority figures. So intellectually I think I would be fine. Emotionally, I think it might break me. I go back and forth between thinking it would or wouldn't be worth it.

Any thoughts on this? Thoughts from pre-med or current med students would be especially useful.


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## leonardess (Jun 30, 2009)

I'm no med student for sure, but you could look at it this way:

that initial stressful period would only be temporary. 

the monetary gain - think about that. do you think the money would make you happy enough in the long run to make all that work worthwhile? 

And, you could try doing a cost/benefit thing. 

on one side, list all the benefits of following the path you're considering. even benefits you aren't sure would actually happen, like: "this could push me past my SA and I could learn how to deal with it better".

Likewise, on the cost side, list all the costs, even ones you're not sure about, but *could* happen, even things like "I may not feel very good about myself if I don't do this", or "I may become so stressed I'll snap at people" or whatever. everything you can think of. 

Now, assign a percentage to each side, so that it adds up to 100%. Consider the percentages you've assigned. Put aside your list for a while, then come back to it and see how you feel. 

Even if you don't do this, consider the possibility that whatever you do, life will always present stressors to you anyway. 

good luck, whatever you decide.


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## contranigma (Jun 24, 2009)

0.013% response rate. :sigh.
There has to be more premed majors out there...


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## contranigma (Jun 24, 2009)

leonardess said:


> Even if you don't do this, consider the possibility that whatever you do, life will always present stressors to you anyway.


This is a good point. Thanks for the reply Leonardess.


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## alte (Sep 4, 2010)

You wouldn't be able to work a job during medical school, sorry. Maybe, if you are extremely efficient with your time you could manage a few hours per week but only during the first year and perhaps second half of fourth year.

Secondly, there have been changes in hour regulations starting this year with decrease from average of 80h/week to 65h/week (during residency).


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## contranigma (Jun 24, 2009)

Those are good points, too, Alte. If I worked, it would be at night, so technically I could do it, but it is probably not practical because it would be exhausting. I know some people think it is ridiculous or even offensive to consider becoming a doctor for the money, but it is hard to not consider if you think you have the potential for it. Is medicine my true passion? No. But I have already studied science for six years anyway. People need to work and we can't all be artists, though that would be nice. My teachers now are sleep technicians and it is sad that they do largely the same things and in some instances more than the doctors do, yet they get paid five times less.

Anyway, I have at least two years to think about this. Right now, I'm leaning toward not doing it. I think it would be cool to get my masters in Spanish and then I could teach at the college level. Unfortunately, I don't think that would pay much more than working as a sleep tech and cost of education vs. cost of salary always has to be considered. Plus standing in front of a room full of immature college kids would be hard with my social anxiety.


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## Kon (Oct 21, 2010)

I studied medicine for 2 years. I hated it. I'm a pharmacist now. I hate that too but it's not quite as bad. If you get pleasure from people/social interaction you might enjoy it. But, be honest with yourself so you don't waste your time. If you don't enjoy the company and helping people in your everyday normal life, you will despise most applied health fields. Especially if you also have SAD and/or are introverted. I also find these professions extremely boring but unfortunately I wasn't bright enough to do things that I found very interesting.


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## ohgodits2014 (Mar 18, 2011)

If you're not a people person, don't bother. Physicians deal with patients and those HR folks ALL THE FREAKING TIME (unless maybe if you're a pathologist?). If your SA is relatively bad, you'd crash and burn.

Also, I hear you're supposed to practice on each other in some of the classes. So if you're not comfortable taking off your clothes in front of a classmate... you really probably shouldn't bother.

Teaching college kids probably is easier than teaching high school kids. At least you don't have to be responsible for their failure.


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## ladofmad (Apr 14, 2011)

I've met some doctors who were rude and arrogant, and could hardly be considered as people person. But that's probably the exception to the rule. So in addition to the other great points that other members have talked about, it also depends on how motivated/ambitious you are in achieving the goal of becoming a doctor.


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## contranigma (Jun 24, 2009)

You guys are right. I am not a people person and I don't think I ever will be, so it's probably not a good idea.

Rednosereindeer, pathologist is exactly what I had in mind (lol)


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## Nytol (Apr 28, 2011)

I think it depends on how much you want it, IMO it is more than just a job, decent money can be earned in much easier ways.

When I was 25 I applied and was accepted to Med School, but in the months before I started I realised that I did not REALLY want it, it was more because I did not know what I did want.

I knew I'd not stay the full course, so decided not to start.

It is not a decision I have ever regretted.

To me, if you have to ask, then you don't want it bad enough.


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## alte (Sep 4, 2010)

Nytol said:


> I think it depends on how much you want it, IMO it is more than just a job, decent money can be earned in much easier ways.
> ugh.


Medicine is a difficult way to earn a living and you will, with few exceptions especially considering the declining reimbursements, never be wealthy. You will however have job security, a comfortable lifestyle but best of all you will be saving lives for a living. How cool is that?

I have favorited a thread from another forum which at first may seem depressing but I find it strangely motivating to read .. it may have the same effect on you.
"Medicine sucks" http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=154841


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## Epicfailture (Oct 2, 2008)

You need to be strong and courageous to commit to medical school and the residency afterwards... I think the reason why you want to be a doctor is because of the salary, and you say so yourself. But the salary and the the job title should be the last things that come to your mind when you want to become a doctor. You should only want to become a doctor(physician) if you truly enjoy helping sick and suffering people through social interactions and knowledge of anatomical biology. Whenever I'm at a hospital and the doctor is treating me, the last thing i would want is a grumpy doctor or an unconfident doctor to treat me. I think your emotions definitely play a huge role when you are on an 4-8 year journey in becoming a doctor. You would probably need a huge support group to help you out through med school, because its not a walk in the park.

In the perspective of someone who has S.A.D and has often contemplated over many career choices. Do you think the experience of becoming a doctor really worth the 100k salary? A route that can possibly send to immense dept, and an emotional roller coaster that can possibly drain all of energy everyday? If you choose to leave medical school all of a sudden, you can expect at least over 20k of dept just for your first year. (not familiar with the tuition)

Maybe you should talk to more med students and ask them how their life is. 


For me, I use to wanted to do pharmacy due to the attractive salary and sub par costumer interaction, but i realized that the extra 4 years of memorizing and exams would kill me. Plus, I already worked in my parents restaurant, and I absolutely hate getting treated like utter crap by people. Pharmacy is the same thing, people would complain to me why their drugs are so much and etc. Instead, i'm doing clinical laboratory science and am thinking about pursuing in pathologist assistant. I know that i can help people and make a decent living, and the social interaction in those jobs are not extremely high. I might look back once i'm 30 years old, and regret not doing pharmacy for the high salary, but thats life, its full of regrets and the only thing you should do is move on and enjoy life.

Don't let my post discourage you though... if you think you can become a doctor and can see yourself enjoying the job and its perks, then i think its worth the shot despite your fears of authority figures. I mean, everyone who enters medical school are probably scared and excited, and in order to succeed in medical school, they probably had get through the numerous challenges and hardships...

sorry for my grammar


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## Kon (Oct 21, 2010)

Epicfailture said:


> I know that i can help people and make a decent living, and the social interaction in those jobs are not extremely high. I might look back once i'm 30 years old, and regret not doing pharmacy for the high salary, but thats life, its full of regrets and the only thing you should do is move on and enjoy life.


If you are very introverted (e.g. get very little pleasure from socialization/people) and have SAD you will never regret not going into pharmacy or any other similar applied health field involving direct patient contact. Trust me on this one. I wish I knew about introversion/AS and SAD when I was younger. I would have never gone into any of these fields.

Sometimes even when I do drug counselling in people's homes, I feel almost nauseated/violated even without my anxiety issues. I just feel uncomfortable about getting too close to people. It's not SAD but an "ickiness" that's very hard to describe. I'm pretty sure it has to do with being extremely introverted.


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## liilliiliilllil (Nov 3, 2009)

I've shadowed a lot of doctors and I can tell you more than half of them lack social skills. When they talk to patients, they go on autopilot mode because they've asked the same questions 457x before.

I'd be worried about interviews to med schools, though. :afr


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## contranigma (Jun 24, 2009)

Epicfailture said:


> Instead, i'm doing clinical laboratory science and am thinking about pursuing in pathologist assistant.


This is something I thought about, too. Even with this, the tuition is high. I believe it is about 20k a year, maybe 10k if there is a school that offers it in your state.


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## contranigma (Jun 24, 2009)

Kon said:


> If you are very introverted (e.g. get very little pleasure from socialization/people) and have SAD you will never regret not going into pharmacy or any other similar applied health field involving direct patient contact. Trust me on this one.


Like I said, you guys have mostly convinced me not to do it, but I think I would have come to that decision on my own, so don't feel bad about talking me out of it.

However, the program I'm in now will put me into an applied health field. Being a sleep technician is often a very intimate job. I have already done a few clinicals, and it involves being in a room one on one with a patient for about an hour, while I have to part their hair and put in a bunch of electrodes and make small talk with them. Then put respiratory effort bands on them, ecg and emg electrodes, and a snore mic. Also, if an electrode comes off at night we have to sneak in the room they are sleeping and gently wake them up and fix it. I know even this will be a big challenge to my SA and it doesn't offer a big salary. However, in my fifth year of college, I feel it's already too late to pursue a career devoid of social interaction, but I feel there are hardly any jobs where being social isn't a big part of it.


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## JAkDy (Jan 23, 2011)

Contranigma I'm a 1st year medical student atm if you have any questions.

I wouldn't be able to comment on the work load in the US. In Australia you can do it undergraduate (so straight out of school) in a 5 year degree. Its got a lot of work and you don't need to be 'intelligent' imo, just have good study habits because you just need to remember a lot of stuff.


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