Advice Needed-Unsure About Medicine

[Biofordays]

Hi I could really use some advice from people who have either been in my shoes and gone to medical school or from those that have taken another path.I apologize for the length in advance and appreciate you taking the time to look at this post.

I'm really really unsure about what I want to do with my life, as I'm sure many people on here have felt as well, and am doubting my medical pursuits. Here's why I don't like where I am right now:

1. I don't like the chem or research or labs associated with pre-med life (I like biology and physics but I hate chem and calc).
2. I am better at and like other subjects much more: History, Spanish, English, etc... but wonder if I only like them because they're easier.
3. I am not getting good grades right now and am wondering how I will do once I get to upper division courses (I am a first year bio major). (C in Gen Chem II, B in Gen Chem I, C- in Calc)
4. I've shadowed doctors and volunteered in hospitals and always find myself watching the clock until I can go home. I haven't seen any unhappiness in these people except for some of the nurses but I take this with a grain of salt.
5. The lifestyle of doctors and hours worries me a bit but not as much as the financial toll.

I've looked into other careers both healthcare related and non-healthcare related- everything from high school teacher to Physician Assistant to makeup artist, etc... you name it and I've probably looked into it. I have talked to school counselors, taken career and personality tests, and spent late nights searching these forums. I love people and making a difference but I still have concerns. However I always seem to come crawling back to medicine because it seems like the logical path and that I would be giving up on myself to not pursue it (not putting down other professions).

So if there is anyone who has felt similar to me or has had the same concerns as me I would appreciate anything you have to offer. Thank you.

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[ed*26]

It sounds like you're neither emotionally nor academically equipped to go to medical school, and the only reason you want to do so is because it's somehow "better" than everything else. That's a terrible reason to go into any career, much less one that requires years of grueling schooling, huge sums of debt, and typically an intense work schedule. Talk to some medical students (especially 3rd year) and ask them what they think.

I will say that not all shadowing was super stimulating for me, but I could always find concrete reasons for why I wanted to be a physician. Find a career that you can see yourself enjoying for decades, because otherwise you will likely be miserable for a long time. Also, universities have a lot of classes. You should be able to find an area you really enjoy.

 

[backside_attack]

FWIW, I felt very similarly and ended up majoring in something unrelated and going on to a (short) career in another field I saw myself in. When I was miserable in that career, I finally faced the reality that I regretted not pursuing medicine more seriously and decided to change careers. I also was reinvigorated and had some new motivation towards medicine that I would never have gotten had I been a typical pre-med. I found the passion I lacked at 20.

The maturity and life experience that came with that has been invaluable. It might be worth exploring non-medical careers for a while, taking classes you enjoy, and then seeing if you regret it (as I did).

 

[Mansamusa]

It doesn't sound like you have any real reasons for liking medicine....except personality tests. There are many, many other careers where you can help people. Medicine takes a lot of sacrifices and is not worth it if you aren't committed. I definitely recommend spending time exploring other careers. Good luck!

 

[Biofordays]

Thank you for the responses everyone. I appreciate the input.

 

[Biofordays]

It sounds like you're neither emotionally nor academically equipped to go to medical school, and the only reason you want to do so is because it's somehow "better" than everything else.

Not trying to be rude, just for clarification, what do you mean by emotionally? Like how do you think I am emotionally from my post? Also I don't think it's better than everything else, I know it's a long and hard career. I just meant that, even after looking at other careers, I tend to want to go back to medicine usually for the connection to people.

 

[Biofordays]

When I was miserable in that career, I finally faced the reality that I regretted not pursuing medicine more seriously and decided to change careers.

I think what you previously wrote is good advice as well. What made you feel miserable in your other proffession or lacked that you found in medicine?

 

[ed*26]

Not trying to be rude, just for clarification, what do you mean by emotionally? Like how do you think I am emotionally from my post? Also I don't think it's better than everything else, I know it's a long and hard career. I just meant that, even after looking at other careers, I tend to want to go back to medicine usually for the connection to people.

From your post it appears that you see that getting into medical school will be difficult (you have a history of subpar grades that needs to be addressed and are worried about performance in higher-level classes) and your exposure to the life of a physician has left you unimpressed (bored during shadowing, worried about lifestyle demands). You haven't really found a strong positive reason to pursue medicine; it seems that you are doing it more out of a lack of finding something else to do. IMO, becoming a physician takes a lot of work and you don't appear to have much motivation to do anything involved with it. That's not bad, it just may point to medicine not being the field for you. What's your plan to put together a good application, and how will it be different from what you were doing before?

You say that a connection to patients is what's driving you. May I ask what you've done to get patient exposure? I feel that a lot of people I know who left pre-med did so because they realized that they had been idealizing medicine, and when faced with the reality of day-to-day life + not really loving the sciences, decided to find something better for them. You can "see people and make a difference" a lot of ways. I also don't believe that you have considered every career possible, because it's just impossible to do. I'm a firm believer in pursuing what you like to open up new possibilities. For example, last fall I did a public health internship and I felt like I was learning about new positions and careers every day. I couldn't believe the amount to do even in the relatively narrow field I was interning in.

 

[Gurby]

I would suggest that you STOP taking science classes for now. You are screwing yourself over by getting B's and C's. You need to protect your GPA if you want to keep medicine on the table as an option. Halfheartedly going through premed like this is going to close doors for you in the future. Do not take these classes unless you are willing and able to put the time/effort in to succeed. Right now, it doesn't seem like you are.

I think you should go explore other fields and see if something else piques your interest. You can always come back to medicine later on if you want to, and you'll be grateful that you aren't digging yourself out of a big hole if/when you do. Taking a few gap years is becoming the norm anyways so age is a non-issue at this point.

 

[backside_attack]

I think what you previously wrote is good advice as well. What made you feel miserable in your other proffession or lacked that you found in medicine?

Good question. Lots of reasons, like not being able to see myself doing that forever. And not making the kind of impact I had hoped to make. And seeing that my efforts to fix a broken system were never going to make a difference. And honestly, I felt regret and major jealousy every time I met/heard about medical students or doctors. I realized I had the opportunity to reopen that part of my interests and found I was more interested and more maturely able to pursue it.

 

[Biofordays]

May I ask what you've done to get patient exposure? I feel that a lot of people I know who left pre-med did so because they realized that they had been idealizing medicine, and when faced with the reality of day-to-day life + not really loving the sciences, decided to find something better for them.

Just to answer your question- Patient exposure wise I've done about 3 months shadowing doctors in various areas of the hospital and (not getting too personal here) but at least 3 of my family members have had leukemia since I was 10 so I've had a lot of indirect exposure to medicine by visiting them and getting to know the hospital.

 

[Biofordays]

Good question. Lots of reasons, like not being able to see myself doing that forever. And not making the kind of impact I had hoped to make. And seeing that my efforts to fix a broken system were never going to make a difference. And honestly, I felt regret and major jealousy every time I met/heard about medical students or doctors. I realized I had the opportunity to reopen that part of my interests and found I was more interested and more maturely able to pursue it.

Thank you! I will keep this in mind as I continue to find my path.

 

[Biofordays]

Thank you everyone for the advice. You've made it clearer on what I need to do- step back and take a long hard look at medicine and myself. I'll keep my grades up in the mean time but I truly appreciate the insight you've all given me.