[rant] Med school could be done in 1.5 years

[Smashmouth]

I worked so hard since the first day of college to get to med school. I used to daydream about what it would be like to walk to the hospital at 4AM to preround on surgery. Now I am a few weeks from finishing M3 and literally count down each day.

I don't care about stupid patients and their stupid problems. I cannot get myself to study for the shelf because if I have to read about one more clinical vignette and their stupid freaking problem I am going to scream.

I agonized over specialty choice until I realized its mostly about what clique you fit in. Aka PEDS = goody two-shoes, plastics = hot sorority girls, OBGYN = semi attractive sorority girls, IM = dullards and fellowship bound sociopaths, Surgery = dont even get me started. I thought going to medical school would teach me this wisdom, profound knowledge that would help me cure the sick. Instead its just about clicking the right orders and typing the right notes so you can collect $$ and dont get sued. if the patient feels better thats a bonus.

When I think of the endless waste of time med school is, and compare it the strides the midlevels are making (all while leaving at 4PM and earning doctorates by writing essays on healthcare socioeconomic disparities) it makes me sick. WTF happened to this profession?

entering medicine was the biggest mistake of my life. all i have to look forward to is intern year (isn't that sick??). i just hope the stupid rounding and useless physical exams will actually have some use for my presence, compared to now when im just in the way.

medical school could literally be 1 year of UFAPs, take step 1 , rotate in each of the cores for 4 weeks each , and you would produce the same quality of interns as we do now.

freaking BS, man

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[Bonejorno]

Quit and be a PA then

 

[DrWhozits]

You make some decent points about some of the problems with medical education. But I think you are just burned out.

I have some opinions about idealism and how it may lead to burn out more often, but this isn’t really the place to go into that.

You need to take some time for yourself, get your head right and try to shift your perspective. If you can’t, then contemplate doing something else.

 

[Smashmouth]

of course there is going to be the snide condescending remark which gets 5000 likes, but for any pre-meds reading this... i thought this would never happen to me! i thought i would just "display empathy" and "use my compassion" and emerge unscathed... doesnt work.

 

[Osminog]

Many people seem to enter medical school with an unrealistic, idealized conception of what practicing medicine is. Their misguided fantasies are sculpted by years of watching medical TV dramas, participating in pre-med gunner clubs, and listening to incessant encouragement from their tiger parents, who want nothing more than to tell their neighbors and coworkers that their child is a doctor. These people think they're going to enter the hospital and be treated like brave, all-knowing superheroes. But when they finally have to face reality, they're confronted by entitled, ungrateful patients, heaps of paperwork, and miles of red tape. They slowly come to realize -- to their horror -- that medicine is just a job, and like any other job, it has its administrative burdens, politics-infused bureaucracies, unpleasant personalities, and menial tasks.

People who go as far as to think that medicine is their spiritual calling and that they were put on this earth to be a physician are delusional and are setting themselves up for disappointment and eventual burnout. Medicine can be a fantastic field for someone whose personality and talents are well-suited for it, but at the end of the day, it's just a job, bro.

 

[Frogger27]

I worked so hard since the first day of college to get to med school. I used to daydream about what it would be like to walk to the hospital at 4AM to preround on surgery. Now I am a few weeks from finishing M3 and literally count down each day.

I don't care about stupid patients and their stupid problems. I cannot get myself to study for the shelf because if I have to read about one more clinical vignette and their stupid freaking problem I am going to scream.

I agonized over specialty choice until I realized its mostly about what clique you fit in. Aka PEDS = goody two-shoes, plastics = hot sorority girls, OBGYN = semi attractive sorority girls, IM = dullards and fellowship bound sociopaths, Surgery = dont even get me started. I thought going to medical school would teach me this wisdom, profound knowledge that would help me cure the sick. Instead its just about clicking the right orders and typing the right notes so you can collect $$ and dont get sued. if the patient feels better thats a bonus.

When I think of the endless waste of time med school is, and compare it the strides the midlevels are making (all while leaving at 4PM and earning doctorates by writing essays on healthcare socioeconomic disparities) it makes me sick. WTF happened to this profession?

entering medicine was the biggest mistake of my life. all i have to look forward to is intern year (isn't that sick??). i just hope the stupid rounding and useless physical exams will actually have some use for my presence, compared to now when im just in the way.

medical school could literally be 1 year of UFAPs, take step 1 , rotate in each of the cores for 4 weeks each , and you would produce the same quality of interns as we do now.

freaking BS, man

This bolded part is so true. The amount of doctorate and advanced degrees in todays world that the only requirement is a pulse is utterly ridiculous.

 

[Kracin]

This bolded part is so true. The amount of doctorate and advanced degrees in todays world that the only requirement is a pulse is utterly ridiculous.

If anything, I imagine this speaks to how distinguished the MD/DO degree from US medical schools are. It is an advanced degree that still demands effort.

edit: no issue amongst MD vs. DO, don't make that the debate

 

[DrWhozits]

If anything, I imagine this speaks to how distinguished the MD degree from US Allopathic schools are. It is an advanced degree that still demands effort.

Yeah, absolutely. That’s part of why I’m just cruising right on through this DO degree! Thank God for you MDs from US Allopathic schools.

 

[Frogger27]

If anything, I imagine this speaks to how distinguished the MD degree from US Allopathic schools are. It is an advanced degree that still demands effort.

I was speaking more so along the lines as how our degree (MD & DO) becomes more and more devalued given all the Doctorate of X, Y, Z that are popping out of no where. We are becoming more "educated" as a society, but definitely not smarter.

Our degree takes 100x the effort of other degrees, yet in the end in public eye we are all Dr. X

Edit: I met someone recently who was on year 5 of writing a doctorate thesis on the history of RPG gaming for gods sake...

 

[mrbreakfast]

I also disliked M3 year, but loved M4. At some point things start to click, and you'll realize that, while you'll never be a physician-angel descending from the heavens to heal every sick person, you can make a difference in people's lives while working in a job that's a heck of a lot more interesting (and well-paid) than most.

Honestly, I'd also recommend some time off, if you can. You've got major exams, interviews, and rotations with a completely different level of expectations all coming up.

You're at a crossroads: you'll either "get your mind right," or you'll be doing something else in a year. Seriously, this is how you stumble into those rare M4 pitfalls like failing CS or your AI.

 

[VA Hopeful Dr]

Many people seem to enter medical school with an unrealistic, idealized conception of what practicing medicine is. Their misguided fantasies are sculpted by years of watching medical TV dramas, participating in pre-med gunner clubs, and listening to incessant encouragement from their tiger parents, who want nothing more than to tell their neighbors and coworkers that their child is a doctor. These people think they're going to enter the hospital and be treated like brave, all-knowing superheroes. But when they finally have to face reality, they're confronted by entitled, ungrateful patients, heaps of paperwork, and miles of red tape. They slowly come to realize -- to their horror -- that medicine is just a job, and like any other job, it has its administrative burdens, politics-infused bureaucracies, unpleasant personalities, and menial tasks.

People who go as far as to think that medicine is their spiritual calling and that they were put on this earth to be a physician are delusional and are setting themselves up for disappointment and eventual burnout. Medicine can be a fantastic field for someone whose personality and talents are well-suited for it, but at the end of the day, it's just a job, bro.

Its almost like med schools want you to have a decent amount of experience in the field you so can at least have seen what the job looks like.

Its also worth mentioning that for many life is better once you get out of the hospital full time. Med school and residency are nothing like actual practice for the majority of us.

 

[Oh_Gee]

I was speaking more so along the lines as how our degree (MD & DO) becomes more and more devalued given all the Doctorate of X, Y, Z that are popping out of no where. We are becoming more "educated" as a society, but definitely not smarter.

Our degree takes 100x the effort of other degrees, yet in the end in public eye we are all Dr. X

Edit: I met someone recently who was on year 5 of writing a doctorate thesis on the history of RPG gaming for gods sake...

it takes a lot more than 5 years to play thru every RPG game ever made. show some respek

 

[Dro133]

I used to daydream about what it would be like to walk to the hospital at 4AM to preround on surgery.

Have to agree with others, it sounds like you idealized what medical school and becoming a doctor would be like.

I was the same way. I thought that once I was in medical school, I would be happy and fulfilled. Turns out, most humans need a balance of things to be happy: friends, exercise, fun hobbies, etc. I was incredibly burned out and depressed after finishing up my core third year rotations, but luckily, it was followed up by a research block (that I'm still on). Also luckily, I have some friends who showed me that life isn't all about your career. Now, things aren't perfect and I'm still struggling to find balance in a life that has been dominated by academic pursuits, but I'm a much happier person now that I've started to make a concerted effort to have fun every once in a while, even if it comes at the expense of being "productive".

I imagine that some time off could do you a lot of good -- or at least an extended research/chill elective block that will allow you to discover/re-discover some joy in life outside of medicine and the hospital. As it was mentioned above, at the end of the day, medicine is a job. It's up to you to determine how/if you can build a happy life around it.

 

[Wilf]

I worked so hard since the first day of college to get to med school. I used to daydream about what it would be like to walk to the hospital at 4AM to preround on surgery. Now I am a few weeks from finishing M3 and literally count down each day.

I agonized over specialty choice until I realized its mostly about what clique you fit in. Aka PEDS = goody two-shoes, plastics = hot sorority girls, OBGYN = semi attractive sorority girls, IM = dullards and fellowship bound sociopaths, Surgery = dont even get me started. I thought going to medical school would teach me this wisdom, profound knowledge that would help me cure the sick. Instead its just about clicking the right orders and typing the right notes so you can collect $$ and dont get sued. if the patient feels better thats a bonus.

When I think of the endless waste of time med school is, and compare it the strides the midlevels are making (all while leaving at 4PM and earning doctorates by writing essays on healthcare socioeconomic disparities) it makes me sick. WTF happened to this profession?

medical school could literally be 1 year of UFAPs, take step 1 , rotate in each of the cores for 4 weeks each , and you would produce the same quality of interns as we do now.

The medical field has been a little disappointing to me too overall but not to the extent that it has for you for sure. I did think doctors would be a little more intelligent than they ended up being, but part of that is because admission committees generally do not know how to pick the best candidates. This has all sorts of negative downstream effects (poor lobbying, being bullied, allowing employers to make us employees, decreasing compensation, etc.) but it will not change because of the egalitarian mindset of society these days.
I definitely agree with your take on midlevels and their lack of training and too much autonomy. I have seen a lot of very scary treatment plans and mistakes and lack of knowledge/understanding. It is very rare to find truly good ones and they are usually the ones who ask for help often when they don't know the correct course of action.
I could not disagree more with the idea that medical school should be shortened. It could be improved some though.

 

[UnoMas]

I kinda enjoyed medical school.

M1-2: I went in expecting to be slaving away at my desk reading powerpoint slides for 10-12 hours a day while having no social life. It turned out that only happened during the weekend before an exam and board studying time. Social life actually improved, actually went out more than I did during undergrad.

M3-4: I went in expecting to be physically assaulted, berated and brutalized by the nurses, surgeons, residents. Turned out everyone is rather pleasant and willing to teach and show you stuff as long as you do what is expected of a medical student. Studying while on rotation sucks but you'll get used to it 1-2 weeks in.

M4: after a few months of subIs and audition rotations and Dean letter submission, the rest was so easy. Applying and interviewing for residency was stressful but it's part of the process.

Regarding midlevels: Doesn't matter what they say or do, getting an MD/DO and finishing a residency is still the highest level of expertise in medicine. Personally, it doesn't matter to me if a PA/NP could practice independently after a few months of training, I still want to complete physician training to be the 'end all be all' in medicine. If you are really passionate about these issues, finish your training, try to get involved and get into the positions of power to actually influence changes.

Medical education definitely could be streamlined a bit better but no way in hell it could be done in a year and a half.

I agree the actual practice of medicine i.e. IM sucks donkey balls but it's ok, you have a wide range of specialties available for you to choose from, pick one that doesn't have the things that you hate about medicine.

This sounds like burnout. I remember at the beginning of 4th year when I was on my ICU rotation, I was so tired while I was doing compression on a coding patient, all I could think of was how to get the **** out once the attending calls it.

 

[anon6134]

I did think doctors would be a little more intelligent than they ended up being

Outside of academics there is no reward in place to being "intelligent" and the expectations of the big medicine machine go against anything resembling intelligence anyways. Business majors telling doctors how to serve their "customers" with an average IQ of an ocean sponge doesn't tend to satisfy anyone with a vocabulary other than "yes Sir". Welcome to medicine OP

 

[mrbreakfast]

I did think doctors would be a little more intelligent than they ended up being

Yea, this was a surprise/slight disappointment to me as a medical student as well. There aren't any Dr. Houses limping around with all the answers in real life. My specialty decision was partially informed by my opinion of which specialties had the most place for thoughtfulness.

 

[afib123]

Calling patients stupid and their problems stupid is absolutely ridiculous. Horrible attitude towards patients. Majority of them come seeking for help. The admin doesn't make life easier but the best part of medicine is treating the patients.
Surprised you are still in medical school with that attitude.

 

[Goro]

I worked so hard since the first day of college to get to med school. I used to daydream about what it would be like to walk to the hospital at 4AM to preround on surgery. Now I am a few weeks from finishing M3 and literally count down each day.

I don't care about stupid patients and their stupid problems. I cannot get myself to study for the shelf because if I have to read about one more clinical vignette and their stupid freaking problem I am going to scream.

I agonized over specialty choice until I realized its mostly about what clique you fit in. Aka PEDS = goody two-shoes, plastics = hot sorority girls, OBGYN = semi attractive sorority girls, IM = dullards and fellowship bound sociopaths, Surgery = dont even get me started. I thought going to medical school would teach me this wisdom, profound knowledge that would help me cure the sick. Instead its just about clicking the right orders and typing the right notes so you can collect $$ and dont get sued. if the patient feels better thats a bonus.

When I think of the endless waste of time med school is, and compare it the strides the midlevels are making (all while leaving at 4PM and earning doctorates by writing essays on healthcare socioeconomic disparities) it makes me sick. WTF happened to this profession?

entering medicine was the biggest mistake of my life. all i have to look forward to is intern year (isn't that sick??). i just hope the stupid rounding and useless physical exams will actually have some use for my presence, compared to now when im just in the way.

medical school could literally be 1 year of UFAPs, take step 1 , rotate in each of the cores for 4 weeks each , and you would produce the same quality of interns as we do now.

freaking BS, man

Wow, smashy, that's some serious burnout. Terribly sorry to hear you're going through this.

This is NOT medical advice, but strongly suggest that you speak to your doctor, or a trusted counselor.

 

[Lawpy]

Calling patients stupid and their problems stupid is absolutely ridiculous. Horrible attitude towards patients. Majority of them come seeking for help. The admin doesn't make life easier but the best part of medicine is treating the patients.
Surprised you are still in medical school with that attitude.

Yeah that was incredibly off-putting, which is why I stopped reading the rant.

 

[nimbus]

Not that it matters but some patients are a lot smarter than we are.

 

[mistafab]

Dude - you’re burnt out.

 

[GoSpursGo]

It’s not entirely clear to me if this thread was serious or trolling, but given some of the other offerings by the OP I suspect it may be the latter. In any case, the whole “Med school could be done way shorter” has recently been done in other threads without trashing basically every specialty, so I’ll close this one and suggest that those wishing to discuss further use some of these other recent threads.