I speak to a lot of premeds nowadays and I found myself repeating a few things over and over that I thought I'd share here. It's really scary to commit to becoming a pre-med because the medical journey is a long one and it's hard to get a taste for what it's like without surrendering years before you figure out if this is even the right path for you. Here are some of the things I wish I knew before I decided to be a premed in college.
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the medical journey isn't a race
I'm a competitive person. From sports to schoolwork is all the same, I like being good at things, if not the best. In high school, I applied for a joint 3+4 medical program to cut a year off my university studies and get into medical school early. I took as little classes as I could and the easiest classes I could to satisfy the graduation requirements for my college and found myself in medical school 3 years later. I realized quickly that many of my classmates were older, and they had taken time to make their decision about pursuing medicine. They had worked, volunteered, and been exposed to medicine in ways I never had and had a clear reason for wanting to become a doctor. Many of my colleagues even had completely different careers before medicine and they helped me recognize there is no "timeline" for medicine. You attend medical school when the time is right for you, when you've figured out all the right reasons you want to be a doctor. And even then, life happens and I even know people who have taken time off in medical school to deal with personal matters before coming back to finish up. It isn't a race, it's a marathon.
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medicine is no where close to as glamorous as it is on TV
Ever since 2nd grade I knew I wanted to be a doctor. I watched "Untold Stories of the ER" on TLC and I was captivated by how incredible a profession it would be to actual save lives. I chased this notion of glamour and my perception of medicine was tainted with the rose colored glasses I put on that day in 15 years ago. I was convinced that I'd live like Meredith from Gray's Anatomy and feel the thrill of the job as they seemed to portray in the show.
The majority of medicine is no where that exciting. I was lucky enough to participate in 2 preceptorships in my first and second year of medical school, one with a family care physician and one with a cardiologist. After learning a lot of the "proper" ways to practice medicine and seeing the disparity in what is considered "ethical" and "right" against how medicine is actually practiced, it's hard not to become jaded. The sheer amount of paperwork physicians have to take care of from writing letters to employers for patients, to getting prior authorizations for procedures/medications, and billing takes so much out of the joy of being a physician for me. On TV, the cases presented were always rare, miracles, and unforgettable stories. In real life, I feel like I see the same patient at least 6x a day and it's always the same: hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia.
Now that's not to say there are not miraculous moments, but they are much less and far between than I had anticipated.
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if lifelong learning isn't your thing, medicine isn't your thing
If you think graduating medical school & finishing your residency/fellowships means you can sit back, kick your feet up, and relax - think again. Medicine is ALWAYS changing. I attended a seminar once by a hematology-oncology physician and he said that as soon as a new procedure is published, it is already outdated. As a physician, you commit yourself to LIFELONG learning. It does not end. New medications get approved, new drug interactions get published, procedural guidelines get upgraded every single day. Scientist and physicians conducting research are always discovering new knowledge that must be read and kept up to date in order to provide our patients with the best care.
My brother was initially thinking about medicine and after working as a scribe and an EMT for a year he realized, "I don't want to learn forever. I want to graduate, get a job, and not need to worry about keeping up with the latest discoveries. I just want to enjoy my life." AND THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. I am actually really proud he could make that realization and decision for himself rather than imprisoning himself in years of training bound to leave him miserable.
Sometimes, I think about whether I'd choose this path again if I had the chance to start over and I often joke I'd never put myself through this again, but the truth is, I don't know. I think it's easy to wish to be doing anything than what you are currently doing. I don't know if I regret it yet because I haven't gotten close enough to the finish line. Regardless though, I hope this helps you debate whether this line of work is for you.
Thanks for reading!!
dee ღ
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