So you want to be a doctor eh?

So you want to be a doctor eh -- you sure about that?  Is this the only thing you see yourself doing in the future?  Is this what you want to be more than ANYTHING else in the world?  Are you willing to make sacrifices financially, socially, and to your family life?  Well these are only some of the questions you need to be asking yourself, because these days, being a doctor requires sacrifice, dedication, and an understanding of the journey that lies ahead of you...

Lets take me. I did 4 years of undergrad, followed by a year of research before applying to med school, then 4 years of med school, then I decided I wanted to be a cardiologist, so it was 3 years of internal medicine residency, followed by 3 years of a cardiology fellowship of which I am in my last year, and then decided I want to be an interventional cardiologist, so I have one more year for that starting in July.  If I wanted I  could do even ANOTHER year to learn advanced things such as peripheral or structural interventions allowing me to do a greater variety of procedures.  If I did that, I would be 35 when I am finally done "training" and be an attending physician.  I am pretty sure some of my banker friends will be close to retirement by the time I have built up any sort of practice.  I will also finally start being able to pay back all my debt from schooling.... at 35.

 I decided I wanted to be a doctor at some point during college.  Of course I went in intending to be "pre-med", but so is half the class.  At some point early in my second year I was sure that medicine was the path for me.  But I don't think i really understood what was involved in becoming a doctor at that time (let alone in high school).  You think, yeah I'll go to med school, graduate, do a residency for a couple of years, and become a doctor.  But it is never that simple.

It is stressful.  You have to first kick-ass in college and take the MCATS and get IN to med school. (of course there are various options if you don't "make it" like foreign med schools and D.O. schools... but in general, its not simple to get in to med school).  After med school you have to apply to a residency, which again can be very competitive for the good spots.  After that maybe a fellowship, which gain is very competitive, especially for certain fields.  And of course along the way there are endless board exams, and certification exams that will continue for the rest of your life...

I ended up taking a year off after college (which is not uncommon) to do some research and help boost my chances when I applied a bit.  Though honestly, it was more for me to take a break between schooling and to chill for a year like a normal person before investing myself in the arduous journey that lay ahead.  I actually would recommend this to others as well.  It gives you a chance to boost your application somehow, and perhaps gain a little perspective on what you want to do, not to mention gives your mind to relax, and of course gives you another year to perhaps win the lottery or acquire some inheritance that would get you off the hook!  Some people decide on med school late and do a year or two of post-bacc classes, or even do research for several years before applying, so a year is no biggie. The downside is yes, another year means another year of  your life, which can start to become an issue, especially when the years of training start to add up, particularly if you are trying to raise a family or something and need money!  On the other extreme is the 7 year med programs. They guarantee entry from a college to med school program, and you save a year of your life.  The downside for me in that decision (which I almost did too) is that, do you REALLY know you want to be a doctor in high school?? I think its a big commitment to make, and I feel you need to experience college with an open mind and with a non-determined pathway for your future so you can decide for yourself what it is that you want to do in the future.  Also 4 years of college is probably the only time you'll be able to take classes and learn about things that you will never again learn, and there are many opportunities that could be missed.  But then again, if you know for sure, saving the years of training is also a benefit (especially for women wanting to start families!)

After you get into med school, then you have to survive. But chances are if you got in, you generally have been selected out because you are good at memorizing, you are good at taking tests, you can study A LOT and not burn out, and you won't pass out when you see dead bodies and blood.  When you hit the clinical rotations, you will feel out the various fields and decide what you want to do.  I would say most of the time, people have an idea of what they want to do--so they think--until they rotate through that field and realize there is no way they could do that.. Most commonly its the people who say I want to be a neurosurgeon or something, and realize how insane of a commitment and sacrifice that is, and wisen up and decide to do E.R. or Anesthesia.  Usually its the smart girls who later wisen up and realize they want to have a family at some point.

Being a doctor is nothing like on T.V.  There is a lot of paperwork, long hours, physical and emotional stress, and  the "bread and butter" things of a field are often not as glamorous and exciting as the rare instances that are often the attractiveness of it. That you will learn when you spend time with real doctors.  Also it is not easy to get into some fields, so if you go in saying "I want to be a dermatologist, or a neurosurgeon, or whatever, and nothing else"  You may not get what you dreamed of doing.  So take that into account.  

Location is always an issue.  If you want to stay in New York or L.A. for example, so does everyone else.  So you may not get the training program you want in the city you want.  So are you willing to go to another state to get the training you want?  For many, including me, the isssue becomes after your training.  You may get into great residency and fellowship programs in New York, but when you are done, there will be no jobs available in that area!  Oversaturated New York is a perfect example.  You may look hard to find a job that you work your ass off for, and get paid half what you would in Texas or Florida or Tennessee.  Are you willing to sacrafice your life in New York to go to the middle of nowhere?  Do you have a family to convince?  The scenarios go on....

And remember, these days, doctors dont get paid as much as we used to.  With health care reform, insurance company policies, malpractice insurance, don't expect to be rolling in money, because you will not be. Reimbursment drops everyday, some fields more than others, but I think it will continue on that path.  I think its insane for the sacrifices we make, the time we spend, and the work we do, that people think we should not be paid well, and we don't earn what we deserve.  But thats is whole other discussion....

Anyway, I'lll end the rant here. But feel free to ask if anyone has questions.  In the end I am happy and I like what I do.  Yeah it sucks that the job market isn't great in NY, and it sucks that we don't get paid as much as we used to, and I don't like waking up at 6am everyday, but I do like what I do.  But I was comfortable with the sacrifice I had to make, and I enjoy the work I do and people I work with.  I am single, and I don't know how some of these people do medical training with not just a spouse, but multiple kids!  Good for ya'll.   And girls, always ask yourself your priorities and what you want not just for work in the future, but family.  Are you married? Plan on getting married? When do you want kids?  I am not trying to be sexist, but yet another important thing to think about, as raising a baby in a busy residency program is doable but not the easiest in the world (so I hear....), not to mention that biological clock!

So if I haven't scared you off the medical path, good luck to you.  If it is truly what you want to do for the right reasons, you will be happy in the end, proud of the difficult feat you have accomplished, and your non medical friends will respect you (even if some patients and their lawyers don't!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[C L]

Wow thanks for the refresher!

I'm an incoming internal med resident and it's so easy to forget all the work that went into getting to this point, especially since we're trained to prepare for what's coming up (getting through med school -> picking a residency -> matching -> fellowship(s) -> getting a job!) it never seems to end!

Not to solidify my above point too much but do you have any words of advice for an aspiring cardiologist?

- C

[ali]

To CL:
Well if you are SURE that is what you want to do (i.e. know the reasons you want to do it, because the future remains unknown regarding what kind of lifestyle, income, and job opportunities that will exist) ... That being said, I would say about midway through your first year of residency you should start expressing some interest. Once you know the lay of the land, learn the personalities, know some of the fellows and faculty, then try to latch on to someone good as a mentor, and try to dig up some good research projects. Don't seem overly eager and too hardcore too early, that will rub peeps the wrong way, but starting with the fellows is good to learn who to pick for mentors and research... And of course, most importantly, concentrate on internal medicine. That is what your residency is for! Don't go too crazy over learning cardiology before medicine! Mastering that first is key...

[C L]

Thanks, I appreciate the advice.
- C

[ccc]

hi! my boyfriend's mom keeps pressuring him to become a doctor. but my bf was really into business. he's now 27 and on his 2nd year to med school. whenever my boyfriend talked to her about what he really wanted his mom would tell him, "you support your dream." it also came to the point that his family blame me because i support him to what he really wanted. his mom still believe that being a doctor guarantee his son's future.he even wanted his son to get married at the age of 36. my bf was afraid not to follow his mom.its a long wait for me right? at what age he'll become stable?

[ali]

ccc:
Well it depends on what he does.. If he graduates and just does regular internal medicine to become an internist, that is a 3 yr residency, so he'll be in practice 6 years from now.. but the lifestyles sux and so does the pay.
for more specialized fields it will be longer, like 5 to 7 year residencies.. they are also more competitive though, so no gurantees on getting in to them, but if he works and studies hard he should be ok...

But again, definintely a ways to go, and then to pay the loans back... hopefully he really wants to do it, and not because of his mom!!

[Morgan Humble]

Deciding on being a doctor or not is not easy. Some people say that it's not worth spending that time and money. But one has to respect the fact that doctors work hard and stay up late to care for their patients. It's an underrated and unappreciated job.

[jenni]

Hi I am a first year undergraduate student in the biological sciences major. I think I want to change my major but still not sure, at first I have always wanted to be a Doctor but IDK why, and right now I do like biology but I truly dislike chemistry and I'm not even good at math. So I wonder if its best to change majors or stay there and try hard? and my mom is telling me how I let her down because I thinking of changing majors. I think I am more interested in criminology but I don't know wht to do, please help I appreciate it very much.

[S]

Hi - is there any way I can communicate with you via e-mail regarding IM/cards. I'm in my third year of med school and have quite a few important decisions to make going forward in the next couple of months. Thanks!

[ali]

sure shoot me an email....

[Neeta]

It's amazing to see how much dedication can lead you to somewhere great. Did you ever, during your undergrad years, feel doubt in following this path, and that maybe you should do something else? I'm a 3rd year undergrad prepping to take my MCATs this summer, and I feel very lost, and that maybe my drive to become a doctor has pretty much died out from stress and anxiety of exams, research, and pretty much everything else that comes with preparing for medical school. With so many things going on, I feel unsure whether it is worth so much emotional (and physical) stress.

-N

[swapna]

Hi, I'm an Electrical Engineer with a Masters in Electrical Engineering. Lately it feels like all I do everyday is just for my sake, earn money, save money that's all. I really like to help people, but I feel like community service is not my thing. I'm planning to do volunteer work at a hospital for a couple of months to see if Medicine my thing. Do you have any better way of figuring out if Medicine is my thing. I like to learn and read a lot. How is a medical school degree awarded, based on credit hours or number of years? Also, can you tell me if the first two years of school can be attended part time? like 1 or 2 courses a semester?

[swapna]

My most important question I forgot to ask in my previous post, how do you know you want to be a surgeon? And is the job monotonous? I like to have some creative thinking in everything I'm doing. If any one of the users would like to voice their experience, that would be appreciated too.