2 answers
Alessandra
Student
Summerville, South Carolina
2
Questions
Updated
474 views
What are some things that you considered before entering the Medical Field?
I am a freshman and currently exploring the Medical field and would #medicine #doctor #job #medical #college love to know the things you thought of when considering your job.
Login to comment
2 answers
Rahul Arora
Doctor
44
Answers
New Delhi, Delhi, India
Updated
Rahul’s Answer
In your journey you would come across a number of individuals who would be in a position to influence you (some at the very early stage). It is important at this point to understand that you need to be your own person and take a firm stand on issues of allegiance. I have often found myself in the unenviable position of having to stand up for my beliefs and decide consciously to not be party to an automatic construct that will constantly try it's level best to influence you (bolstered and often emboldened by your inherent and inbuilt sense of a misleading social responsibility). Remember at pivotal points in your journey that you started as your own person and it is important to remind yourself that at every point in the way. Also medicine as a profession demands that you position yourself in a certain manner. Take the plunge if you are comfortable with the constructs being built around that sort of positioning. Believe in being part of (only) the real world around you.
Anya Forma
Medical Scribe
4
Answers
Portland, Oregon
Updated
Anya’s Answer
Hi Alessandra!
I'm currently a medical assistant and scribe, and I am applying to medical school this cycle. You sort of specified in your post what field in medicine you're interested in, but I'll speak to my personal experience and hopefully some of my thoughts and considerations are helpful! I'll categorize them by "positive" and "negative" considerations, but of course that's subjective so take it with a grain of salt :)
Positive:
-People: This is an amazing field if you enjoy working with people. This statement isn't solely in reference to patients either. You get to collaborate with other healthcare professionals often as well.
-Opportunities: This is one of the most attractive aspects of medicine to me personally. There are a lot of supplemental things that seem to work really well with a career in medicine, such as teaching, research, healthcare policy, community involvement, public health work, and administration. Many medical schools offer dual degrees (such as MD/MBA, MD/MA Bioethics, MD/JD, MD/PhD)
-Options: There are a lot of different fields you can specialize in, some accompanied by extra training such as a fellowship.
Negative:
-Cost: Medical school is incredibly expensive and is a cost in addition to undergrad. Contrary to public perception, physicians do not begin making a ton of money right out of medical school. The compensation for residency is much lower than what is typically considered a "physician's salary". Many people have difficulty with the cost of school and the subsequent debt that follows.
-Work-life balance: Unfortunately, medicine is infamous for a relatively poor work-life balance, particularly during training and sometimes into practice (there are always exceptions). You may have heard conversations about burnout, which is due to a multitude of factors, but this definitely contributes
-Low versatility: Unlike nurses or PAs, doctors have a much more difficult time transitioning between specialties, particularly due to the amount of training needed. If you are interested in working in multiple different fields throughout your life, medical school may not be the best route to achieve that.
There will be positives and negatives to any career that you choose, but I hope this helps a little! These are just some of the things that I have considered. Again, do take this information with a grain of salt and be sure to talk to different people, particularly those more experienced in the field than I am (I am very far from an expert). Everyone will have a different perspective as well! Best of luck! Let me know if you have any other questions :)
If I were in your position (and I wish I would have done this earlier than I did), see if you can find some doctors (or PAs or NPs) around you to shadow! You could do this either by asking family/friends, your PCP, cold calling/email clinics, or seeing if your local hospitals have shadowing or volunteering programs. As a freshman, this is a great way to get some exposure to the medical field and different specialties to see if this is something you're really interested in! After that, there are an abundance of ways to get involved: volunteering, scribing, anesthesia tech, phlebotomy, medical translator (if you're fluent in a different language).
I'm currently a medical assistant and scribe, and I am applying to medical school this cycle. You sort of specified in your post what field in medicine you're interested in, but I'll speak to my personal experience and hopefully some of my thoughts and considerations are helpful! I'll categorize them by "positive" and "negative" considerations, but of course that's subjective so take it with a grain of salt :)
Positive:
-People: This is an amazing field if you enjoy working with people. This statement isn't solely in reference to patients either. You get to collaborate with other healthcare professionals often as well.
-Opportunities: This is one of the most attractive aspects of medicine to me personally. There are a lot of supplemental things that seem to work really well with a career in medicine, such as teaching, research, healthcare policy, community involvement, public health work, and administration. Many medical schools offer dual degrees (such as MD/MBA, MD/MA Bioethics, MD/JD, MD/PhD)
-Options: There are a lot of different fields you can specialize in, some accompanied by extra training such as a fellowship.
Negative:
-Cost: Medical school is incredibly expensive and is a cost in addition to undergrad. Contrary to public perception, physicians do not begin making a ton of money right out of medical school. The compensation for residency is much lower than what is typically considered a "physician's salary". Many people have difficulty with the cost of school and the subsequent debt that follows.
-Work-life balance: Unfortunately, medicine is infamous for a relatively poor work-life balance, particularly during training and sometimes into practice (there are always exceptions). You may have heard conversations about burnout, which is due to a multitude of factors, but this definitely contributes
-Low versatility: Unlike nurses or PAs, doctors have a much more difficult time transitioning between specialties, particularly due to the amount of training needed. If you are interested in working in multiple different fields throughout your life, medical school may not be the best route to achieve that.
There will be positives and negatives to any career that you choose, but I hope this helps a little! These are just some of the things that I have considered. Again, do take this information with a grain of salt and be sure to talk to different people, particularly those more experienced in the field than I am (I am very far from an expert). Everyone will have a different perspective as well! Best of luck! Let me know if you have any other questions :)
Anya recommends the following next steps: