3 answers
Chasey
Student
Las Vegas, Nevada
1
Question
Asked
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What advice do you have for someone considering going into medicine, and how can I know if it's the right fit for me?
I'm largely considering becoming a pediatrician, but want to know if it's a right fit for me. The schooling seems daunting but I feel confident that I can get through it. What advice do you have or what do you wish you would have known going into the profession?
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3 answers
Sabra Bellovin
Family Practice Physician
2
Answers
Chesapeake, Virginia
Updated
Sabra’s Answer
I highly recommend getting involved in volunteer work in a field that excites you, like working at a Children's Hospital. If you can find a pediatrician who could act as a mentor, spending time with them would be a fantastic way to learn more about the profession. To make handling the academic workload easier, consider taking an anatomy course during the summer before medical school starts. This will help you become familiar with important terminology and structures. It's truly commendable that you're following your dreams!
Thank you very much, I will definitely look into that!
Chasey
Midwest Heart Surgeon
Cardiac surgeon
57
Answers
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Updated
Midwest’s Answer
Great question! The best way to know whether to enter any career is exposure to that career. This is of course easy to say, but is an important and necessary starting point. If the leading occupation right now is pediatrician, then work to shadow a pediatrician. To get a good sense of what it is like in that role and whether it is a good fit for you, even more important is talking to as many pediatricians as you're able to. Shadowing will only give you a snapshot in time and there will likely be parts of that particular day or days that may not be generalizable to the overall career, so talking to those individuals may be more insightful.
I would also recommend since you are not yet committed to medicine to keep an open mind. If you do choose to go into medicine, try to shadow and gain exposure to a handful of other specialties that could be appealing to you to help rule them out and either change or solidify your decision in pediatrics. These actual careers may be different than what you perceive.
Regarding whether or not to enter into medicine, the schooling is daunting but it is worth it if it leads to you doing something worth it to you and something you truly enjoy doing. The first portion of medical school is structured as a more intensive version of many of the science classes you take in college whereas the final 2-2.5 years of medical school is entirely different from any schooling you've had thus far since it is based in a clinical setting. This is more like "on the job" training and is an exciting shift in the entire structure of your education from that point forward! Typically if you successfully apply and get into medical school, you will be fine once you're there.
Regarding what I wish I would have known, I wish I had told myself earlier on not to overcommit. You always need to provide yourself with some extra space because various commitments will take more of your effort and attention than you originally anticipate and it is very easy to get overextended both in medical school and beyond.
The most important thing to do at this stage for you is to talk to as many people as you can at all phases of the journey you're considering: other undergraduates, medical students, pediatrics residents, and pediatricians. Pick their brains. You'll never be able to know 100% but you can do your best to have your eyes wide open to what you're entering. This is important for different areas of medicine because different fields require vastly different lengths and intensity of training. More important than the particular length of time or number of weekly hours is how much you enjoy it.
Shadow and gain exposure in an inpatient and outpatient setting
Talk to current medical students
Talk to pediatrics residents
I would also recommend since you are not yet committed to medicine to keep an open mind. If you do choose to go into medicine, try to shadow and gain exposure to a handful of other specialties that could be appealing to you to help rule them out and either change or solidify your decision in pediatrics. These actual careers may be different than what you perceive.
Regarding whether or not to enter into medicine, the schooling is daunting but it is worth it if it leads to you doing something worth it to you and something you truly enjoy doing. The first portion of medical school is structured as a more intensive version of many of the science classes you take in college whereas the final 2-2.5 years of medical school is entirely different from any schooling you've had thus far since it is based in a clinical setting. This is more like "on the job" training and is an exciting shift in the entire structure of your education from that point forward! Typically if you successfully apply and get into medical school, you will be fine once you're there.
Regarding what I wish I would have known, I wish I had told myself earlier on not to overcommit. You always need to provide yourself with some extra space because various commitments will take more of your effort and attention than you originally anticipate and it is very easy to get overextended both in medical school and beyond.
The most important thing to do at this stage for you is to talk to as many people as you can at all phases of the journey you're considering: other undergraduates, medical students, pediatrics residents, and pediatricians. Pick their brains. You'll never be able to know 100% but you can do your best to have your eyes wide open to what you're entering. This is important for different areas of medicine because different fields require vastly different lengths and intensity of training. More important than the particular length of time or number of weekly hours is how much you enjoy it.
Midwest recommends the following next steps:
Megan McCoy
Career Coach
162
Answers
Lakeland, Florida
Updated
Megan’s Answer
Hi Chasey,
The best advice I have for you is to get experience. A job shadow, volunteer, part-time job, internship, etc. Whatever way you can learn more about working in the medical field- do it! See if your school has any classes or a career center with medical classes. See if there are any hospitals that put on student events where you can job shadow or see what it is like working in a hospital. See if you can volunteer at the hospital or get a part-time job. You can become a certified nursing assistant at 18 with just a few weeks of training. Sometimes schools offer programs where you can become a CNA or paramedic before graduating high school. This is not only a great way to explore the healthcare field but to make money while in college.
Do everything you can to explore and make sure this is the right fit for you. There are so many options for medical careers.
I hope this helps!
The best advice I have for you is to get experience. A job shadow, volunteer, part-time job, internship, etc. Whatever way you can learn more about working in the medical field- do it! See if your school has any classes or a career center with medical classes. See if there are any hospitals that put on student events where you can job shadow or see what it is like working in a hospital. See if you can volunteer at the hospital or get a part-time job. You can become a certified nursing assistant at 18 with just a few weeks of training. Sometimes schools offer programs where you can become a CNA or paramedic before graduating high school. This is not only a great way to explore the healthcare field but to make money while in college.
Do everything you can to explore and make sure this is the right fit for you. There are so many options for medical careers.
I hope this helps!
Thank you very much, I hadn't thought about the jobs I could take in the field while in college!
Chasey