2 answers
Siera
Student
Federal Way, Washington
1
Question
Asked
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What should I be most prepared for when entering the medical field?
I'm pursuing an associate's degree for Nuclear Medicine, what should I expect while following this career path?
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2 answers
Perry Zuckerman
Psychiatrist
13
Answers
Los Angeles, California
Updated
Perry’s Answer
Hello Siera,
I think it is best to divide my answer into two time segments. The "first segment" will be all of your training, which takes you to the day of the end of residency. The "second segment" is your life as a fully-trained medical specialist, which starts the day after you finish residency.
I will not "candy coat" this. I'm not here to encourage you nor discourage you, just tell it to you straight, as I see it, and then your own decision will evolve for you to finally get to what you truly want to do. Take a long time to finalize your decisions. Then you will truly know inside what you want to do.
Okay, the "first segment" is training, [which basically means college, medical school, and then residency training in your chosen medical specialty], is a time to expect above all else, ***putting in long hours***. Long hours of studying so that you can do well on difficult competitive exams, and then long hours of being in the hospital during the 3rd and 4th years of medical school. Residency training is of course not easy, but the number of hours you put in per week will depend on which specialty you choose. And there will be ***intellectual stimulation*** through all of this. Don't think too much or worry at all about residency right now. You say right now that you want to do Nuclear Medicine, which is fine and you may stay with that, but everybody can and might change their mind while in medical school.
The bottom line here is to be prepared for ***putting in long hours***. [But don't let this stop you if this is what you really want.]
Next, the "second segment" is applying all of your training to your career, and this begins the day after you finished residency. Now, and the rest of your life, as long as you are treating patients, ***you will be repeatedly applying all that you developed during training***. The excitement of the large learning curve during training will be over, but it can be replaced be choosing the career path that you most desire. And you will still continue to learn a little every day. Your career choices will include your medical specialty [already trained for in residency of course], what type of setting you choose to work in, and the type of work you choose to do. Be prepared to need to ***make informed thought-out career choices*** in the second segment, and ***repeatedly apply your training as you see patients***. There will be an element of repetitiveness to seeing patients, but if you love what you do, you will not be bored and there will always be that ***intellectual stimulation***.
To recap briefly: first segment: ***putting in long hours***.
second segment: ***make informed thought-out career choices*** and ***repeatedly apply your training as you see patients***.
And there will be ***intellectual stimulation*** through it all.
However, as difficult as this all sounds, it is not as difficult and it can all be done by taking it one day at a time. One day at a time. And if a medical career is what you truly want, you will feel rewarded and satisfied for the rest of your life.
I hope this helps.
Questions?
Perry
I think it is best to divide my answer into two time segments. The "first segment" will be all of your training, which takes you to the day of the end of residency. The "second segment" is your life as a fully-trained medical specialist, which starts the day after you finish residency.
I will not "candy coat" this. I'm not here to encourage you nor discourage you, just tell it to you straight, as I see it, and then your own decision will evolve for you to finally get to what you truly want to do. Take a long time to finalize your decisions. Then you will truly know inside what you want to do.
Okay, the "first segment" is training, [which basically means college, medical school, and then residency training in your chosen medical specialty], is a time to expect above all else, ***putting in long hours***. Long hours of studying so that you can do well on difficult competitive exams, and then long hours of being in the hospital during the 3rd and 4th years of medical school. Residency training is of course not easy, but the number of hours you put in per week will depend on which specialty you choose. And there will be ***intellectual stimulation*** through all of this. Don't think too much or worry at all about residency right now. You say right now that you want to do Nuclear Medicine, which is fine and you may stay with that, but everybody can and might change their mind while in medical school.
The bottom line here is to be prepared for ***putting in long hours***. [But don't let this stop you if this is what you really want.]
Next, the "second segment" is applying all of your training to your career, and this begins the day after you finished residency. Now, and the rest of your life, as long as you are treating patients, ***you will be repeatedly applying all that you developed during training***. The excitement of the large learning curve during training will be over, but it can be replaced be choosing the career path that you most desire. And you will still continue to learn a little every day. Your career choices will include your medical specialty [already trained for in residency of course], what type of setting you choose to work in, and the type of work you choose to do. Be prepared to need to ***make informed thought-out career choices*** in the second segment, and ***repeatedly apply your training as you see patients***. There will be an element of repetitiveness to seeing patients, but if you love what you do, you will not be bored and there will always be that ***intellectual stimulation***.
To recap briefly: first segment: ***putting in long hours***.
second segment: ***make informed thought-out career choices*** and ***repeatedly apply your training as you see patients***.
And there will be ***intellectual stimulation*** through it all.
However, as difficult as this all sounds, it is not as difficult and it can all be done by taking it one day at a time. One day at a time. And if a medical career is what you truly want, you will feel rewarded and satisfied for the rest of your life.
I hope this helps.
Questions?
Perry
Kathleen Rezek
Laboratory and compliance
53
Answers
Stanwood, Michigan
Updated
Kathleen’s Answer
Sierra, good question! An AS degree in nuclear medicine takes 2 to 4 years and will prepare your to perform testing in the field. To prepare for this career path, you need to follow a science and math track in high school. Lots of science and math, including anatomy and physiology. It's an interesting field with many opportunities. Best to you.