While this may be fairly obvious, before you make the substantial investment into medical school (of time, money, and energy), it is important to make sure that you actually want to be a doctor. It is not uncommon for students to become attracted to the perceived financial rewards, social status, and humanitarian nature of a medical profession without fully considering the equal amount of disadvantages associated with such a career.
Med school is a long, long process. For me, I will have to complete a two year post baccalaureate, pre-medical education program in order to catch up on all the science requirements that I didn't take in college; a four year medical education (assuming I do not take a year off somewhere, which is not uncommon); a two to five year residency; and possibly a one to two year fellowship...all in hopes that I will pass my boards and can begin practicing soon after graduation. In all, this is roughly a decade of education with which comes a decade's worth of cost. Not only do tuition, books, and miscellaneous fees leave a large hole one's pocket, but the costs of living for 10 years with little to no income only worsen the financial outlook (check aamc's website for some financial advice). So why bother?
I believe that my skill set, career goals, and the current challenges/opportunities of health care make medicine the correct path for me.
Specifically, I believe that I am a good decision maker. I like combining my educational and work experiences as well as carefully considering the opinions of those around me to make important decisions. Even more challenging and exciting is having to make quick decisions while under stress. I also believe that I am a level-headed, mature individual who can engage in all kinds of conversations from a discussion of sports to a highly personal health-related issue. Further, I am interested in and feel that I will succeed at managing teams, which is an increasingly important skill for physicians, particularly in the hospital environment.
In terms of my career goals, medicine is in line with my desire to do something I can get excited about every day of my life. While every profession has its place and is important to our society and economy, I feel that medicine will particularly drive me to excel at my job and will, well, get me out of bed in the morning! Moreover, I enjoy working hard and keeping busy and am not opposed to being rewarded at the end of the day.
The reason I ultimately decided to pursue medicine was because of my interest in the current state of health care. Each day, this industry changes due to new regulations, discoveries, cost concerns, etc. Such an environment creates both challenges and opportunities. While all health providers are forced to respond and react to changing policies or practices, there lies the potential for leaders to emerge and discover new ways to provide the best care to patients will decreasing costs and inefficiency; this is something I want to be a part of.
There you have it. Do you think these are good reasons? I would be interested in hearing others' rationals for a career in medicine (or anything else for that matter). Feel free to email me if you would like to share.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Physical
I have not posted in a few days as I am in the somewhat stressful process of transitioning back to school after the winter break for my second-to-last semester as an undergraduate.
Like many college students, I utilized the break to schedule all those appointments that I procrastinate throughout the year. One of these was a routine physical with a family practice physician whom I had never gone to before. Since it is relevant to the current state of health care and certainly of note to future physicians (who are hopefully reading this blog!), I think my experience is worth sharing...
I will look over the unprofessional, even insulting comments and demeanor of the physician for now and focus on my biggest problem with this appointment. Currently, our country is in the midst of a major push towards a more preventive approach to medicine; this could promote a healthier nation and (in theory) reduce the soaring costs of health insurance.
Therefore, I expected that my proactive check-up as a college student who has not been to the doctor in about three years would be met with enthusiasm. Further, I assumed that my questions for the physician would be commended since it would show that I am an active participant in my own health. Rather, my doctor could not seem to fathom why I had come in to the office. He kept asking "so wait, nothing is wrong? You're just here for a physical??" My question regarding whether he opted for my cholesterol to be checked as part of my blood work was met with a highly sarcastic "uh, yes...anything else I missed?"
Perhaps the doctor was having an off day (something that as a future physician I would like to be sympathetic to) or maybe he had not seen this recent commercial from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ):
My concern is that not only are many patients unprepared to become fully active members of their own health care, but that many physicians are unwilling to let them. My decision to seek a routine physical exam brings money into the physician's practice and could potentially reduce insurance costs if a problem is detected in its early stages. Not to mention that I will be healthier. That should be a good thing.
Like many college students, I utilized the break to schedule all those appointments that I procrastinate throughout the year. One of these was a routine physical with a family practice physician whom I had never gone to before. Since it is relevant to the current state of health care and certainly of note to future physicians (who are hopefully reading this blog!), I think my experience is worth sharing...
I will look over the unprofessional, even insulting comments and demeanor of the physician for now and focus on my biggest problem with this appointment. Currently, our country is in the midst of a major push towards a more preventive approach to medicine; this could promote a healthier nation and (in theory) reduce the soaring costs of health insurance.
Therefore, I expected that my proactive check-up as a college student who has not been to the doctor in about three years would be met with enthusiasm. Further, I assumed that my questions for the physician would be commended since it would show that I am an active participant in my own health. Rather, my doctor could not seem to fathom why I had come in to the office. He kept asking "so wait, nothing is wrong? You're just here for a physical??" My question regarding whether he opted for my cholesterol to be checked as part of my blood work was met with a highly sarcastic "uh, yes...anything else I missed?"
Perhaps the doctor was having an off day (something that as a future physician I would like to be sympathetic to) or maybe he had not seen this recent commercial from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ):
My concern is that not only are many patients unprepared to become fully active members of their own health care, but that many physicians are unwilling to let them. My decision to seek a routine physical exam brings money into the physician's practice and could potentially reduce insurance costs if a problem is detected in its early stages. Not to mention that I will be healthier. That should be a good thing.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
A note on anonymity
Please note: While I am a proponent of transparency, I feel quite uneasy about the idea of med school admissions officers (whom I will presumably be working with in the future...fingers crossed) Google-ing my name and gaining access to this front-row journey of my entire applications process. And believe me, they do check. CNN ran an article about the Journal of the American Medical Association's study of med school policies regarding students' online behavior. It is certainly no stretch to assume that such policies will also have ramifications on the admissions process.
Rather, I believe that remaining publicly anonymous will allow me to write more honestly and openly about this process. However, feel free to email me (destinationmedschool@gmail.com) if you are just dying to know something about my personal life that I have not published. Otherwise, I will be known as Chris (my real first name).
Rather, I believe that remaining publicly anonymous will allow me to write more honestly and openly about this process. However, feel free to email me (destinationmedschool@gmail.com) if you are just dying to know something about my personal life that I have not published. Otherwise, I will be known as Chris (my real first name).
Brief background
Only four hours after my first post and I just can't stay away..!
While I have no intention of bombarding readers with my autobiography, it is pertinent to include a very brief overview of who I am so that you may fully understand where this journey begins.
I would describe my educational background as an ever-winding path. While I attended good schools and did pretty well, I never applied myself 100% and my interests were, well, diverse. In college I declared several majors ranging from the arts, to politics, to business, and finally settling on communication studies.
Unlike my older siblings, I did not attend a high ranking university. I looked over my high school guidance counselor's list of recommended schools and applied to only one: a small, slightly obscure college in New England. Throughout my parade of different majors there, I have received decent grades (currently have a 3.6 GPA, may have a 3.7 by graduation, could have had a 3.8 if not for a few classes that I failed to regularly attend during my freshman year...it happens). However, since the majority of med school admissions departments will most likely never have heard of my school, even the best grades will not raise me above any of the very qualified candidates that I will soon compete with for acceptance.
I do have some advantages. My family seems to be ingrained in heath care (my mother is a nurse, sister a physician, and two brother-in-laws are also doctors). I have already had a great experience working in an excellent health care organization. Oh yeah, and I'm motivated as hell.
I will get into the specific reasons for wanting to go into medicine in a later post; the point here is that, like many people, it took me a while to mature as a student and to really figure out where I want to go in life. Maybe this relates to you or maybe not. But I say we can make it happen.
While I have no intention of bombarding readers with my autobiography, it is pertinent to include a very brief overview of who I am so that you may fully understand where this journey begins.
I would describe my educational background as an ever-winding path. While I attended good schools and did pretty well, I never applied myself 100% and my interests were, well, diverse. In college I declared several majors ranging from the arts, to politics, to business, and finally settling on communication studies.
Unlike my older siblings, I did not attend a high ranking university. I looked over my high school guidance counselor's list of recommended schools and applied to only one: a small, slightly obscure college in New England. Throughout my parade of different majors there, I have received decent grades (currently have a 3.6 GPA, may have a 3.7 by graduation, could have had a 3.8 if not for a few classes that I failed to regularly attend during my freshman year...it happens). However, since the majority of med school admissions departments will most likely never have heard of my school, even the best grades will not raise me above any of the very qualified candidates that I will soon compete with for acceptance.
I do have some advantages. My family seems to be ingrained in heath care (my mother is a nurse, sister a physician, and two brother-in-laws are also doctors). I have already had a great experience working in an excellent health care organization. Oh yeah, and I'm motivated as hell.
I will get into the specific reasons for wanting to go into medicine in a later post; the point here is that, like many people, it took me a while to mature as a student and to really figure out where I want to go in life. Maybe this relates to you or maybe not. But I say we can make it happen.
Destination: Med School
Welcome to my blog. I created my blogger account 15 minutes ago and am already moving right along to my inaugural post...how efficient this site is!
A wise professor once told me that to be pithy and engaging always begin a project with a thesis and justification. Well...
Thesis: The purpose of my blog is threefold: (1) to track my journey from the realization that I wanted to be a doctor to acceptance into med school; (2) to elicit your help, encouragement, and advice along the way; and (3) to start conversations with other med school prospects, current students, physicians, professors, health professionals, and patients as to the application process, health care, and anything else.
Justification: I am writing this blog because acceptance into med school is an overwhelming daunting task. I, especially, face great challenges in that I am nearly finished with my non-scientific undergraduate education from a "second-tier" college and have a less than impressive resume of health-related experience. In other words...if I can get in, so can you. And hopefully I'll be able to show you how.
Ultimately, I hope that this blog might reveal something noteworthy about the current system of medical education or health care in general. Further, I feel that publishing this blog will keep me motivated towards my formidable goal of med school acceptance; your comments and emails could help as well!
A wise professor once told me that to be pithy and engaging always begin a project with a thesis and justification. Well...
Thesis: The purpose of my blog is threefold: (1) to track my journey from the realization that I wanted to be a doctor to acceptance into med school; (2) to elicit your help, encouragement, and advice along the way; and (3) to start conversations with other med school prospects, current students, physicians, professors, health professionals, and patients as to the application process, health care, and anything else.
Justification: I am writing this blog because acceptance into med school is an overwhelming daunting task. I, especially, face great challenges in that I am nearly finished with my non-scientific undergraduate education from a "second-tier" college and have a less than impressive resume of health-related experience. In other words...if I can get in, so can you. And hopefully I'll be able to show you how.
Ultimately, I hope that this blog might reveal something noteworthy about the current system of medical education or health care in general. Further, I feel that publishing this blog will keep me motivated towards my formidable goal of med school acceptance; your comments and emails could help as well!
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