18 years
I'm about to enter the university, and i'm choosing medicine for a major, my concern is: do you think it takes away your youth because of the time it takes and the hardwork it needs?
Aug 6, 2014
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To simplify things, think of it this way: it's all a matter of perspective and how you shuffle your priorities. Yes there is quote a bit of studying (7 years to get your Doctor of Medicine degree), in addition do doing your specialty, subspecialty, and scientific research (you need to keep publishing medical articles in order to progress with your career).
Compared to other career choices, the time period it takes to finish medical school does not differ substantially from other majors, since nowadays the minimum you aim for is a masters degree, or a CPA/CFA etc. Taking loans can be another concern, but that's the case for other study domains as well.
The real challenge in the medicine is the practice: phone calls at night, emergency surgeries, a national disaster whereby you have to be available sometimes 48 hours in a row. Additionally, medicine has evolved significantly over the past decades: in the past, there were not as many physicians as there is today; the doctor's opinion was not questioned - almost taken for granted. It was what we call a paternalistic practice, a doctor-centered relationship with the patient, as opposed to nowadays, where it has shifted to become a patient-centered approach, where the patient is regarded as a client, and medical advice as a service (a business model is prevailing). Why did those changes ensue? I guess because of availability of physicians and medical services, the practice has taken a different shape: it has become more about serving as many patients as possible in as short time as possible, while maintaining a patient-focused relationship based on empathy (that is, understanding and respecting the patient's views emotions - and this requires TIME, ironically!)
So to me, the real challenge has become to be able to see a large number of patients while treating them all not as "medical cases" but as human beings: giving them all the time they need, answering all their questions patiently, bonding with them, and mostly, having them come back to the clinic (and not losing them). To achieve this, yes you have to make great sacrifices - but at the end of the day, if you believe in medicine as being one of the noblest professions and see that you fulfill yourself by helping sick people heal, then it's not a huge sacrifice, because the rewards you reap, the satisfaction you get, goes way beyond what any other thing in life can give you.
Good Luck!
Compared to other career choices, the time period it takes to finish medical school does not differ substantially from other majors, since nowadays the minimum you aim for is a masters degree, or a CPA/CFA etc. Taking loans can be another concern, but that's the case for other study domains as well.
The real challenge in the medicine is the practice: phone calls at night, emergency surgeries, a national disaster whereby you have to be available sometimes 48 hours in a row. Additionally, medicine has evolved significantly over the past decades: in the past, there were not as many physicians as there is today; the doctor's opinion was not questioned - almost taken for granted. It was what we call a paternalistic practice, a doctor-centered relationship with the patient, as opposed to nowadays, where it has shifted to become a patient-centered approach, where the patient is regarded as a client, and medical advice as a service (a business model is prevailing). Why did those changes ensue? I guess because of availability of physicians and medical services, the practice has taken a different shape: it has become more about serving as many patients as possible in as short time as possible, while maintaining a patient-focused relationship based on empathy (that is, understanding and respecting the patient's views emotions - and this requires TIME, ironically!)
So to me, the real challenge has become to be able to see a large number of patients while treating them all not as "medical cases" but as human beings: giving them all the time they need, answering all their questions patiently, bonding with them, and mostly, having them come back to the clinic (and not losing them). To achieve this, yes you have to make great sacrifices - but at the end of the day, if you believe in medicine as being one of the noblest professions and see that you fulfill yourself by helping sick people heal, then it's not a huge sacrifice, because the rewards you reap, the satisfaction you get, goes way beyond what any other thing in life can give you.
Good Luck!
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