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Every so often, I’ll discover that one of my fellow third-year students is ambivalent about his or her future career in medicine.  When asked if they would do it over again, a few will say yes, and many will admit a “no.”

I always ask these people the same question:  “Did you come to med school straight from college?”  If that answer is “no” as well, I ask what they did between undergraduate and med school. 

I have yet to have anyone tell me they held some sort of healthcare job. 

There it is, then, in stark relief:  the difference between what outsiders think medicine is, and what medicine actually is.  Working with patients for pay just seems to give a much more realistic view of medicine than shadowing your family doctor for a few days a month.  The latter experience gives you a glimpse, but it doesn’t really burden you with any responsibility for others, and you can always not show up or reschedule if it’s inconvenient for you.

Filed under: Advice for aspiring doctors