For all Doctors out there, What did u do to become a doctor? and why did u become one?

Question

I am a highschool senior and I already applied for health science program in college, my dream is to become a doctor, and here in canada it's not that easy, I am ready to do everything to become one. The thing I am wondering is if I have the qualities to become one. I am ready to study hard, but I get tired sometimes, and sometimes have second thoughts about how serious i am. I would like to know from doctors, if they have been through the same thing or not, and if yes what did they do to over come it, and if not, how did u study this hard, what made u go all the way?! Please do not answer me: "coz i had a dream" Alot of people have their dreams, but few actually have them come true. Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

i think it will be different since im not from the us or canada but i recently passed the physician's board exam here in my country. well, it is a fact that ever since i was a kid, i wanted to be a doctor. that's true.. everything has to start from a dream. it depends on you on how you'll make it come true. here's what i did..

after graduating from high school, i took a college course which is sort of a primer for my med school dream. i took medical technology but you can take other courses like biology, physical therapy, chemistry, psychology, pharmacy and other science related courses.. they will help you a lot in your med proper.

med proper is tough.. i think i am like you, i can study hard if i want to but i sometimes get tired and fall asleep just after reading several pages. after having to study what seem like thousands of pages, you get burned out.. especially when you dont have patient interaction and it's just teachers and books and teachers.. i sometimes feel i made the wrong choice especially when my friends from college call me and ask me out and i cant go since i have to study.

when i started dealing with patients, that's the turning point. the smile you get from a patient or their relatives is very fulfilling. every inch of tiredness just goes away and you begin to feel it's worth every sacrifice.

becoming a doctor means you have to go through a lot of sacrifices. studying hard is just part of it. i have friends who don't study hard, they just listen to lectures and they pass. it's how you want to make it happen that matters.

Answer 2

Well I am only a medical student currently, but I can share with you from my limited experience.

What did I do? Everyone's experience is different and I am not sure exactly how my American experience will relate to your possible Canadian one, but I took a fairly standard approach. Went to undergraduate and got my degree and then immediately proceeded on to medical school the next year after. From personal observations, the most important thing you can do in college is, obviously, study hard and do well on the MCAT. Grades and MCAT score are two major determining factors as to whether you'll get admitted or not. They are not the only factors, however, and medical schools also seem to highly prize leadership roles, research, and significant amounts of charity work. Other things will certainly aid or degrade your application as well, but if I had to list a top 5 it would be those.

Why did I become a doctor? Well for two reasons. One, personally I could not imagine being satisfied with a job were I did not feel like I was significantly helping people. Now of course many jobs can accomplish this so this in and of itself doesn't necessarily say, "Hey! Do medicine!" That's where reason number two comes in. I specifically chose medicine because I have always enjoyed microbiology and biochemistry and found them to be interesting fields of study. Now as above there were some other lesser reasons as well: I liked the freedom of movement being a doctor allows, the respect it commands (or at least used to), was motivated by the feeling that, being gifted with excellent test taking skills if not intelligence, I should strive to maximize use of that gift, and, finally, hey the pay doesn't hurt either, but the original two were the main driving reasons.

Now as to how my experience has been so far. It is definitely a lot of work and you definitely need to be confident going into it that you are doing what you in fact want to do. Not because of some sort of noble endeavor or naive dream of what being a doctor is like, but because you have evaluated, to the best that you can at least, what medicine is like and you in fact want to practice it. In the US at least it is definitely an entire academic level above undergraduate work the first year, and another level beyond that the second and third years. (Perhaps that's a bit of an exaggeration, but not much.) If I can convey anything in this rambling discourse to someone considering becoming a doctor, though, it's simply that while medicine can be a very rewarding profession in many ways, it is also very demanding. Not just while a student or an intern or a resident, but even as a fully certified, fully competent doctor of many years. I have obviously not experienced most of the latter part of this course, but it's something I’ve observed and something I did not fully appreciate before medical school. Many people want to have their life include medicine, but with a few exceptions aside, the reality is your life will be medicine. You can in fact have relationships, families, and social lives, but it aint easy and it aint going to be like what your professional friends possess.

If you seriously are interested, though, good luck! I'm a firm believer that most people, if sufficiently motivated, can succeed in medical school. Maybe not excel, but certainly succeed. You just need the drive.

Answer 3

I am in medical school. The hardest part is getting in, especially in Canada. Everyone gets tired sometimes. Not everyone in medical school is a "Type A" personality. I honored every class in medical school so far. How? I just take each day at a time and plan for the future. I like what I am studying (most of the time even though I complain often) which makes it easier to stay on task.

The previous poster was wrong in one regard. The four classes that the MCAT focuses all its science questions are Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biology and Physics.

You need to spank all the classes you take in college. Go for straight A's and take pride in being top of the class. Good luck.

Answer 4

I actually studied pre-med in the U.S. for a long time, went through the admissions process, etc...

You'll need a 4 year college degree with an emphasis on the four cornerstones of the study of medicine: chemisty, physics, mathematics, and English. You'll need to excel in those areas and keep a pretty high grade point average. You can major in almost anything - even music - as long as those four cornerstones are met.

Here in the U.S. you must take an exam after college called the M.C.A.T. (similiar to the S.A.T.) and your scores determine where you will be accepted, if at all, to medical school. Medical colleges (here in the U.S. anyway) only accept about 100 applicants per year. Despite the size of our country, there are fewer schools than you might imagine.

After 4 years of college and 4 years of medical school there are 4 years of residency training in the specialty in which you choose to practice. If you want to become a surgeon though, the residency can be as long as 6 years. There are options for further specialty training like fellowships.

Medical school is very demanding by itself, residency is even more demanding with physicians often working up to 80 hours a week. Relationships and dating are impossible to maintain. A recent documentary showed a 90% divorce rate among couples where one person was a medical resident or student.

That stunts your relationship experience and growth because there wont be much time to have one over those 12 years. It is without a doubt the most competitive profession on the planet. If you aren't very competitive and academically driven, you simply wont make it. Compassion and a desire to help people are standard responses when seeking admittance but your grades and scores are more important.

It's common upon graduation to find yourself at least $100,000 in debt in student loans.

I decided it wasn't for me not long after another student disrupted a lecture on cell biology accusing me of stealing her lab chair. There are plenty of ways to help people in the world and 12 years seemed too daunting. My passion lay elsewhere. :)

IF you are not put off by this, then I encourage you to go for it as it can be a wonderful, challenging, and rewarding experience. Visit a college admissions office at your nearest medical school and discuss everything with them before you make your decision.

For information about medical colleges and requirements in Canada, visit: www.afmc.ca

Answer 5

well actually medicine is not my choice. it was my father who told me to take up med. i really wanted to be a journalist which is very far from being a doctor. but when i started dealing with things i encounter in medicine, i realized it really is a very interesting profession. and so i learned to love it and really put myself into studying it. there are a lot of things that u need to know. but the biggest satisfaction u get is when u are able to answer questions that some people keep on wondering. sometimes u think u know wat u need to, but when u face a patient, then u wud realized u dont know enuf and so it become more and more interesting. it requires a lot of reading and analyzation. what im doing is to read a lot everyday and to really indulge myself when im on internship. and now it feels very fulfilling when u can give relief to your patient, something that can never be repay by anything.

Answer 6

Your concerns and hesitations are normal for a person at your level of education and age. My suggestion is to continue pursuing your education in health sciences. As you progress, you will have a clearer indication if medicine is the right career for you. It's no disgrace if you decide on another career choice in a few years.

Answer 7

I presently have a level in laptop Networking/ and that i artwork in laptop education/programming. I heavily evaluate going to med college to be a doctor or therapist. i think of its a extremely organic progression in case you prefer to fis issues and study how issues artwork. BTW: BIO-scientific engineering is a warm activity precise now!

Answer 8

I'll call you back after I perform brain surgery.