• You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community, you will have access to additional post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), view blogs, respond to polls, upload content, and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free, so please join our community today! Just click here to register. You should turn your Ad Blocker off for this site or certain features may not work properly. If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us by clicking here.

Anyone in medicine?

/DG/

silentigata ano (profile)
Joined
Mar 19, 2009
Messages
4,602
I care a lot about people, I just don't enjoy expressing it. If you do a good assessment, and select good treatments, you're helping them out. I've seen doctors and nurses who seem to really just not give a shit. They're lazy, do as little as possible, and have piss poor attitudes. Don't be like that, and you're fine.

Well I don't think that I'm like that!

I just don't know what I'm doing right now. I used to be very confident that I wanted to go to medical school, but I am not sure know. I joined these popular pre-med forums and I am planning to ask questions and get advice there, but I haven't done it yet. Btw, [MENTION=16139]Honor[/MENTION] have you checked out these forums?
 

Honor

girl with a pretty smile
Joined
Jul 11, 2012
Messages
1,580
MBTI Type
?
Instinctual Variant
so
I care a lot about people, I just don't enjoy expressing it. If you do a good assessment, and select good treatments, you're helping them out. I've seen doctors and nurses who seem to really just not give a shit. They're lazy, do as little as possible, and have piss poor attitudes. Don't be like that, and you're fine.
Yup, exactly. Although, if that's your style, DisneyGeek, you can still find your place in medicine in a field like...radiology, probably.

Well I don't think that I'm like that!

I just don't know what I'm doing right now. I used to be very confident that I wanted to go to medical school, but I am not sure know. I joined these popular pre-med forums and I am planning to ask questions and get advice there, but I haven't done it yet. Btw, [MENTION=16139]Honor[/MENTION] have you checked out these forums?
Yup :)
 

/DG/

silentigata ano (profile)
Joined
Mar 19, 2009
Messages
4,602
It's definitely not your only option. First of all, there are a ton of healthcare professions (optometry, podiatry, physician assistant, dentistry, orthodontics, veterinary, etc). Outside of the healthcare professions, there's law, teaching, consulting, anything you can name under the sun. You're a freshman in college? You have so much time to make up your mind! You have nothing to worry about. Take your time, investigate all of your options, and try different things out by working in different fields.
Well I know I definitely want to go into the healthcare field...but beyond that I'm not sure. I don't mind aiming a bit high

This isn't really going to hinder you all that much in medicine unless you're so socially awkward that you can't interact with anyone at all. You don't need to be a social butterfly to be a doctor. Honestly, many of my friends who are highly successful in medicine (in terms of getting into competitive specialties and making a ton of money) have been like this. And besides, you have a long way to go before you'll even come close to a patient (taking all the requirements, doing the research, taking the MCAT, etc). But, I wouldn't worry about this excessively at this point. Focus on doing well in your classes. Honestly, my sensitivity gets in the way more than it helps me at this point although the reverse will probably be true once I am done with the long road of schooling.
...
Eh, I wouldn't use the word intimidate for the people I'm talking about. You know that annoyed feeling that Ts get when they have to deal with people's feelings? That's how it feels for an F when they're dealing with T's lack of emotional connection. It can be quite draining.
So you say you're an NF...why do you think it would be challenging for you? IMO it seems like you'd be better than I would. Wouldn't it be better to be compassionate and caring to all of the patients? Unless maybe doctors are supposed to try and detach themselves while someone like a nurse is supposed to be the caring one? Idk.

There are a lot of fields other than pathology that don't involve a ton of patient interaction. There's radiology, pathology, anesthesiology...even dermatology.
Haha...radiology, anesthesiology, and dermatology are supposed to be one of the most competitive specialties. :p It's also interesting that you say dermatology wouldn't have a lot of patient interaction. How so?

PA school is a year shorter than med school, and you become a physician assistant. You can prescribe medicine in most states and you conduct evaluations of patients but you're always practicing under the supervision of an MD. You also make significantly less, but as a result of that, hospitals hire a lot of PAs. They cost a lot less than hiring an MD.
It seems like a PA would interact more with patients more than a doctor then.

Anyway, it's just that I don't know what's out there. Right now the only two fields in medicine I know about are being a doctor or a PA. (Well, I know about nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, vet medicine...but they don't interest me.)
 

Castameare

New member
Joined
May 14, 2013
Messages
17
MBTI Type
NiTi
Enneagram
4w5
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
I met a lot of cutthroat competitive people along the way as a pre-med, and I have a generally friendly, chill disposition. It didn't always fit in well amongst those types. (I'm some kind of NF. Maybe INFJ. Maybe ENFP. It's unclear.) You guys are right, though. I'm glad I'm aware of it but it shouldn't stop me.


yeah this attitude, can be found among some people who start with med school and want to excel immediately, but this can actually backfire.
it is a marathon, not a sprint, energies should be spent wisely, and a step by step approach is the more benevolent option for any starter, i mean the mass of material is overwhelming at the beginning and it should be priority #1 to get a good basic knowledge to work on from that.

i remember a girl during our first oral test, she volunteered to be tested first, gotting asked if she wanted the difficult or the easy version,
she wanted the difficult, she didn't pass that test, and i never understood when given the choice between the version that would increase her chance to pass that test, she took the option that would decrease her chance, i think whatever reason motivated her in doing so it was not a very logic one

i think this attitude will actually wash out with time, because you have to realize that it's just not working this way, i mean who do you want to impress anyway?

I've met quite a few people who've intimidated me as well. Some people I know are attending school full-time in the summer and somehow manage to hold down jobs and get volunteer hours. These people are insane, chronic over-achievers and whenever I talk to them, I just feel like I'll never make it anywhere. I just finished my freshman year and I don't even have any sort of volunteer experience yet.

i can understand when people need to take a job if their parents don't have enough money to support them, and they don't receive any financial support from state, but if i got it right these people you are talking about are doing it as some kind of extra, thinking it will give them some advantage, well i'm sceptical of this, we'll see where it leads them

for me any free time, which is more the exception than the rule, would be wisely invested in regaining energy by taking some time of from studies and doing some activities that don't have anything to do with learning or medicine (sport, art, anything you like)to balance things out i cannot stress this enough
 

Castameare

New member
Joined
May 14, 2013
Messages
17
MBTI Type
NiTi
Enneagram
4w5
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
I'm extremely awkward and socially inept. I don't exactly like talking to people all the time and I certainly don't like helping them. (Yes, I realize I sound like a bitch.)

most patient contact or conversation will be aimed to get relevant information for treatment or procedure, so it's more factual and directive, i think most courses who might cover up this whole patient contact thing also lay their focus on how you clearly communicate the medical facts or procedures for the patient, generally focus is more on how to communicate clearly than emotive
i think emotional support is often more effectively provided from the family or other close people, also the amount of patient contact can vary, and maybe the real life experience may not line up with our imagination, because there may be actually other big factors to worry about, so that the whole patient thing get's shoved into the background (e.g. working hours, stress, what field to choose, etc)
 

Honor

girl with a pretty smile
Joined
Jul 11, 2012
Messages
1,580
MBTI Type
?
Instinctual Variant
so
So you say you're an NF...why do you think it would be challenging for you? IMO it seems like you'd be better than I would. Wouldn't it be better to be compassionate and caring to all of the patients? Unless maybe doctors are supposed to try and detach themselves while someone like a nurse is supposed to be the caring one? Idk.

It's also interesting that you say dermatology wouldn't have a lot of patient interaction. How so?
Well, I do think being an F would be an asset in many specialties, especially the ones involving high levels of patient counseling and interaction. But in order to get there, it's nearly 10 years of schooling that are more about competing with other students than taking care of people. Except for the hours I've spent volunteering in the hospital, being NF hasn't been an asset to me yet.

Well, it would definitely involve some levels of patient interaction, but not as much as say...pediatrics. :) From the way you've described yourself, I would imagine that getting up early to go take care of other people's screaming kids and then, dealing with a lot of anxiety and frustration from their parents would not be your cup of tea. But yeah, unfortunately, many of the specialties in which you could get away from that are incredibly competitive for that very reason. A lot of money and a great lifestyle means the majority of people in the field want in.
 

Honor

girl with a pretty smile
Joined
Jul 11, 2012
Messages
1,580
MBTI Type
?
Instinctual Variant
so
yeah this attitude, can be found among some people who start with med school and want to excel immediately, but this can actually backfire.
it is a marathon, not a sprint, energies should be spent wisely, and a step by step approach is the more benevolent option for any starter, i mean the mass of material is overwhelming at the beginning and it should be priority #1 to get a good basic knowledge to work on from that.

for me any free time, which is more the exception than the rule, would be wisely invested in regaining energy by taking some time of from studies and doing some activities that don't have anything to do with learning or medicine (sport, art, anything you like)to balance things out i cannot stress this enough
So true! Honestly, it can be hard to peel yourself away from the library to go running or do something to clear your mind, but it almost always helps you do better on the exam.
 

kyuuei

Emperor/Dictator
Joined
Aug 28, 2008
Messages
13,964
MBTI Type
enfp
Enneagram
8
Hey, thanks! This was some solid advice. I know a couple of people who were pre-med in college and decided on PA school. They seem really happy with it, thus far - I hope the same for you. Yeah, your decision is wise in many ways. My brother is a doctor and he is saddled with student loan debt from his four years of schooling and is still being paid the meager salary of a resident physician even though he is about to celebrate the big 30. The one working PA I know says that she's happy with the work-life balance of her career, which she may not have had as a physician. And as you said, who knows - you may very well decide to get an MD down the road.

I'm sure that I'm more interested in medicine than anything else, and whenever I explored other interests in college, I always ended up coming back to it. It's definitely a huge life goal of mine. However, I met a lot of cutthroat competitive people along the way as a pre-med, and I have a generally friendly, chill disposition. It didn't always fit in well amongst those types. (I'm some kind of NF. Maybe INFJ. Maybe ENFP. It's unclear.) You guys are right, though. I'm glad I'm aware of it but it shouldn't stop me.

Cutthroats come with the territory. Even now, in Medical Micro (only a pre-req) I see women that do not want to talk to me at all because of my grade standings in the class.. or they attempted to 'study' with me. Luckily none of that matters. Everyone could get an A in all of the classes they ever attend--it is the MCAT that makes a huge influential factor, as well as extracurricular activities outside of school.

But that sort of environment can be really stressful, and I doubt it'll get better once in medical school. Which is why I think, for now, PA school is a good standard for me to strive for. I'm not looking to put MORE stress on myself than necessary until I know that that is what I need in my life.

But, honestly, everyone I talk to.. Professors, especially.. when they're in fields like biology, pathology, etc. They all say if they would have done it again they'd have gone for their MD. 4 years of hell versus 40-50 years in a respectable position making more money than people who have to do twice the grunt work is not at all a bad exchange rate. Yeah, the pay will suck for quite a few more years after that, but that'll pass with time and dedicated get-out-of-debt solutions that are soundly taught all over the place. So, if you KNOW you want medicine, I'd gun for it and never look back. Nothing will give you a perfect solution. You just have to know what you want.

I'm extremely awkward and socially inept. I don't exactly like talking to people all the time and I certainly don't like helping them. (Yes, I realize I sound like a bitch.)

:rofl1: Well. Maybe a little, but there's nothing wrong with a gem of honesty. It's a good thing to know about yourself.

So what does PA school entail? It's obviously quicker to get through, but what are the key differences between a PA and a doctor?

Honor pretty much summed it up well enough.. but Essentially, NOTHING is a Doctor except a doctor. Everything else has gray lines that can bleed into each other.
 
Top