SO YOU WANT TO BECOME A DOCTOR

DECISIONS, DECISIONS... Becoming a doctor requires a real commitment, so your decision to pursue this career path should be an informed one. You should consider information from discussions with medical professionals. Talk to as many doctors as you can. Find out how they spend their days and what they love and do not love about their professions. Think about whether you could fill their shoes and whether you would thrive in doing so. Always consider your source when gathering information. For example, television shows with exciting plots and attractive actors glamorize medicine, whereas newspapers can do the opposite by highlighting negative trends and emphasizing scandals.

While you are fortunate to have hundreds of career options to choose from, having so many choices can be confusing and overwhelming. Don’t let indecision paralyze you. Consider taking time off after college to work in medical and nonmedical fields, to travel, or volunteer before applying to medical school. This type of experience serves the dual purpose of allowing you to assess your interest in medicine, and it improves your medical school application; diversity of experience is a great way to improve your chances to get into medical school. In deciding whether medicine is the career for you, you should also reflect on the paths that you won’t be taking. Are you deciding between being a teacher or a doctor? Why not teach for a year or two and then reconsider medical school? The skills you learn teaching will help you explain medical issues to patients, and many medical schools leave space for non-traditional medical students.

Perhaps you feel that there are too few rather than too many career possibilities from which to choose. Some people consider medicine, law, and other obvious professions because they just don’t know what else is out there. In this situation, there is nothing like spending a couple of years in the real world. This will expose you to various professions and career options. Even working for a temp agency can be beneficial; it can provide exposure to a few fields and organizations. Learning about other options might confirm your interest in medicine or could lead you in another direction. Either way, it will be valuable use of your time.

WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A DOCTOR Medical school takes considerable commitment, and the medical profession is very demanding. Few traits are essential, no matter where you are or what century you’re in. Consider the following questions:

Do you want to spend your life helping others? Doctors heal people, save lives, and help others – often through direct, face-to-face interactions. If this is your motivation, you’re in good company. However, there are other altruistic careers out there, all of which involve less schooling and less debt than medical school. The desire to help others should be one, but not your only reason for becoming a doctor.

Do you enjoy working hard? Medicine is an incredibly challenging field. This was the case a hundred years ago when doctors worked to fight yellow fever, polio, and influenza, and it is the case today as health professionals try to prevent and treat heart disease, cancer, AIDS/HIV, and influenza while dealing with the constraints of managed care. Consider medicine only if you love challenges and you know you want tremendous challenges in your professional life. As you read through this article, think about whether the challenges involved in practicing medicine are the ones that appeal to you. For example, a physician who is 20 years out of medicine is still expected to fulfill 50 hours of continuing education a year, just like a first-year resident. One of the challenges of practicing medicine is a commitment to lifelong learning.

Are you interested in science and health issues? If you enjoyed some aspects of your science courses and you find yourself drawn to health issues, there is a good chance that you will enjoy studying and practicing medicine. Although medicine has changed significantly over the years, its roots remain in basic science.

Do you like working with different people? Except for a few fields, medicine involves working with people, many of whom may be very different from you. If science interests you, but working with people does not, you may wish to consider a Ph.D. rather than an MD (this choice also involves less debt). You might also investigate an MD that allows you to do only research.

WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A DOCTOR IN THE 21ST CENTURY Compassion – a critical part of the healing. Advocacy – for your patients and for those without health care. Leadership – in improving health care at the team, hospital and policy level. Lifelong learning – there will always be more to know. Interpersonal skills – communication with patients and among providers is key. Negotiation – the ability to work around bureaucratic constraints. Grasp – of increasing amounts of medical knowledge and of a health care system in flux.

ASK YOURSELF: IS MEDICINE YOUR CALLING?

So, you still want to be a doctor… Congratulations! The good news is that you are on your way to entering one of the most rewarding and respected fields, one of the few altruistic careers that pay livable wages. The bad news is that the MCAT and application process is still tough. The good news here, we can help you get into your dream medical school. Let’s get you prepared for MCAT and your dream school!