Hello everyone,
My name is Mark and I am a new member in that this is my first post. However, I did go to the last OPM conference in D.C. and I thought it was an excellent start for me to really examine what I may be in for. I have read many posts and would like to explain my own situation in hopes that a response(s) can help point me in the right direction. Many of your posts have been extremely helpful so far.
I will turn 32 in January. I have an MBA in international management and have my own development/management/investment real estate company (no employees). This was never and still is not my ideal job as I unfortunately don’t get the satisfaction that I know is waiting for me out there in a different occupation.
However, since I was about 23, not knowing what I wanted to do for a living, I had decided that I would make certain sacrifices in order to “one day in the future” have the ability to do “something else”. I wanted to feel like I had some financial security so that I could take bigger risks.
Now I feel like that “one day in the future” has come and that “something else” can be achieved. I have had to count out a lot of careers up until about a month ago because of a bad back. However, 2 weeks ago I had surgery (laminectomy with an open discectomy in L5-S1). So far it has changed my life as I no longer have lower back or sciatica pain.
I won’t lie and say that becoming a doctor has always been a dream of mine. I never really knew much about it or asked questions until about 2 years ago. But I now find myself wondering if this is what I have been waiting for. I do have an admiration and fascination with medicine, particularly surgery. I have also had the chance to view a few surgeries up close and although I know that isn’t many, I believe that I understand what the busy life of a doctor may entail. (One of my tenants is an orthopedic surgeon and is currently opening up an urgent care in the building.)
I know that this would be a radical departure from the life that I’ve been living in that my days now are essentially mine and this obviously won’t be the case if I change careers. My issue is that I’m trying to find a career that I get satisfaction out of and I hear good things and bad things about being a surgeon.
How do I know if I have a passion for something that I’ve never tried, i.e. medicine? Am I asking myself the right questions and have any of you had similar thoughts before taking the big plunge? Any advice/criticism would be welcomed and appreciated.
Thank you for any and all who have taken the time to read and/or respond.
First Welcome!
My advice is volunteer first. Getinto the nitty gritty and see people in the healthcare setting. You really can’t do this well by just observing a day or two, after a few months of the volunteer time you should either get very excited or find that you are “turned off” by healthcare.Shadwoing a Doc also with the volunteering.I think I would do that first for a couple months to see if this is it for you then go back to do prereqs, that way you will have the drive to do well. Most of the OPMers here have a passion for medicine and can’t think of doing anything else. It’s that passion that keeps me going at 41 (that and vitamins 
) Hang in there and ask away we will be happy to give opinions here.
Good Luck! 