Hello guys,
I confess that I’ve been a lurker for a few weeks, but only because I hadn’t made up my mind about medicine yet. But I’ve made my decision now. I’m going for it.
I left a glamorous job and put aside my BA and MA to pursue medicine. I start pre-med courses in a month! I know there are plenty of others like me, but I still feel pretty lonely doing this. I have my fiance’s backing (god bless her) but most others seem to think I’m nuts.
I know I’m doing the right thing, but the road ahead seems so long! Pre-med, MCAT, applications, med school (if I get in!), residency… I confess, I’m scared. So many more steps to go. So many things given up. I can hardly believe I’m doing this. Major FUD.
Here I go!
f
No worries…we all have those moments. You get them before each new grade, the mcat, opening your mcat score, each letter or email that arrives, med school, before each rotation. Daily during your intern year…you get the point…
Take a deep breath, remember the end game, and know this is a life long journey not a quick sprint. We are all here to support you and answer questions you may have. If you can make it to the conference…I would. It recharges you being in a room of people with similar goals and meeting the adcoms, speakers, supporters face to face. You leave totally jazzed about the experience and you fall back on that excitement when times are full of FUD.
Marcia
faysal -
Don’t think of it as a mountain of years to get thru before reaching becoming a physician. The becoming is in the journey. You will be reading and learning about medicine during your premed coursework, as you shadow and volunteer. When you get into medical school you will be studying with a peer group of likeminded “nuts” of all ages, and learning clinical skills - “practicing” being a doctor - on each other, on standardized patients, and on some real patients as most schools have some early clinical encounters in the first 2 years. Then your 2 clinical year you will be doing more patient assessment and care - the journey will consist of “practicing” medicine. Ditto residency. So practicing medicine is closer than you think!
Kate
Marciah, Kate,
Thank you both for the kind and wise words. As much as I anticipate complaining and worrying in the years ahead, I am actually excited and feel blessed to be learning so many new things when most of my friends and just slogging through jobs that they care nothing about.
I like the idea of the becoming being in the journey 
To be honest, if the journey weren’t rewarding in itself, I don’t know if I would be able to take 8 years of it! I’m just scared of failing I guess, or changing my mind and thinking I’ve made a mistake. In other words, just plain old FUD. But that’s a risk inherent in any goal worth pursuing I think, and I’ve thought this through as much as any major decision can be thought through.
I would LOVE to be at a conference with like-minded people. Only trouble is I live in the Middle East (Lebanon) and now that I’m pursuing medicine I’m rather short on funds and time. So I’m sort of stuck here and pre-med classes start soon. But I will make one of them at some point. Definitely.
F