Quitting Medical School

14 Responses

1. partha

   August 19th, 2008 at 10:14 am

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   Dont worry, everybody feels the same way and you will get through. I wanted to quit medical school because i thought it was boring…felt it had very little room for creativity and self application. There is so much to learn that by the time we can apply ourselves in the true sense we will be quite old.
   As medical education stands today, it needs to change. It is too taxing, too long and too boring, too hierarchial. Well hope we can bring about that change.
   Study advice: what you did is the thing to do…what is important will always be important–> it will always be tested one way or the other…in the wards, what you see everyday and the cases you discuss (what is common and what are the cases you see that you should be able to manage) will be asked. Emergency conditions will be asked. So ask your seniors what your teacher’s think is important ie what they were asked in the exams. Building your knowledge is one thing, passing exams another. One you do to become a better doctor, the other to get your degree.
   Everybody flunks once in a while or does real bad. At the end of the day what really matters is how much you know the relevant things, that will enable you to save a few lives, and not who topped the class or who were the best students. So when you are studying dont worry too much, if you really want to be a doctor stick to it, if you don’t and have a choice i.e. something you really want to do, do it, otherwise from my experience till now finish you basic degree. It will ensure you dont go hungry, after that when you are secure you can always free yourself and go into anything you want, if you suceed, you move on. If you fail you will always be a doctor, no one can take that away from you. thanks for all the good work you are putting in. Take care, everybody has doubts and everybody wants to quit at some point except maybe a few ones…try doing a research paper on this…will help you fix things and get a residency.

2. Dr. K.

   August 20th, 2008 at 5:22 pm

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   Partha summed it up very well. Nice to hear from you, Adam, even if it is during a time of doubt and questioning (which I think that most med students go through at one time or another). My diagnosis is that you are startlingly normal and human. :))

3. Cristina

   August 21st, 2008 at 12:57 pm

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   It’s easy to quit, the hard job is not to.
   Find passion in everything you do and you’ll become a great man!

   Greatings from Romania!

4. Raveen Shenoi

   August 21st, 2008 at 7:15 pm

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   We all go through that feeling. Hell I’m still going through it even after passing Step 1. But having gotten this far you just gotta keep pushing. I have no doubt that you will find that spark just stop looking for it. What I’ve learned is that when you look for things to happen they dont, things happen when you least expect them.

5. Adam

   August 22nd, 2008 at 3:55 am

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   Wow thanks for all the comments and advice! Lately I just feel like I’ve lost that drive and determination that got me into medical school in the first place. Instead of going for 90s I’m happy with just a 50 because at the end of the day a 50 will allow you to move on and get you closer to your goal of becoming a doctor. However, getting a 50 in medical school is anything but easy. I’m getting the sense that they expect you to know so much to get past that 50 barrier and to get a 70 you just need to know a little bit more so there’s not much separating us once you get over that hurdle.

   Don’t get me wrong, medical school is enjoyable. I love the social aspect of it and I’m also looking forward to my true clinical years. I’m more of a hands on type of guy. FYI, it’s not like I’m failing or anything but you just have that feeling in the back of your mind the whole time. Medical school is a big psychological game that we play with ourselves.

6. Beach Bum

   August 29th, 2008 at 1:23 pm

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   The thought has crossed my mind, usually the night before a set of exams. But as an older student who came to medicine after another career (of sorts), I knew exactly why I was doing it, and was mostly prepared for the shit I’d have to wade through. I have doctors in my family, and one of the things that has really helped me is that during every one of my breaks, I have seen real patients. I hang out with my sister in the office and interview patients, and this break I’ve spent the last two days in the ER. There is something very motivating about seeing real people with real problems and knowing that all the factoids that I’ve stuffed into my brain are relevant. For example, two days ago I saw a patient with an Asprin overdose. All that acid-base stuff from Physiology came back, and I could actually see the Kussmal breathing and the competing acidosis and alkalosis. The time I spent in Physio suddenly became real.

7. eTHAN

   August 30th, 2008 at 4:58 am

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   Hey Adam, what Australian medical school do you attend?

   I think that we all feel like that at some point and I think it’s worth reminding ourselves now and again how lucky we are to be doing medicine especially admidst a crappy economy. Medical school is bad but I suspect it will get worse before it gets any better.

8. happiernow

   September 21st, 2008 at 1:21 am

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   From a physician who is 7 years post-residency and on my way out, I hope all of you find that just pushing through it pays off in the end. I haven’t and I just started my MPH in Health Policy and I LOVE IT. I wish I had quit when I was at the stage you guys are. If you truly like medicine but are just having a hard time because it’s tough, keep going. But, for some of us the problem is deeper, and there is a lot of pressure from society/family/friends to just keep going. But, it’s important to know yourself and if your true self doesn’t fit with being a practicing physician, your life will be full of misery.

9. sarah

   September 30th, 2008 at 3:29 am

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   dear happier now…i was wondering what made you pursue your MPH. i finished 3 years of medical school and am highly considering quitting. Yet i do not know what else to do.

10. Kate

    November 5th, 2008 at 5:28 pm

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    I am in third year aswell and im seriously thinking about quitting but im scared i quit then live to regret it. I have been feeling like this for a while but just keep telling myself to give it a bit longer. If i did quit i dont know what else i would do.

11. doctor?

    January 6th, 2009 at 12:09 pm

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    hi all
    some interesting thoughts here! heres my story

    im now in my 2nd year of medschool and am really serious bout quitting. i never used to be like this (a quitter). i used to work so damn hard and be very content with coming top. but then i went travelling…. and i feel like i have really found something i am passionate about. i feel like my eyes have been opened to the world and i now see that there is more to life than just working hard…. for what? I have become the kind of person where i want to work hard and get somewhere. i know in medicine that you do get the rewards about 20 years down the line, but i dont think i am willing to wait that long anymore. i want to go places, do hobbies try new things for most of my life as a pose to so far down the line. call me impatient? or just desparate to make the most of my life instead of being an unappreciated slave :/

    which is whyyy i want to switch to dentistry. OK its not as exhilarating as medicine on a day to day basis, but i want to be able to have free time and not be constantly tired!!! i could have a proper family, pets, do sports and take time off whenever i want really. it just seems perfect.

    BUT. the annoying part. its those moments in medicine that you just dont get in dentistry that are stopping me from quitting. the moment when you save someones life or see a baby being born. It doesnt happen frequently, no, but when it does, its AMAZING. breaks my heart that i cant do everything i want in my life.

    and ive just changed my mind AGAIN. while writing this. i just cant decide what i want more

12. Danger Mouse

    January 29th, 2009 at 1:35 pm

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    It takes courage to quit medical school. I left as a 4th year, after passing the Step 1, etc. I was married and felt that the lifestyle of a physician would get very counterproductive to a solid family. When you are at your death bed you are never going to wish you spent more time at the hospital. Make sure you don’t give up hope that there actually may be something better than medicine. Quality of life is much more important that money or prestige. Anyways, that’s my 2 Cents and I’m sticking to it. Thank you.

13. Danger Mouse

    January 29th, 2009 at 1:42 pm

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    Oh by the way, I am still married. I currently work as an Aerospace Physiologist. I am happier than I’ve ever been because I freed myself from the weight/pressure of medicine. I guess each person has to find their own balance. If medicine is really giving you psych/emotional issues, really question why. Talk to a psychiatrist/psychologist/friend/parent/etc, and get some advice. Then decide if all the hell is worth it for you. Decide what you are willing to sacrifice….because everyone will end up sacrificing a lot. Whether it be youth, health, mental stability, relationships, etc. I know a good amount of people who ended up divorcing, losing children, etc. I agree with Happiernow that you better find out what makes you tick or you will be bitter. Ciao..

14. Annabelle

    May 20th, 2009 at 4:48 am

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    Hey,
    I found this site because recently I have been having doubts that I am the right person to be a doctor and so I searched quit medical school to see if it was normal to be having these feelings. I am a second year student in New Zealand, which means I just completed a competitive first year required for entrance. When I left school I wanted to be a journalist or a diplomat, I had always envisaged myself doing arts papers at uni. I love english and history, and english has always been my best subject. However I felt it would be difficult to never do science again, and to forget about all the things facts the underly the processes of life. I also figured I could make more of a difference in the world by persuaing science. For me, being a doctor combined the best career assets; being able to help people, learning science theory and the way every thing works in great detail, having a very practical aspect, and on top of all of this making money (which is important for supporting a family and I would love to be able to help charities when I am older). Now I am wondering if maybe I was wrong to analyse my choices so logically. Maybe I should have just gone with my gut feeling of who I naturally am….which is somebody who LIKES reading shakespeare and learning the history of the world so I know how everything got to where we are today. I love stories, and the world is such a mystical and variable place (or at least that is my current childishly fairtale-skewed view). And I want to know everything about it so I can help change the things that are down right unacceptable (starving people and wars etc). So as you can see by my ramblings if you have bothered to read this far….I am afraid that my passion doesnt lie in medicine and if this is true it would make me an unhappy and poor practitioner. Dont get me wrong, I still like medicine. I just dont know if this is enough anymore. Im only just turning 19 so I dont feel it is too late to change direction. It would be emotionally very difficult though because I really am torn between these 2 sides of my personality. It would also be a financial hardship, as I am on maximum student loan (over 20,000 dollars by the end of this year), and my family is not well off. Im sorry that I kind of hijacked this post, but I suddenly felt compelled to see if anyone out there has any advice, or understands how hard this choice is. To the original person who posted this….I think that unless you have another career path that is pulling you away from medicine then you should try to keep with it….although I know from experience that once you get behind in work the psychological stress is very difficult. Goodluck, and I would love to hear your decision, your thoughts on my prediciment, and anybody elses comments