Medical school is slow (and boring?)
Hey guys, I study in London (will not say the school to keep anonymous); I finished my first year in June in the top 10% thus being awarded a distinction (lol boast boast) and if I am being honest I did this with a comfortable 6 weeks revision. But seriously, I so far am finding med school comfortable and glad that I chose the course.
The only thing is, is that throughout the year especially in exam season, I find myself being bored from doing medicine, medicine, medicine everyday 24/7. Although I complete all the work set and score well in the ICAs I find everything is too slow (especially with the thought of having to do this for another 4/5years); and quite boring to be fair - the same old daily routine of waking up going to lectures/anatomy tutorials and then spending 4hrs self-study.
I then get miffed that a lot of the people who I know from my old school are going into fast paced careers in finance/law who after 3 years are earning like 60k starting salaries in the city. Whereas I have to study for like 4hrs a day and will not be earning anything until im 24.
I was thinking of maybe doing a startup over summer and maybe carrying this on throughout medical school lol to vary things a little, any other ideas of how I can make it more interesting?
The only thing is, is that throughout the year especially in exam season, I find myself being bored from doing medicine, medicine, medicine everyday 24/7. Although I complete all the work set and score well in the ICAs I find everything is too slow (especially with the thought of having to do this for another 4/5years); and quite boring to be fair - the same old daily routine of waking up going to lectures/anatomy tutorials and then spending 4hrs self-study.
I then get miffed that a lot of the people who I know from my old school are going into fast paced careers in finance/law who after 3 years are earning like 60k starting salaries in the city. Whereas I have to study for like 4hrs a day and will not be earning anything until im 24.
I was thinking of maybe doing a startup over summer and maybe carrying this on throughout medical school lol to vary things a little, any other ideas of how I can make it more interesting?
And then you qualify and are bottom of the pile again, with numerous exams to do and shipped off to some other part of the country while your friends are all buying houses and going on holidays
I went to 6th form at a good grammar school, majority of high fliers there have surpassed me in every way
Source: 27 year old doctor with not much to my name
I went to 6th form at a good grammar school, majority of high fliers there have surpassed me in every way
Source: 27 year old doctor with not much to my name
Original post by medicalstudent1
Hey guys, I study in London (will not say the school to keep anonymous); I finished my first year in June in the top 10% thus being awarded a distinction (lol boast boast) and if I am being honest I did this with a comfortable 6 weeks revision. But seriously, I so far am finding med school comfortable and glad that I chose the course.
The only thing is, is that throughout the year especially in exam season, I find myself being bored from doing medicine, medicine, medicine everyday 24/7. Although I complete all the work set and score well in the ICAs I find everything is too slow (especially with the thought of having to do this for another 4/5years); and quite boring to be fair - the same old daily routine of waking up going to lectures/anatomy tutorials and then spending 4hrs self-study.
The only thing is, is that throughout the year especially in exam season, I find myself being bored from doing medicine, medicine, medicine everyday 24/7. Although I complete all the work set and score well in the ICAs I find everything is too slow (especially with the thought of having to do this for another 4/5years); and quite boring to be fair - the same old daily routine of waking up going to lectures/anatomy tutorials and then spending 4hrs self-study.
That's what revision semester is like at university, regardless of your degree. Why do you think the libraries are open 24/7? Yep, revision is really boring. So as far as that goes, that's just a uni thing. I can promise you that I felt exactly the same way around exam time during my BSc too.
Have you done any clinical work yet e.g. odd days on the wards or GP?
Any clinical skills teaching yet? How did you find that? Still interested in being a doctor?
I think a lot of students will be feeling the same way as you. The application process makes you do a lot of work experience and volunteering before you've even applied, and your personal statement and interview answers will all be invariably geared towards why you're interested in having a practical, clinically oriented career.
Then you get an offer and are instantly sent off for lectures and/or PBL for two years. It's quite an anti-climax, there's no denying it. A lot of it is dry, some of it is boring, and bits of it are irrelevant too. But it will pass, and the majority of students in my experience tend to find clinical medicine more interesting than pre-clinical medicine.
That's not to say that clinical medicine is always fun either - there will definitely be things that will make you roll your eyes or just feel incredibly bored. But again, that's just uni. If you were doing any other degree you'd be doing modules and sitting through seminars on things you find completely dull. No course is ever 100% interesting and engaging.
Personally, if you're not actually miserable and regretting wanting to become a doctor, I would try to enjoy the next two years. Right now is your peak time for socialising: once you and your classmates all go off on different placements, you'll only see eachother every few weeks rather than every day. Enjoy the longer holidays, they're also something you'll have far less of after 2nd year.
Once you start clinical medicine, you can try and discover your interests a bit more and you can get involved in research if you want to try and do something a bit less routine.
If you're getting top results, not having to work insanely hard for it, and you're still interested in being a doctor, I think you're in a good place overall. Enjoy it while it lasts!
I then get miffed that a lot of the people who I know from my old school are going into fast paced careers in finance/law who after 3 years are earning like 60k starting salaries in the city. Whereas I have to study for like 4hrs a day and will not be earning anything until im 24.
I was thinking of maybe doing a startup over summer and maybe carrying this on throughout medical school lol to vary things a little, any other ideas of how I can make it more interesting?
I was thinking of maybe doing a startup over summer and maybe carrying this on throughout medical school lol to vary things a little, any other ideas of how I can make it more interesting?
The sixth former in me wants to yell "start-up ******", but moving on
As Carpediemxx has pointed out, this is only going to get worse. If you think things are bad now, just wait for your Facebook to start becoming an endless parade of engagements and babies, whilst you're in your eighth week of Finals cramming.
You must have had some idea of what you were getting into? No one applies for medicine thinking that they're going to be earning City boy salaries upon graduation. So what exactly made you want to do medicine? And are those reasons somehow diminished or worth less to you now that you see other people earning more than you?
Im nearly 28, applying for GEM for the third year in a row. I work and study full time, earning pretty measly money and spending it on my masters fees. IF I start next year i'll graduate when im 33 and wont be earning 'real money' until 35. Most of my friends are engaged or wed, with children or kids on the way. Some of them are earning over 70k doing contract work with slightly better skills than what I possessed when I turned my back on that career.
BUT I dont care about any of that. I want to be a doctor and no matter how long it takes or how hard it is thats what I want out of life. Focus on what you are doing (or will do) and not what your friends are doing. Many of my friends are envious that I have the freedom to change my life and wish they could play out their career choices again (I explain being in your 20s, its not too late!), these marriages, mortgages, and kids are double edged swords because of the commitment required.
Dont be in too much of a rush to grow up OP, it isnt all what its cracked up to be.
BUT I dont care about any of that. I want to be a doctor and no matter how long it takes or how hard it is thats what I want out of life. Focus on what you are doing (or will do) and not what your friends are doing. Many of my friends are envious that I have the freedom to change my life and wish they could play out their career choices again (I explain being in your 20s, its not too late!), these marriages, mortgages, and kids are double edged swords because of the commitment required.
Dont be in too much of a rush to grow up OP, it isnt all what its cracked up to be.
Original post by medicalstudent1
Hey guys, I study in London (will not say the school to keep anonymous); I finished my first year in June in the top 10% thus being awarded a distinction (lol boast boast) and if I am being honest I did this with a comfortable 6 weeks revision. But seriously, I so far am finding med school comfortable and glad that I chose the course.
The only thing is, is that throughout the year especially in exam season, I find myself being bored from doing medicine, medicine, medicine everyday 24/7. Although I complete all the work set and score well in the ICAs I find everything is too slow (especially with the thought of having to do this for another 4/5years); and quite boring to be fair - the same old daily routine of waking up going to lectures/anatomy tutorials and then spending 4hrs self-study.
I then get miffed that a lot of the people who I know from my old school are going into fast paced careers in finance/law who after 3 years are earning like 60k starting salaries in the city. Whereas I have to study for like 4hrs a day and will not be earning anything until im 24.
I was thinking of maybe doing a startup over summer and maybe carrying this on throughout medical school lol to vary things a little, any other ideas of how I can make it more interesting?
The only thing is, is that throughout the year especially in exam season, I find myself being bored from doing medicine, medicine, medicine everyday 24/7. Although I complete all the work set and score well in the ICAs I find everything is too slow (especially with the thought of having to do this for another 4/5years); and quite boring to be fair - the same old daily routine of waking up going to lectures/anatomy tutorials and then spending 4hrs self-study.
I then get miffed that a lot of the people who I know from my old school are going into fast paced careers in finance/law who after 3 years are earning like 60k starting salaries in the city. Whereas I have to study for like 4hrs a day and will not be earning anything until im 24.
I was thinking of maybe doing a startup over summer and maybe carrying this on throughout medical school lol to vary things a little, any other ideas of how I can make it more interesting?
If you feel like you are doing medicine 24/7 at this stage already, unfortunately you will find that your life will be even more focused around medicine as you progress through uni and into foundation training. Despite being a fairly involved student in my clinical years, I did not appreciate just how much medicine would take over once I started working. Not only in terms of time spent at work, as sometimes you are essentially just working and sleeping (I have had rotas where I was doing a week of 12,5 hour shifts, which often turned into like 14+ hour shifts), but also in terms of the responsibility of looking after patients - it can be quite difficult to switch off sometimes, and not to worry about whether you've forgotten to hand something over or if you made the right decision... This is why it is so important to have hobbies and things in your life to look forward to that do not involve medicine!
As has already been pointed out, now is definitely the time to socialise and make the most of your time at uni. Yes, you will probably be busier than the average student, but with good time-management, you should have free time to do fun, non-medical things too. Get involved in clubs and societies, join some classes, set a time each day after which you will not study and do something not related to medicine instead. Make the most of your weekends. If you live in London, there must definitely be lots of options available to fill your time with! Essentially, what I'm trying to say is that routine can get quite tedious and dull, and it's important to learn to play hard as well as work hard
In terms of not earning until you are 24, surely you knew that was the case before applying to medical school? Don't really know what to suggest there, but medicine is not the career to go into if earning big money is your aim...
(edited 7 years ago)
Thanks for the replies everybody.
Yeah our school has clinical exposure very early on; been visiting GP every fortnight which I found interesting; but tbf I am not that interested in as a career for my own reasons having seen a lot of it through already. OSCEs in first year were really basic I must say.
I did know what I was getting into but I just see these people earning money whilst they are really young, it just kinda of gets me how easy it is.I wanted to do medicine as I like science (and rather it good at it); as well as having a secure and well respected job with decent pay obviously.I did know what I was getting into but I just see these people earning money whilst they are really young, it just kinda of gets me how easy it is.
I wanted to do medicine as I like science (and rather it good at it); as well as having a secure and well respected job with decent pay obviously.
Original post by Democracy
Have you done any clinical work yet e.g. odd days on the wards or GP?
Any clinical skills teaching yet? How did you find that? Still interested in being a doctor?
You must have had some idea of what you were getting into? No one applies for medicine thinking that they're going to be earning City boy salaries upon graduation. So what exactly made you want to do medicine? And are those reasons somehow diminished or worth less to you now that you see other people earning more than you?
Any clinical skills teaching yet? How did you find that? Still interested in being a doctor?
You must have had some idea of what you were getting into? No one applies for medicine thinking that they're going to be earning City boy salaries upon graduation. So what exactly made you want to do medicine? And are those reasons somehow diminished or worth less to you now that you see other people earning more than you?
Yeah our school has clinical exposure very early on; been visiting GP every fortnight which I found interesting; but tbf I am not that interested in as a career for my own reasons having seen a lot of it through already. OSCEs in first year were really basic I must say.
Original post by girl_in_black
In terms of not earning until you are 24, surely you knew that was the case before applying to medical school? Don't really know what to suggest there, but medicine is not the career to go into if earning big money is your aim...
I did know what I was getting into but I just see these people earning money whilst they are really young, it just kinda of gets me how easy it is.I wanted to do medicine as I like science (and rather it good at it); as well as having a secure and well respected job with decent pay obviously.I did know what I was getting into but I just see these people earning money whilst they are really young, it just kinda of gets me how easy it is.
I wanted to do medicine as I like science (and rather it good at it); as well as having a secure and well respected job with decent pay obviously.
Original post by medicalstudent1
Yeah our school has clinical exposure very early on; been visiting GP every fortnight which I found interesting; but tbf I am not that interested in as a career for my own reasons having seen a lot of it through already. OSCEs in first year were really basic I must say.
Yeah our school has clinical exposure very early on; been visiting GP every fortnight which I found interesting; but tbf I am not that interested in as a career for my own reasons having seen a lot of it through already. OSCEs in first year were really basic I must say.
Uh huh, that's because they're saving the "perform a CABG" station for second year.
Find some hobbies? Find an area of medicine that you particularly enjoy? If you think medical school is boring, just try reading through impenetrable court case after court case on the nuances of property law, and let's not kid ourselves that finance is any more interesting than it actually is. If your hang-up is about making obscene amounts of money fast and spending it on cocaine and yachts whilst young (which I suspect it might be) then like other posters have said, you're not really in the right profession.
Clinical years are generally agreed to be much more interesting than pre-clin. Pre-clinical medicine I spent two years wondering if I was really doing the right degree, to be honest. Then I started enjoying it for a few years, got itchy feet about how pointlessly my life felt like it was being spent during final year, and now I've started working, I'm wondering if I really did the right degree! Invested way too much time in it at this point though.
It isn't great pay in the grand scheme of things, but equally it's not by any means bad pay. I'm happy with how much I am paid in the sense of it's enough to do most of what I want to do. The job is somewhat rewarding in terms of interacting with people and feeling like you're doing something purposeful and useful. Although it is also somewhat unrewarding in terms of interacting with people and feeling like you're not doing a great job, especially where services are stretched, and you have a lot of responsibility to take home with you if you're at all inclined to worrying.
I would suggest you do a BSc (if it's not automatically part of your course) and see how that takes you if you are big on science. I enjoyed mine, despite not being a naturally very scientific person - it was a chance for some fresh thinking and to really explore something I was interested in. IMO there's not much fresh thinking in medicine, it's a lot of pattern recognition and box ticking. I know a good number of people from my year actually just dropped out of medicine after their BScs and pursued what they'd been doing because they found it so much better.
It isn't great pay in the grand scheme of things, but equally it's not by any means bad pay. I'm happy with how much I am paid in the sense of it's enough to do most of what I want to do. The job is somewhat rewarding in terms of interacting with people and feeling like you're doing something purposeful and useful. Although it is also somewhat unrewarding in terms of interacting with people and feeling like you're not doing a great job, especially where services are stretched, and you have a lot of responsibility to take home with you if you're at all inclined to worrying.
I would suggest you do a BSc (if it's not automatically part of your course) and see how that takes you if you are big on science. I enjoyed mine, despite not being a naturally very scientific person - it was a chance for some fresh thinking and to really explore something I was interested in. IMO there's not much fresh thinking in medicine, it's a lot of pattern recognition and box ticking. I know a good number of people from my year actually just dropped out of medicine after their BScs and pursued what they'd been doing because they found it so much better.
(edited 7 years ago)
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