Desparately confused about Medicine HELP!!!! :(

Basically I have less than a month left till my application deadline and every day i grow more doubtful of applying to medicine. My true interests lie in medical science and being a doctor, helping people/having a people-centred job, having the intellectual challenge, making a difference etc. But both my parents are doctors and i have seen throughout my life how a medical career has crippled them. Long hours, on call, not being able to spend time with family. My medical student friends are also having a really rough time. I'm beginning to think that for me, it's not worth it and my parents are also saying to find alternatives. The problem is i've been so focussed towards and interested in a medical career i can't imagine anything else! :confused:

Can anyone advise me on dentistry, like how much medical knowledge they learn? That's my main other option, i've done work experience and enjoyed it but i really don't find teeth interesting... so I'm also thinking about doing other degrees like biology, neuroscience or biomedical sciences but i don't know if they lead to solid careers that are well paid.

What job opportunities can i have with such degrees that have a good income? I've also spent my whole year doing voluntary work and stuff related to medicine that i feel will go waste if i do these degrees. I also don't want a career that's mainly research because as i said, i'm more of a people's person. In short, i'm trying to find an alternative where i won't have to go through what my parents did. PLEASE help me!! :frown:

Reply 1

jb161

What about pharmacy?? It's a good job and in uni u'll be studying alot of biomedical based science..

I actually applied for both medicine and pharmacy this year. medicine in ireland and pharmacy through ucas. chose pharmacy in the end. my concerns about doing medicine were exactly the same as yours.

Reply 2

biaf93

OP

jb161

What about pharmacy?? It's a good job and in uni u'll be studying alot of biomedical based science..

I actually applied for both medicine and pharmacy this year. medicine in ireland and pharmacy through ucas. chose pharmacy in the end. my concerns about doing medicine were exactly the same as yours.

I'm so glad i'm not alone here! Do you think you'll enjoy the degree/career? What kinds of jobs, besides pharmicst can you get with this degree? i've also been thinking about this, can you tell me more because i 100% want a job related to human/medical science that is rewarding and challenging ... but don't know if it's medicine for me.

Reply 3

jb161

biaf93

I'm so glad i'm not alone here! Do you think you'll enjoy the degree/career? What kinds of jobs, besides pharmicst can you get with this degree? i've also been thinking about this, can you tell me more because i 100% want a job related to human/medical science that is rewarding and challenging ... but don't know if it's medicine for me.

I just did a BSc in pharmacology this year.. Loved the subject but didn't wanna work in labs. My lecturers were aware of this and let me do my final year project with a hospital pharmacy department.. I found it really enjoyable. Hospital pharmacists have alot of patient contact (they usually check with the patients what meds they're on and see if the doctors are prescribing correctly). They actually don't generally do the dispensing in the hospital, pharmacy techs do this.. It was completely different to what I would thought it would be.. You should look into trying to get a hospital to let u follow a pharmacist for the day..

Other career prospects are, of course community pharmacy, industrial pharmacy.. patent law for drug companys, clinical trials that kinda thing.. I know pharmacists are also involved in drug-testing in sports and regulation of this. You could also study further, go into research or maybe lecture.. Theres talk of giving community pharmacists power to diagnose and prescribe drugs for minor illnesses in the future to utilise G.Ps better for more serious complaints.

Hospital pharmacy is most appealing to me :smile:

Reply 4

sunny_D

5

biaf93

Basically I have less than a month left till my application deadline and every day i grow more doubtful of applying to medicine. My true interests lie in medical science and being a doctor, helping people/having a people-centred job, having the intellectual challenge, making a difference etc. But both my parents are doctors and i have seen throughout my life how a medical career has crippled them. Long hours, on call, not being able to spend time with family. My medical student friends are also having a really rough time. I'm beginning to think that for me, it's not worth it and my parents are also saying to find alternatives. The problem is i've been so focussed towards and interested in a medical career i can't imagine anything else! :confused:

Can anyone advise me on dentistry, like how much medical knowledge they learn? That's my main other option, i've done work experience and enjoyed it but i really don't find teeth interesting... so I'm also thinking about doing other degrees like biology, neuroscience or biomedical sciences but i don't know if they lead to solid careers that are well paid.

What job opportunities can i have with such degrees that have a good income? I've also spent my whole year doing voluntary work and stuff related to medicine that i feel will go waste if i do these degrees. I also don't want a career that's mainly research because as i said, i'm more of a people's person. In short, i'm trying to find an alternative where i won't have to go through what my parents did. PLEASE help me!! :frown:

You could consider these alternatives?

-pharmacy
-clinical scientist

Here’s a really useful website. Worth checking out to see what each career option involves (also has case studies).

http://ww2.prospects.ac.uk/p/types_of_job/community_pharmacist_job_description.jsp

You could always apply to medicine as a graduate. That way maybe you will be sure you really want to do it despite the negatives.

One more thing, I personally think medicine is waaaaaay more interesting then dentistry but I would be biased as I will be a first year medic roll on this September :smile:

.

Reply 5

Madprof

12

There are jobs within medicine that (once you get past foundation jobs and any particularly crazy ST posts!) land you pretty sociable hours. GP is the classic, also public health, dermatology, radiology ...

Reply 6

theatrical

5

biaf93

...(

As the guy/girl above says... choose to specialise in something more sociable then. I don't fancy spending the next 15 years on the wards trying to become a consultant either - I may well go for GP!

Studying medicine isn't that bad either. It's just annoying that we get such long terms and short holidays in the clincal years - can't believe I start back on Monday!

Reply 7

786girl

If you are scared about having a crippled life, then I discourage you!
because frankly, you're going to be taking someones place who is extremely passionate but maybe hasnt got the best AS grades e.g. me :frown:

Reply 8

feedz

sunny_D

You could consider these alternatives?

-pharmacy
-clinical scientist

Here’s a really useful website. Worth checking out to see what each career option involves (also has case studies).

http://ww2.prospects.ac.uk/p/types_of_job/community_pharmacist_job_description.jsp

You could always apply to medicine as a graduate. That way maybe you will be sure you really want to do it despite the negatives.

One more thing, I personally think medicine is waaaaaay more interesting then dentistry but I would be biased as I will be a first year medic roll on this September :smile:

.

good

Reply 9

feedz

biaf93

Basically I have less than a month left till my application deadline and every day i grow more doubtful of applying to medicine. My true interests lie in medical science and being a doctor, helping people/having a people-centred job, having the intellectual challenge, making a difference etc. But both my parents are doctors and i have seen throughout my life how a medical career has crippled them. Long hours, on call, not being able to spend time with family. My medical student friends are also having a really rough time. I'm beginning to think that for me, it's not worth it and my parents are also saying to find alternatives. The problem is i've been so focussed towards and interested in a medical career i can't imagine anything else! :confused:

Can anyone advise me on dentistry, like how much medical knowledge they learn? That's my main other option, i've done work experience and enjoyed it but i really don't find teeth interesting... so I'm also thinking about doing other degrees like biology, neuroscience or biomedical sciences but i don't know if they lead to solid careers that are well paid.

What job opportunities can i have with such degrees that have a good income? I've also spent my whole year doing voluntary work and stuff related to medicine that i feel will go waste if i do these degrees. I also don't want a career that's mainly research because as i said, i'm more of a people's person. In short, i'm trying to find an alternative where i won't have to go through what my parents did. PLEASE help me!! :frown:

well dentistry is definitely teeth for the rest of your life,
pleasure in job achieves perfection, which happiness can be more than saving pupil's life, you have a noble reason , and go for it,
incase alternative careers BS Biology and than go into neuroscience, big bucks lot of research, i dont know if they offer directly neuroscience in UK, BS Biology will give you wider prospect of careers, since bio-chemistry, anatomy , physiology seems to be your interest
cheers

Reply 10

philipa.jackson

In my opinion you definitely shouldn't do medicine.
I dont have family who do it, but I want to, and I can only say that its the whole lifestyle (as well as the academic appeal) which draws me to it. And so many people I've spoken to (of course, you have your parents) say that its simply not worth it if you don't like the sort of life style you will lead, even if you are drawn to medicine for say academic or social reasons.

Before I looked at Medicine, I looked at Bio Chem, Chem Eng, Neuroscience and Molecular Biology.
Hope that will help.
Maybe Vet Science? My parents keep asking me whether I want to do that or not! (I grew up on a farm..)

Reply 11

Madprof

12

theatrical

Studying medicine isn't that bad either. It's just annoying that we get such long terms and short holidays in the clincal years - can't believe I start back on Monday!

Exactly. Anyway the time clinical years come around, most of your peers will have left uni and have jobs with similar/worse holidays. Theatrical count yourself lucky ... some of us have been back for six weeks already!

Oh, and I'm a girl! :p:

Reply 12

gece0102

bak madem bu konuda öneri arıyosun sen eczacılık seç senin için eğlenceli ve iyi olur farmaçista :wink:

Reply 13

theatrical

5

Madprof

some of us have been back for six weeks already!

What?! Did you get any summer holiday? Our holidays started 6 weeks ago!

Reply 14

_lynx_

15

biaf93

Basically I have less than a month left till my application deadline and every day i grow more doubtful of applying to medicine. My true interests lie in medical science and being a doctor, helping people/having a people-centred job, having the intellectual challenge, making a difference etc. But both my parents are doctors and i have seen throughout my life how a medical career has crippled them. Long hours, on call, not being able to spend time with family. My medical student friends are also having a really rough time. I'm beginning to think that for me, it's not worth it and my parents are also saying to find alternatives. The problem is i've been so focussed towards and interested in a medical career i can't imagine anything else! :confused:

Can anyone advise me on dentistry, like how much medical knowledge they learn? That's my main other option, i've done work experience and enjoyed it but i really don't find teeth interesting... so I'm also thinking about doing other degrees like biology, neuroscience or biomedical sciences but i don't know if they lead to solid careers that are well paid.

What job opportunities can i have with such degrees that have a good income? I've also spent my whole year doing voluntary work and stuff related to medicine that i feel will go waste if i do these degrees. I also don't want a career that's mainly research because as i said, i'm more of a people's person. In short, i'm trying to find an alternative where i won't have to go through what my parents did. PLEASE help me!! :frown:

It's a shame that you think that. You've probably developed a lot as a person by doing these things.