Don't want to be a doctor but too far into degree to quit

Sure, appreciate the privileged position you're in, OP. But beyond that, please don't take any notice of people who play the 'other people would love to have that chance' card. You don't owe other applicants.

I understand your pain - I've wanted to quit a number of times, even since pre-clinical years, but every time family and friends have convinced me that it'll get better. And it has, a bit. What's been keeping me going the last few years is the hope that I will still enjoy the job at the end of it all, and the fact that while there are (and always have been) other careers that interest me, I'm not invested in any of them, and nor could I just walk out of Medicine into one of them. The best advice I've been given on the subject was this: you should only drop out if there's something you're sure you want to do more than Medicine - drop out because you positively want to do something else, not because you feel unhappy in Medicine and just want to run away from it. Otherwise you're burning one bridge before you've even figured out if there's another one you like the look of, never mind actually crossing it. Also don't forget that there are plenty of qualified doctors who didn't enjoy their time at medical school, but who are now happy in their job. I'm hoping I'll be one of those; hopefully you could be, too.

I'm not saying you shouldn't drop out. Just try to remember that not enjoying it now doesn't automatically mean you won't enjoy it in the future. Good luck with whatever decision you make.

This. I'm technically a third year medical student (currently intercalating in Neuroscience after my third year) and I will be leaving medicine after my intercalation with a BSc in Neuroscience. I found that I hated the clinical aspect of medicine and what I really want to do is basic science research. Unfortunately it took three years of medical school to figure this out. However, I am able to leave medical school with a degree and will hopefully be going on to a PhD programme from here.

relative to most of my other classmates i feel less competent than them, so im not just comparing myself to junior doctors, Even during our hospital rotations in uni not much is required for us but i still struggle

For most people this isn;t an issue , no one else on my course complains about finding the practical work that difficult especially at this stage .

This. I'm technically a third year medical student (currently intercalating in Neuroscience after my third year) and I will be leaving medicine after my intercalation with a BSc in Neuroscience. I found that I hated the clinical aspect of medicine and what I really want to do is basic science research. Unfortunately it took three years of medical school to figure this out. However, I am able to leave medical school with a degree and will hopefully be going on to a PhD programme from here.

My advice, echoing the above, is that if you want to drop out, make sure 1) you can get something for your time at medical school, and 2) you have something to move on to. With most students making the huge decision to study medicine at the young age of 18, a lot of medical schools are prepared for the fact that at least one, or a handful of students realise medicine isn't for them. As such, a lot of medical schools have resources to help these students and particularly useful careers advisers.

I hope you manage to find what you really want to do, and don't feel like you owe it to others to complete medicine, do simply what makes you happy!

I'm sure you have been through all your options and taken advice but are you certain about not completing the medical degree? Obviously this is the right thing to do if you really can't tolerate clinical medicine but scientists with an MBChB do sometimes reap little advantages for having that additional background.

It might also be a selling point with future employers and funding bodies. You will always be a little more "colourful" to clinician scientists that sit on these panels, even if you never practice a day in your life.

With time and experience, you'll realise that no one gives a **** about individuals that pursue degrees or qualifications or whatever it might be purely for the purpose of appearing more "colourful" to others. True respect is earned when one excels in a field they're passionate about and makes a solid contribution to said field. Spending 2 more years of his life locked up in clinical medicine is not going to be beneficial to the poster when as a hard working individual he could use that time (which is a LOT of time) to really focus on his research that he WANTS to do. Don't fall into the highly popular trap of believing that completing a medical degree is a worthwhile pursuit purely for the status.

LOL I think you will find the person you quoted has quite significantly more experience than you.

*(I'm not the person you quoted, by the way.)

Presumably the reason why OP posted this thread in the current medical students subforum was to avoid comments like this from snotty applicants.

Are you GodSpeedG... Or something like that before you got blocked!?! I hope so. I've missed your sneering posts haha.


Posted from TSR Mobile

Hey guys , been a while since i posted here but i wanted to give an update

my personality never aligned with what is expected of a doctor and still doesn;t, rather than pursuing something that played to my strength , i did the exact opposite by going into medicine. Reaching the tail end of my degree i realise ive spent so much of my time pretending to be interested in medicine and what it means to be a doctor , but in reality i find it all boring and don;t think i ever truly was interested in it. Just something to keep in mind for people applying to uni - really think about the person you are and what YOU want to do. (as obvious as it sounds , its easy to forget sometimes).