Finding Medicine really difficult- questioning my desires

Hello there, I am a first year medical student having come straight from A-levels and achieved A*AA in my a-levels. However, I am finding the course really really taxing and feel like constantly working in order to be able to do what is required of me and be at the standard of the sheer number of graduates that there are on my course.
This has prompted a number of feelings from within questioning my desires for medicine. My original reasons for medicine were that I was interested in science and wanted to combine this with interacting with individuals and helping make a positive difference. Through thought, I have been potentially considering doing a Human Biology degree/Medical Sciences degree and follow the career of teaching instead as this would still provide me with what I wanted to get out of medicine. Can anyone tell me if they think this is a ludicrous decision and how they find workload/lifestyle for human biology/medical sciences compared with Medicine? Thanks.

Reply 1

Blazinq

14

A degree is meant to be difficult, if it's difficult but you're working hard and getting good grades, then I don't see a reason to switch to a 'lesser, not as hard course' unless you're not finding what you're learning fun or interesting
Hard work will pay off OP

Reply 2

Lethorio

11

I'm doing a Biomedical Science course and I feel extremely taxed too. I think we just need to work hard and keep motivated.

Reply 3

Schap

Anyone could become a physician if it was easy. You are fortunate to be in the position of being able to complain about the difficulty of learning the profession. The biomedical sciences will not substitute for the experience of clinical medicine encourage that as an option. Enjoy the struggle- it's worth it in the end.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 4

Helenia

20

Original post by ofudge

Hello there, I am a first year medical student having come straight from A-levels and achieved A*AA in my a-levels. However, I am finding the course really really taxing and feel like constantly working in order to be able to do what is required of me and be at the standard of the sheer number of graduates that there are on my course.
This has prompted a number of feelings from within questioning my desires for medicine. My original reasons for medicine were that I was interested in science and wanted to combine this with interacting with individuals and helping make a positive difference. Through thought, I have been potentially considering doing a Human Biology degree/Medical Sciences degree and follow the career of teaching instead as this would still provide me with what I wanted to get out of medicine. Can anyone tell me if they think this is a ludicrous decision and how they find workload/lifestyle for human biology/medical sciences compared with Medicine? Thanks.

Don't worry about the grads at this stage. They've already got a degree so of course they know more than you, plus they're used to university-level study so haven't just had to deal with the big step up from A-levels.

You're really only just beginning and what you're learning at the moment is probably quite dry and non-clinical. Some of it is dull as dishwater, but you just have to keep swimming and it will eventually get better. Don't flog yourself into the ground working every hour possible and trying to learn everything - it's not possible and you'll make yourself ill. Learn to prioritise and work smart, not hard. I wouldn't think about jumping ship yet until you've had more time on the course and perhaps a chance to meet some patients and remember why you're doing it all.

Reply 5

username1236842

8

I agree with helenia. I'd give it more time. I also agree with prioritising what you learn as the amount of stuff you could learn in medicine is infinite. often the more diligent/ obsessional students suffer the most, particularly at the start. At A level you can know your syllabus inside out, medicine is completely different.
If you haven't done biology A level you will have more to catch up on, I'm suprised they don't make biology compulsary as I used my biology A level knowledge more than the others in the first year.
I would keep going and plodding on, when you start clinical attachments usually in the 3rd years then you'll catch up with the graduate students and find it more interesting if the people interaction attracted you to medicine initially.
You should be finding what you are studying interesting though, although i struggled with anatomy, all those long names and trying to remember origins and insertions of muscles was a nightmare, think I got a string of Cs in my vivas.

Reply 6

Beska

21

It's during the first year that everybody struggles with the "what do I need to know? / how much detail do I need to go into?" kind of concerns, which I suspect is at least playing a part in your anxiety. It's a skill, and before it's developed you're constantly thinking that you're not working enough purely because you don't know where the stop line is. Eventually you'll develop the ability to feel the water and find that stop line and be able to say "ok, that's enough now" and actually feel happy with the amount of work you're doing/not feel guilty. Nobody can tell you how much work you need to do, so it's a bit of an annoying situation. Some people learn literally the bare minimum required (i.e. lecture slides), some people write up the lectures and look stuff up and add bits here and there, some people use textbooks extensively, some people learn more than the minimum and hope that at least some will stay in for exams, others just learn loads and loads for absolutely no reason. Everyone's different, you just need to feel what category you fit into.

It's unlikely that you're stupid or unable to do the course, it's just that you feel you always need to work because you don't know when to stop working.

Reply 7

Hippokrates

20

If it's anything like notts (maybe you're here) it sucks because we're doing science not medicine at the moment so it's boring as well as hard, bit demotivating.

Reply 8

colabottles

1

Original post by Hippokrates

If it's anything like notts (maybe you're here) it sucks because we're doing science not medicine at the moment so it's boring as well as hard, bit demotivating.

It definitely gets more exciting after Christmas when dissection and stuff starts and the lectures become a little bit more clinical, stick with it! :smile:

But yeah OP I think I felt the same as you when I started, it's just such a jump and I felt like everyone was doing so much better than me! You will definitely get used to the workload in no time. Just don't be disheartened, keep working hard, learn the important stuff and you'll definitely get the grades you deserve! :smile:

Reply 9

katyness

16

Original post by Lethorio

I'm doing a Biomedical Science course and I feel extremely taxed too. I think we just need to work hard and keep motivated.

What year are you on? Because it really doesn't compare to the pressure.

Original post by ofudge

Hello there, I am a first year medical student having come straight from A-levels and achieved A*AA in my a-levels. However, I am finding the course really really taxing and feel like constantly working in order to be able to do what is required of me and be at the standard of the sheer number of graduates that there are on my course.
This has prompted a number of feelings from within questioning my desires for medicine. My original reasons for medicine were that I was interested in science and wanted to combine this with interacting with individuals and helping make a positive difference. Through thought, I have been potentially considering doing a Human Biology degree/Medical Sciences degree and follow the career of teaching instead as this would still provide me with what I wanted to get out of medicine. Can anyone tell me if they think this is a ludicrous decision and how they find workload/lifestyle for human biology/medical sciences compared with Medicine? Thanks.

Just stick with it. It does get better. I've done first year of med school and it's madness but just keep in mind 1 thing: time management.

Reply 10

seaholme

19

I'd say stick out the first year. I felt like that at the beginning of my first term, especially when everybody else was saying they were finding it really easy and I was in the bottom 20% in all of our tests...

Come the end of year exams, I was absolutely fine. Actually I did way better than I'd ever anticipated! It's always tough at the start when you don't know what the expectations are. I felt like I had to memorise EVERYTHING because that's how it had been in the IB when I was at school and the whole thing really overwhelmed me. Turns out you did have to memorise most things, but actually with past papers and so on, and the modules becoming more to my tastes/skills as we went along, it evened out.

If you don't make it through first year then don't worry about it. We had a massive drop out rate. But, stick in there, because you can't possibly know whether or not you'll be okay at the end of the year when you're only just at the beginning. I would also say that my 'desire for medicine' was basically stamped on and crushed for the first 2 years of pre-clinical, re-ignited somewhat during my intercalated degree and is totally back with me now we're finally doing clinical medicine. I don't know how your course is set up, but don't use your non-clinical years to judge how you'll feel about it when you actually get to the proper Medicine bit!! :wink:

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 11

navarre

20

I'm also a first year medical school, and also am finding it rather difficult so far. Our current case unit is focused on the immune system, which is a bitch, but a rather interesting bitch. Not all the course is fascinating, but so much is, even if it's really hard. I find the clinical skills aspect of the course helps you to get out there and learn about real medicine- ie, this week, we'll be taught more communication skills and how to give an injection.

I also find the placements a great place to destress and meet patients- my most recent placement was at an acupuncture clinic, and it's fascinating learning about alternative approaches to medicine, and having convos with patients is a great reminder.

I love watching medical documentaries (Extreme A&E). they really motivate me and remind me of just how blessed I am to be studying my dream course.

Finding Medicine really difficult- questioning my desires

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you