Considering leaving medicine after med school/FY1/FY2

i thought about doing MBA but i thought is it really worth it? its more expensive than 1 year in med school itself. sure you can build up some connections in business school but is there more to that?

Honestly, you should just leave when the time feels right. Worse comes to worst you can always go back to medicine...

Hi guys,
I made this account on TSR just to ask this. I am currently an international final year UK medical student and I can't wait for it to be over soon.

I have been considering leaving medicine to pursue my passion in business. I first decided to apply to med schools because of a number of reasons, including being a highly competitive person back in A-level and also family expectations. However, after a few years of training, I realised that medicine is after all not for me, no matter how much I force it.

Don't get me wrong, I respect healthcare professionals very much since they are using their time to save lives, however, I just don't see myself doing that, at least not in the long term. I know this might sound selfish but I want to live a decent life free of stress, and being a doctor can achieve nowhere near that life given the lifestyle and poor salary in the UK. Brexit happening on 31st October might even further impact our economy and who knows what would happen to NHS.

I am just wondering what difference there are, in terms of qualifications if I leave medicine fresh out of med school vs. after FY1 vs. FY2? I asked this question before, but the impression I got was that they are virtually the same if you consider leaving medicine, because if you want to return to medicine one day, you gonna have to take the UKMLE to show the GMC that you are still competent to practice.

Thanks and sorry for the long post!

Hi guys,
I made this account on TSR just to ask this. I am currently an international final year UK medical student and I can't wait for it to be over soon.

I have been considering leaving medicine to pursue my passion in business. I first decided to apply to med schools because of a number of reasons, including being a highly competitive person back in A-level and also family expectations. However, after a few years of training, I realised that medicine is after all not for me, no matter how much I force it.

Don't get me wrong, I respect healthcare professionals very much since they are using their time to save lives, however, I just don't see myself doing that, at least not in the long term. I know this might sound selfish but I want to live a decent life free of stress, and being a doctor can achieve nowhere near that life given the lifestyle and poor salary in the UK. Brexit happening on 31st October might even further impact our economy and who knows what would happen to NHS.

I am just wondering what difference there are, in terms of qualifications if I leave medicine fresh out of med school vs. after FY1 vs. FY2? I asked this question before, but the impression I got was that they are virtually the same if you consider leaving medicine, because if you want to return to medicine one day, you gonna have to take the UKMLE to show the GMC that you are still competent to practice.

Thanks and sorry for the long post!

thanks for such an open post. I am considering to study medicine following as a graduate, but I only want it because I want to be qualified as a back up plan. I have ambition in business and entrepreneurship. I look at medicine as something I can easily fall back on if anything else doesn't work

I would say its a bit of an uncertain scenario tbh as you dont know how things pan out. From a logical perspective, I would probably complete your FY2 as it can open a whole load of doors in other fields such as pharmaceutics and technology / working at big business firms. Conversely, if you decide not to pursue your foundation training, what options will you take? Personally, I would just check with companies yo uwant to work at and see if having foundation training is essential or not. also consider taking a sabatical, during which you can unwind and further decide what option is best.

you aren't selfish just because you don't want to live a stressful life which is fine and understandable . it's your life not anyone elses , the only person you have to satisfy is yourself .

I know this might sound selfish but I want to live a decent life free of stress, and being a doctor can achieve nowhere near that life given the lifestyle and poor salary in the UK. Brexit happening on 31st October might even further impact our economy and who knows what would happen to NHS.

Just as an FYI, so that you can set your expectations right - the world of business is often extremely stressful. If you want to start your own business - be prepared to work 24x7 shouldering loads of responsibility without any guarantee of stable income for a long while before you get things going, and even then about 90% of all startups fail. If you go into consulting/banking - again, loads of stress, people sometimes yelling at you for no good reason, crazy working hours that are also less predictable than in medicine (e.g. you don't get a rota for the next 3 months, you just randomly get dropped by your manager that you need to work an all-nighter or a weekend cause there's suddenly a super urgent deadline coming, and you often won't get a day in lieu for it).

Also, the UK business, including financial services, pharmaceuticals and many more, is also seriously affected by Brexit. Lots of businesses have already moved their headquarters elsewhere or are considering doing it very soon, and there is a hiring freeze in many companies.

It doesn't mean that there is no hope, of course there is. Just make sure you gather all the evidence and weigh all the pros and cons before you make a decision.

Just as an FYI, so that you can set your expectations right - the world of business is often extremely stressful. If you want to start your own business - be prepared to work 24x7 shouldering loads of responsibility without any guarantee of stable income for a long while before you get things going, and even then about 90% of all startups fail. If you go into consulting/banking - again, loads of stress, people sometimes yelling at you for no good reason, crazy working hours that are also less predictable than in medicine (e.g. you don't get a rota for the next 3 months, you just randomly get dropped by your manager that you need to work an all-nighter or a weekend cause there's suddenly a super urgent deadline coming, and you often won't get a day in lieu for it).

Also, the UK business, including financial services, pharmaceuticals and many more, is also seriously affected by Brexit. Lots of businesses have already moved their headquarters elsewhere or are considering doing it very soon, and there is a hiring freeze in many companies.

It doesn't mean that there is no hope, of course there is. Just make sure you gather all the evidence and weigh all the pros and cons before you make a decision.

I agree, i think you have unrealistic expectations. But, tbh, it just sounds like you shouldn’t be a doctor. It’s not about money or an easy life, it is a profession, and about service. I think it is fairly well paid, but i guess that is about what family background you have. But i also think a lot of the recompense is in making a real difference.

It’s fine to want something different, and if the making a difference in medicine isnt going to make up for not having the opportunity to make significant money, then dont do it at all. If the day job isnt something you are going to be passionate about, then life is just too short. Go ahead with something that might, [this isnt a criticism, honest]

But it does feel odd for people to do medicine if they have no intention of doing it long term, a lot of effort and time goes into training doctors, and a lot of patients trust that by talking to you that you will repay that by being a good doctor in the future. I understand changing your mind, i dont understand doing it with no intention of being a doctor

i thought about doing MBA but i thought is it really worth it? its more expensive than 1 year in med school itself. sure you can build up some connections in business school but is there more to that?

thanks for such an open post. I am considering to study medicine following as a graduate, but I only want it because I want to be qualified as a back up plan. I have ambition in business and entrepreneurship. I look at medicine as something I can easily fall back on if anything else doesn't work

yeah, but if you don't take risks, you can never get there
sure a lot of startups fail, but again if there is no initiative, there will be no results
i guess im not a person of predictability, especially when it is 40 years of predictability.