is medicine compatible for me?

for context im in yr 11

my talent in school has always been maths and physics and that is what comes most naturally to me. However, I enjoy the content of the biological sciences more. I would say I am a problem solver rather than someone with an insane memory.

in terms of communication, im more of an introvert. however, i love 1 on 1 conversations with people. if we have something to talk about, i can get on really well with new people, but stuff like small talk i am not good at.
I am good at, and love, presenting speeches yet never am the first to put their hand up in class or speak up in a group of new people.

i want a career around other people rather than being alone or in a small team. i feel like it brings variety and i do enjoy meeting new people and also being around familiar faces. though im sometimes socially awkward, when social situations go right it fuels me more than anything.

Reply 1

jasminejxhal

Original post by Anonymous

for context im in yr 11
my talent in school has always been maths and physics and that is what comes most naturally to me. However, I enjoy the content of the biological sciences more. I would say I am a problem solver rather than someone with an insane memory.
in terms of communication, im more of an introvert. however, i love 1 on 1 conversations with people. if we have something to talk about, i can get on really well with new people, but stuff like small talk i am not good at.
I am good at, and love, presenting speeches yet never am the first to put their hand up in class or speak up in a group of new people.
i want a career around other people rather than being alone or in a small team. i feel like it brings variety and i do enjoy meeting new people and also being around familiar faces. though im sometimes socially awkward, when social situations go right it fuels me more than anything.

Hiii, im a third year medical student and I can hopefully give you some guidance on what it is really like.
First off you mentioned you enjoy biological sciences more and of course at medical school that is the main focus - anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, pathology etc.
The job of a doctor involves a lot of problem solving especially when it comes to diagnosing and this is something we do at medical school. We have problem based learning teaching styles in year 1 and 2 where we are presented with a case and essentially decide what we want to learn from them.
A big part of medicine is being able to communicate not only to patients but also to your colleagues. At my medical school every week we have consultation skills sessions where actors come in and pretend to be patients. we learn to take histories but also demonstrate empathy and comfort these patients. I know a lot of medical students who are introverted and that is okay. Confidence is something everyone can work on and I know myself I have seen a huge improvement since being at uni. I see you have the confidence for your love of presenting which is a good quality to have.
In terms of working within teams that one thing I truly love about medicine its not a lonely career. you work in a multidisciplinary team and work with so many different healthcare professionals.
Overall, medicine is a lot more than just talking to patients and liking science and wanting to help people. It's the question of, do you want to have a career that involves life long learning? can you handle learning a large quantity of information and having self discipline as a medical student to work? there are a lot of questions you need to ask yourself and getting work experience can definitely help. if you can, speak to doctors about what it is like working as a doctor and do a lot of research.

Reply 2

Democracy

Original post by Anonymous

for context im in yr 11
my talent in school has always been maths and physics and that is what comes most naturally to me. However, I enjoy the content of the biological sciences more. I would say I am a problem solver rather than someone with an insane memory.
in terms of communication, im more of an introvert. however, i love 1 on 1 conversations with people. if we have something to talk about, i can get on really well with new people, but stuff like small talk i am not good at.
I am good at, and love, presenting speeches yet never am the first to put their hand up in class or speak up in a group of new people.
i want a career around other people rather than being alone or in a small team. i feel like it brings variety and i do enjoy meeting new people and also being around familiar faces. though im sometimes socially awkward, when social situations go right it fuels me more than anything.

I am a doctor and an introvert. My specialty is very patient facing and I spend all day talking to people (in quite lengthy consultations!). It works absolutely fine because a medical consultation isn't the same as small talk with a stranger at the bus stop.

Having a good memory is very helpful but being a doctor requires lots of different skills including problem solving (as you've mentioned).

Sounds like you're interested in the job - try to arrange some work experience and stay positive :smile:

(edited 11 months ago)

Reply 3

kitty15

Study Forum Helper

Original post by Anonymous

for context im in yr 11
my talent in school has always been maths and physics and that is what comes most naturally to me. However, I enjoy the content of the biological sciences more. I would say I am a problem solver rather than someone with an insane memory.
in terms of communication, im more of an introvert. however, i love 1 on 1 conversations with people. if we have something to talk about, i can get on really well with new people, but stuff like small talk i am not good at.
I am good at, and love, presenting speeches yet never am the first to put their hand up in class or speak up in a group of new people.
i want a career around other people rather than being alone or in a small team. i feel like it brings variety and i do enjoy meeting new people and also being around familiar faces. though im sometimes socially awkward, when social situations go right it fuels me more than anything.

Hi I’m in Y12 and am under the long summer process of med applications. In terms of personality I am quite similar to you- I am also an introvert and while I have diagnosed social anxiety, I also do enjoy when social situations go right. It’s good that you love presenting speeches!

However you do mention that you are never the first person to put their hand up in class or contribute in a group of new people. Most medical schools are now introducing the teaching style of problem based learning (PBL) where you collaborate in teams to discuss problems. You will often have to work with new teams or be expected to take on a leading role (while group interviews for med applications are the rarer type, they will be looking at your ability to contribute in a team so be wary of that). It is good that you enjoy problem solving and that will help you in PBL. It is however worth developing collaboration skills or teamwork skills to increase your confidence ( I know it’s not easy), so maybe join any medical societies in your school where you can take part in group projects. I initially started off very quiet in my school medical society but now take on an active leadership role so make sure to take up any opportunities for teamwork or leadership projects and always ask your teachers if you can do any presentations or lead an activity!

Above all it is important to get work experience to give you a feel of what medicine is like. Try to get some during your y11 summer. It can be virtual or in person. For virtual, there are some opportunities on Springpod. Also try some work experience in other subjects if you can, as you said you are interested in maths and physics.

Hope this helped, and good luck with whatever you decide to do in the future!