Becoming a doctor is by no means easy, but it’s also not the soul-crushing experience
that a lot of people make it out to be. Here are 5 common misconceptions about becoming a doctor.
Dr. Jubbal, MedSchoolInsiders.com. To start, many people believe that
you have to be incredibly smart to become a doctor. Although medicine tends to attract
intelligent individuals, becoming an effective doctor isn’t just about brains.
Oftentimes, the information you learn in medical school isn’t difficult because of what you’re
learning but rather how much of it you have to learn. This is why you’ll often hear students
compare learning in medical school to “drinking from a fire hose.” There’s a lot of information to
learn and not a lot of time to learn it. As such, doing well in medical school has less to do with
how smart you are and much more to do with your study strategies, time management, and work ethic.
I’ll give you an example. One of my good friends is a brilliant guy. He skated through high school
and Harvard with minimal studying. He was able to rely on his excellent critical thinking
and reasoning skills to perform well. Once he got to medical school, however,
he didn’t have the work ethic to study and found himself in the bottom quartile of his class.
This is why it is incredibly important to hone your study strategies and time management skills
during your premed years. If you don’t have a strong foundation by the time you get to medical
school, you’ll be in for a rude awakening. If you want to improve your study strategies,
time management, and productivity, we have a variety of videos in our Study Strategies and
Tips playlist to help you along the way - link in the description.
The next misconception about becoming a doctor is that you have to be rich.
The cost of medical school tuition in the United States is approximately $50,000 per year for
public schools and $60,000 per year for private schools. When you factor in cost of living and all
of the other expenses during your four years of medical school, your total medical school expenses
can easily pass a quarter of a million dollars. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
the average American earns approximately $1,041 per week which equates to roughly $54,000 per
year. And even then, most schools do not allow students to hold a job during medical school.
As such, the vast majority of students cannot afford to pay for medical school outright.
That being said, there are many financial resources available to help students pay for
medical school - regardless of their financial background. This includes financial aid,
scholarships, grants, and student loans. To learn more about the various ways to
pay for medical school, be sure to check out our How to Afford Medical
School video - link in the description. Misconception number three is that you won’t
have time for anything outside of medicine. Contrary to popular belief, your social life
doesn’t end once you start your medical training. Becoming a doctor is often viewed as this thing
that will consume your entire life. You’re told that you won’t have time for sleep, friends,
or relationships, but this simply isn’t true. While your academic responsibilities will be
much greater during medical school and you will be working long hours in the hospital and clinic
during residency, you will also be doing fewer extracurriculars than you did during your premed
years. Overall, you’ll have less time, but it’s not nearly as bad as people make it out to be.
I was able to make time to go out with friends a few times a month, balance a relationship,
get 6-7 hours of sleep each night, and stay active. I was also able to start two businesses
at the end of medical school, one of which was Med School Insiders.
It’s all about being efficient with your time and making priorities. You need to schedule
time for both socialization and relaxation, and the most effective way to accomplish this
is by being intentional with your time. If you set aside two hours to study,
be sure to focus and study. But if you set aside two hours to spend time with family or friends,
be fully present and enjoy yourself. There’s no point in trying to combine work and play.
You end up not getting much done and not feeling refreshed in the end.
Next is the misconception that medical school and residency have to be miserable experiences.
Although you will undoubtedly experience long hours, sleepless nights, and difficult obstacles
on your pathway to becoming a doctor, I believe that it’s all a matter of perspective. Sure,
high school was carefree and easy and college was all about exploration and becoming independent,
but medical school and residency offer something unique.
Unlike high school and college where you spend a great deal of time studying subjects that have
little to do with your future career as a doctor, in medical school pretty much everything you study
is highly relevant - which makes the material much more engaging. Of course you’ll still have some
subjects and classes that you’ll enjoy more than others but at least you don’t have to do mandatory
English classes or other general education classes that feel irrelevant to your future career.
You will also be surrounded by some of the most amazing people you’ll ever meet. I was constantly
in awe of the diversity, talent, and character of my fellow medical students and residents.
We had former Olympians, highly accomplished artists, mountaineers who had climbed Everest
and so much more. And because you’re with people with similar life ambitions and goals, you’ll make
many close friendships that will last a lifetime. Medical school and residency also offer a unique
opportunity for self-growth and development. Through the pressure cooker that is medical
training, you’ll be forced to grow in many ways. Your resilience will develop rapidly to handle
the rigors of medical school and residency. You’ll find yourself pushing the limits of
your productivity and efficiency and building systems to get more done in less time. But most
importantly, you’ll be forced to face important questions about who you are as a person. You’ll
become familiar with your strengths but you’ll also grow intimately familiar with your faults
and hopefully learn from them to improve. I became who I am today because of my time
in medical school and residency. I developed authentic confidence, knowing I could accomplish
just about anything I set my mind to. I grew more efficient, productive, and intentional with
my time and energy. I explored dating and what I wanted in a life partner. I confronted fears like
public speaking and overcame them. I loved my time in medical school and residency and I think that,
with an open mind, most people can too. Lastly, many people believe that becoming
a doctor is no longer worth it. Although it’s true that medicine isn’t worth it for everyone,
it is still a great choice for many students. Becoming a doctor is still immensely satisfying.
You have the privilege of using your extensive medical knowledge
to help your patients through some of the most difficult times in their lives. In addition,
the responsibility you have to your patients often pushes you to become a better version of yourself.
When I look back to the person that started medical school at 21 compared to who I am today
at 31, I’m grateful for the experience and how it’s shaped me over the years.
Without that pressure and forcing function, I wouldn’t have learned much of what I did
and I wouldn’t be the same person I am today. Medicine is a great career and is definitely
worth it for many students. That being said, it is important to understand the ups and downs of being
a doctor before committing to the career. This is why we spend so much time discussing the pros
and cons of medicine on this channel and try to bridge the gap between expectations and reality.
At Med School Insiders, our goal is to empower a generation of happier, healthier,
and more effective future doctors, and part of that is giving it to you straight. Whereas
others are hesitant to talk about the issues in medicine and medical education, we believe
it is important to understand these issues so you can better prepare yourself to tackle them.
If your dream is to become a doctor, we’re here to help you at each step of the way. From MCAT
tutoring and medical school admissions to USMLE tutoring and residency applications,
we have a variety of resources to help you along your path to becoming a doctor.
Our team is made up of top-performing doctors who received merit-based scholarships and matched into
the best and most sought-after residency programs, even when the odds were stacked against them.
If you want to become a stellar applicant and receive one-on-one advising, tutoring,
interview preparation, personal statement or secondary editing,
mentorship, and more to become the strongest applicant you can be, visit MedSchoolInsiders.com.
Thank you all so much for watching, if you enjoyed this video be sure to check out 6
Signs You’ll Be a Great Doctor or this other video. Much love, and I’ll see you guys there.