Training to become a doctor can be broken down into 3 main stages: college, medical
school, and residency. Each stage has its own struggles and obstacles, but which is
the most difficult?
The main obstacles you will face during college are distractions, competition with other premeds,
and too much flexibility.
The main obstacles you will face during medical school are the lack of time, the increased
pace of learning, and the transition from the classroom to the clinical environment.
In residency, it comes down to increased responsibility. Patients are counting on you, so you must
keep up with studying and medical knowledge while spending more time at the hospital and
more nights on call.
For me, the sub-internships at the beginning of my fourth year of medical school were the
most challenging part. As a plastic surgery sub-intern, it was the norm to spend 15 hours
in the hospital 6 days per week, and then have to go home and study for the next day's
cases.
If you’re training to become a doctor, what has been the hardest part for you? Let us
know with a comment below.