Over the weekend, there was a minor uproar on Twitter surrounding an article published in The Globe and Mail titled “Think medical school is for you? You’re probably wrong.” Sounds harsh right? The rest of the piece continued in much the same vein and spawned several rebuttal articles from physicians and medical students arguing against the author’s thesis, which hypothesized that the burnout rate among young doctors is a result of what got them into medical school in the first place: their perfectionism, their impressive laundry list of qualifications and the fact that they are, as yet, unacquainted with failure. Katherine Sinclair writes about individuals who, when asked why they want to be doctors, invariably parrot the ideal of wanting to help others, but secretly hold less altruistic motives at heart. They are driven by power, money, security, and the success that has courted them all throughout their life. When faced with the realities of medical school, the sensation of being a big fish in a huge pond, surrounded by other, much bigger fish, these students falter. An average exam mark or two later and their sense of well-being is degraded. By the time they are awarded their coveted MD and begin to realize the thanklessness of the job, the long-hours, the impossibility of saving everyone, they break. These gifted students who follow medicine because they believe it’s just the next step for someone with their academic credentials, ambition and drive soon become weary, beaten down physicians who realize they’ve invested their time in the wrong dream. At least, this is what Ms. Sinclair is claiming. When I read this article I found myself violently shaking my head in disagreement. Although her words may hold true for a portion of those who apply to medical school, the reality is, not all of us who are passionate about a career in medicine follow this formula. I’m a nontraditional student. I’ve never really felt “gifted” the way Ms. Sinclair claims medical students believe. I’ve lived out in the real world, I’ve experienced hugely disappointing failures right alongside my successes. I know many current medical students who come from a similar background and I know why they work so hard, sacrificing their spare time and all of their energy. It’s because they are convinced that medicine is their calling. They aren’t in it for the money or the accolades, they truly care about easing the suffering of others. They really do want to “help people,” as trite as that may sound. They’re the ones who volunteer at community clinics when they have a free weekend because that’s what fulfills them. I’m happy to have these people in my life. They set a standard for me to strive for. On the other hand, I also know the students of whom Ms. Sinclair speaks so disapprovingly, and, unfortunately, I agree with her. Anyone who is in it for the reasons she outlined is going to have a hard time. If there’s anything that the application process has taught me, it’s that you have to really want it. If you think you can skate in on virtue of your MCAT score or GPA, you may be right, but you’ll regret it. You have to be willing to dedicate your life to medicine and if you’re not, then maybe you are wrong about wanting to be a doctor. But if this doesn’t describe you, if you are the kind of person who really believes it when you say that becoming a physician is the only career you see for yourself because that’s how you can best serve the world. If the prospect of long days and even longer nights at the hospital, missing meals and time with loved ones doesn’t faze you. If you don’t require any thanks beyond the knowledge that you’re lucky to be a member of a privileged group that works to heal the sick, then you just may be right. Source
