Decisions, Decisions

I spoke to a medical student today who just finished up his first year. I basically talked to him about how I'm worried that I won't be satisfied as a physician.

I found out that a lot of his first year classmates question their decision to pursue medicine. I half expected to hear that. It's a grueling process. He also said that it gets a lot better in years 3 and 4. I did not expect to hear that.

I've heard that year 3 in med school is hell. Year 3 is a set of "rotations" that each student does. It's basically a test drive of all the different specialties. They overwork you and test your stamina. It's kind of like the army I think. You are constantly yelled at for not knowing minute details and treated like crap because you're the lowest on the totem pole. This is frequently when most students regret medicine, or so I've heard.

Anyway, I found out that an acceptance and studying in med school doesn't really scare me. It's really just the outcome of being a physician. With all the crap and changes coming to health care, I'm worried that it won't be worth it. I can handle the crap that comes with med school if there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm just not sure there is.

I'm in the final stretch here. I start studying for the MCAT in less than 3 months. I'm saving for applications and interviews. I'm finishing up most of my pre-reqs. I just have to make a decision that I don't think I'm ready to make.