From SDN written by an attending physician:
There are a dozen other ways to help people in the medical profession, but only one of these ways requires grit and determination and years and years of tough self-sacrifice to do. If you don't want to eat, sleep, breathe, LIVE BEING A DOCTOR, think it over. Because that passion and drive is the only thing that will get you to the finish line.
I will agree that the road to becoming a physician is a long and hard one when compared to other health professionals, but to say that becoming a physician is the only one that requires grit and determination is immensely myopic. Certainly determination is needed, but grit? Here are some sheer facts about medical school:
- Medical school is hard just by the volume and diversity of information one needs to process and understand in the first two years which are considered pre-clinical years.
- Medical schools try their very best to not let anyone flunk out because administering a medical education isn't cheap; it costs thousands and thousands of dollars to educate just one medical student. It's harder to get into medical school than it is to be let go due to poor grades. Medical schools do not want to admit people who they feel, or know, cannot hack the curriculum, hence, those given admission have demonstrated the ability to persevere a hardcore science curriculum.
- Medical school is self-selecting. This simply means those that want to become physicians have wanted to become physicians for years so they craft their resume to show their dedication to the sciences and to the field.
- Medical school is pretty straight forward. In general, you have classes for the two years and then rotations for your last two. There aren't any surprises in the curriculum.
- It is greatly emphasized to have support systems in place during medical school to help with the mental toll of studying. This is why many say choose a school near family and friends or, if not, that you have a significant other to make up for that.
- Residency is a pain due to the hours and consecutive days being scheduled, but then again it mirrors attending life. You may have a 24 hr work day, but how many hours are you "on" and treating a patient? Unless you're in the ER, you're sitting on your butt during the night for the most part.
Let's not make medical school and residency equal to The Crucible where Marine candidates must successful complete in order to be officially called a Marine. And compared to medical school and residency, which can take anywhere between seven to ten years if we don't include a fellowship, The Crucible is "only" 54 hours long.
