Survey: Should I take Medicine?

[sabmeera]

Originally Posted by izmi308

Hi there, I guess I know what you mean. I had dream of being a doctor too when I was smaller. But by time, I learn that maths never bore me. You may say I am biased, but Maths is becoming more and more known now. Anyway In medicine you really need to struggle, I am not saying you would not struggle in Maths, (we will always have to encounter difficulties to achieve success right?) but as you were saying you want to take medicine just because everyone tell you so. This will definitely make it slightly difficult for you, as you are not sure is it medicine that you want.

How about for this once, you ask your heart and take what ever course your heart desire, either medicine or number-related course. But be warn, number-related course doesn't involve only numbers but also its logical view. So it is definitely more than the everyday Maths you think you had gone through.

About career, I suggest that you take something that will make you happy while you are at it. Because I believe that if we are happy with what we are doing, everything will be as great for us.

Anyway, I wish you all the best! This is going to be tough for you. ^^

Thank you for your opinion. True,maths that I love may not be the same one that i'll be facing in universities. And I am not sure either I can stand working out with numbers and Maths for a long time or not. Thanks again, it is tough but I'll work it out somehow. HEHE

Originally Posted by Nicholas92

Simple answer is this: if your 'dream' of taking medicine has only ever been because lots of people have been telling you to (as it was for me last time) then DON'T take medicine.

If you like numbers you might want to look into that instead.

The thing is I've always wanted to be a doctor when I was little, but when I was in my upper secondary, I became more interested in Maths because I knew I'll do great with it.

But now, it seems that I can really get what I want since I know how to handle the pressure and everything. The point is, I am not 100% sure if Medicine is what I want.

Originally Posted by eve88

It seems that you previously was interested in medicine "since you were little", and everyone has been telling you the advantages of it, but recently you've been reading articles that swaying you the other way.

You also like playing with numbers - and is seriously considering math as a path do go down.

Yes - If you have an outstanding passion (if you have it its hard to miss it) - go for the one you're passionate about, the thing that you can do for years and years if need be.

If you don't have the passion it does not necessarily exclude either course. Start with the simple things - write down your reasons for and against both. Few questions you can consider : What attracted you to medicine? How does that picture do in comparison with what you now know? Are you still drawn to those aspects of medicine? Why math - which aspect of math are you interested in? (calculus, set theory, logic, applied math etc) Whats you ideal job like? (office vs lab work/research vs "in the field/hands on" ; solitary vs being around lots of people; that sort of thing) How soon do you want to start earning money - is that very important for you? How do you feel about continual learning throughout your life? What are the alternatives?

With medicine the important thing is to know the reality of it - that its not glamorous work, that medicine seldom fixes anything completely and there are few silver bullets, that you're looking at (in some fields) a lifetime of being on call / shift work and there's no such thing as 9 to 5 (even as a GP you don't shed all your responsibilities, if you receive a call from your patient at night you're obliged to direct them to the relevant places (hospital ED) - you have a "duty of care"). But on the flip side it is very satisfying - you make people feel better!, its never boring (never stop using your brain), its not a office job (and it is "hands on" - you use your hands for a lot of things)...

I don't mind working extra hours and doing everything by hand. I am not sure whether a doctor is still needed in the working area. I'm afraid maybe there'll be too many doctors and there's some courses with lack of force.

But,I've consider your advice and it seems to me that medicine is more likely for me.

Originally Posted by youngyew

Someone should have nudged me about this thread, this is almost like a thread made for me to answer!

I was good at maths in high school (I went for international maths olympiad) and my favourite subjects were none other than maths and physics. However I am now a happy doctor. So it's not necessarily true that if you don't follow your passion you will not lead a happy life.

One thing that we need to realise when we deal with generic advice like "follow your passion", "go for the lifestyle" etc is that there's always a certain element of uncertainty involved with them, and everyone's mileage will vary, sometimes very wildly.

For example, when you mentioned that "I love to play with numbers", in exactly what way do you love maths? Do you mean that you like recreational maths? Do you like to tackle university level mathematics? Do you love mathematical theories and want to spend your life with them (e.g. different degrees of infinity)? Do you love solving engineering problems with calculus?

Besides, when you said you have always dreamt of becoming a doctor, just what is the aspect of medicine that attracts you? Is it the prestige, the income, the ability to help others or the knowledge of how the human body works and doesn't work?

Another question that I would pose is, how would you describe your personality and your ability to tolerate stress? Medicine can be an extremely stressful career, and it takes a certain mental strength to cope with it on a daily basis.

To share a bit about myself, I went for medicine mainly under the influence of my five sisters who have already studied medicine or worked as a doctor when I was doing SPM. They advised me about the life as a doctor and the rewards of being one (not purely monetary of course). The other factor that influenced my decision was that I did not want to end up with an office or academic job. In the end I went for medicine. So have I ever regretted studying medicine? Yes, at times I have lamented that I would do much better academically have I studied maths or engineering instead of medicine; but now that I have joined the medical workforce, I have not regretted the life as a doctor, in fact I am reasonably happy that I have gone down this path.

So this is what happened to me, but as I said above, your mileage may vary. I am sharing my experience mainly as an example of how "follow your passion" may not always mean that "if you don't follow your passion you will be unhappy with your life".

(But then again I have just gotten married two days ago, so I might be feeling much happier than usual. I digress.)

I a little bit different than you, I love Maths and Biology. I can tolerate Physics, just it doesn't suit me, or at least I think so.

For all know, I love to see how the problems being solved by mathematical ways. however, I've never been exposed to calculus and mathematical engineering. So I am not sure.

as for medicine, I'm attracted to learn how human were able to be so special. To understand the way a body works. And yes, I truly can handle stress. Though, I am not sure what are the stress level. But at least for now, when I was working under pressure, I am stable.

Your life seems to be exciting. and to be honest, your answer does help me getting my spirit back in continuing career in medicine, I thank you for that. hopefully, I'll be able to do great in my A-levels.

And yes, congrats on your wedding hope you'll be happy for the rest of your life.

[frankchong]

It is great that you get input from people who have made the choice. I had to make similar choice when I was going into Form 6 long time ago. I was very interested in science and math and did well in those subjects in schools too. However, I had electronics as a hobby, used to build radio, transmitters ... and it actually worked. Insteand of reading story books, I read Wireless World (from UK), Radio world (from Hong Kong), read whatever I could get my hands on. Other kids have toys, but I had machines at home, physics, chemistry and biology labs had better things than toys, they actually worked. I could see the excitment of science and technology transforming human civilization and I wanted to be part of it.
Most (more than half) of my classmates went for medicine, but there were few of us who did otherwise. We are still very close friends till now, eventhough we choose different paths. It is also quite fun to share what we see along each of our paths too. It is not a question of right or wrong, and if you are good at it you can do well in either path.
After a few decades, looking back, I have no regrets, if I had pursued a career in medicine at the time, most likely, I would not be in Silicon Valley doing what I dreamt of when I was a kid. My children's generation growing up in Silicon Valley have the chance to pursue their dreams too.
Just remember, whatever you choose, there would be a lot of hard work, you have to be immerse in your field to be really good at it. If you enjoy the process you just keep doing it, rather than feeling stressed out. However, if you pursue a career in engineering, computer science, physics and math, you should look beyond Malaysia/Asean. You need to be at a place where there is critical mass and right ecosystem. Medicine can be a lot more local. You can be a doctor in a small town, but hardly ant opportunity for a computer scientist, mathematician or physicist in a small town.

Frank

[youngyew]

Originally Posted by sabmeera

I a little bit different than you, I love Maths and Biology. I can tolerate Physics, just it doesn't suit me, or at least I think so.

For all know, I love to see how the problems being solved by mathematical ways. however, I've never been exposed to calculus and mathematical engineering. So I am not sure.

as for medicine, I'm attracted to learn how human were able to be so special. To understand the way a body works. And yes, I truly can handle stress. Though, I am not sure what are the stress level. But at least for now, when I was working under pressure, I am stable.

Your life seems to be exciting. and to be honest, your answer does help me getting my spirit back in continuing career in medicine, I thank you for that. hopefully, I'll be able to do great in my A-levels.

And yes, congrats on your wedding hope you'll be happy for the rest of your life.

If you don't mind me asking, how is it that you have not come across calculus when you like maths and have done SPM?

[eve88]

As for whether there will be a job for you or not...

I still believe that there is still a need for *competent* doctors, but it may not be in the physical location / specialty of your choice, and you may not get much bargaining power in terms of $$$ esp when starting out.

If you're worried about that do your research about the medical school you want to go to, and ask around about which are more well-regarded, whats the clinical exposure like (esp consultant : student ratio, and which hospital the school is affliated to), and when you're in the course, Do NOT give into the temptation to slack off...(that is quite hard, actually)

[frankchong]

If you like both math/science/engineering and medicine, there is another option, do science/engineering/math for undergraduate, good for MD or MD/PhD after your first degree(e.g. Duke-NUS program). IN USA there are significant number of medical students with math/physical science/engineering background, but normally they are not open for foreign graduates. It is also a very long process.

If you like both math/science/engineering and medicine, there is another option, do science/engineering/math for undergraduate, go for MD or MD/PhD after your first degree(e.g. Duke-NUS program). IN USA there are significant number of medical students with math/physical science/engineering background, but normally they are not open for foreign graduates. It is also a very long process.

[txc876]

Medicine is an amazing career but needs plenty of sacrifices.

For example.....

http://www.doceatdoc.com/sacrifices-to-become-a-doctor/


!!!

Good luck

[pyramid]

i'm facing the same problem. so i just applied for both engineering and medicine...i thought that maybe i shall just go for what i am offered.
now i'm currently studying medicine in a not-famous-university college and just received the invitation letter from UTP (a lot more famous) to study engineering e&e foundation.what should i do? btw,i also have the 'dream' to be a doctor since little until i finnished spm. for some reasons,i like numbers also and my favourite subjects are maths and add maths all the way from kindergarten till spm. the three science subjects i preferred respectively:chemistry->physics->biology (biology got A in spm,others A+,does this result have something to do with my preference?)

[adele123]

whatever i say, i speak from the bottom of my heart, so that it really can help you.

1) doctor

imagine studying 5 years for MBBS, imagine another few more years of housemanship and specialization... you will be 30+, watching all your friends graduating (much earlier), making money, being responsible for their own life instead of just studying. it's no joke waking up at 2am to go to work. it's not joke getting scolded by some consultants after screwing up. it's no joke working on a saturday. and the worse is... even if one earns a lot, one doesn't have time to spend, end up buying cars after cars and keeping them in the house (true story of a doctor in my hometown). so, before think about the 'dream' carefully

2) engineering

i dont know what engineers do. at least i know getting a decent starting pay for engineers wont be a problem after 4 years of studying. by decent, i mean standard starting salary of RM3k. it's not obtainable at times by people who study what i study (some company offers that little)

3) name of the place you study

it's the quality of education. it's your performance, but i cannot deny it can have some influences. after all, i've been thinking i am not gonna let any doctor treat me unless i'm okay with where they graduated (no offense, too much private uni offering mbbs, freaks me out) but i may be the minority who thinks like this.

4) passion

passion is important, but one can never be sure that one's preference remains unchanged for the next few years. i have friends studying biomed/chem and are now working for banks. they chose what they want to study, so... what changed? liking a subject at spm level is not a good benchmark. really not. because it's too easy, too basic. what if it gets harder? can you see yourself liking anymore?

[marczeman]

Originally Posted by adele123

2) engineering

i dont know what engineers do. at least i know getting a decent starting pay for engineers wont be a problem after 4 years of studying. by decent, i mean standard starting salary of RM3k. it's not obtainable at times by people who study what i study (some company offers that little)

Less than that actually if you have a local degree. Unless you're at an OnG company...

[youngyew]

It's impossible for a post-SPM student to decide what to do for rest of their lives, and summarising the lifestyle of a particular profession in one paragraph isn't enough for people to make a decision. The truth is, you may never know enough about the life as a doctor until you live it, and there's always a component of luck for one to end up with a job that they will end up liking.

As adele123 mentioned, how well you do in a certain SPM subjects is a pretty bad yardstick as to whether you will like being a doctor. Doing well in Biology or having good memory have VERY little to do with medicine, believe it or not. Yes in medicine you will end up needing to learn a whole lot about a whole lot of things, but a good memory is but a very small part of what a good doctor is made of. You may think that your memory is not photographic so medicine is not for you, but let me reassure you that when you start doing the same things day in day out, even someone with a mediocre memory will have no trouble remembering that the standard dose of amoxicillin is 500mg TDS (three times a day). And even you can't remember it, the information is always just one google or one website away. Meanwhile, being good at Biology or having great memory in general may stand you in good stead when you start *studying* medicine, but you will soon learn that if you are not up for the strenuous lifestyle or not one for building meaningful relationship with your patients, then you will hate the life you have chosen for yourself.

I can go on and on for hours, but it comes down to a few things.
1. It's true that in a country like Malaysia medicine seems to be a default choice if you are reasonably good in your studies and do not take a particular liking to other established choice of profession like accountancy, arts, engineering, pharmacy etc. And in general medicine is not a bad chioce at all - while many may claim that doing accountancy, architecture, or business may be a lot more profitable, medicine remains a very safe choice from the financial point of view where not a lot will become super rich but most will be very comfortable for the rest of their lives. Compare this to architecture where people always claim to be the route to richness but lots of people end up toiling away with average pays unless they stand out amongst their crowds or start doing or building their own business or investment.

2. If you are bad with people, don't do medicine.

3. If you don't want a life of competition, don't do medicine. Trying to get into specialty training and trying to stand out amongst a crowd of competitive over-achievers is a lot of stress to deal with for years on end.

4. If you can't stand a reasonable amount of stress during daily work, don't do medicine.

I will add more if I could but right now I need to go take a nap before starting my 10.30pm to 8.30am overnight shift.