The Path to Becoming a Physician (first draft)

The path to becoming a physician is a painfully long and strenuous process that naturally weeds out those who do not have a passion for their future career in the medical field. I chose to research the pre-medical and medical community because I am transitioning into this field as a freshman pre-med major. Majoring in pre-med and attending medical school is definitely not easy and many drop out or switch majors. I decided to research the path to becoming a doctor because I believe that it is a survival of the fittest, where only the best students can go on to be professionals in the medical field, and I can learn from the experiences of those who are within this community. This will enable me to stay afloat in a field where it is easy to drown in the stress and intense education.

Everyone knows that in order to be a doctor, one has to sign their life away to many years of higher education. Typically, physicians can spend an average of fourteen years in school: four years for college, four years for medical school, and three to eight years for residencies and fellowships. No student wants to be in school for that long, but one must have to be willing to sacrifice these years to become the doctor they want to be. The medical education community is a dog eat dog world. Pre-medical and medical students try to one up each other by not only getting the highest grades, GPAs, and MCAT scores, but also by gaining the most experience and involvement outside of class such as shadowing physicians, interning, volunteering, and joining clubs. Many pre-med students tend to focus only on performing well in their major, but now medical schools are placing pressure on students to be more well-rounded individuals. Being in the medical field is just as much about working and communicating with other people as it is about working with medicine. The reason for the difficulty of medical education and the high standards placed on these students is to ensure that only those who are capable of handling lives and working with others are in the medical field, and to ensure proper care and reduce malpractices. Therefore, many students who pursue their medical education realize that a career in medicine may not be suitable for them, or that they cannot handle the rigorous curriculum, and are weeded out. As a result, only the top students who are passionate about their future career field and capable of handling the responsibilities of caring for patients are left to become professionals. This process leaves the general population safe in the care of those who have gone through this path and have completed their medical education.

For this research, I conducted interviews with individuals within the pre-medical and medical community to learn about their experiences as they pursue an education in medicine. During my interview with Stacey Pierre, a junior pre-med student at FSU, she explains that her desire to become a doctor, stems from her love for helping those in need and encountering the lives of those without the proper needs and care for a healthy living. She describes being a pre-med major as a unique experience that provides a wide-range of opportunities to get involved in the community. It is also unique in the sense that there will be times where pre-med students will be overwhelmed and will need resilience and discipline to be able to fare well and continue on the path to becoming a physician. It is in these instances where many students will realize a career in medicine is not for them and are weeded out. Brianna de Souza also recounts a similar experience as a med student during her interview. She explains that medical school is a place and time solely devoted to learning all fields of medicine, and to experience hands-on cases, work with world-renowned specialists, and treat residences from many parts of the world. She also stresses that there are times where one needs to be content in uncertainty. A medical student that was top of their class in college may become an average student in medical school. Medical school is challenging and no medical students struggles alone. The challenges faced in graduate school are necessary to prepare for a future as a physician where one is in charge of caring for someone’s life and wellbeing. These interviews had made me realize that although medical education may seem exciting and fascinating for many, only a few would overcome the struggles faced by every student will make it to becoming a physician capable of caring for the lives of many.

Medical education makes the path to becoming a physician long and extremely tough. But it was done in this way to ensure that only the top students who could survive this process become the medical professionals who are responsible to save and impact the lives of their patients. Because of this, it is common for pre-medical and medical students to feel overwhelmed, experience burnouts. It is these struggles that teaches them the importance of discipline and the need for endurance to be able to properly care for and save lives.