The Path to Becoming a Physician (Polished Draft)

I always knew that becoming a doctor was not going to be easy. 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. Now that I have recently stepped into the “college” phase of my life, any mention of the word medical school, or even residency unleashes a torrent of butterflies in my stomach. This feeling is all too uncomfortable and all too familiar. As a musician, I have gone through an uncountable amount of auditions. It is a part of life as a musician. Yet, every time I go for an audition, the jitters I get are just as strong as it was the first time. This feeling seems to be the same feeling that those, who are pursuing a career in medicine, get from thinking about the difficult and competitive process they have to go through to become a doctor.

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. Many students do not want 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. During the 2016-2017 admission cycle, 53,042 students applied to medical school, and only 21,030 students matriculated into these schools. In other words, roughly 40% percent of students who apply to medical school are accepted. The average MCAT score for applicants were 501.8, while the average MCAT score for matriculating students were 508.7. Some schools may also screen applicants before releasing secondary applications (Kosarek, Cassie). Less than half of students who applied to medical school are accepted, and some students, whose GPAs and MCAT scores are not above the cutoff score, do not even make it to the second round of applying to school. Furthermore, medical schools stress the importance of being well-rounded students through involvement in extracurricular activities, engaging in leadership roles, and gaining exposure to the medical field (Andraso, Gregory M). 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. Dr. Liselotte N. Dyrbye and associates at the Mayo Clinic conducted a survey on 4287 medical students and found that about fifty percent of students suffered from burnouts, defined as personal distress in emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low sense of personal accomplishment, and 10% have thoughts about suicide. Also, research shows that for every consecutive year, there was an increased chance of students experiencing burnouts despite attending medical school with mental health profiles similar to other students following other career paths (Dyrbye, L N, et al. “Burnout and Suicidal Ideation among U.S. Medical Students”). The reason for the increase in 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. This intense, competitive schooling causes high levels of distress in students, and as a result, they experience burnouts even when they have similar mental health as their peers who are not attending medical school. Therefore, many students who pursue their medical education may realize that a career in medicine may not be suitable for them, or that they cannot handle the rigorous curriculum, and are weeded out. Only the top students who are passionate about their future career field and are 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.

I am a violinist. So, just as premed and med students experience burnout when under the stress of such a rigorous and competitive curriculum, I also have moments of breakdowns as I prepare for an audition. Preparing for an audition is a long process. I, along with many other musicians, begin preparing for them at least a month in advance. During this time, I would work with my violin teacher on my repertoire for the audition and practice for several hours every day in order to reach an optimal performance for my audition. But, no matter how much I practice for my audition, I always become anxious during the days leading up to my performance. Even when I am adequately prepared, a single mistake in my piece, or my sound not coming out the way I wanted it to, would nearly send me into a frenzy. The fear of bombing my audition and embarrassing myself immediately invades my conscience, and I am immediately stressed out. My anxiety leads me to practice nearly all hours of the day in hopes that I will play better, but sadly, this solution does not always work. Nevertheless, I bear my breakdowns and keep pushing on as the time leading up to my audition creeps slowly, yet comes all too soon. I know that as a musician, no one can ever play a piece perfectly and even maestros make mistakes after hours or years of practicing. However, that thought does nothing to stop me from stressing out and practicing. There would always be moments where the imperfection in my performance would bring me to tears, and I believe that it is okay. It is after these moments of crying that drives me to push myself to do better and perform well for my audition. My moments of breakdown make me better in the end. The same can go for the burnouts that these students experience. I have met some individuals who no longer play their instruments or perform because of their stage fright or could not handle the stress that leads up to their performance. They always tell me that it is “just not for them”. But, when students are truly passionate about something they like to do or want to do as a career, they will persevere to succeed at what it is they are doing. The MCAT can be thought of as an “audition” that will determine whether a student is qualified to enter into a very limited medical school program. Not only is a long preparation required for many musicians to perform well, but preparing for the MCAT is also a long process. It is imperative that a student interested in applying for medical school should have a high GPA, and also that everything they learned relating to medicine should remain ingrained into their brains, so that it will it will pay off when they receive their competitive MCAT score (Andraso, Gregory M). Preparation for the MCAT begins on a student’s first day of class as a freshman, all the way to their test preparation and review for the exam. As pre-medical students continue to learn and prepare for the MCAT and apply to medical schools, they also experience anxiety and stress. The strenuous process of pursuing a career in medicine causes nearly all students to experience burnout and question why they are really pursuing this major. But is a part of the learning that will make the students who preserver more capable of handling the responsibilities of a physician. Those who really want it will keep striving to become who they want to be (Pierre Stacey). The challenges of being a premed or med student and auditioning for the orchestra are alike in many ways, because the low points that these medical majors and musicians face is a way for them to learn about themselves, their passion, as well as their goals while weeding out the ones who do not truly want to be a physician or artist.

The day of my audition finally arrives, and I walk into the building where I will finally face the source of my stress and anxiety. I am immediately greeted by a staff member who directs me to a room where I can warm up before I am called for my audition. In my opinion, this is the scariest part of the auditioning process. When in the warmup room, I am always surrounded by dozens of violinists who like to psych out their competition. Playing the violin is competitive in nature because it is one of the most popular instruments to play in the classical world. Many violinists are pit against each other for a limited spot in an orchestra or program. On top of that, violinists tend to be placed in either the first violin or second violin section, with the first violin section typically composed of more advanced players, and are seated in an order that places the best players in the front and the not so great players towards the back. The best violinist, or the violinist that is seated in the “first chair” is given the name concertmaster, or concertmistress, and is the leader of the entire ensemble, under the conductor. This makes playing the violin even more competitive in nature, as most violinists want to be as close to being the first chair, or seated in the front, as possible. Before being auditioned for placement, some violinists like to indirectly establish themselves as the better player by psyching out their competition. They would play flashy pieces, some of which may not even be their piece for the audition, over the roar of practicing violinist. Even though I may be capable for the spot, I always find myself intimidated. I may be just as good a player as the next musician, being placed in a warm up room with other violinists auditioning for the same spot in a music program as you, causes me to feel as if I am not as qualified as them for the spot in the music program. There are always hundreds of violinists that audition for a part in the music program, but there are only a very limited amount of space that is open only for the best violinists. Medical education is similar to performing because it is also cutthroat in nature. The tough requirements and competitive nature of medical school may create tension between students. Like music, many students pursuing medicine as their career are going against thousands of other highly qualified students for one of the few spots available in medical school or even residency. With this thought, anxiety and stress would well up within students who are intent on continuing their path to becoming a successful surgeon.

Eventually, I am interrupted from my warm up and led to an empty room, where my judges are patiently waiting. Auditions are usually never the same. So, I never know what to expect when I walk in. I could be evaluated by either one judge, or as many as six, who may write down critiques on my performance and occasionally record the performance for a detailed evaluation later on. The trembling does not cease until I finish playing. The weight of multiple eyes weighs on me as I feel the pressure of trying to put a spectacular performance while not forgetting the entire piece I have to play for memory. Even as I attempt to immerse myself in my own performance, I am hyperaware of the miniscule changes in facial expressions and gestures, as well as the movement of pens that reveals the rate my performance as judges write their critiques down. But, as soon as it begins, it ends. Before I know it, I thank the judges and mechanically walk out of the audition room back to the warmup room where other violinists are discreetly watching my face, waiting for my expression to reveal how my audition went. The other violinists’ apparent nervousness and attempts at psyching each other out no longer affect me, as the weight of my stress has been lifted off of my shoulders. Despite the anxiety and burnout I experienced before my audition, I am now relieved and happy with my performance. I am reminded that my love for playing violin and performing overshadows the anxiety and burnouts when auditioning and competing against others for limited spot in the orchestra. Although music performance is completely different from medical education, I believe that premed and medical students can relate to the anxiety and stress musicians also face when preparing for a performance or test for a limited spot in a competitive program. Being a musician and pursuing a career in medicine is not for everyone, but just as my love for performing helped me to overcome the challenges I faced when auditioning, a med student’s desire to be a physician may give them the drive needed to persevere through the obstacles they may face in their journey to their career in the medical field. 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 (de Souza Brianna). The challenges faced in graduate school are necessary to prepare for a future as a physician. These interviews made me realize that although medical education may seem exciting and fascinating for many, only a few will overcome the struggles faced by every student. Those who overcome these obstacles 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 and experience burnouts. Students pursuing a future in medicine, and musicians are alike in a way that the stress, burnouts, and breakdowns they face is just a part of the process to make them successful in their fields. It is these struggles that teaches students the importance of discipline and the need for endurance to be able to properly care for and save lives. Just as I have moments of breakdowns, so do premed and medical students.

Works Cited

Andraso, Gregory M. “How to Be a Competitive Med School Applicant.” CollegeXpress,

www.collegexpress.com/interests/health-medicine/articles/prepping-professional-school/how-be-competitive-med-school-applicant/. Accessed 31 July 2017.

http://www.collegexpress.com/interests/health-medicine/articles/prepping-professional-school/how-be-competitive-med-school-applicant/

de Souza, Brianna. Personal interview. 11 July 2017.

“Dealing with Study Burnout.” Albert Einstein College of Medicine,

www.einstein.yu.edu/education/student-affairs/academic-support-counseling/medical-school-challenges/study-burnout.aspx. Accessed 26 July 2017.

https://www.einstein.yu.edu/education/student-affairs/academic-support-counseling/medical-school-challenges/study-burnout.aspx

Dyrbye, L N, et al. “Burnout and Suicidal Ideation among U.S. Medical Students.” Annals of

Internal Medicine., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2 Sept. 2008,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18765703. Accessed 26 July 2017.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18765703

Kosarek, Cassie. “3 Medical School Admissions Trends to Watch in 2017.” U.S. News & World

Report, U.S. News & World Report, 3 Jan. 2017, www.usnews.com/education/blogs/medical-school-admissions-doctor/articles/2017-01-03/3-medical-school-admissions-trends-to-watch-in-2017. Accessed 31 July 2017.

https://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/medical-school-admissions-doctor/articles/2017-01-03/3-medical-school-admissions-trends-to-watch-in-2017

Pierre, Stacey. Personal interview. 11 July 2017.