Start & Run a Medical Practice. Michael Clifford Fabian
applies to five medical schools and does not even get an interview at any of them. He decides to do a year of basic science courses to prove that that he is able to excel academically. The next year, Joe applies to four medical schools and gets an interview at three of them. Unfortunately, when it comes to final selection, he is rejected at all three schools — the competition is just too tough. Judging by information provided by the universities and the available statistics, he suspects his performance in the interview process brought him down. Joe is determined to continue the challenge to go to medical school. He is also becoming more and more in debt from the years of study, and only being able to work part time. His hockey is now limited to a community league, as he does not have the time to play on a more serious level.
Joe spends the next year doing a few more courses and volunteering on a project for a clinician scientist, as well as volunteering in an emergency department at the local hospital. He knows that these things will also strengthen his application. During this time he tries to practice interviewing techniques as much as he can, but he finds it tough to find interview partners. Joe then applies for the third time to five medical schools. He gets an interview at all of them and receives an acceptance offer from two of them. Dedication has finally paid off!
This type of situation is not that uncommon among medical school applicants. Determined applicants will not give up their goal of ultimately getting that acceptance letter.
1.6 You are patient
It is funny to me that being “patient,” and taking care of a “patient” have the same word in common. According to Longman English Dictionary, “patient” as a noun means: “someone who is receiving medical treatment from a doctor or in a hospital.” As a verb, “patient” means “able to wait calmly for a long time or to accept difficulties, people’s annoying behavior, etc., without becoming angry.” While every dictionary you consult will have a different interpretation of the word, I feel these definitions are very appropriate in the medical context.
It is very important to have patience all along the way. From the outset of your journey toward becoming a medical professional, during further training, while setting up your office, practicing as a doctor and beyond, you will need patience. Life will become very difficult for all involved if you are unreasonably impatient. I use the word “unreasonably” as most people have some form of impatience to varying degrees.
I believe not having sufficient patience will impact on your ability to be happy in this career. For example, picture a family doctor (general practitioner), Dr. Smith, who has practiced medicine for ten years. While inherently being a somewhat impatient individual, Dr. Smith has managed to keep things seemingly under control up until this point.
The situation, however, has now become more difficult. Dr. Smith has a busy and successful practice, seeing about 40 patients a day, which is a lot. He is having difficulty taking the time to listen to the patients like he once did. He seems to cut them off quicker, sometimes even mid-sentence, while they are describing their symptoms to him. He becomes more abrupt with his responses, and lacks the necessary sensitivity that he used to have. At the end of most patient visits, Dr. Smith is standing with his hand on the door handle before the patient is fully content with his explanations, or feeling ready to leave the room. He never used to be like this. This does not make for a happy day in the office, nor does it make for a satisfying or content feeling on the part of the patient.
While there could be many reasons for a doctor developing this type of practice behavior, one would hate to think that this is the result of increasing frustration with a career choice and an acquired intolerance for spending time with patients. You can only hide your true self for so long, and showing your dissatisfaction with a career in medicine is no exception. While this might be something that surreptitiously snuck up during the years, there are things you can do to try and improve the situation. Seeing 40 patients a day is draining for anyone, and simply modifying the schedule and seeing less patients can do wonders for some people.
2. The Wrong Reasons to Choose a Health-Related Profession
The following sections outline some of the wrong reasons on which to base your decision to become a health-care professional.
2.1 Family pressure
The time has come for choosing that career path toward the end of high school. You are very smart and obtaining stellar grades; you are especially strong in the basic sciences. In addition to your academic strengths, you are a gifted piano player and vocalist. You have spent almost every spare minute you have on the piano, singing and compiling your own jazz tunes. You have already done the basic piano training and vocal coaching and are now able to continue playing, singing, and composing music independently. You have starred in every school musical produced at the schools that you have attended in the past ten years. You wanted to join a band, but being 17 years of age, your parents have put on the brakes and said you have to concentrate more on getting into medical school. You certainly have a strong interest in medicine, but you are clearly very musically talented and that is all you really want to do!
Both your parents are academics, one in the area of mechanical engineering and the other in human anatomy. While your interests in going to medical school are known to your parents, your love of music and talents are even better known. Both your parents have always drummed into you that medicine would be the better option, as it is a much safer route for a career than music.
In addition, your favorite grandmother has instilled into you that the need to be a successful professional is paramount. Both she and your grandfather came from Europe to North America with small children and little money. They had to start from scratch with trades and hard labor to survive and support the family. They struggled and sacrificed in so many different ways so that they could give their children and grandchildren the opportunities that they did not have themselves. Your grandmother really wants you become a doctor and you certainly have the smarts and grades to do it.
While you really want to pursue your dreams and passion to be a full-time musician, you cave into family pressure and apply to medical school. Deep inside you wish you were not accepted, but as you are an outstanding candidate, you easily secure one of those coveted positions that are so treasured and sought after by many. You concede that medicine is not so bad after all, as it is a well-paid and respected profession. Of even more importance to you is the fact that you have made your parents very happy. The person most thrilled is your grandmother, who tears up every time she thinks of the concept that her grandchild is about to enter medical school and become a medical doctor. Finally, she feels her sacrifices in life have paid off.
This is not a good situation, and not a reason for going into medicine. While you might ultimately enjoy a career in medicine, there is a good chance that you will not be happy with your choice and will always think about your passion for music and “what if?” It should be emphasized at this point that medicine and the arts are very compatible and I know many physicians who are very talented and successful musicians while being physicians at the same time. There does, however, have to be a strong inherent desire to be a doctor before you embark on a career in medicine.
I actually remember vividly one essay that was written by an applicant to medical school. A file reviewer read it out aloud to the selection committee. This essay was incredibly well written and the applicant explained his love for music in enormous detail. Most of the essay revolved around his musical accomplishments and there was little to hear about a true desire to be a medical doctor. It was almost as if he was telling us — please don’t accept me, because I really want to follow my dreams to be a musician. This candidate did not get accepted into the program and, as I said earlier in the book, some things are just meant to be!
2.2 Money
As mentioned earlier, many people in the general public believe being a medical doctor is synonymous with being rich — but this is not always the case. Certainly doctors are in the upper-income bracket for earning potential, but there are easier ways to make money. Not everyone in medicine has the money they would have liked or thought they would have had. Money should