# Is Medicine really for me?



## TR_1996 (Jul 12, 2014)

Hi all, this is my first post so I thought I'd make the subject of it something really important to me - and something that's really been bothering me for quite a while now. 

So I am an 18-year-old student, who has just finished studying A-Level's in a college in the UK, and am blessed enough to be one of very few in the country to hold an offer from the University of Oxford to study Medicine there. From the very first time that I had a mature thought about what I wanted to do with my life, all the way up until now, studying Medicine and becoming a surgeon is all I've ever wanted. Now that I'm so close to it, however, I am suffering from my life-long habit of doubting myself. 

It really started when I had to drop Physics for my second year of A-Level study - it was a subject that I really enjoyed and wanted to carry on, but due to college limitations I was forced to stop studying it. I am convinced that I would have excelled in Physics as much as I did in my other subjects (Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics) After I had dropped Physics, many of my teachers and friends commented that they thought I fit the "Physics/Maths mould" more than the "Doctor/Surgeon mould", in the sense that I take quite a misanthropic view on the world sometimes. (Think House M.D.) 

Now don't get me wrong, studying Medicine isn't easy, nor is working as any type of Doctor, but I've come to realise that much of it is very unimaginative, in the sense that it's very... black and white. Let me give you an example, if I go into a Biology exam without revising properly, I will fail that exam outright. Why? Well, aside from the fact I haven't revised, with Biology, I either _know _the content or I _don't_. If I go into a Chemistry or Mathematics exam without revising however, I can use my basic principles that I already know and at least _try _to suggest an answer. 

That being said, I absolutely love applying my knowledge in Biology and Human Biology, and it's the subject that I have excelled most in my life, by far. Alongside this, clearly the interviewers at Oxford, Imperial, Queen Mary and St. Georges thought I have an aptitude for Medicine, seeing as they all gave me an offer to study Medicine - but I can't help thinking... Surely even these experienced university interviewers make mistakes sometimes? 

I hope no-one reading this thinks I'm insane! I fear that not studying English or an essay-based subject for the last two years has severely affected my ability to express myself coherently! 

But as I mentioned before, I want to study a subject where I'm being intellectually stimulated and challenged on a daily basis - not just remembering facts and regurgitating them, and the latter is what a lot of Medicine seems to be about. (This outlook is based on what little I know about the Medical system in the UK, feel free to correct me if I am wrong) Based on that outlook, I seem to always come to the conclusion that I'd be better off studying a subject like Chemistry, Physics or Mathematics at university, though the idea of leaving Medicine behind is daunting. 

These are all the conclusions that I have come to by being introspective, though I think it would be good to get another perspective on things. What do you think would be the best thing for me to do right now? From an outsider reading my little story, what are your thoughts?


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## Mimic octopus (May 3, 2014)

Maybe you could finish medicine, become a surgeon and in your own time research those other fields you're interested in like physics and maths (I don't really know what would follow one of those degrees, but basically wouldn't it primarily involve a lot of research anyway). Sounds like you've accomplished a lot, so congratulations.


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## Ermenegildo (Feb 25, 2014)

Not a physician, but hopefully they will surface later on. Some random thoughts:

You will never have the freedom of choice again that you enjoy today, so you are wise to step back and analyze your choice and the thought process that led you to medicine. 

We don't know your MBTI yet, but this advice for INTPs should demonstrate that type matters: 



> *WALKYRIA:*
> 
> Why tha fuck do you want to choose (your nature wants you to love all those things, why listening to society and restrict yourself to one thing?) ? Choose to not to choose.. choose everything/ nothing.
> 
> ...





TR_1996 said:


> thought I have an aptitude for Medicine,


A necessary but not sufficient condition for your decision. 



> After I had dropped Physics, many of my teachers and friends commented that they thought I fit the "Physics/Maths mould" more than the "Doctor/Surgeon mould", in the sense that I take quite a misanthropic view on the world sometimes. (Think House M.D.)


Not a problem, perhaps an advantage. Many nurses suffer from a helper syndrome, but not so many doctors. 



TR_1996 said:


> studying Medicine and becoming a surgeon is all I've ever wanted.


Your future private life has no importance? 

How many surgeons or doctors do you know?

What is the cause for your fascination for medicine? 

Do you love hospitals? How much time have you spent there?

Do you like to work under pressure?

Do you have the physical strength of an athlete?

Do you see yourself as a workman? 

Do you know the life expectancy of surgeons?

Are you more a doer than a thinker?

How much do you know about the medical specialties? 

Do you want to get into research?

Is creativity one of your strengths? Very intelligent people who are very creative seem to be rare.



> But as I mentioned before, I want to study a subject where I'm being intellectually stimulated and challenged on a daily basis - not just remembering facts and regurgitating them, and the latter is what a lot of Medicine seems to be about.


Spot on! 



> Based on that outlook, I seem to always come to the conclusion that I'd be better off studying a subject like Chemistry, Physics or Mathematics at university, though the idea of leaving Medicine behind is daunting.


I wonder why you don’t mention biology here, because you say that you like it best. 

More important than the years at the university are the years that follow. 

You know from school that you enjoy the sciences, but do you see yourself as a practitioner? Do you like quick decisions, do you like sports? Are you a detective?

I guess you know that you don’t need much mathematics, physics or chemistry in order to study medicine; scientists can’t help to make fun of the scientific knowledge of physicians. Studying medicine means leaving your beloved sciences behind, even when you work in medical research – as a physician.

On the other hand you have a competitive advantage as a physician when you are really good in the sciences. I know scientists at the university who think that it is better for a gifted person to study medicine instead of a science because the competition in the sciences is so extreme today, and the need for specialization is not attractive at all. 

Why medicine and not a science? Because the choice is so difficult? 



> What do you think would be the best thing for me to do right now?


A reality check. Forget the glamour, forget sitting on the throne. Imagine a dark Monday morning in the grey hospital with all the doctors who haven't had enough sleep and who prepare themselves for a long morning in the operation theatre.

Write a short essay about your fascination for medicine, and a second short essay about your fascination for biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics.

Or a very abstract essay about your aspired professional life. 

What is it that defines you? What is most thrilling activity for you? Learning something new, thinking, applying knowledge to practical problems?

What kind of people do you want to work with? What kind of work environment do you like best? 

What is your MBTI? Take a very short test. Or two.


Personality Test Based on Jung and Briggs-Myers

Using the MBTI and CSI | Personailty Pathways


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## Red_Setting_Sun (Jun 20, 2013)

From what I've gathered, it's true that Medicine can be a very practical / realistic / sensing kind of field, but according to a med school professor who wrote a book about medicine students and MBTI, there's something for every type there. About half of med school is supposedly intuitive territory. Examples of fields that could be suitable for an INTJ, according to this professor, are research and internal medicine. Surgeon is not unrealistic either, it seems.

Here's the book if you want to take a look: http://dump.no/files/5fed5cbf48e3/Successtypes_in_Medical_Education.pdf
Even though it's not _specifically_ geared towards your dilemma, the first sections should have lots of interesting insights for you.

Of course, you could also get into physics and mathematics and become a medical engineer... point being that if you like medicine, there are several fields that you can get into it _from_. Examples: natural sciences, engineering, psychology, philosophy, computer science, biology, chemistry. All these can expand into medicine-related master's degrees and the like. This is something you can research! Need for intellectual stimulation, relation to medicine, physics, biology... I bet there's some way you can fill all your criteria if you look further into it. Good luck!


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## Uralian Hamster (May 13, 2011)

The bottom line for most in this situation is simply this, money. Do you want to drive an a8 or a focus? I'm not saying people who went into a science field were wrong for doing so, these are people who could have became physicians but instead took a *significant* pay cut because they truly love their work. It's very noble.


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## laura palmer (Feb 10, 2014)

Maybe Auidology? Its still a medical professional, and there is engineering involved in it a bit, but its a bit less black and white, and its just a masters degree so less schooling, and i think it would be easier to create your own private practice out of it


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## TR_1996 (Jul 12, 2014)

Hi Ermenegildo, 

I'll try to answer a couple of your questions - they have actually gotten me to rack my brains a bit! 

Well, first of all, my MBTI type is INTJ, I've done and redone various MBTI tests but INTJ seems to be what I come up with mostly (around 9/10 times), though I do test as an INTP on some other MBTI tests, and recently when I was under a _lot_ of stress due to a big personal and professional issue hitting me at the same time, I even tested as an ENFP? Probably has no relevance but thought I'd mention it anyway. So, the questions:

*Your future private life has no importance? * - Well, yeah, absolutely! I realise that working as a Surgeon will have potentially devastating effects on my social life and my love-life. But actually I think I'll be able to find a way through, I seem to be good at adapting to fast-changing situations and in any case, my personal life is something I feel like I can sacrifice for now, for the better of my career. 

*How many surgeons or doctors do you know?* - I know a couple of Doctors, a Surgeon and a Physician, I've had opportunities to shadow them for a bit and that's actually what cemented my decision to go into surgery rather than work as a GP, I like the excitement and the pressure of such an environment. 

*What is the cause for your fascination for medicine? * - This one's tricky, it would probably be because of deaths in the family previously (cliché, I know) and also stems from a passion for science and Biology/Biochemistry in particular. I'm a little different in the sense that I excelled at both Science and Humanities subjects when I was younger, but I just felt so much more _in place_ when studying science. 

*Do you love hospitals? How much time have you spent there?* - As an INTJ, I don't think I'm allowed to believe in the idea of love! But I do enjoy that setting, I'm different with regards to all my friends, they all hate hospitals whereas I like the environment there... Can't explain why, just the atmosphere I guess. 

*Do you like to work under pressure?* - I fear I'm slightly masochistic when it comes to work. For me, it's not work, it's a complete obsession. For example, with my exams, working all the way up until 3am was not uncommon for me - I love the pressure, I weirdly love the lack of sleep and love moaning about how heavy my workload is (thought I do love the work itself very much) 

*Do you have the physical strength of an athlete?* - Erm, well I've got pretty good stamina, I go out jogging/running quite a lot and am planning to complete a half-marathon soon. 

*Do you see yourself as a workman? * - I work damn hard yes, but I think inheriting my parents intelligent genes and being brought up in the way they did allows me to put my foot off the gas pedal sometimes. 

*Do you know the life expectancy of surgeons?* - I'm more than aware of all the issues that someone in the healthcare sector has to face. 

*Are you more a doer than a thinker?* - I see myself as more of a thinker, though I like to think I'm not too bad at doing either. I love coming up with action plans and organising things on paper and learning/understanding abstract and theoretical principles, but actually I don't enjoy sitting down on a desk forever either, I like to be up-and-about, active, running around like a mad man!

*How much do you know about the medical specialties?* - I've narrowed down the specialities I want to work in, but every medical student that I've talked to has said that going to university completely changed their outlook, so I'll play that one cautiously for now. 

*Do you want to get into research?* - Absolutely! I'd also like to work as a university professor as well, lecturing and teaching younger medical students - teaching is something that I thoroughly enjoy actually. 

*Is creativity one of your strengths? Very intelligent people who are very creative seem to be rare.* - I'm not sure about that one actually, when I was younger I was pretty good at Art (though that was more imitation art, copying comic book characters etc) and I'm pretty good at subjects like English Language/Literature, where creativity seems to be needed? I don't know, I'm just not sure about that one. 

*You know from school that you enjoy the sciences, but do you see yourself as a practitioner? Do you like quick decisions, do you like sports? Are you a detective?* - I like sports, but from a more managerial stand-point, I love talking about football tactics and so on, on the field, I'm more of an athletics guy, that's really been my thing. Am I a detective? Well, I've always been a very curious person and am good at piecing things together. People have mentioned to me that they're impressed by my ability to collate pieces of information together and come up with fast and accurate conclusions. 

*Why medicine and not a science? Because the choice is so difficult?* - Well, I don't think studying a pure science has enough... people? I'm sure I am stereotyping, but I don't want to just be in a lab 24/7, running experiments by myself over and over again. Plus, picking a particular science would be really difficult for me. 

*What is it that defines you? What is most thrilling activity for you? Learning something new, thinking, applying knowledge to practical problems?* - The most thrilling activity? Rock-climbing, I love the rush that I get when I reach the top and look down, and when I'm abseiling back down. Actually, I see myself as more of a knowledge collator, for example, I'm teaching myself A-Level Economics and Politics, purely because I'm interested in those fields and not out of necessity. 

*What kind of people do you want to work with? What kind of work environment do you like best?* - I'm a bit of a lone wolf, I always prefer working alone if I can, but actually I don't mind working with most people, it's just that INTJ's don't seem to "fit in" much anywhere. 

I haven't actually taken the celebrity type test you've linked, so I'll do that now and let you know. Thanks for your help - you've really given me some food for thought.


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## TR_1996 (Jul 12, 2014)

Krisena said:


> From what I've gathered, it's true that Medicine can be a very practical / realistic / sensing kind of field, but according to a med school professor who wrote a book about medicine students and MBTI, there's something for every type there. About half of med school is supposedly intuitive territory. Examples of fields that could be suitable for an INTJ, according to this professor, are research and internal medicine. Surgeon is not unrealistic either, it seems.
> 
> Here's the book if you want to take a look:
> Even though it's not _specifically_ geared towards your dilemma, the first sections should have lots of interesting insights for you.
> ...


Thanks for this! It seems a really interesting read and I'm going to go over it with a fine-tooth comb in the future. From what I can see, it actually seems that all types really have a place somewhere in medicine, though I'm disappointed I'm stuck with internal medicine!


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## TR_1996 (Jul 12, 2014)

bollocks said:


> The bottom line for most in this situation is simply this, money. Do you want to drive an a8 or a focus? I'm not saying people who went into a science field were wrong for doing so, these are people who could have became physicians but instead took a *significant* pay cut because they truly love their work. It's very noble.


That's an interesting point - when I was younger, my outlook on life was pretty much "make as much money as possible and as soon as possible", as I've grown older and matured though, I realise that I want to have a job that is both intellectually satisfying and spiritually satisfying - Medicine provides both of those things, and I think that's great.


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## TR_1996 (Jul 12, 2014)

Zibziby said:


> Maybe Auidology? Its still a medical professional, and there is engineering involved in it a bit, but its a bit less black and white, and its just a masters degree so less schooling, and i think it would be easier to create your own private practice out of it


Interesting idea - I must confess I've never really thought about Audiology as a possible career field, it's certainly interesting and rapidly developing now. Add that to the fact that I've recently developed tinnitus due to a viral infection it seems pretty appropriate! I do think that I'm probably more interested in fields like neurology/cardiology though, those have always been the fields I'm interested in when studying in school, though maybe that's just because there isn't much audiology content in Biology exams nowadays...


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## TR_1996 (Jul 12, 2014)

Patrick_1 said:


> Maybe you could finish medicine, become a surgeon and in your own time research those other fields you're interested in like physics and maths (I don't really know what would follow one of those degrees, but basically wouldn't it primarily involve a lot of research anyway). Sounds like you've accomplished a lot, so congratulations.


Thank you, research is definitely something that I want to do actually - and alongside that I also want to work as a university lecturer/professor, as teaching is one of the other fields that I absolutely love - the issue is, it's quite a big commitment to make, I mean it's a six-year course here in the UK and with the current tuition fees, I would be in around £60,000 worth of debt. Though I suspect surgeons wouldn't really have much of an issue paying off such debts throughout the course of their career anyway..


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## bluekitdon (Dec 19, 2012)

Check this out - might either confirm your interest and aptitude for medicine or suggest a few alternatives you may not have considered. 

Keep in mind whatever you choose to do there will be positive and negative aspects of the job. The ideal position gives you high rewards for things you enjoy doing that you do well and minimizes the things you don't enjoy doing.

sokanu: the best career test anywhere


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## TR_1996 (Jul 12, 2014)

Just did the Celebrity Types test, also came out as an INTJ. Something else to mention, seeing as I know that often INTP's get confused with INTJ's, is that I seem to be a lot more "emotional" than normal INTJ's, in the sense that I actually get very passionate about ideas close to my heart and often take criticism about my work to heart. It's almost as if my work is an extension of myself, and by criticizing it you are criticizing _me_. Is this usual behaviour for an INTJ? Could I possibly be an INTP? I'm quite happy being an INTJ to be honest. roud: Also just wanted to say a sincere thank you to all those that have shared their thoughts/offered their help so far!


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## TR_1996 (Jul 12, 2014)

bluekitdon said:


> Check this out - might either confirm your interest and aptitude for medicine or suggest a few alternatives you may not have considered.
> 
> Keep in mind whatever you choose to do there will be positive and negative aspects of the job. The ideal position gives you high rewards for things you enjoy doing that you do well and minimizes the things you don't enjoy doing.


Thanks for the link, I just completed the quiz, interestingly enough, I'm most compatible with Particle Physicist (100%), Mathematician (99%) and Doctor (96%) The Materials Scientist bit caught me a bit off guard, because I've never thought of it as a potential career.


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## bluekitdon (Dec 19, 2012)

TR_1996 said:


> Thanks for the link, I just completed the quiz, interestingly enough, I'm most compatible with Particle Physicist (100%), Mathematician (99%) and Doctor (96%) The Materials Scientist bit caught me a bit off guard, because I've never thought of it as a potential career.


Anything in the 90+ percentile range you should do fine with. So next thing would be asking yourself what do you most want to be, what are the costs, time commitments, and potential benefits of each career, and what is likely to be in demand by the time you get done with your education.


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## Ermenegildo (Feb 25, 2014)

> I'm quite happy being an INTJ to be honest.
> …
> that I seem to be a lot more "emotional" than normal INTJ's, in the sense that I actually get very passionate about ideas close to my heart and often take criticism about my work to heart. It's almost as if my work is an extension of myself, and by criticizing it you are criticizing me. Is this usual behaviour for an INTJ? Could I possibly be an INTP?


If you see yourself as a thinker, and if the product of your thought process is criticized, you are forced to doubt your beloved thought process, which is totally normal. Ask translators and they will tell you that most authors are insulted when they are told that nonsense can’t be translated into sense. 

“Ideas close to you heart”, that’s a wide field, of course. You should confirm your tertiary function introverted feeling (Fi). Perhaps your less emotional ‘INTJs’ are INTPs who have Fe instead of Fi? 

In the hospital you have to deal with people from all walks of life and with hierarchies which are a constant source of frictions. As an INTJ you lack extraversion and extraverted feeling (Fe). Knowing the MBTI system can enable you to compensate these deficits. 

Consider the department as your home and all bipeds as your personal guests and not as petitioners! Learning more about the other types helps you to understand and respect their perspectives. Dealing with patients is easier and it isn’t difficult at all if you put some effort in it. I know some doctors who definitely lack Fe who have nevertheless managed to win a reputation as shining examples of approachable and caring physicians. 

Incidentally, I have always found hospitals highly entertaining, and I think I have watched all war surgery films on Youtube.  



TR_1996 said:


> Surely even these experienced university interviewers make mistakes sometimes?


Very probably, but in your case they did a good job, if I can trust in my little test. You want the complete thrill, you want the total challenge, and there is hardly something more demanding than medicine practised at the highest level. You should definitely study medicine.


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## Menvra (Jul 13, 2014)

I was in a similar situation. I always thought I wanted to become a doctor (a neurologist to be precise), but I realized in my first year at university back in France that medicine wasn't for me. It didn't stratify my thirst for knowledge, it was, as you put it, very unimaginative. I fell ill and had to take a year off which allowed me to really think about what I wanted to do. I decided to apply to a Canadian university who offered the degree of my dreams (Human Physiology and Maths).

I'd like to add that to be a good doctor, you _have_ to like people; helping them, caring for them, it's all part of the deal. Obviously surgery might be slightly different, but still, you'll have to interact with your patients. Misanthropy and medicine may make brilliant television, but in reality, they are not a good mix. 

If you are still interested in medicine, you should probably consider doing an MD/PhD and associate your love for physics. There is something called *medical physics*, I think you should look it up. My university has a good website which explains what it is about: medphys.mcgill.ca
I'm pretty sure you'll have something similar in the UK.


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## Grace_ (May 29, 2014)

I like what others have said here, I don't have much more to add, but I will say this.

You sound like you would excel as an academic (if you could get enough money from it  ). You are passionate about a wide variety of topics and you could study whatever you wanted, whatever took your fancy, and contribute to society through research and teaching others.

I used to have my heart set on medicine, until I was getting extremely stressed from the admission process. And I stopped and thought 'why do I really want to do this'? It turned out, after many sleepless nights, that medicine wasn't what I really wanted to do at all. Motherhood was the only thing I really wanted. I had just chosen med because I had the results and because people said I should.

I think that you don't need to worry about making a definitive choice. It is very uncommon to go straight into a course and stick with it. Nearly everyone I know failed a unit, changed their mind, took some time off etc. You could always try med for a year and if you don't like it then just change. Alternatively, is there the option to complete a bachelor degree in a field of your choice, and then do med postgraduate? You could select units and majors you are passionate about, try a little bit of everything, and then settle on one option. At the end of your degree you might have a totally different plan. Or you might still want to be a surgeon. Either way, you'll have a better idea of whether or not you made the right choice because you tried a little of all the different options.

Becoming a surgeon is an incredibly long studying process followed by a stressful career. Don't do it for the wrong reasons. Or at least, consider your other options and what else you may like, and if medicine still seems like the best option, then great! If not, then go with something else. If you got accepted into that many prestigious universities I don't think they'll refuse to accept you if you try again in a few years, or try for another course.

Ultimately, choose what you think will make you the happiest (whether that be success, money, passion, flexibility, whatever). And if you make the wrong choice, that's okay! Change it! Just don't stay doing something that makes you unhappy because you think you should. Good luck! You sound incredibly capable and I'm sure you will love and excel at whatever you choose


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## HeavyWeather (Jul 5, 2014)

@Grace_ Well..... 60k are a pricey failure.... the drop out rate in medicine is actually quite high, as far as I am informed. 
@TR_1996 So if you aren't really passionate about it I would reconsider my options. And if you are really just doing medicine for the money ... 









So I would only do something in Physics or Mathematics if I were a outstandingly gifted child in this field, otherwise your chances of surviving are pretty low, there is a lot of competition and pressure. Also you won't get rich, people working in research are really admirable, most of them devote their whole life to science. 
Most likely your discoveries will become classified or snatched by some company/gov./higher up, so pursuing this is really something of a conviction.

But I am pretty sure you already decided for yourself to become med. and are just looking for reassurance here. 
-tihi cheeky~


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## Soroya123 (Jul 16, 2014)

I know this line sounds super cliched, but I say do what makes you happy. If being a surgeon/doctor is not sounding as appealing as it once did then maybe you should try something new! Medical school is really expensive. If you have doubts about switching then maybe continue through somewhat with the doctor route. If your not happy while in school definitely change. It's not a bad thing to change your mind. People change their minds all the time! Especially about big decisions like this. Again do what makes you happy. You could even go through all of medical school and change your mind afterward. My science teacher was originally a concert pianist, and though he loves piano and music, performing is not for him. He went back to school in his 30's and studied science (his second love). Sorry this is kind of scattered, (I'm slightly sleep deprived so all of this is coming out semi-coherently sorry) but that's what I think. Do what makes you happy, it's okay to change your mind, and of course, it is okay to make mistakes. If you go through medschool and then realize you dont really want to be a doctor, just try and go back if you can.


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## Menvra (Jul 13, 2014)

TR_1996 said:


> Just did the Celebrity Types test, also came out as an INTJ. Something else to mention, seeing as I know that often INTP's get confused with INTJ's, is that I seem to be a lot more "emotional" than normal INTJ's, in the sense that I actually get very passionate about ideas close to my heart and often take criticism about my work to heart. It's almost as if my work is an extension of myself, and by criticizing it you are criticizing _me_. *Is this usual behaviour for an INTJ?* Could I possibly be an INTP? I'm quite happy being an INTJ to be honest. roud: Also just wanted to say a sincere thank you to all those that have shared their thoughts/offered their help so far!


Well, not all INTJs are the same. Personally, I'm very protective of my ideas, but I do make a distinction between a 'good', rational observation/criticism that actually help in the long run and simple-minded, unthoughtful criticisms. 

Keep being passionate, it's the best feeling in the world. 
By the way, I did a little bit of research on *medical physics* (which is actually fascinating) and I found a UK website:



> Medical physicists apply physics and technical skills to the practice of medicine to help prevent, diagnose and treat many kinds of diseases and health conditions. They develop, test and evaluate specialist equipment and procedures in many areas including radiotherapy, nuclear medicine, laser technology and physiological monitoring.
> As clinical scientists in National Health Service (NHS) , medical physicists have a central role in developing, planning and implementing patient treatment programmes. This role is closely linked to that of a clinical engineer.
> While the majority work in the NHS, others are employed in medical equipment manufacturing companies, regulatory authorities, universities, research organisations and companies using radioactive materials.


As for the salaries:



> The range of typical starting salaries for healthcare scientist trainees in The National Health Service (NHS) are at Band 6. Starting at point 21 which is £25,528 in the first year of training and rising to points 22 (£26,556) and 23 (£27,625) in the second and third years.
> After completing initial training salaries at NHS Band 7 are possible at £30,460-£40,157.
> There is a wide salary range for more senior posts from Band 8a-d. The principal grade may be obtained after several years' experience. Typical salaries at NHS Band 8a-d range from £38,851-£80,810.
> The highest salary levels are for a healthcare consultant, director or head of service at Band 9: £77,079-£97,478.
> ...


As for the work in itself: 



> The job is mainly hospital-based and may involve working in different hospital departments, laboratories, clinics or in theatre with patients. This depends on the role and the specialist area. The role may be stressful at senior levels with the need to make decisions about patient treatment at fairly short notice.


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## Unnamed (Jul 18, 2014)

TR_1996 said:


> Now don't get me wrong, studying Medicine isn't easy, nor is working as any type of Doctor, but I've come to realise that much of it is very unimaginative, in the sense that it's very... black and white. Let me give you an example, if I go into a Biology exam without revising properly, I will fail that exam outright.


While I agree that medical school is like this, once you hit the actual being a doctor part, it's very different. If being a Doctor were just about memorizing a lot of facts, it wouldn't be one of the highest paying jobs there is. Right now you're learning only the facts (Bio) and in other classes, if you go into med school, it will be rote memorization (anatomy) while others won't (physiology) .

Once you are a doctor, you have to take those facts that you've memorized, which by then is an insanely large amount, filter through all of them within a few seconds, find which ones apply, and make a decision based off of that and the opinions of the other doctors around you.

Some fields which aren't black and white at all are anesthesiology (you put people to sleep and then essentially become the emergency room doctor of the OR), emergency medicine, and psychiatry (there can be so many things wrong with the brain).


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## Menvra (Jul 13, 2014)

Unnamed said:


> While I agree that medical school is like this, once you hit the actual being a doctor part, it's very different. If being a Doctor were just about memorizing a lot of facts, *it wouldn't be one of the highest paying jobs there is*. Right now you're learning only the facts (Bio) and in other classes, if you go into med school, it will be rote memorization (anatomy) while others won't (physiology) .


Even though I somewhat agree with the rest of your answer, I would like to say that salaries in general are not a good indication of how important or how hard a job is. 
In medicine for example, a dermatologist will earn much more than a neurologist. This discrepancy has nothing to do with how hard dermatology is compered to neurology; it has a lot to do with the type of patients dermatologists treat. Apart from skin cancer, irregular moles and severe acne, must people go to see a dermatologist for cosmetic reasons and as you know, cosmetic procedures are not covered by insurance. People pay straight up which isn't the case with neurology.


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## TR_1996 (Jul 12, 2014)

Wow, thanks for all the insight guys and girls - it's much appreciated, I can assure you. I think the way I'm swaying now, I probably will carry on with studying Medicine for the time being - for me, it's about being challenged but also doing something spiritually fulfilling - and being a Doctor has both those things - it's never been about the money. If I wanted to, I could make a lot more money in a shorter amount of time in finance, which I was equally good at in school. 
@Menvra I was actually considering Medical Physics at one point! It's as if the two things I enjoy most has just combined together to make an ultimate subject for me, but I don't like the fact that I'm spreading myself out between two different subjects (i.e Biology and Physics) I'd rather specialise in a definitive subject. (if that makes sense)

The good thing about doing medicine I guess is that I could branch out into many things - like research, teaching etc. I'm going on a 3 weeks vacation, so I'll take some time out to mull things over and see where I go from here. Once again, thank you ALL for your insight!


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## theflame (Apr 12, 2014)

I don't know if medicine is for you, but it's always good to have another plan in case that doesn't work out. For years I have been working in various fields to see what I would like the most. I like writing the most but it doesn't pay right away so I have to find another job to like. I used to be an IT consultant for the past ten years and found out that wasn't really my thing. It was too competitive and people were way too picky with how you get technical problems solved that I just didn't want to deal with it anymore.


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