It has become very difficult for a high schooler to get experience enough in the medical field to see if this is a good career for them. Most of us had some kind of medical problem or a family member who needed lots of care to allow us to see up close what the medical professionals do. You should make every opportunity you can to see medical people and spend time with nurses, techs, x-ray people, and physicians if you can. This career is portrayed on TV and the media as sexy and always exciting. It is demanding of your time and leaves you feeling incompetent very often. You never fully master much of it and it changes very frequently. You have little time for the other important things in your life. You have to be able to master some of the sciences: Physics, Biochem, Biology, Chemistry, Genetics, Statistics, etc. The education drags on for over a decade. Many people change their minds along the way and that is OK because you cannot know enough at your age to be certain of this choice. I decided in my teens, got sidetracked for a few years, became disappointed in my perceived lack of ability, then got back in and succeeded. You can check out other options along the way while you are studying. Don’t be afraid to spend a summer or even a year or more doing something exciting that gives you exposure to a variety of jobs and people. If you have the aptitude and stick-to-it-iveness to do this profession then it will keep coming back to you. I wish you well. It is a tough world for your generation.
Douglas Johnson, former General Surgeon, now retired
Source:
It has become very difficult for a high schooler to get experience enough in the medical field to see if this is a good career for them. Most of us had some kind of medical problem or a family member who needed lots of care to allow us to see up close what the medical professionals do. You should make every opportunity you can to see medical people and spend time with nurses, techs, x-ray people, and physicians if you can. This career is portrayed on TV and the media as sexy and always exciting. It is demanding of your time and leaves you feeling incompetent very often. You never fully master much of it and it changes very frequently. You have little time for the other important things in your life. You have to be able to master some of the sciences: Physics, Biochem, Biology, Chemistry, Genetics, Statistics, etc. The education drags on for over a decade. Many people change their minds along the way and that is OK because you cannot know enough at your age to be certain of this choice. I decided in my teens, got sidetracked for a few years, became disappointed in my perceived lack of ability, then got back in and succeeded. You can check out other options along the way while you are studying. Don’t be afraid to spend a summer or even a year or more doing something exciting that gives you exposure to a variety of jobs and people. If you have the aptitude and stick-to-it-iveness to do this profession then it will keep coming back to you. I wish you well. It is a tough world for your generation.