Wayfaring MD: Missionary Physician

For starters, check out this post I wrote to another high schooler about where to start in a journey toward medical school. 

But your question is a little more specific, so I’ll try to give you a decent answer. 

First things first: Be realistic about your expectations. Medicine is awesome, but not everyone is supposed to be a doctor, for many reasons. Out of the lecture hall full of pre-meds at my school freshman year, only about 5 of us went to medical school. You’re at a point in your education where you don’t have to know what you want to do with your life yet. So don’t get stuck saying you’re going to do one thing and ignore all your other options. Research your options - nursing, PA/NP, MD, PT/OT, RT - all the acronyms. 

Next, no pain, go gain. You can’t make it in medicine (regardless of the specialty) without busting your butt. Even though schools look at the “whole person” and not just grades, grades are certainly important. You have to study hard. But working hard is more than just studying and doing well in school. It means volunteering, being active in clubs, shadowing, working, etc. too. 

Good luck!

My answer to anyone who asks if med school is right for them is the same: med school is hard, and only you know if you can handle it. 

Shadow some doctors and see if you like medicine any more than physical therapy. If so, go for it. I would suggest shadowing some generalists first, like family or internal medicine docs, just to get you a wide exposure. And since you have an interest in physical therapy already, see if you can find a PM&R (physical medicine and rehabilitation) or sports medicine doc to shadow, because they would be incorporating some of the things you like into their practice.  If you like both medicine and physical therapy equally, take into account the time, money, and energy you will have to put in to achieve each one and figure out if it’s worth it to go the extra mile and do medical school. 

Also, the family stuff will happen if you work at it, but it won’t be easy. 

And as I’ve said before, don’t let being scared of failing keep you from trying to meet your goals. I mean, you’re already on the way towards physical therapy school, and you don’t seem to be scared of failing in that, so why be afraid of not getting in to med school? Just have a back-up plan. 

Hmm, tough question. I will say that if Jesus is really calling you into medicine, he will keep nagging you about it until you do what He wants you to do. That being said, Med school is hard. But it’s not impossible. We have several people in my class who got late starts and who are managing med school with kids at home (one guy in my class was 35 when he started med school!). It has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done and I’m single with no kids, so I can’t begin to imagine adding a husband and a baby into the picture. You’ll have to be very disciplined, that’s for sure. 

Obviously, this is your decision. I can’t make it for you. But here are some questions you can ask yourself to help in making your decision. 

1. What are my real motives for wanting to go into medicine? Pray about this a lot. Really figure out whether your desire is just yours or if it’s God’s will for your life. 

2. Am I called to be a doctor specifically? Are paramedic, nursing and mid-level jobs (NP, PA) also options for me?

3. How will this affect my family? Medical school will be a huge stress on your marriage and will keep you from seeing your child like you would want to. Are you and your family prepared to face that? Being single made the decision easier for me, but since you’re married, your husband should be part of your decision making. Maybe God has called you to be a stay at home mom for now and will move you to medicine later. 

4. Can I handle the course load? You’re still pretty far from medical school. Why don’t you work on finishing college and go from there? 

Really my biggest advice to you is to pray about it with your husband. Pray for your next step to be revealed. God usually doesn’t show us our next 10 steps, but He’ll guide us to the next one. So focus on that. 

Hope this helps, ravelbycassie.