It's a question I seem to hear all the time: Why do you want to be a doctor? This question can have many answers, such as: I want to be able to have a job that supports my family. I'm in it to help people. I want to be a healer. For me, the answer is a simple one: I want to be a doctor because I want to help people who are at their worst and heal them in such a way that they are at their absolute best by the time we are done.
The road to becoming a doctor is not an easy one, and I was and am continuing to be reminded of this. 4 years of undergrad. 4 years of medical school. Residency. Fellowship. Then it's over. The grand total? Around 10-12 years of post-high school education, $200,000 of debt, and the mere fact that it may not all work out in the end.
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This scares many people from not pursuing a medical degree. They are worried they'll change their mind. They are scared of the debt. They are scared of every single bad outcome that can occur from pursuing higher education.
But here's the thing: Life was not meant to be easy. It was not meant to be lived comfortably. If it was easy, everyone would do it. Life, rather, was meant to be about taking chances, pursuing your dreams, and going after what other's don't think you can ever possibly achieve. But, honestly, whats the fun in that?
Your life is only a short sliver of time. Why waste it in fear? So, yes, whenever someone asks me why I want to be a doctor, or if I am ready to handle the burdens that come with pursuing and M.D., I look them straight in the eye, and with the most confident tone I can come up with at that moment, I say, "Yes, I am."
I know what is coming. I know I will be spending many nights without sleep because I will be up studying for exams. I know that my life will undoubtedly be tough to manage at times. I know that it will be the road less taken. But at the end of the day, I know that I will have a career that will enable me to help people in a way that no on else can. I will be in a constant state of healing people and getting people the help that need to reach their full potential.
Thats what life is truly all about: Helping our neighbors, strengthening the weak, curing the sick, and above all, helping people at their worst possible state, progress, achieve, and with time, get back to being at their best.
