The future researchers are diving into research, the future pediatricians are volunteering at pediatrics clinics, the future surgeons are starting suturing clubs. People know what they want to be and are getting started on their journey. The pressure to know what we want to do is tangible.
It would be nearly impossible to find a medical student (or even premedical student) who has not been asked the question: “What type of doctor do you want to be?” The frequency of this question — which is often innocent or even naive to the process of medical training, “I don’t know” answers that are received more poorly than a confident declaration of a specialty". So although this person continues to achieve above-average scores, cares about health and well-being, and shows compassion for others — their indecisiveness about a future specialty makes them feel that they don’t have a place it…
