Is medicine my calling?

<p>I've always loved science and medicine does fascinate me, but I'm not sure if I want to devote my life to being a doctor. I've been interested in other areas too, so I'm not sure if medicine is the right field for me.</p>

<p>What should I do to find if being a doctor is what I would like to do? I understand volunteering at a hospital would be a good start, but most people I know who volunteer at the hospital don't really get to see/do much. I've thought about signing up for an EMT training class and becoming an EMT to see if I like this field, but I haven't been able to find a place that offers the course.</p>

<p>Can anyone give me suggestions? Thanks a lot!!</p>

<p>This is why you should shadow physicians - whether in clinic or the hospital. Talk to your own doctor, ask your parents who they know and cold-call if you have to. The worst thing they can say is no. </p>

<p>Also don’t expect to “do” much but watch. You don’t have the training or qualifications to do anything yet.</p>

<p>Also try shadowing different types of physicians if you have the opportunity. If you just work with one, you might conclude that medicine isn’t for you, when it’s really the specialty that’s not for you. There are some specialties which will remain unnamed that I disliked enough that I think I would rather not go into medicine than go into those fields. And then there are multiple specialties between which I had a very difficult time choosing.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, shadowing isn’t going to help tremendously on your application to medical school when the time comes. So you still have to do all the other stuff. But it’s worth it to know that you’re going into something that you’ll enjoy.</p>