How do I know if medicine is right for me?
What do we mean when we say "discernment?"
To Discern: From the Latin cernere; to sift, to perceive.
Choosing the right career path for you is an important decision. So what tools do you have in your toolbox for making a good decision? Below you will find some important practical steps you can take action on to assist you with making that decision. But St. Ignatius, founder of the Jesuits, can also help. Within the tradition of Ignatian spirituality, he has left behind some very practical ways of discerning, or sorting through our emotions. His discoveries and methods have proven invaluable through the centuries and are popularly referred to as discernment. In simple terms, then, discernment is a process of decision making. In the Ignatian method it is a prayerful process that is an interplay between experience, reflection, decision, and action. More about this process is available in the RSP 200 section on discernment.
For now, here are some of those actions you can take to help you in your own discernment!
1. Shadow physicians or other healthcare professionals.
2. Volunteer in a healthcare setting- a clinic, hospital, nursing home, doctor’s office.
3. Work in a healthcare setting – Some students become Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), some take a class in Emergency Medicine (EMS) and work as paramedics, some work in laboratories, some work as technicians in specialty areas, some work in patient transport or as clerical workers in hospitals.
4. Conduct an informational interview with a physician or other healthcare professional.
5. Shadow a medical student.
6. Read about it! Read fiction and non-fiction written by or about physicians, and read articles in the newspaper or in medical journals.
Additional Resources:
Be open to exploring other healthcare careers!
Did you know there are other ways to become a medical doctor than attending an allopathic medical school in America?
Did you know that there are medical schools called osteopathic medical schools?
Did you know that a Podiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes from the beginning in foot and ankle conditions – AND spends most of their time performing surgeries?
Did you know that becoming a Physician’s Assistant is often possible with only a Master’s degree?
Did you know that an Epidemiologist can save a whole town? Play this game to find out how!
Did you know that Federal agencies and state governments will help pay off students loans for certain health care practitioners if they agree to practice in underserved communities? Check this out!
Do you know what these people do? Perfusionist? Cytotechnologist? Dosimetrist?
Find all this and much, much more at www.explorehealthcareers.org. Do yourself a big favor and look at all the options there are in the field of healthcare. There are so many ways to "help people" that you may have never even heard of before!! Consider the possibility that one of these careers is the right fit for you.
Career Assessments
Since you know you want to be a doctor, you may not ever think about taking any career assessments or other surveys that give you insight on careers. You should think again! To really know what you want to do with your life, the more you know about you the better. In many cases, taking a career assessment can open your eyes to aspects of your career choice you had not thought about before. In some cases, a career assessment will offer an opportunity to re-think your career choice in light of what you learn about yourself. Can an assessment tell you that you can or cannot be a doctor? Of course not. It is merely one more tool in your toolbox that can help with a fully explored discernment about your choices. If you are choosing a professional path for your life, wouldn’t you like to know if your values, skills, interests, and abilities are a good fit for that profession? A career assessment is often a wonderful confirmation that you are heading in the right direction!
"Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment."
- Lao-Tzu
"A humble knowledge of oneself is a surer road to God than a deep searching of the sciences."
- Thomas a Kempis
Discernment Exercises
DISCERNMENT EXERCISE IMAGINATIVE – Sit comfortably in a quiet area where you will not be disturbed. Close your eyes and begin to pay attention to your breathing. Take a long deep breath in and let it out. In your mind’s eye, begin to paint a picture. Imagine it is ten years from now. Visualize yourself in a white doctor’s coat, patient chart in your hand, stethoscope around your neck or scalpel in your hand, and then create a patient. Are you talking to them? Are you listening to their heartbeat? Are you about to make an incision? Next envision that you have helped the patient by diagnosing their health issue correctly. For example, the lady with shortness of breath has asthma and you prescribe just the right medicine to help her breathe. Or you just removed a tumor from a man’s brain that was causing him pain and might have caused his death. The patient thanks you gratefully. A family member joins in thanking you perhaps. You wave good-bye and turn to the next patient you need to see. Stop. What are you feeling? Is there a deep sense of consolation? Of rightness? A sense of fulfillment? Peace and contentment? Were you comfortable and confident?
DISCERNMENT EXERCISE WRITING – Give yourself a quiet time and space and start with a fresh piece of paper and a pencil or a blank word document open on the computer screen in front of you. Write this down: “I want to be a doctor because.” Then begin writing without thought of grammar or structure of even complete sentences. Freely associate anything that comes to your mind when you ask yourself this question. Write anything, even if it seems silly or selfish. Include any stories or experiences that you remember as associated with wanting to be a doctor. Keep writing until you can no longer think of anything else to write or no longer than 15 minutes. Read and reflect on what you have written. Pay attention to the feelings you experienced as you attempted to answer this question. Was it hard to find a reason? Did you feel the reason wasn’t good enough? Was the reason because someone else wants you to be a doctor? Did you feel like you wanted to spend more time on this question?
Visit with Linda Dunn in the Creighton Career Center to discuss these exercises or to learn about others.
Aspiringdocs.org
Visit aspiringdocs.org to find answers to questions related to discernment.
- I've thought about becoming a doctor. How do I get started? What resources are available to help me?
- How do I know if medicine is the right career for me? What kind of person makes a good doctor?
- Why is it important that more minority students go into medicine?
- What are my career options once I have my M.D. degree?
- How can I learn more about what it's like to be a doctor while I'm still in college?
- Is there any way to combine college and medical school?
- Is it possible to go to medical school if I've already graduated from college without the science courses I need?
- Are there any dual-degree programs that combine medicine with another field?
Aspiringdocs.org also answers questions related to what medical school is like.
- How long does it take to get a medical education, and what does it involve?
- What will I learn in medical school?
- What will I learn as a resident?
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