Should I be a doctor?

I’m not going to lie, there were many times I doubt myself. Even now going to medical school, I am still nervous of my capability to study, balance everything, and do well. When I get a bad score or compare myself to others, I blame myself “wow, you actually think you can be a doctor?” But what defines you versus someone who doesn’t want to be a doctor is a combination of factors that come together to make this your calling. There are little things that occur in my daily life or certain personality traits or how I behave that suggests that I should go into this field. Here are some traits I’ve noticed and maybe you can check off some of these on your list.

1. Having sincere compassion for someone. My heart really aches when I see homeless people on the street, and I dearly wish I could do more for them than just give them money or water. When I worked as a pharm tech, I would spend so much time on a single patient to make sure I gave them the best care I could. I like to help people, period. That’s one of the main reasons I started this blog too: to give as much advice as I can to my fellow premed friends.
2. Fortified memory. Since I was young, I would say that I had a strong memory, especially for stuff I was interested in (aka science). I also did Spelling UIL for 4 years in high school, and we had to memorize soooo many words and definitions. Good memory comes from good studying, so don’t think you have to have photographic memory to go into med.
3. Strong science background. I found these subjects very interesting to me when I was in high school. I loved learning about the human body. In college, my major was biology and those specific major classes were the ones that I did very well in and could spend hours studying it.
4. Having a compulsive tendency to do things a certain way, detail oriented. (Type A peeps, where you at?) This is very important when it comes to practicing and following protocols in the future. You also thrive on competition. 
5. Being unbiased; you’re usually the mediator between friend fights or you don’t take a stance. You like you be in charge and make important decisions. In the future, this will come in handy for ethical dilemmas and keeping professionalism in the workplace and with your patients.
6. Love to learn; you always want to engage your brain and enjoy new experiences having discipline. Being a doctor equates to a lifetime of learning. You will never stop learning new techniques, treatments, how to talk to patients, etc.
7. Humility; being a doctor can grant a lot of stature but you cannot practice successfully without humility. You have to be humble to build a relationship with your patients or work with other healthcare professionals. You must recognize that you are a leader who sets by example.
8. Meticulous. Details matter!! You have an eye that notices the little things. When I was little, I loved word search. I would time myself to see how fast I could find them. I find myself being very detail oriented and built hobbies from this (photography/editing, event planning/decorating).
9. Problem solving: You like to fix things for your friends. You like to give options or find better ways to be efficient. Being a doctor requires you to look at all the options, think of everything that encompasses it, and make decisions to execute it.
10. Seeing the bad in the world and wanting to make a difference. Doctors change lives. I feel like those who are premeds are trying to create change or replicate it from what they have seen in their past experiences. We all have a reason and a purpose entering this field whether it be through change in policy, patient care, public health etc. 
11. Not being able to imagine yourself in any other field: ‘nuff said. You can research about other career paths, try it, and still feel uncomfortable, then you know where your heart lies.

These are some of the characteristics that I have noticed about myself that, despite all my hesitation of becoming a doctor, has helped reassure me where I belong. You need to focus on who you are and what you are capable of as a person instead of all that you have to do to become one. Don’t get overwhelmed and choose something that doesn’t quite fit because you chose to limit yourself. This list is not in any way exhaustive and very up to interpretation of what values you see in a doctor. I hope that even if you just have 1 or 2 of these qualities but a strong passion to pursue medicine, that you go for it with all you’ve got.Lub dub,Shanon