I promise to you that I am not trying to crush your dreams. This isn’t some post created to drive you off of your chosen career path.

This is a warning. I am trying to tell you that you probably aren’t a good fit for medical school if you can relate to one of the next three reasons.

So without further ado, here are three reasons yo shouldn’t apply to medical school.

1. You Prefer to Work Alone

Yes, it is possible to start up your own private practice. But still, your clients will see other physicians that you will need to work with.

You need to be able to talk professionally with your peers. It will be unavoidable in your career as a doctor.

2. You Don’t Want to Temporarily Put Your Life on Hold

As soon as you are out of medical school, you will be able to structure your career almost however you please. If you want to travel the world as a physician on a cruise ship? Go nuts. Do you want to work part-time while raising your kids? That works too.

That freedom will come at a cost though. You will need to put in your time at medical school first.

You may not be able to do everything that your family wants to do because you will need to be studying. You may not be able to hit up that concert with your friends because medical school bills are weighing you down. You wanted to learn how to play the piano? You may need to hold off on that dream for a couple years because you will be mentally exhausted.

This will only be temporary, but if you aren’t aware of it going in, you may break down. If you can’t wrap your head around this, then medical school may not be the choice for you.

3. You Don’t Want to Continue Learning Beyond School

The medical field is constantly changing. What works in the year 2016 may be outdated and over practiced by the year 2020. This means that you will need to be ready to adapt and learn new processes, sometimes before you are ready.

If you think that you are done learning once you are out of school, then you are incorrect, like you may be with choosing this professesion.

Image taken from Day Donaldson at Flikr.