Prompt #10: Recognizing Truth

I have found an article that talks about how the medical field is misrepresented and there were some common mistakes that I found. Most people think that only science majors can get into medical school, you have to be rich to attend medical school, you will be rich if you become a doctor, and that taking a gap year between college and applying to medical school looks bad for admissions committees. These things are all incorrect.

Photo credit:weirdscholarships.net

Doctors and people working the medical field are often misconceived, and this article provides good examples of this. It is common for people thinking of going to medical school to major in something science related, however, that is not always the case. You just need the required classes for medical school and you can major in anything you want.

Also, you don’t have to be rich to go to medical school. There are many ways to get loans for medical school and there are different programs to help medical school students with this. Even if you do have the money to put yourself through medical school, that doesn’t mean that you’ll still be rich after. Becoming a doctor doesn’t automatically mean that you’ll become rich. There are many types of jobs and specialties that different doctors and people in the medical field can choose. Not every job is going to pay the same and it just depends where you’re working in general. There are hospitals and workplaces that are considered better than others, so you may not get paid the same.

 Finally, taking a gap year between college and applying for medical school does not give admissions committees a bad impression. This just shows that you want to take some time for yourself, maybe to work and begin paying off your loans, take more classes that will help with medical school, or do volunteer work. If you spend your gap year doing things related to the medical field and show that you are still interested in that field, then it looks good on a medical school application. If you are taking a year off just because you want a break and you don’t do anything to further your experience with the medical field, this is a different story.

There are so many misrepresentations of the medical field than there should be. People need to have a more open mind about the possibilities of the medical field; not everything is impossible. Having a career in the medical field is a more attainable goal than most people think. Sure, there are some difficulties, but if you set your mind to it, you can make it happen for yourself.

Persson, Ricky. "Common Misconceptions about Medical School and Becoming a Doctor." Gap Medics US. Gap Medics US, 03 Oct. 2014. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.