People do not have to aspire to earn a degree in the medical field in order to understand how competitive and grueling the process can be. The fact is, it takes about eleven to sixteen years to become a doctor. A student would need to complete four to five years of pre-med preparation, four years of medical school, and another three to seven years of residency. It’s safe to say that not everyone is cut out for this particular career path, and the ones who are determined to reach that end goal will have to work tremendously hard to achieve that milestone.
Benjamin Cory Harow is a great example of someone who did not let the stress and workload intimidate him, and found himself as a successful doctor. Harow is currently an Emergency Medicine Specialist at the West Boca Medical Center in North Palm Beach, Florida. He attended medical school at the Stony Brook University School of Medicine and completed his residency at the University of Chicago. Although he currently resides in Florida, Harow also has certifications to practice medicine in Illinois and Massachusetts. To reach his current status, he endured years of stress and pressure to achieve, but was still able to come out the other side. To those who may be caving in on the demands that medical school has to bring, Dr. Harow is an ideal person to look to for inspiration.
There are many common stressors that make students feel overwhelmed during their time in school. Benjamin Cory Harow agrees that the competition in the medical field is very tough, and because of that students work to the bone to try and stand out on their resume. Below is a list of some common stressors that students face:
- Lack of Sleep
It is a difficult task to try and keep up with the amount of work students receive in each of their classes. Particularly during finals week, students can severely deprioritize sleep in order to prepare for the end of term exams. Lack of sleep deteriorates their ability to focus and it makes life in school that much harder.
- Financial Stress
While students attempt to prevail during their years in medical school, the stress of student debt and financial insecurity weighs heavily on them. The pressure to find a job right after graduation intensifies and causes students to feel completely overwhelmed.
- Social Life Balance
Diving head first into four years at medical school means people have to put their personal relationships with family and friends on the back burner. This can cause enormous amounts of stress even though students are not purposely trying to distance themselves. It takes time to learn how to have a healthy balance of school and a social life.
Those possible stressors, however, should not discourage people from pursuing a career in the medical field. No matter what major they are in, all students experience deep levels of stress, and there are many techniques they can use to help cope. Eating healthy and making time for exercise is extremely beneficial to students overall well being. It can help release tension in a productive way and will let students take a break from studying for a little bit. Another strategy is participating in study groups. If one student does not understand a concept in a certain class, chances are many other students are confused as well. Part taking in a study group allows students to realize that they are not alone and should not feel ashamed to ask for help. With these tips in mind, medical school is geared to help students succeed, and with enough time and dedication, students may one day be able to achieve the same accomplishments as Dr. Harow and live on to be a doctor.