can we be doctors? | ADHD Information
[QUOTE=LosTinSeattLe]i want to got go to medical school but i am deathly worried. i fear halfway through i will get bored and drop out. i fear my mind will wander during the time it shouldnt and i completely screw something up. i know what i am capable of, but i fear my mind will slip. and then theres the thing about the someone finding out and firing me because of "inadequate work performance' when i know deep inside it because they found out i have adhd...[/QUOTE]Can an ADDer become a doctor? God I hope so, otherwise I'm screwed
I'm about to finish my second year of medical school. I've gotten two years under my belt and I'm still deathly worried! So if you want to do it, just go for it.
It's no walk in the park though, and I often wonder if I made the right decision, but I've come this far so there's no turning back now!
One thing that I think is true is that for somebody with ADD/ADHD to be successful in medical school they probably need to be a little smarter than the average student. Basically it comes down to being able to compensate for your shortcomings. I'm almost completely incapable of studying. I just sit with my books for hours and stare into space, obsess over things, read the same sentences over and over. Luckily I can generally understand the concepts without having to spend too much time on it, and I'm pretty good at thinking through a problem and coming to the correct conclusion even if I haven't memorized all the little details.
I envy my friends who can just sit down and start studying, and then remember what they just read. I have friends who actually LIKE to sit down with their books and study. Not being able to study is stressful as hell, because I feel like I would know so much more if I could just concentrate. It is hard, and often discouraging.
However, right now my biggest fear is that I will go all the way through school, get my MD, and then decide that I don't want to be a doctor. I've never really stuck to one thing for very long before (changed majors three times in college, and now on my second career).
As for being an ADD doc; there are so many fields in medicine that you can find a niche that will let you use your strengths.
I know that I probably shouldn't be in Surgery or Emergency, but something like Neurology I know I would be great at because there is time to think and if I zoned out for a second people wouldn't drop dead
My dad is probably just as ADD as me and has been a successful Family Practice doctor for 25 years.
The main point here is that despite all this I'm DOING it, a lot of people with many different strengths and weaknesses do it.
If you want it, go for it. Don't let the fear rule your life.
[QUOTE=bugzappers]Sure you can do anything, but can you really HANDLE EVERYTHING? for most the answer is no.
[/QUOTE]
That's why you hire good nurses
On the other hand, there are different kinds of doctors. Some have greater flexibility than others.
It probably depends how inattentive you are.
If I was a surgeon I'd be a murderer
I wouldn't think that being in such a ultimate position of dr is a very good decision. Police, other professions are not such hot ideas either.
Look, this is an imbalance and that can cause some irrational behavior, and siezures. I would not think that being the top dog in the arena is all so great.
Maybe if we had partners to watch and work with us, we could do something like that, but I would advise against it. Sure you can do anything, but can you really HANDLE EVERYTHING? for most the answer is no.
We are good at delegating responsibility, but taking ultimate responsibility is probably bad.
Your going to know the best for you, and since your asking already, I would say no.
I am not trying to hurt your feelings, just trying to make you aware that there are limits.
I believe that ultimately no door is closed to us. It's just a matter of finding new ways to get around old obstacles.i want to got go to medical school but i am deathly worried. i fear halfway through i will get bored and drop out. i fear my mind will wander during the time it shouldnt and i completely screw something up. i know what i am capable of, but i fear my mind will slip. and then theres the thing about the someone finding out and firing me because of "inadequate work performance' when i know deep inside it because they found out i have adhd...I remember seeing an x-ray somewhere of a huge scalpel left in someones abdomen. I think an ADD'r could fake it for long enough to get through medical school, but sooner or later...
I think a lot of doctors have ADD.
I swear my neurophsychiatrist has ADHD, we would be talking and mid sentence he would just get up and walk out of the room, and ask me the same question he asked. I work in the Emergency Department and every single one of the doctors there have ADD!!!!
bugzappers
I am not trying to hurt your feelings, just trying to make you aware that there are limits.
Thank you for saying that. i just love love love when someone says, "im not trying to hurt your feelings but...."
botmib
sorry for the screaming font. damn you're in medical school??! cool. thanks for the support.
yea i figured i shouldnt be in ER or a surg. i envision myslef in my room at a desk (wiht a computer of course) and seeing my patients (children). my office will have toys and posters and not 4 white walls. BOOOooring!!! 
but who knows, i might find a better idea. oh and i also fear i will change my mind. i pray not.
so whats it like? is first year biochem really as difficult at they say? what is difficult anyways? studying is difficult, but i understand things right away and more clearly than most. do you study 16 hours a day? do you like people u go to school wiht? do u know other adhd med students or docs? how do u find time for other things? sorry im a: have-to-know-it-all-wont-settle-for-less. i was gonna go into nursing, but i didnt feel like doing all the crap they do. no offense to anyone thats a nurse, i commend u. (*standing ovation*)
so whats it like? is first year biochem really as difficult at they say?Biochem is tough, but for me Microbiology was by far the hardest because it is all rote memorization which I am terrible at. Biochem is more conceptual.
what is difficult anyways? studying is difficult, but i understand things right away and more clearly than most. do you study 16 hours a day?
Ha! I doubt if I ever got 16 hours a week of actual studying done. Some people do study 6-8 hours a day, but that's just not possible for me. If you can understand the concepts easily then it's just suffering through the memorizing. My inability to sit down and memorize is why I got a C+ in Micro, but I got A's in the subjects where it takes more thinking and less regurgitation of facts. That's what matters anyway; the concepts. Yeah facts are important, but you can always look up some little detail you can't remember, if you can't get how it all fits together then things are a little tougher.
do you like people u go to school wiht?
Yes. I've met some really good friends in school.
do u know other adhd med students or docs?
My Dad (family practice). Don't know about other students.
how do u find time for other things?
There are other things?
Really, though, it's about prioritizing and time management (which I'm absolutely terrible at). Some people can get all their studying done and have time for all kinds of other stuff. That's not even close to my life though. I think time runs at a different speed for me than it does for those people.
If you are anything like me you'll get out of class at three, study for two hours and then wonder how it got to be midnight!
sorry im a: have-to-know-it-all-wont-settle-for-less. i was gonna go into nursing, but i didnt feel like doing all the crap they do. no offense to anyone thats a nurse, i commend u. (*standing ovation*)
I feel like Nursing would almost be LESS friendly for an ADD person. In my experience so far the nurses are the ones making sure the doctors know what's going on. The other day we were with a doc and he's constantly calling his nurse from down the hall "hey where's this?", "did Mr Jones have such and such done?", "where is so-and-so's lab results?".
He focused on the patient's problem and treating it, and the nurse made sure everthing was in order. Keeping things in order is not the job for me!
Hope this was any help for you. Good Luck!
If you are anything like me you'll get out of class at three, study for two hours and then wonder how it got to be midnight!
i can totally relate. i have a tendency to do this too: sometimes after dinner, i attempt to read a chapter and get three pages done (and two of those pages are 75% pictures) before someone then rudely walks into my room and says "damn did u sleep at all last night? its time to go to school!"
There's lots and lots of variety
A pilot, a waitress, a prodigy
all of em livin with ADD
look into your heart,
that's the best way to start.
you know how you're dumb and you know how your smart.
(unless you don't, and there's the problem)
Miss Frizzle38659.466099537There are also different degrees of ADD/HD. from the very mild to the very severe.... Unfortunatly, I fall under the later. AND IT REALLY SUCKS
I would not want to be cause I want to be able to know the causes not treat symptoms. My Grandpa has ADD. He is a doctor. All of the kids love him. He is great and he is always runnign around.
[QUOTE=floofthegoof]I remember seeing an x-ray somewhere of a huge scalpel left in someones abdomen. I think an ADD'r could fake it for long enough to get through medical school, but sooner or later...[/QUOTE]I saw that same x-ray!(or maybe a different one!)
But I heard that "Left Behind" medical cloths are worse than "Left Behind" scalpels, because the cloths breed FLESH EATING BACTERIA! and don't cause pain til there is a big problem!!!!
That is why it is important for docs and nurses to know how to count, and to apply their knowledge of counting consistently and accurately!
OR ELSE!
doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo (T.Z. jingle)
man --- i would so kill someone. i just can't trust myself.
a gp maybe but a surgeon ---- hahahaha 'oops it said the LEFT arm, omg...'
'where'd that damn thing go? nurse un-sew him. (2 hours later) oh! here it is i must have put it in my pocket without noticing...'
Lost,
Most of my closest friends are doctors, and from what I've observed from the outside, you should GO FOR IT, but choose your specialty carefully.
It seems that, if you are the type of ADDer who likes to brainstorm, think outside the box, and take some time to consider all the options carefully, try medicine, pathology or medical examination.
If your brain seems to "click on" in a crisis, consider emergency, emergency peds/neo-natal (kids apparently crash quickly, for no apparent reason), or ob/gyn.
Medical school will be difficult, but not impossible. You should base your decision on your CAREER, not medical school (with the right support system, medical school should accomodate the ADD. You will be able to find the proper support in med school, but not necessarily in residency or the rest of your career). Don't be bashful about your difficulties with ADD. In your investigation, talk to doctors in all these fields, shadow them for a day or two. Don't hesitate to ask for more information about specialties, because it will be more difficult for you to change later than it is now to be bold enough to ask for help. In essence, find out what life will be like on a day-to-day basis. Of all professions, the medical profession seems to me to be the least open to the change, flexibilty, etc. that ADDers need in order to not be booted out. It's VERY parochial, very stoggie, very "set in its ways." I'm saying that not to discourage you, but to encourage you to do as much up-front investigation as possible.
I would suggest that you avoid nursing-- it seems to be very much about the details and less about the creative, outside the box thinking that ADDers thrive on.
I voted that we can...my daughter wants to be one and she is very ADD...with the depression and the anxiety...