Is Medicine Right for You?

Need personalised guidance?

Our Trajectory Consultations are designed to help you navigate the medical school admissions process with confidence. Whether you need help with your UCAT/GAMSAT preparation, personal statement, or interview skills, our team of experienced medical students is here to help.

Book a Consultation

Section 2: Is Medicine Right for You?

Before diving into applications, it’s crucial to reflect on why you want to pursue medicine and whether it’s the right fit for your goals and personality. Medical training is long and demanding, so understanding your motivations will help sustain you through the journey. Ask yourself: Am I passionate about caring for others? Do I have a genuine interest in science and how the human body works? Am I prepared for a lifetime of learning and personal sacrifice? Honest answers to these questions will guide your decision. Remember, the role of a doctor is not just a job, it’s often described as a vocation that requires compassion, resilience, and commitment.

What non-academic attributes make a good doctor? Studies and admissions panels consistently cite qualities such as empathy, communication skills, ethical integrity, teamwork, problem-solving ability, and resilience¹. Doctors interact with people at their most vulnerable, so being able to listen and show understanding is paramount. Honesty and the ability to recognise one’s limitations are also valued traits. No doctor works alone, and great physicians know when to seek help or consult colleagues². Additionally, consider your ability to handle stress and workload. Medical school and practice can be high-pressure; good time-management and emotional resilience will be essential.

It’s also important to have realistic expectations. A career in medicine can be incredibly rewarding – you have the chance to heal and make a direct impact on people’s lives – but it comes with challenges. Training to become a doctor is a long haul: in Australia, a medical degree is just the first step. After completing university, graduates undergo a supervised internship (usually 1 year) and then one or more years of residency, where you work in hospitals under guidance³. Even after obtaining general registration, many choose to enter speciality training programs e.g. to become a surgeon, physician, or general practitioner (yes, GPs are a specialty on their own, I personally didn't know this and thought GP was the default doctor you became after medical school). This can take an additional 3-7 years or more depending on the field, although you are getting paid for these years. In total, you may be looking at a decade or more of training after high school before you are an independent specialist. This is not meant to deter you, but to underline the level of commitment involved in a medical career.

Reflect on the lifestyle and responsibilities that doctors have. The profession often demands irregular hours. Night shifts, weekends, and being on-call are common, especially in the early career stages. Lifelong learning is part of the job; even senior doctors must keep up with new medical research, treatments, and continuous professional development. If you thrive on learning new things and are passionate about improving patients’ lives, these challenges can be deeply fulfilling. On the other hand, if the thought of continuous study or dealing with life-and-death situations on a daily basis causes undue anxiety, it’s important to consider whether another path in healthcare might be more suitable.

Finally, explore medical career paths and alternatives. Talk to doctors or medical students⁴ about what their day-to-day life is like. Understand that medicine itself has diverse roles from clinical practice (like working as a surgeon, paediatrician, or psychiatrist) to research, public health, or medical education. Many find their niche after exposure to different areas during training. Also be aware of allied health careers (such as nursing, physiotherapy, pharmacy, physician associate, etc.) which also play crucial roles in patient care. By doing this self-reflection and research up front, you’ll enter the application process with clearer purpose and confidence that medicine is truly right for you.