Why I Chose Medicine Over Physio
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ต.ค. 2024
- On this episode of The Tess Files I'll be answering one of the most common questions I've been asked lately: why I chose to change careers from a physiotherapist to a medical student (and future doctor). SPOILER ALERT: I didn't.
As always, comment below with your thoughts and feelings about the video, I'm very excited to chat to all of you!
Follow my daily med student musings and melt downs on Instagram @thetessfilesblog
Hit up my blog thetessfiles.com if you prefer written blogs and/or are interested in more of my med school and physio content.
Music Credits: bensound.com
Camera: Cannon G7x
Software: Adobe Premier Pro
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Please don’t forget your physio roots! Traditional medicine needs it! Personally, I withdrew from medical school to pursue physical therapy. I liked the 6-8 weeks of continuity in care and the transformation and stories we get to be a part of. I felt that in traditional medicine so much of the help we provide patients is a diagnosis or a prescription. Which always felt incomplete to me. Of course there’s surgery and life saving interventions, but most of medicine is not that. As physios we get to address a problem thoroughly and watch the patients improve before our eyes.
As a physio student trying to get transfer into medicine, this video has clearly distinguished both professions and has reinforced my motivation to both become a doctor as well as utilise my knowledge of physiotherapeutic treatment to maximise the level of care I deliver to my patients. Thank you so much Tess!!!
How hard is it compared to a level biology
I am a Physiotherapist too atm but I finish Medical School in May/June 2025. I am over the Moon. I love medicine so far ♡
Thankyou for this!!! I am currently 22 and am in a really weird stage. During high school I was the same- I loved the idea of medicine but also considered physio, pharmacy and nursing. Part of me kept those options open for the work/wife balance aspect, but also because I was terrified of not being accepted into medicine and as someone who worked so hard, the thought was debilitating. I graduated school with a 99 atar, however didnt get into medicine because my UMAT was really bad in one of the sections.
So- I went into a biomedical science and planned to apply for graduate entry medicine in my 3rd year of uni. However that didn't happen. Somehow I scored a full time job in medical research and have been working in the academic field for 2 years, which will ultimately lead me down the PhD path.
However I can't turn my desire to want to go into medicine off. At the moment I am preparing to sit the GAMSAT for the first time and am definitely suffering imposter syndrome. Because I've been rejected before theres a big part of me that believes that I'm simply not cut out for medicine.
I love hearing stories from people like you who have had career changes or had a less 'typical' pathway into medicine.
Your physio background is going to be invaluable on your placements! Please keep making videos!
Hi Sarah, thank-you so much for your comment and for telling your story! I definitely know how you feel when it comes to imposter syndrome and questioning yourself when it comes to the GAMSAT. A big lesson that I have learned along my journey so far is that if you really want something, it will keep coming back to haunt you until you pursue it! haha - it sounds like a career in medicine is something that you're really passionate about and so I would encourage you to trust your instincts and work as hard as you can, and I'm sure it will all pay off! Good-luck with your GAMSAT prep, I really hope it goes well x
I'm also changing careers but want to combine my previous degrees with Physio. I was at a stage where I was very interested in doing medicine but decided to stick with Physio cause I'm not very interested in prescribing medicines. I find studying the human body very fascinating and learning about diseases and conditions so I think I can do that in Physio too. I'll be doing a work placement as allied health assistant next month so that should confirm my decision. I only experienced Physiotherapy in Croatia and loved how it was such a dynamic and active job, manipulating the human body, etc...love how it's so hands on. I wonder what it's like to be a Physio in Australia though....well I'll find out very soon but would love to hear your perspective too.
Hi Nadege! Oh that sounds like a great career change - physio is such a rewarding profession and provides a lot of patient interaction and contact as well. I have no doubt that you'll enjoy it! I'm hoping to do more 'day in the life of a physio' videos soon when I get a bit more time, so hopefully that will give you a bit more of an insight into what physio is like in Australia :)
Hi! I'm an Occupational Therapist in the same boat! Cannot thank you enough for all your videos x
Oh I love this! That's so great to hear, good-luck on your med school journey :)
Hey girl! Thanks for sharing your experiences! I am currently in my third year of Physio but dreaming of doing post grad med. And much like you I still love physio but I feel medicine is more my calling. I'm planning to sit gamsat in March 2020. I struggle a lot with feeling like the four years of my physio degree will be wasted though! I feel almost guilty for giving up such a great career. Do you think that in interviews you're looked upon more favourably having a physio degree as you have experience with patients/clinical reasoning etc? And any tips on things I should do in the last year of my degree (I'll be doing an honours project) to set myself up for my best chance of med entry? I struggle a lot with feeling as though I'm intelligent enough. Would appreciate your input! - Caroline
Hey! Why do you say you feel like it’ll be a waste studying Physio? I’m actually in med school and lowkey struggling haha so was looking at Physio as an alternative
Hi Tess, thanks for sharing your story, was very inspiring. Am curious about how you addressed your lack of confidence issue to the admissions team and did you talk about it in your personal statement?
Hi,
I finished Year 12 in May 2020 and I'm looking into doing physiotherapy/medicine in my future career. Honestly your video was kind of concerning for me because I was thinking of applying to physiotherapy over medicine recently, due to the "work-life balance" that you mentioned wanting as a 17-year-old (and that I do want right now as an 18-year-old, please tell me if this is a stupid thing to want in my career lmfao) and because I've really developed a passion for sport in the past 2 years.
If it's not too personal, can I ask you a few things about your decision?
1) You were sold on the idea of a "work-life balance" when you were deciding to apply to physio, so is this something that you are no longer sold on/don't anticipate having and/or wanting in medicine now?
2) How did you know that you wanted to do more with patients rather than just physio? Was it just like a gut instinct or something else?
3) What did it feel like to not have the confidence to pursue medicine further until recently? And how did you differentiate that from not wanting to practise medicine?
Thank you so much for your input in advance!
Hi Tess! I see you replied to other comments.. hopefully you'll reply to this one. Thank you very much for your videos! I'm a first year physio student and Im kinda confused as to which career between medicine and physio should i go for. thing is, I didn't get my Medicine this year, so I studied Physio. The modules are amazing and just challenging and fascinating enough I'm even more confused now. I mean, I've already applied for Medicine in all our medical schools in South Africa and I think of the money Ive invested into getting accepted for Medicine next year, so quitting on it to me looks like a bad idea. At some point, your DAY IN THE LIFE OF A PHYSIO made me wanna stick with my Physio, but you transitioned man! So medicine haunted you. If the same thing happened to you, it might probably to me too and I dont wanna find myself starting afresh later in the life. I'm 18 years old and i really hope you have a bit of advice for me as how to get over this confusion and stick to one career
I left medicine to pursue physical therapy. With a good understanding of both I don’t think I’ll have the problem of feeling “haunted” by the alternative career choice. My advice to you is thoroughly expose yourself to each if you haven’t. Explore what style of care is more in line with who you want to be.
@@steezmonster92 Thanks a lot... I'll do just that
@@steezmonster92
Hey David
Curious as to why U left medicine? And what drew you to PT? Cheers
Hey Tess.Really proud of you 😀.
I am a Physio aiming to study MD.
May I ask you If you skipped any years of Medicine due to yoir exsiting Bsc in Physiotherapy? Did u still have to take the UK Cat exam type exam?
Many thanks.
I wish you good luck in your studies.
God blesa u 🙏
Hi! Oh my days I am so happy i found your channel!! Im studying in the UK doing my ALevels in Biology Chemistry and Psychology, originally with the dream of doing Medicine. I really dont have a high self esteem and thought I wasn't good enough for medicine so i have applied to physio and two uni's have given me offers. If you could go back and you were in my situation - would you take a gap year off to do Medicine or would you still have done physio and post-grad medicine??
I have just done this exact same thing. I always had my heart set on becoming a doctor but had a huge confidence crash as I wasn't enjoying chemistry & was convinced I'd never be good enough for medicine. I ended up applying for physio & got into all my choices but I have some doubts & worry if I have made the right decision. I have post grad medicine firmly in the back of my mind.
@@hannahpenney4232 i'm currently applying to UCAS and idk whether i should do physio or medicine cuz like i enjoy both of them! but i just think that i'm not good enough for medicine, do you think i should go for the UCAT test in summer?
JOSEPHINE I’d definitely do the UCAT - it will keep your options open. I regret not giving it ago, it needs a lot of preparation though so make sure to practice plenty beforehand! X
JOSEPHINE hi !! My comment was ages ago now and I’ve just completed my first year of physio. I love it!!!
It’s much more medical than you think, and I was really challenged this year so you still gotta work hard. Good thing is it’s only 3 years, you have a secure job at the end and post grad is always an option xx
JOSEPHINE I tried to study for the UKCAT but at the time it was too much for me to handle with my alevels - give it a go but you can always cancel if you find it’s not for you. If I was to go back now, I would’ve still gone for physio, if you’re doubting yourself I took that as a sign that I’m not ready for medicine (YET) and always take care of yourself, listen to your heart and plan it out in case you change your mind. You can’t regret physio because you will have a well paid, rewarding job with the option of going to med in the future. I hope this helps😘
IMO its not a sidestep its a natural progression.
Hi Tessa. Thank you very much for the video! I am considering to change my career from teaching to physio. I got accepted to a physio degree and I look forward to studying it. But being in my mid-30s, I am somewhat concerned about being a mature age student and entering the career later than others. In your experience, have you encountered cases like mine among your physio peers/colleagues? Many thanks
it's quite common to see at certain universities.
How many hours do you think you can work as a medical student? Curious what your perspective is 😊
I'm currently working 8 hours per week, which has been very achievable and I've been really enjoying the break from study! I think it probably varies for everyone though and depends on the nature of the work (eg: shift work, number of shifts, etc)!
Another physio going into medicine here, fingers crossed.
Your Aussie accent is delectable
Run far and fast from physio. It is outdated, stale and gets old very fast. The attrition rate is extremely high, and average age significantly younger than medicine. EBP is a joke. The most over-hyped, far too expensive education in healthcare for graduates who are indebted, over-credentialed and under-skilled. My 2 cents.