If I would want to become a neonatologist?

Want to become a doctor but I don't think I'm smart enough?

• Okay I'm not going to go into details, because there's heaaps to go on about. But basically I'm a 16 year old guy in high school who wants to become a doctor OR nurse. But since I'm a guy who is pretty smart and capable of getting good grades, I want to be a doctor. These days getting into a bachelor of medicine and surgery degree is incredibly competitive though, you don't just need to be "smart", you need to be the best. You need to be smarter and better than everyone else applying at the university. And I'm by no means the best.. my subjects aren't suited for becoming a doctor, my grades will be average. And it isn't just about being smart, it's also about being committed - it takes 8-9 years of hard study at university, and then another 4+ years of internship and residency to become a doctor. You need to be one of the smartest students in the state, and you need to be prepared to dedicate your life to the career. And I'm not either of those.. I would love being a doctor, but I don't think I'm good enough. Whereas nursing is much easier to get into, as it only requires 4 years of study and much less competition in terms of grades. And I'd love being a nurse as well - I've even considered being a paramedic - I want any career to do with medicine and helping people. But if I become a nurse instead of trying to become a doctor, I'll be thinking, "what if" my whole life. But if I try to become a doctor and fail, and end up being stuck as a nurse or some other profession (teacher?) for the rest of my life, I'll feel like a failure. Maybe I'm being too hard on myself, maybe I should lower my standards, maybe I should stop worrying about careers because I'm only 16, but I can't stop? I want to be doing something that I love, not something that I hate. That's the educational side of things, next is the social side. My parents encourage me to become a doctor, and if I choose to be a nurse instead I'll feel like I'm letting them down. And if I become a male nurse, my friends will annoy the hell out of me. And I don't want to grow up and have people ask, "oh you're a nurse. Why didn't you become a doctor?", because the answer will be, "I tried to get into medical school and failed because I'm not smart enough". This probably all sounds like ranting, but I hope it makes sense. If you've read all this, do you have any advice on what I should do? Should I do nursing work experience, talk to schools career advisers about which career is best, talk to parents? Any advice on being a male nurse if you are one or know one? Please help! Thanks.

• Answer:

  Male nurses are not uncommon nowadays. In fact, I know more men who are studying to become nurses right now than women. Every hospital wants a few male nurses on staff because of their upper body strength, so you will very easily find a job if you decide to go into this. I think you should try to live your dreams - major in something like biochemistry/pre-med and do what you can to become a doctor. As long as you can get strong grades, volunteer work, test scores, and references, you certainly can get into medical school. Talk to the academic advisers at the college you decide to go to, and they will help you to plan your future. Until then, try to get as much experience in nursing or volunteer work at a hospital as you possibly can.