To feel a calling to retrain to become a nurse or doctor

[belongin]

I'm in my late 20s and work in sales in the pharmaceutical industry. Ever since I was a teenager doing my a-levels I've felt this longing to become a doctor. I always brushed it off and thought I'm not clever enough or outgoing/confident enough for it. The desire has followed me ever since, and every few months it comes up and I just feel like I belong in the medical field. I've worked in the NHS in the labs before and enjoyed being in the NHS and the team work aspect and found the work highly rewarding but I found the lab work monotonous. Now I'm in pharmaceutical sales and I feel like it's interesting and I get to interact with some of the top specialist doctors in the world but it's not close enough to the patient, and more commercial than I would like. I recently had day surgery and spent most of the time just watching the nurses and doctors, and I just felt like I belonged there in that kind of working environment. By nature I'm a very empathetic and caring person, but can be quiet.

I rent but I'm single with no children so I don't have any responsibilities to think about. I have some savings.

WIBU to consider this?

Yabu unless you have done some patient facing work experience. Try and get a volunteer job in hospice or hospital. Or HCA work. Doctoring and nursing is not quite what most people think! You spend a lot of time with general public rather than the professional people you work with now

Honestly, you’re nuts. Nurse of over 25 years here. Anyone who tells me they are thinking of training as a nurse I tell them to think again and come up with something else. I have many amazing friends who do incredibly work, but they are all tired and disillusioned.
DP of over 20 years is a specialist surgical consultant. His job is shit. He’s never not being contacted about things. Patients, team problems, endless, pointless bullshit. Every day. Endlessly. It’s all shit. On all fronts. Neither of us can barely count the days until we retire. Sorry.

Gosh OP I think you may be one of the few who could actually really enjoy medicine. Hopefully as a mature graduate you’d be tough and savvy enough to walk away from any really crappy work conditions and only work where you want to work.

Many medics in their early twenties are too intimidated to speak up or drive their own pathways and by the time they reach their 40s they’re burned out. Such a pity.

There are some great hospitals and GP practices and some medics who adore what they do despite the huge work and study load. The trick is to go into it with your eyes wide open and don’t fall for the But it’s a Vocation mantra as you will just get walked on and have other people’s work thrown on you.

Graduate medicine is 4 years, but very competitive to get into

Do you want to stay in the UK? Most newly qualified doctors are heading for Australia within the first few years.............

100% also hospital doctor.