8 Things To Expect After Quitting Housemanship (Or ANY Medical Career)

Being a doctor is perceived as a prestigious and well-respected career. It is the dream of every (or most) parents for their child to become a doctor, and it is the dream of every child to make their parents happy.

So when someone decides to leave their medical career, it is almost seen as a disgrace, not only to the family, but to the medical fraternity as well.

I remember one time when I was having coffee with a friend, and she told me that she just left housemanship. As we chatted, suddenly she came closer to me, lowered her voice into a whisper and said, “Don’t tell anyone about this, okay?” She wants to keep it lowkey, she explained.

As if it’s a taboo to speak about it in public. As if it’s something to be ashamed of. I was baffled.

I guess being open about quitting housemanship is terrifying — you don’t what to expect.

“What will others say?”

“How will they perceive me?”

“I don’t want them to think I’m a loser.”

If this is you, then here are 8 things you can expect after you quit housemanship (or ANY medical career):

#1 — Feeling lost. Not knowing where to go or what to do.

Pursuing medicine is a huge investment — of our time, energy, attention and money. Our whole lives revolve around medicine, and that is all we will ever know — which is what makes quitting medicine scary. We ask ourselves:

• What else is out there, beyond this medical bubble that I’ve been confined it?
• What can I do with my medical degree, other than being a doctor?
• Who will ever hire me? I don’t have the necessary skills to work in another career.

The vast unknown seems overwhelming.

#2 — Feeling lonely because not many will understand why you quit.

Sometimes, it’s difficult for those who are not in the medical field to understand why we would leave such a reputable career as a doctor. After all, thousands are lining up for this opportunity — why waste it?

On the other hand, our colleagues who are still in medicine knows how hard it is to get this far — and we’re just leaving it all behind.

As a result, you have no choice but to walk the path alone. And at times, it does get a little lonely.

#3 — Being judged and criticised by those around you.

It’s easy to impose our own beliefs onto others. And when someone opposes these beliefs that we hold so dearly, we feel threatened.

When it comes to medicine, the common beliefs today are:

• Medicine is a prestigious field, a privilege and luxury for the few. Don’t waste it.
• Being a doctor is the epitome of success (it doesn’t matter whether you like it or not).
• Quitting medicine means you are weak.
• If you decide not to become a doctor anymore, then you’re selfish.
• Being a doctor is meant to be painful and hard. Suck it up.

So if you think about quitting medicine, be ready to receive judgements, backlash and criticism from those around you, because you are going against the common beliefs of society.

#4 — Seeing people’s bewildered faces when you tell them you’ve just quit medicine.

Imagine loud gasps, bulging eyes and jaws dropping, just like this expression:

👁️👄👁️

(Yeap, close enough).

#5 — Unsure how to explain to others that you’ve quit medicine (without sounding like a failure).

How do you explain to others that you’ve quit medicine, without having to sound like a failure? Without them having the impression that you’ve made a wrong decision? How do you justify your actions so they know that what you did was right?

Even up to this day, people still question me for quitting. They’d say I’ve wasted years of study.

Here’s the typical conversation:

“Where did you study medicine?”

University of Malaya.

“Wah, you quit ah? So sayang oh! Top university some more!”

cricket silence

“How long you study?”

5 years.

“Aiyo! You waste 5 years like that only ah? You know how many people want to be doctor? Medical school not easy to enter oh.”

You can expect this for yourself too.

#6 — Having low self-esteem. Always comparing yourself to others.

After resigning from housemanship, I had a short stint as a medical intern in a medical law firm.

Every morning in the office, I’d be surrounded by successful lawyers who seemed to have it all figured out, and here I am — just a nobody who recently quit housemanship. I felt small.

It did take some time for me to get over the fact that I am not defined by my career, by what I do for a living, by the title in front of my name, or by the amount of money I make.

Once I’ve accepted myself, acknowledged the decisions I’ve made, and the path I’ve taken, I experienced a sense of freedom that feels empowering.

And you will too.

#7 — Doubting if you’ve made the right choice in quitting.

With all the criticism and judgement from others about you quitting housemanship, on top of the imposter syndrome you may be experiencing, it’s natural to start doubting your decisions: Have I made the right decision? Did I resign too soon?

Or maybe after resigning, you ventured into a new field, but nothing seemed to be going as expected.

Doubt and fear then starts to creep in. Should I turn back? The unknown ahead seems too unbearable to take on.

It’s the classic battle between the head and the heart. We have been raised in a society that glorifies the intellectual mind and disregards the instinctual heart. We think so much with our heads, and less with our hearts. And it’s making us miserable.

The head wants to protect us. The heart wants to experience. And that’s where the conflict arises.

But sometimes, all we have to do is absurdly simple: Just let go and surrender any expectation… Come what may…

…which leads us to last thing that you can expect after quitting housemanship…

#8 — You making it through in the end. Because you always do.

Expect that you’ll make it through — as you always have. Life circumstances and setbacks are inevitable. But if there’s only one thing to takeaway from this post, it’s this: Things will unfold naturally at its own timing. Be patient. Trust the process.

We have been so programmed to force or push things to happen. “We have to achieve this, by this age…we need to make this amount of money, by this year…we need to reach this position, by this quarter”.

And when certain plans don’t turn out the way we want, we get upset and discouraged.

Comparing yourself to others is useless, because everyone’s life journey is unique. Remember: Everyone’s journey is unique, everyone’s pace in life is different. You’re not late. You’re not early. You’re very much on time.

Follow your passions, do the work, but surrender the results. Have faith in what’s to come. And don’t forget to have fun along the way.

So learn to balance between the need to control our circumstances, and letting them unravel naturally. Follow your passions, and have faith for what’s to come. Trust in divine timing. Do the work, but surrender the results. And don’t forget to have fun along the way.

Because life is an adventure. And a beautiful one, too.

You’ll make it through, as you always have.

I’m rooting for you.

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