Her Dr! I was shocked to see a reaction to our video hahah. Thanks for doing this so respectfully and adding valuable insight. It's obviously so important to weigh out all your options before making a huge decision such as this. SO to clear things up and make it brief: we have had other business/ more stable long term opportunities pop up as of late.. that is what my husband is going all in on. :) He would not be happy NOT working hard and providing for us and our 2 children. I think overall- his decision stemmed from a gut feeling that it wasn't right, a lack of passion, and a realization that a change in course isn't something to be ashamed of. Happy Thanksgiving- and thanks again for not making this a bash video hahah!!

I retired from a 40-year career (including 3 years of residency) in Family Medicine almost 3 years ago. Medical school was really hard for me. I was married throughout med school and my wife provided me with a lot of love and stability which really helped me. Even our arguments at times could be a welcome distraction. When we speak now of med school and residency, I always say "when we were in med school" and "when we were in residency." I don't believe I could have ever done it without her. My son also went to med school and is now a family doc for the Navajo Nation. I remember him calling me sometime after New Year of his first year of med school and telling me, "In college, we covered in a month the amount of material that we covered in a marking period in high school, but in med school, we cover the amount of material each week that we covered in a semester in college." He was a little shocked by this as was I back in the 1970s. I tried to warn him, but it's what he wanted. There is not only a massive amount to learn, and I mean a mind-boggling amount, but you are confronted with all sorts of things about yourself as a human being as well as discovering the fragility and temporary nature of life. Your knowledge and self-esteem are on the line all day every day (and not infrequently all night) as you go through the clinical rotations. I was 21 years old when I started med school and the guy I most admired in my class was in his mid 30's. He was unshakable and always calm, fully in charge, and always, as the British say, "sorted out." He was an inspiration to me and I tried to model his behavior. It was very difficult for me and I was never even 25% as put together as he was. I found out that med school for him was a mid-career change. He was in the Navy and previously had been an executive office on a destroyer. He'd seen a lot of pretty tense stuff before so he had a more balanced perspective than I did at the time. I remember going to my pathology professor after one particularly long, brutal, and seemingly impossible to know everything test to complain. He said, "Allen, you don't need to know everything (he seemingly did, though), you just need to survive the process as best you can and maintain your sanity." WTF!!!!???? So it was a survival contest. I was helped, too, by my fellow students, some very kind, but exacting interns, residents, fellows, and attendings who I wanted to emulate. Also helping me were the nasty, cruel, mean, and denigrating residents, fellows, and attendings. I learned from them how not to treat patients, colleagues, and other members of the health care team. I'm so glad I stuck it out through so many ups and downs, challenges, tears, heartaches, worry, and moments of aching and crushing self-doubt. I had a wonderful and challenging career. I believe I did some good in this world. My marriage survived and thrived. Looking back I was privileged and proud to be able to become an M.D. and a Board Certified family doctor. I was honored to be trusted by so many thousands of people with the most personal things at some of the very best and worst times of their lives. I would not change a thing and I would never, ever do it again.

Speaking as someone who “stuck it out” as long as I could before my mental health plummeted, I completely understand and respect this guys decision. I entered medicine for the wrong reasons and buried any second thoughts and wrote off every “do I wanna do this ?” Question as imposter syndrome . Along the way I tried to find the aspects that I enjoyed but they were few and far between. The problem was that I was so wrapped up in this “plan” that I was almost on autopilot. Once I stopped BSing and started being honest with myself , I realized that I didn’t enjoy medicine . In fact , I legitimately disliked it. Fundamentally at my core , I did not want to be a provider. Ive learned this over the last 6 months , and although I have many interests , I still have no clue what I wanna do . I’m still trying to figure it out but I’m learning that it’s ok to not have every detail mapped out . Leaving medicine didn’t feel wrong and I think that’s how I know it truthfully wasn’t right for me.

I retired in 2014 after a 30 year career in infectious diseases. I loved my career, enjoyed it every day, glad that I did it. This posting brought back the major stress all of us felt during MRD school,

Interestingly, most med students or residents who quit medicine and suddenly have a realization that they don't enjoy their job are those who have other more lucrative jobs lined up for them.

Blake is/was my class in med school! We didn't talk a whole lot as our class has about 190 students, but I thought he seemed like a really cool dude! I had no Idea he was famous haha! I respect his honesty! it's a bold move. If more people had the financial freedom to do so more would also quit. Best of luck to Blake and his family!

he is definitely very privileged to be able to quit med school in his third year, he probably wouldn’t if he had debt

He seems like he still isnt comfortable with his decision. I hope that he is genuinely happy with his decision and it doesnt lead to regret. I feel like everyone in med school has days where they just want to quit. Was this just an impulsive choice? I guess the lack of debt makes things alot easier. Also the financial security thanks to his wife makes it so that he doesnt have to work.

People always say it’s worth it at the end, and it really is. It’s a long road but just taking it one rotation at a time can help. There will be highs and lows. And you can lose yourself in the stress of it all, but I think most everyone finds their way back to a level of happiness and pride that you made it through.

he was able to quit despite getting that far BECAUSE he was debt free. if he had loans he would have stuck it out.

I believe he went to Med school in Florida somewhere. I believe he said originally he wanted to go PT route but tried it and said wasn’t for him. He kind of seems like he’s always indecisive and unsure so maybe he hit that point of super stressed and decided he’d had enough. Even in PA school things got super hard but mentally I knew once I started I had to finish, it was a 3 year program.

you got my subscription after you said 'dont be a lurker, be a follower' and realized i've watched 3 videos so far and highly enjoyed each. love these 'med school drop out' videos. i'm a first year med student :)

Depends a lot on the school, but IM is usually in 3rd year. I agree, really late to quit especially when there are so many options available after graduating--although you do generally at least need one year of postgraduate training to be considered for those positions, and those who have completed residency are preferred. I could imagine looking down the barrel of 3-5 years of very hard work you don't feel passionate about and deciding it's not worth it, especially in the absence of loans. A really tough decision--hopefully he made the right choice for himself!

Some of the comments are seriously so uncalled for. First of all no one gets into med school without working hard for it and he probably realized this year that medicine wasn’t for him because he just started clinical years and they are so much more different than preclinical years, so blame the system before you blame him because we don’t actually get to know how actually being a doctor is until 3/4th year and that’s when most students begin to realize wether they like being a doctor or not. Some students hate it but feel stuck since they’re half way through but he actually had the courage to do what most want to do but rather seek others approval and be in a job that they hate for the rest of their lives. I’m a 4th year med student and I’ve seriously been considering dropping out because I feel like I’ve lost passion and it’s been affecting my mental health although I love medicine so I understand why he quit and y’all guilt tripping him by saying that he took someone’s place is stupid because first he earned it and secondly no one can predict the future, if he would of known that he was going to quit before applying I’m sure he wouldn’t have, people grow, circumstances and life changes no one can read into the future and predict what’s going to happen and y’all wonder why there’s so much suicide and burnout in the medical field when that’s the response you give when someone chooses their mental health first.

I'm glad he decided to drop out for his mental health. To the commentors: Nothing is wrong with that. His scores got him his spot and they thought he was deserving. So no he didn't take someone else's spot. Whether he went in for the "wrong" reasons or not. It's still a job at the end of the day.

I think a lot more people would quit if they didn't have debt

I subscribed for Dr. Cellini’s humour 😂 the edits kill me

Your list off the top of your head of what you can do with an MD degree besides being hands on as a physician is great. It would make a good separate video on its own as a topic. How many doors would open to you with that degree? I’d like to know. I have to check but I think there was even an astronaut with an MD.

Hi Dr I’m a medical intern. Had that stressful moments such as, one time where I had no desire to do anything and we got an easy admission I was just mentally unhappy that I needed to get out and go for some Starbucks just to mentally take a break. After came back from Starbucks I felt so much better and happier just more productive. While I was doing the daytime admission I realized what my dad was trying to prevent was burnout syndrome by yelling at to eat breakfast and take breaks, so I made document and saying where I’m going but not asking for permission and here a piece of paper write what you want from Starbucks. Burnout Syndrome is real.

I can relate! I kept the poem by Edward Guest entitled "Keep Going" in my wallet. When I felt like quitting it was instrumental in helping me to persist through the tough times while attending college out of state. Awesome video, as always!👌

Another proof why you need to love learning and medicine

In Europe it's a bit different, cause you start med school after high school, takes about 6 years to finish it. The most who quit, they do it in the first two years, after that less likely. Med school doesn't cost nearly as much here as in the US, so that takes a bit of the pressure of, but honestly, so close to the end, I'd have just powered through. So close... it would have opened a lot of possibilities for him, lot of them with long term security. I still don't really understand what exactly made him quit. That said, awesome reaction & radiology rules🤩 can't wait to start my residency there

hahahaha Dr. Cellini stalking was priceless. “Hold on, there has to be a picture somewhere” 🤣 But honestly, that takes courage to do, specially so far into the career. I think the decision may have been different if he would’ve had to consider paying back those loans.. but either way, if he wasn’t passionate about it, I’m glad he realized it and change paths. That being said if you are going into medicine because of the money reaaally think long and hard before applying, and maybe leave those spots for people who really want to be one

I don’t know how my nephew does it. He is about to finish his first year in med school and he is the top student in his class. He absolutely loves school and can’t wait to do his residency in anesthesiology. His stepmother is a physician and she told me she would come home and see him reading anatomy books when he was 12 years old. She gave him lots of advice so by the time he started college he knew medicine was indeed his true calling. He is extremely disciplined and organized with his study schedule and even has time to see his med student girlfriend on Saturday evenings. Well, my brother pays for everything and my nephew is debt free, so I guess it makes the demands of med school much more bearable for him. He is a very lucky kid! He just told me over the weekend that two students that were in his class dropped out because they couldn’t handle the pressure. At least they did it in the first year.

I was also wondering how the debt was playing into his decision. I seriously questioned whether I should continue with medical school in my first year, but since I wasn't sure, I kept going, and the farther I got into medical school and the debt, the less realistic it seemed to quit. Now I am 10 years out of family medicine residency, and I would say I am glad I kept going. I enjoy medicine, but the flexibility it gives to basically work as much as I want to is what makes this profession better than most. Of course I can't say for sure what my life would be like if I had quit, but I have a feeling no matter what I chose to do, I would have struggled with knowing whether it was the right thing for me or not.

Most people, myself included, have had thoughts of quitting medical school at least 4-5 times throughout. 3rd year is especially challenging because you don’t know where you are going for residency and if you haven’t found where you want to go or what type of doctor you want to be then those thoughts only get worse. I’m really glad I kept going because at the end of the day I love my patients and I love medicine, and I’m so so happy that I matched radiology!

For someone like me, who applied twice to get in a few years ago, and is now hoping (looking forward*) to matching this coming Spring...it's hard not to think back about the struggle of getting into medical school and feel annoyed watching someone drop out of medical school. It also shows that a lot of pre-meds are not really aware of the struggle of medical school, so at least this video is helpful in that way.

dude, the medical school debt literally makes me suicidal.... I wish I was so blessed to have that weight lifted. I have to finish or else my family is under water. To be clear, I can't imagine doing anything else, I absolutely love medicine, its just aggravating to see someone so flippant about their priced position in a medical school class.

Blake is probably going through somethings we don't know. If he lacks passion about being a doctor then it is fine... let the man live without judging or assuming.

Personally would've finished as well just to get the degree. The doors of opportunity by just having that piece of paper but glad he chose his mental health over daunting days.

If you are not passionate about joining the healthcare field please do not apply to medical school. This guy took a spot that could of been filled by someone who actually desires to become a doctor for something other than cash flow. I think that him applying to medschool just to quit and not having been passionate about it in the first place is a slap to the face of the people who are passionate. I’m glad this guy chose to quit because he shouldn’t be in medicine if he isn’t passionate about it. I hope people see this as an example and don’t selfishly apply because “it looks like a good job”

Interesting video!! I am finally at the point of residency interviews, and I can't imagine another career path… However, I do have friends that feel regret related to their choice to pursue medicine, but are in "too deep." I wish the selection processes for medical school were more based on experience and passion than grades.. The physicians that I truly admire aren't the "smartest," but the ones with a personality and passion for medicine/their patients every day.. That's what makes this rewarding! My boyfriend actually applied IR! I'll definitely share your channel with him!

It sure isn't for everyone but contextually it may be a good thing!

I’m a first year med student, and I feel like it would be truly difficult to work as hard as med students do, for such an extended amount of time, go through residency and all of that, while living a very lucrative life as an “influencer” and knowing you don’t absolutely need to reach the finish line to have a good life and financial stability.

He definitely did the right thing. I shifted from a law career to medicine and I have no regrets.

“Why can’t people donate to me?” 😂😂

I respect him for putting in a good faith effort, and shooting for the stars in hopes of becoming a physician. However, in order to “go for the money”, you likely need to be quite brilliant to overcome the rigors without passion guiding your way.

How many people started med school in your class and managed to “survive” the entire time til graduation. 90% or less?

I would like to share my experience. I am going to start my 4th year, already pass my step 1 and soon taking step 2. There are a lot of times were I honestly question myself were I am. Is a very demanding specialty in which sometimes you dont have time to assist to a medical appointment, visit family members or do personal things because when you finish with clinical hours and classes everything is closed. I feel in my part as well there have been a lot of struggles. I am in a LCME accredited school. During my medical years I have experienced a Hurricane category 4, earthquakes and also this covid pandemic. I had to move from my apartment due to the earthquake, also the whole theoretical teaching strategy change due to covid. There was a time were everything paralyzed and when it once continued it was insane all the test that we were supposed to take in so short time. In clinical years, there are a lot of physician during rotations that do not inspire at all students and evaluate without being objective. Some base their evaluation if they like you and dont show respect towards hospital nurse or employees, and lack of professionalism and sensibility. It happened similar to me that I didnt enjoyed most of my rotations in third year. I would say that until now the most liked have been internal medicine. I believe that one of my problems is that I dont talk these things and the accumulation of stressful experiences have affected me. If other people have felt this way, please comment your experiences and mention what approaches or resources implemented have helped. Thank you!

I would have thought it would be worthwhile just to get the MD and then go work for Industry etc. I have had medical friends who leave once they get the degree but it gives them better job prospects than without it. At the very least I would have thought it would have been worth discussing with the school to take a year leave and then come back to it after a break.

Medical school is hell even if you are passionate about it. I can’t imagine how bad it must be if you don’t want to be there

I think this is a pretty tough call! Only the person going through it can know what is best for them. I agree that from the outside it seems like why not tough it out one more year and just get the degree. But, there's also the sunk cost fallacy, and if he knows he doesn't want to do it, why keep investing more resources and being miserable. Either way, kudos to them for being open about it and hope it works out for the best.

There is a difference between being indifferent about your job and actually HATING it. Young people nowadays seem to think that if something doesn't make you happy then you are not supposed to be doing it. NEWSFLASH! any job eventually just becomes a job, and most people do NOT love their jobs. Jobs are something you do so you can make money to then pay for things you enjoy. Bad decision on his part, but it would have been worse if he was in debt.

I appreciate the people that take that courage and quit because they have doubts. I surely would not like to be treated by person that feels he/she if trapped/forced to do what they do. I hope the finds something that will fill his life with happiness. He will have debts but as long as he is alive he can make that money through some time and pay off while on other side we have slimed students and even doctors done suicide because they don’t like it anymore.

I respect his decision in dropping out but he was more than half way finished . Should’ve sticked to it and just finish it all off .. he needed more emotional support and guideance before he dropped

Dr Cellini can you speak to why young doctors are preferring to work for hospitals vs participating in private practice? I had this conversation this week with my GP. Big changes in our local hospital that is impacting my oncologist and essentially my care. I’m blessed that in my 11 years of having CML that I haven’t had to seek out a specialist at M D Anderson, but I fear it’s coming.

can you please make a video on what the alternate routes are other than being a clinician once you get that MD?? Im starting my third year... step 1 made me want to quit but I wont lmao. But interested in knowing the options!

I was 8 months into my 2 years clinical nutrition recidency when I quit. (Not in the US) I was just depressed though I couldn't do it anymore. Couldn't sleep, always tired, super thin (so much even my program director noticed). Sometimes you can't deal with the pressure

Hey Dr. C! I'm really liking your reaction videos here lately because I can relate not only to the videos but also to your comments! As one who just finished a doctorate in nurse anesthesia, I can remember having many days of panic and just wanting to crawl under my desk and hide! haha :) To help myself I developed a stress management program both for me and for my classmates to help deal with the stress of graduate school and I'd be happy to share some of the resources I found.

Suicide rates for Doctors are higher than average. I can see his point once he started stressing out.

I love your reaction videos, I learn a lot from them! I'd love it if you kept doing them.

I’m a current M2 in the long MD/PhD journey. M2 has been rough to say the least. With so many years ahead of me it’s hard to stay motivated. It’s like, oh, only 6 more years!! Lol. Med-tubers like you help keep me thinking big picture. This too shall pass!

He is going to regret this decision. He should've at least gotten his M.D. I don't think this video is good for people on the verge of quitting.

This couples are so nice and it's sad to leave med school . Great video reaction 👏👏

I completely agree. I can see first year or even second year med students quitting. But 3rd year. You are more than half way towards the end. For the most part, the worse parts of medical school is over. 3rd and 4th year are mainly 1 month rotations in different specialties. If you hate one rotation, its not forever, you'll be moving on in 3 weeks. Worse part of 3rd and 4th year is applying for residency. But I agree with Cellini, dont apply for residency and get the degree and do something else with it. -Anesthesiologist.

“I had creeping thoughts ‘so you really want to do this for the rest of your life?’” Homie every med student thinks that when it gets tough. Would’ve loved to see him finish it out, but your health comes first.

I don't even remotely care whether you shave or not but keep making such videos which bring experiences from different dimensions. Love ❤️

Have a great thanksgiving Doctor C! And congrats on the new chair

Guy went to med school for the wrong reasons and took a seat from another person who wanted it for the right reasons. He quits with no debt because his wife covered his cost of attendance. I'm sorry but this reeks of privilege. There's a lot you can do OUTSIDE of clinical work as a doctor that have lifestyle hours. Also i feel these vids of quitting for happiness are a bit detrimental as they are beneficial because a young aspiring premed WILL fail an exam and start to feel that they won't make it. Then they get home and watch this and think its okay to quit. But to each their own i guess.

That is a very supportive wife there

According to his lindkin profile (old profile). He was in a doctor of physical therapy at the Univ of Florida.

I think this video helped me a little bit in realising that I have options. The part-time career sounds so good. As well as the fact that I could skip practicing medicine altogether and do something like consultation or illustration, etc.

There are a lot of things you can do with an MD other than being a clinician. They don't really advertise them as part of the coursework. There isn't a push from companies saying We need MDs for telemed computer integration or hospital management or anything outside being a clinician.

I hope he did not think internal medicine represented every specialty. I love internal medicine, that’s why I’m an internist, but is so different than any other specialty.

Hi Dr. Cellini, Thanks for the Video. I would like to share my experience too. I worked as a pharmacist in both community and hospital settings. I also completed a Master and PhD in pharmacy from a US University to explore my scope of practice. However, I was not satisfied with my jobs at that time. Very limited scope of practice. Actually I did not like it from the first day of school. But I have been forced to continue. Well, I have tried (secretly) to transition to Med School (Medicine and Surgery has been my passion) but I failed, I was afraid from the responses and consequences. I grow up in a conservative society specifically in things related to women. Western values such as freedom and right to choose even your professional career are unacceptable.

A lot of people are not fit for the clinical health care profession but they want to finish what they started and they want to pay their debts.

Love your intro. At 1st I felt bad for him. Starting his 3rd yr you would think he'd finish. But then he was honest with his why's. It just wasn't for him. So yea kudos to him. I wish him thhe best. Yes do more like this. Glad u went to Paris but sorry u got sick. Feel better soon!

Sorry, but this video about her husband quitting is so ridiculous. So many of these videos are based on ego. Who cares if he's quitting?? I could care less. People are quitting their jobs all over the country. He's lucky he even got into med school. These two are the definition of Yuppies. That's an old term from my generation. And you can tell they both LOVE the camera. I prefer videos from Dr. Cellini and his wife who are the future of our country. Positive, upbeat and intelligent not to mention down to earth.

In undergrad, my whole goal was to get into grad school for a Master’s in Athletic Training. I ended up transferring schools for this, and it took 5 years but I was finally accepted. After some deep reflection, I realized that I wasn’t super passionate about the field I was going into. I was too focused on getting into grad school that I never stopped to think if it is what I actually wanted to do full-time. Thus, I decided to turn down the offer and just get my undergrad degree in Health Science. It was a super difficult decision since my whole life to that point was going towards this goal, so I totally get how the husband was feeling. I’m now working as a Dental Hygienist and I am 100x more happy with my career choice!

Loving this series

I’m working on getting my RN license. But plan to get my masters as a CRNA.

Tbh I feel for the guy. But there are so many premedical students yearning for the opportunity who have worked tremendously in the healthcare field for years and loved it, and are just trying to get accepted to medical school. So in all seriousness, that seat could’ve gone to them. To those students who got what it takes and are just fighting every year for that one chance.

Is it just me? Or he looks exactly like dr. Chase from dr. House?

The comments are incredibly judgemental. Yes he could have finished the last two years but at what cost ? The continuous strain on mental health can reach unbelievable levels , he has less debt by quitting now , and there's nothing wrong with him different privileges or other options. İt's incredible how us doctors are so tied up in the notion that our degree is worth not only our health but also our time , and that's true for the majority but not everyone and obviously not Blake .

I have a computer science engineering degree. And I absolutely hated it. I just got my degree and decided not to work in my field. Now I am at peace

Hey Dr. C. Can you make a video about all the occupations that one may land with an MD/DO degree for those of us who’ve decided that medicine isn’t for us?

Could you make a video on the alternatives of practising medicine eg. Working in pharmaceutical companies

I find it messed up how the lady used her fans to pay for his med school debt then he drops out on his 3rd year…

obsessed w your vids🥰

I tried to stalk where he went to medical school too. The town they live in in Florida, there is a DO school there so I'm assuming that's the school.

3rd year is the hardest imo!

Another great vid sorry he thought he had a dead end career. Well he has to do what’s best for him. Wish you and the Misses a very Happy Thanksgiving!

It is beyond me how people are willing to study in the US. I'm from Europe and I pay like $500 a Semester (that includes everything). I have 0 depts after Med School and earn way more than a resident in the US (as an attending, you earn more in the US though, but whatever). You can easily do the USMLE and work in the US afterwards with a degree and 0 depts.

Maybe he had no passion for it and he realized it late and the stress really affected his mental health. Without the passion driving you, it's really difficult to stick it through and bear all that stress and anxiety when you don't know why you are doing what you're doing.

Man, I really want to become a Doctor but I’m on my first year of college and is going really bad for me, and I’m thinking about dropping off, every time I think about that and I get sad bc I’m losing motivation and probably I gotta repeat the semester, I’m even having these dreams about what’s happening with my life, if I’m gonna drop out or not bc is not going well rn and idk what to do, maybe is not for me…

This is why I believe med school should have some heathcare experience requirements. I’ve seen doubt in several med students, but not in a single PA student. Just my experience.

Can i knw about as a medical student in which stage we will knw alot of information? And can diagnose cases?

So I've been watching a lot of these doctor videos on various channels lately and why don't any of you have any art on your walls?

This seems to be a common trait among younger Millennials and Zoomers. While it exists in older ages too, the percent with it is very small in comparison. If everyone had had this same attitude, conditions never would have become so stressful and crazy. Most doctors today are specialists, right? Why are med schools training students to be generalists who are barely skilled at anything? Why are med students wasting four years earning an undergrad degree first? Why was the system set up to drown them in so much debt? I watched a vlog channel showing what dental school is like. The guy, who is now a dentist, said very little of what was taught is used by dentists in the real world today. They spend a lot of time perfecting skills of yesteryear or performed by someone else.

Love your vids Dr Cellini! How’s the new chair?

hey doc! please react to Ali Abdal quitting medicine.

I agree with you Dr. Cellini, I wonder if he was aware of the different options he has upon receiving his degree. He could have worked part-time. Definitely only go into medicine if you are passionate about medicine. Passion means to suffer. (Root word definition) You’re welcome 😊

Thank you dr Cellini Happy Thanksgiving

I work in corporate and I hate it . I’m trying to get into dental school

Good to hear it’s very feasible having a family and going to medical school, I am curious about Cardiothoracic surgery/general surgery though…

I'm about to start my intern year and I'm already stressed 😥😫

That’s privilege for you.

Dr cellini not everyone did well enough on boards to do the jobs you mentioned. Furthermore ‘sticking it out’ is not worth it when you have kids. They only grow up once

This guy looks like Sam from Supernatural

Love your videos!