Scary Hours
No This Is Not A Drake Song, Happy Halloween!
Boo, what’s up baby 👻
It’s Halloween! Well technically it was yesterday, but whatever.Someone ask me what I dressed up as for Halloween. 🎃 Sorry for the late send out today. Anyway, yeah, it’s scary hours right now. In the spirit of spooky season, I wanted to talk about…well, exactly that. Fear. It’s scary hours quite often in this field, especially if you’re a premed or med student. And yep, that even follows you into residency, fellowship, and into life as an attending (or so I hear). Honestly, a lot of what I’ll talk about today probably hits home for people outside of medicine too. I know a lot of friends in other fields who go through the same scary hours and fear that I’ll talk about.
The Fear of Failure 👻
We all know the scariest part of going through medical school: failure. The stakes are so high that one bad grade, one critical piece of feedback, or one messed-up presentation feels like it’s a stain on us forever. There’s this constant pressure to be flawless, to not mess up, because med school makes you feel like a single slip-up could ruin everything you’ve worked for. 🥀
The reality? Fear of failure holds us back more than anything. And trust me—as someone who’s failed a lot over the past few years, failure is inevitable. It’s going to come to us in some way, shape, or form no matter what. It’s just part of the process. It’s the creepy shadow that follows you but can actually teach you something if you face it head-on. 🕸️ I’ve seen the fear of failure hold so many people back from reaching their full potential—people with incredible ideas who are too scared to go for it. Too scared to make the leap. But honestly? If you do make the leap, you’ll reach highs you’ve never seen before. Sure, you’ll hit lows too—but those lows are inevitable, and they make the highs that much higher.
Fear of Not Being Good Enough 💀
How many times have I indirectly talked about imposter syndrome here? Med school is full of high achievers, and it’s all too easy to feel like you’re the odd one out, like somehow everyone around you is smarter, faster, or better at everything. It’s like everyone’s wearing a mask that says, “I’ve got this,” and you’re just hoping no one sees through yours. 😅
But here’s the thing: everyone feels that way at some point. Feeling like you’re not good enough is just another mask we all wear sometimes. The fear of not measuring up is powerful, but honestly? It’s irrational—because you’ve already proved you deserve to be here. When that fear creeps up, remind yourself: you’re here because you earned it. You don’t need a mask; you’re already enough.
Fear of Letting People Down 🕸️
This one is so underrated. This one’s for the family members, mentors, and friends who’ve supported us. The pressure to be the “successful med student” runs deep. And as you get more involved in med school (clubs, extracurriculars, leadership roles, and so on), the pressure only gets worse. It’s not like people purposely put pressure on you—at least, not most of the time. But knowing the safety net of support we have creates this inherent fear of letting people down.
This fear can keep us from asking for help when we need it because we don’t want to look weak. But hiding your struggles? That only makes things worse. And believe me, I’m the CEO of this startup. The truth is, the people who care about you want you to succeed for you, not just for the title of “Doctor.” So, if you’re carrying that weight around, know that it’s okay to lean on others—they’re here for the ups and the downs. Especially for the downs. ❤️
Fear of the Future (Match, Residency, and Beyond) 🦇
This one’s the classic horror movie plot: the unknown future. Match season, residency, choosing a specialty—it all looms over us like some shadowy figure at the end of a dark hallway. 😱 There’s fear around finding the right program, the right specialty, the right fit. And then there’s the fear of not matching or struggling to keep up in residency.
The future in medicine is a big unknown, and it’s scary because it feels like so much is out of our hands. You know my theory about anxiety (and fear)? It’s all about not being able to control the uncontrollable. And yeah, there’s a lot you can control with the work you’re putting in, but you’re doing all you can, and the rest? It’s uncontrollable. The best you can do is trust in yourself, be confident, and keep going forward—whatever shape the future takes.
Med school is scary, dude. First year? Scary. Second year? Scary. Third year? All scary. Fourth year? Fun, but still scary as hell. 👻 There’s no way of avoiding the fear, and that’s just the truth. I think the best thing we can do is just acknowledge it and find some peace in it. There’s no point pretending like you’re not scared. You’re only making it worse for yourself.
Rosh
4th Year Medical Student
PS. If there are any topics any of you want me to write on, please shoot them my way! Also, if you are enjoying these, I’ll challenge you with sharing your favourite (I’m Canadian) piece I’ve written with a friend of yours. That would mean the world to me!
☕️ Weekly Coffee Count: 15 cups of coffee this past week.
🗞 Here are some recent news that I think you may find interesting!
You Won’t Know if Becoming a Physician Is Worth It Until You Get There
🩺 Our Patient Assignment For This Morning’s Round
A 6-year-old boy, Luke, is brought to the clinic by his mother due to concerns about his increasing thirst and frequent urination over the past two weeks. She mentions he’s been waking up multiple times at night to go to the bathroom, and his teachers have noted he seems more tired and less focused in class. He’s also lost some weight, which his mother noticed after his clothes started fitting loosely. On examination, Luke appears alert but looks somewhat tired. His vitals are within normal limits, and he is afebrile.
Initial labs reveal:
Blood glucose: 325 mg/dL
Hemoglobin A1C: 8.2%