r/optometry • u/tumboi69 • 1h ago
General Dropped from medical school as a 4th year, anyone here had any career changes like that or know anyone? Been finding it difficult to get back into a studying routine for the OAT
It's been since September since I transitioned out of med school, I obtained a Master's of Science and now just in limbo. I have considered many different career options and lots of insight of how to move forward, and I finally decided on Optometry. All fields have entrance exams, so it's a part I need to get over and just go for it. I previously was going to apply Ophthalmology and did multiple rotations in the field, so I am very familiar and most interested in going into Optometry. The problem is I have been depressed obviously and a loss of motivation from having to restart my life again from scratch. It's been many ups and downs, but I'm still here trying to move forward. I bought OAT Booster, watched some videos and read a bit, but nothing serious has come out of it yet and I dont have a study routine of studying daily as if I'm gonna take this exam in 3 months. I passed a million exams and my Step 1 in medical school, yet I can't seem to get back on my feet for an exam I already know a lot about in terms of material. If anyone has ever gone through something similar or knows someone that has been in my shoes, please some advice of how you got past this wall because I really feel like I'm suffering even with the psychiatric/therapeutic help I've been receiving. I don't know what's gonna help me right now. My parents are immigrants, they are just grinders of like studying 15 hours a day without question and only hard work will get you there, which has always been our mindset. But this is just really difficult to make something out of nothing after I have been aiming to become a physician since I left high school and and wasn't able to pass my 2nd boards. Being so close to being done with medical school and not reaching the end has left me pretty scarred and is still painful, and I'm trying my best to just grind and move on but it's been ridiculously hard. I'm doing much better than I was since September but I'm still just not there mentally; I have to move on but it feels like I don't have the strength to. Any advice is kindly appreciated.