So guys,
I've decided to call it quits. 9 weeks into clerkship, after 8 weeks of psych and 1 horrible horrible week of Internal, I've decided that medicine is really not for me. Never mind the nitty gritty nastiness -- didn't see my daughter all week (never mind my husband), was in the hospital from 7-7 every day etc etc...but I HATED it. So, after a very emotional and difficutl week, I've decided it's not worth it.
Given that I was never planning to do a residency and that I have a physical therapy degree to fall back on, it just doesn't make sense to keep up this torture.
Anyway, I'm just busy dealing with all this...
L.

Clerkship in a canadian programme is TOUGH! Perhaps you just need sometime to think this over. Is the director at your school half decent?
Maybe he/she would be willing to let you have some time to rest. Plus christmas break is coming up. In PQ do the clerks get the 28hr rule like most of the residents? Also do you have your elective time coming up soon? That can often be a good time to just do clinics etc and no call.
You're also into two of the most emotionally draining rotations, psyc is tough b/c there are so many people you just cannot help (many reasons why).
I'm not trying to be a polly anna but sometimes a short break can put things into a better perspective. You might be able to take a short sabbatical and do half time and graduate with next years class. I have found med schools at this point are quite understanding when people need a hand to make it through.
hang in there :grouphug:

Unfortunately, I've used up all my sympathy by having already taken a year off with my daughter. So, I'm already a year behind and I don't think it's possible to take off just a bit of time and then rejoin. The best I can do is to ask for a week off as an "early" winter break, which is normally either a week at Xmas or New Yrs.
But thanks for the advice!
L>

Hmmmm... it's difficult to give up on dreams - especially if you've held on to them for a long time. My third year of medical school was a trying time as well. However, I did not call it quits. Instead, I thought of things outside-of-the-box. It is possible to accomplish great things if you dream big and then take the necessary steps towards your dreams. Before giving up on medicine, perhaps you could brainstorm other ways to accomplish your life goals. I've recently started the American Medical Shared Residency Association to help individuals with obtaining shared and part-time residencies. The website has been created, but I'm not yet advertising it due to some technical issues.