Dating a doctor or medical student can be a real challenge.
They have very little free time for date nights, and if Grey’s Anatomy has taught us anything, it’s that work-life balance can be quite messy.
If you’re planning to enter into a romantic relationship with someone in the medical field, I highly suggest that you keep reading.
In this article, I reveal what dating doctors and med students is really like, and whether there’s hope to make the relationship work.
Ultimately, you’re going to be the judge if the relationship is worth it or not. Just know that dating a doctor has its perks as well – it’s not all night shifts, long hours, and life-or-death situations.
Below, I discuss the pros and cons of having a significant other in the medical field. Find out if you have what it takes to make it work!
What Are The Benefits Of Dating A Medical Doctor?
First, let’s start with the good stuff. As I said, it’s not all long shifts, med school and not having enough time for you.
There are some major advantages to dating a doctor too! Check them out.
You have your own personal on-call physician on hand
Hurt your hand? Stepped on something really sharp? Ate something that upset your stomach? No problem. Your doc is here!
How cool is that? You don’t have to run to the E.R. for every single thing as your partner will be able to help you in an instant.
You basically have your own personal on-call physician. There’s a reason there aren’t many single doctors out there.
They’re probably a really good listener (a major plus in relationships!)
One of the major perks of doctors’ jobs is the fact that they are most probably great listeners.
They hear about people’s issues for a living, for crying out loud.
You won’t have to deal with someone who can’t listen – quite the contrary. Isn’t that one of the biggest relationship deal-breakers anyway?
Your tolerance for gross stuff suddenly skyrockets
I used to faint at the sight of blood. But ever since I made some friends in the medical field, my tolerance has really improved.
You’ll be surprised at all the stuff that used to gross you out that now you’re totally fine with. Funny how being with a doctor can change you.
See also: 20 Things You Should Keep In Mind When Dating A Shy Guy
It’s in your partner’s nature to take care of you (yes, please)
The entire nature of their job is to care for people. So you can imagine how well this will turn out for you.
Regardless of whether you’re dating a female doctor or male.
Most girls have make-up and cute stuff in their bags, while doctors have every single thing you could possibly need in case of an emergency.
Taking care of people is their job. And if you’re in a long-term relationship, you likely already know how handy dating doctors can be.
It gives you a sense of personal growth and selflessness
Being with someone who does such a selfless job for a living will most certainly affect you positively.
Seeing what your partner deals with on a regular basis will humble you.
It will definitely allow for some personal growth, which will, in turn, improve your entire relationship.
You learn a LOT about medical stuff
Be prepared to understand what medical shows are talking about. To me, it’s all alien language. But to you, it all starts making sense.
And I’m guessing it feels pretty fantastic knowing what all those weird medical terms actually mean and if they’re being used appropriately in the shows.
You don’t need WebMD anymore because you have an IRL version
Say goodbye to WebMD and say hello to your own real-life version.
Who needs to Google random symptoms anymore when you’ve got the real deal?
And most probably, you’ll be reassured that you’re just fine (and actually believe them and have peace of mind).
Spontaneous date nights when they have a random day off ROCKS
Doctors have the weirdest hours, which makes it rather challenging to organize date nights. But when you DO manage to make it work, it’s the absolute best.
Your partner has a random Wednesday off, and the moment they let you know, you plan the perfect day (and night).
And to me, those spontaneous date nights are truly the most priceless ones because they’re so rare and so, so special.
Your partner has great perspective, which rubs off on you
Doctors have a good head on their shoulders, which means they don’t easily get annoyed.
This is really necessary for romantic relationships, especially if the other partner can get agitated quickly.
This way, you have someone to calm you down and rationally explain that things aren’t that bad.
In turn, you’re going to start seeing things more clearly and stop losing your perspective on the littlest things.
You learn a few hacks on how to successfully remove blood stains
I don’t know about you, but I live for life hacks. And since your doc is kind of an expert on blood (weird to say, right?), you’ll pick up on some really cool hacks.
See also: How To Overcome The Fear Of Losing Someone You Love In 7 Steps
It gives you a sense of pride knowing that they make a difference every single day
Every single time your partner leaves the house, especially during this whole COVID-19 pandemic, you feel huge pride.
Even routine checkups are a big deal, let alone performing procedures and operating on major organs.
The fact that human lives are in their hands is in one word: indescribable.
You’ve done online dating and gone through a bunch of silly dating sites, but not until you met them did you truly understand the meaning of pride.
You finally stop sweating the small stuff
Oh yeah. Things that truly aren’t important stop bugging you.
Stupid people, harsh comments, and all those things that pale in comparison to your partner’s job start feeling so silly.
It’s going to take a lot to upset you now. And that is one of the coolest things about a doctor being your bae.
You see first-hand what life is ALL about. And your entire outlook changes for the better.
Your doctor knows every bit of your anatomy (comes with the territory!)
This is probably your favorite perk of the job, right?
Your doctor is extremely well versed in both male and female anatomy, and we all know what that means.
I’ll leave your imagination to run wild, but it must be mentioned that medical school can be super handy for non-medical stuff too (just saying).
They all have to go through OB/GYN training, so their vast knowledge truly does come with the territory. What a perk!
See also: 18 Types Of Lovers: Which One Are You?
Now, Let’s Look At Some Of The More Challenging Aspects
By now you’ve realized that dating a doctor isn’t all that bad, right?
So this is the perfect time to familiarize yourself with some of the cons that you’ll simply have to deal with. Here’s what you should expect.
Dating a doctor means dealing with a lot of crazy long hours
Especially if this is the first time you’re dating a doctor. Be prepared for a lot of unexpectedly long hours, night shifts, and time away.
They won’t always have enough time to explain it, so you’re just going to have to be okay with it.
It seems tough, I know, so let’s put it this way. They’re off potentially saving a life. Is anything really more important than that?
It elevates being busy to a WHOLE other level
If you believed YOUR job was hectic, wait until you start seeing a doctor. You’ll realize that you never really knew the meaning of busy.
But at the same time, it’s going to put things into perspective as well.
You’ll start seeing that as much as they want to spend time with you, they are fully dedicated to their job.
And that is a truly commendable thing. It’s not like they want to be crazy busy. That is just the nature of their demanding jobs.
Doctors and med students are often too exhausted to function
Can you blame them? Seeing your doctor or med student tired will make you wonder if you’re actually tired in the first place.
After all, you work nine-to-five office hours, mostly sitting down, and with very little disruptions.
When you compare it to their schedule, it seems like a walk in the park.
I am in no way saying that your job isn’t tiring. But compared to what doctors and medical professionals go through daily, it’s a whole other level of tiredness.
It’s really difficult to plan anything around their schedule
Yup. Once, I went out with this guy who was in medical school (not even a legit doctor yet) and let me tell you something.
The amount of practical work they do is astonishing. Attempting to plan around his schedule was close to impossible.
The classes are long and exhausting, not to mention the amount of studying it entails.
So basically, consider yourself lucky if you plan something and actually manage to go through with it. It’s a rare occasion.
See also: Identifying And Understanding A Love Avoidant Person
The stress of the job can affect their overall mood
Doctors deal with a lot of serious stuff every day. They have occasional run-ins with death, and that is no joke.
Can you imagine having a patient whose life depends on your next step? And now, imagine losing said patient?
You cannot possibly tell me that it wouldn’t mess with your head.
Give your partner all the patience and understanding in the world. They do some of the most difficult stuff out there.
Doctors are known to have to abruptly leave the minute they’re called away
Don’t be surprised if you’re mid-date and your doctor gets called away. It happens a lot (not just on TV). Nothing trumps medical emergencies.
Most of your date nights will be spent in front of the TV
And you’ll most likely be watching reruns of Scrubs, Grey’s Anatomy, and other med shows. You’ll probably LOL at all the stuff they get wrong.
Plus, your partner will most likely frequently fall asleep mid-show (no judging). It’s what the job does to them.
Their work is really important and you’ll have to learn to live with that
Yes, their work trumps your needs. It sucks to say, even more to admit it, but it’s the reality.
They’ll make an effort to spend quality time with you, but their patients need them too.
Can you handle having to share your significant other most of the days?
Doctors bring work home (as much as they try not to)
It’s not intentional. But having to deal with what they deal with, it’s really not that surprising. They deal with human lives, deaths, and emergencies all day long.
You have to expect them to bring work home on some days. Talk to them, let them vent. It’ll be easier for your partner and it’ll help you understand their day better.
You won’t always understand what they’re talking about with their work friends
When they get into it with work friends, you’ll find yourself baffled at times. But it’s really not that big of a deal.
They work in a specific field and their work friends are pretty much the only ones who truly understand some of the things they go through. Let them talk.
They’ll get it all out of their system when they get home, and be ready to focus on you and your happy life together.
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Sometimes, the lack of quality time together will mentally affect you
We all love to spend as much time as possible with our significant others.
That’s totally normal. But the fact that they don’t have lots of free time will sometimes be a bit much.
You won’t want to make a big deal, but you’re going to feel a certain type of way. You’ll get moody, annoyed, and upset, even though you understand that it’s not their fault.
All I can say is that it’s totally okay to lose it sometimes. You’ll miss your person. Just know that they probably miss you just as much!
Some people might think you’re only dating a doctor for their money
There are going to be people out there (maybe even friends and acquaintances) who’ll make really tasteless assumptions.
There’s this belief that all doctors are loaded. But nobody considers the medical school debt that they’re left with upon graduating.
So some folks will feel free to assume the money is what drew you to them because you couldn’t possibly actually be in love!
Nevermind those ignorant individuals. Let them assume. You can’t tell people what to think, but you can distance yourself from them.
Occasional negative comments that your relationship is doomed will suck
People talk. They shouldn’t, and they really have no place discussing your private life, but trust me, they will.
Everyone thinks they know your business, and sometimes the negative comments will be too much to handle.
As if you don’t already know how stressful dating a doctor can be!
It’s only doomed if you let it be. So don’t! Let irrelevant people say what they want and focus on who matters:
You and your partner!
As long as you make an effort every single day to make it work, that’s all that matters. It’s you and them against the world.
So, What’s The Verdict?
That dating a doctor is no small task. The crazy hours, leaving in the middle of the night, and constant exhaustion are inevitable.
BUT, when you bring all the positives into the equation, it’s really not that bad. After all, it’s all about effort and understanding.
If you can make peace with the fact that your partner has a really important job that people’s lives literally depend on, it puts it all in perspective.
If you have love, respect, and trust, you can make it work without a shadow of a doubt. Just don’t make them choose, there’s honestly no need for that.
Every single moment that you have together will be all the more priceless, and to me, that is well worth the struggle.
Doctors are the unsung heroes of today and they deserve someone who fully understands and accepts the nature of their selfless, taxing jobs.