Career · Doctor
What is it really like to be a doctor?
About 1 h 20 min 23. juli 2026 Host Jan Sindre Heltne Guest John Erik
What is it like to be a doctor? John Erik talks about studying medicine in Poland, everyday life as a GP, meeting patients, responsibility, and advice for future doctors.
A personal conversation with the doctor John Erik about what it is really like to become – and to be – a doctor. We talk about studying medicine in Poland, the move into working life, general practice and psychiatry, and the pressure and responsibility that come with it.
We also get into life outside the job: travel, climbing and the trip to Kilimanjaro.
This episode is part of a themed trio alongside a Learn something new episode on sleep and a Briefly explained episode on the same subject.
Health information is discussed in general terms. No identifiable patient stories are shared.
Main topics
- The road into medicine
- Studying medicine in Poland (Warsaw)
- Everyday life as a GP
- Meeting patients, and communication
- Responsibility and uncertainty in medicine
- Psychiatry
- Pay and working conditions for doctors
- Study technique and memory technique
Questions this episode answers
- How do you become a doctor in Norway, and what subjects do you need from upper secondary school?
- What is it like studying medicine abroad?
- What does an ordinary working day look like for a GP?
- What does a doctor do when they do not know what is wrong with a patient?
- Who is medicine right for – and who should choose something else?
- Are status and a high salary reason enough to become a doctor?
- What should you consider before applying to medical school?
Key points
- Medicine is as much about handling people as it is about medicine itself.
- There is often no single right answer – a large part of the job is handling uncertainty.
- Asking colleagues for help is a normal and important part of the work.
- Choose the profession because you want it, not for the status or because of pressure.
- Good study techniques, such as the memory palace, make a demanding degree more manageable.
Resources mentioned in the episode
Oddbjørn By – Memo and memory technique
Oddbjørn By's Memo books teach practical memory techniques – methods for remembering names, numbers, course material and languages. Recommended by Jan Sindre on the podcast.
Olav Schewe – Superstudent and Learn Like a Pro
Norway's best-selling books on study technique. Schewe went from being an average pupil to a top student at Oxford, and shares the methods that actually work.
The memory palace
A visual memory technique in which you attach information to rooms and places you know well, so the knowledge is easier to retrieve. John Erik used it while studying medicine.
Find your own study technique
There is no single study technique that works for everyone. Try things out and find the method that suits the way you learn.
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