About to do medicine for the WRONG reasons, someone talk me out of it! lol

[Sumbody1245]

About to do the Carib route 110%, and the ONLY reasons are for the job security/pay of medicine. Graduated with a 2.7 and am now working in a non health-care field while studying for the MCAT.

I'm not the most interested in the subject, I would rank bio below math, and both of those below liberal arts. Bio ranks so lowly because it feels like I'm not even human studying bio, you're just memorizing things with zero problem solving, you know, what humans do better than machines. In a few years I wouldn't be surprised if computers did most of the job of a GP.

But I feel like I have no other options with such a low GPA other than literally redoing my undergrad. Anyone have any other ideas for someone in it primarily for the $$$? Thanks beforehand!

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[mavric1298]

^ Not to be mean, but if your only reason for doing it is $$$, your going to end up 2-300k in debt, and probably not finish med school. The rigors aren't conducive to someone who doesn't care about the subject. Maybe you'll squeak thru med school, but good luck during internship doing something you aren't passionate about, and good luck getting in anywhere with that being why you want to be a doc. Are you going to lie in your interviews and say your passionate about it?

 

[petyr_baelish]

You probably won't get a residency and will have 200k in debt. But since you aren't that interested in the subject, you probably don't know that the published statistics would put you at 50% max chance of getting a residency.

I can't in good conscience suggest a better healthcare career since you don't care about the subject. But if you do your research, there are other ways to make money.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Such troll, but if you aren't, try it. The irony of ending up in debt thinking you'll hit it rich isn't something I want to miss seeing.

 

[Jewels86]

If you're for real...and if you're really doing this for the $$$, I'd look into another profession. You will not get rich; you'll deal with way too much that will not sustain you in the hard times.

Please for your future patients, your sanity, your wallet, your liver after you drink yourself to death over the endless huge loan amounts due monthly and noncompliant patients on top of the crazy hours, find a different profession. Sorry...

 

[QofQuimica]

You don't need anyone to talk you out of anything. You already know that what you're saying is beyond idiotic, and I'm guessing you're a bored kid on spring break looking to get a rise out of people.

But you bring up a valid point, because FWIW, I agree with you about the boredom of memorizing biology. I've never understood why anyone likes drilling themselves on irrelevant minutiae....every time an applicant tells me that they're fascinated by the human body, I'm always a little like, "really?" How is it that people find that fascinating? Maybe it's just something wrong with me. Because while the clinical part is much more interesting than memorizing Netters and a cadaver, it's also highly disgusting. Hey, they don't call it gross anatomy for nothing.

 

[Sumbody1245]

Are you going to lie in your interviews and say your passionate about it?

No duh

 

[Sumbody1245]

If you're for real...and if you're really doing this for the $$$, I'd look into another profession. You will not get rich; you'll deal with way too much that will not sustain you in the hard times.

Please for your future patients, your sanity, your wallet, your liver after you drink yourself to death over the endless huge loan amounts due monthly and noncompliant patients on top of the crazy hours, find a different profession. Sorry...

crazy hours? If I become a doc I will be working part time. And that's why I want to do it, b/c it enables that kind of freedom. And I am not passionate about anything that will make me money, so I'm just choosing the path that's most straightforward for me. I have no other option other than redoing undergrad. No grad school will take me with that kind of GPA.

 

[Mad Jack]

crazy hours? If I become a doc I will be working part time. And that's why I want to do it, b/c it enables that kind of freedom. And I am not passionate about anything that will make me money, so I'm just choosing the path that's most straightforward for me. I have no other option other than redoing undergrad. No grad school will take me with that kind of GPA.

Streampaw staaaaahp

 

[petyr_baelish]

Streampaw alert.

crazy hours? If I become a doc I will be working part time. And that's why I want to do it, b/c it enables that kind of freedom. And I am not passionate about anything that will make me money, so I'm just choosing the path that's most straightforward for me. I have no other option other than redoing undergrad. No grad school will take me with that kind of GPA.

But actually, as someone who was looking into working part time so that I'd have extra time for children, I've found that it's not as feasible as one would think. Ultimately you need to get hired out of residency and the employers' expectations aren't different than any other employer. So you are most likely to find a job in a bad area that's desperate enough to let you call all the shots. This doesn't mesh well with pursuing a certain lifestyle. The most desperate employers are in undesirable locations that other physicians avoided.

 

[LupaCupcake]

You will be sunk into debt, you will not make enough money to live the lifestyle you want if you are working part time. Do you realize how much you may be expected to pay out monthly in school loan debt? If you go somewhere and say ehhh, I just wanna work part time because I only want the money....they won't hire you in healthcare. A physician that has put plenty of years into his/her practice and decides one day to go down to part time is very different than your situation. You will not get accepted into med school/residency with your attitude towards medicine and if you did, it would be flat out disrespect to the thousands of premeds that WANT this passionately and people would find out and your peers would hate you for not being nearly as grateful and respectful of the opportunity you were granted because it is just a paycheck to you. Quit now.

We (your competition) don't mind going up against strong competitors for med school, we know the fight we are willingly walking into, we do however get irritated at competition that only wants a paycheck and doesn't have a bone of altruism within their body.

My suggestion would be to get into business. You can always sign up for an online school, take out enough loans to cover you for right now and you will only incur minimal debt. You were willing to take on 6 figures of debt for medicine, so take on a significantly smaller amount of debt for some other degree online. If your goal is money then find an easier route...yes I said EASIER.

 

[MedWonk]

crazy hours? If I become a doc I will be working part time. And that's why I want to do it, b/c it enables that kind of freedom. And I am not passionate about anything that will make me money, so I'm just choosing the path that's most straightforward for me. I have no other option other than redoing undergrad. No grad school will take me with that kind of GPA.

Probably not feasible until you've paid you dues and put in two or three decades of full-time work. The only young physician I know of that worked part time did so temporarily to have some time to take care of her infant. Once the crotchfruit turned a year old, she gradually started transitioning back to full time and by 18 months, she was working her typical 60-70 hrs/week. This may only be something that was feasible because of the group she's part of, and shouldn't be seen as something that is universally true. Outside of that case, the only part-timers I've met were 60+ with 25+ years experience as attendings. Unless you have some solid connections, it probably won't work out for you.

 

[Shjanzey]

It is harder for a foreign student, you as a carib grad, to match than a US student. Good luck, as it is harder every year for IMGs to match with more and more DOs spilling into that space.

 

[LupaCupcake]

@MedWonk
crotchfruit? lol..... "How are you doing today my little crotchfruit?" Please don't ever call your kids that hahahaha

 

[Sumbody1245]

You will be sunk into debt, you will not make enough money to live the lifestyle you want if you are working part time. Do you realize how much you may be expected to pay out monthly in school loan debt? If you go somewhere and say ehhh, I just wanna work part time because I only want the money....they won't hire you in healthcare. A physician that has put plenty of years into his/her practice and decides one day to go down to part time is very different than your situation. You will not get accepted into med school/residency with your attitude towards medicine and if you did, it would be flat out disrespect to the thousands of premeds that WANT this passionately and people would find out and your peers would hate you for not being nearly as grateful and respectful of the opportunity you were granted because it is just a paycheck to you. Quit now.

We (your competition) don't mind going up against strong competitors for med school, we know the fight we are willingly walking into, we do however get irritated at competition that only wants a paycheck and doesn't have a bone of altruism within their body.

My suggestion would be to get into business. You can always sign up for an online school, take out enough loans to cover you for right now and you will only incur minimal debt. You were willing to take on 6 figures of debt for medicine, so take on a significantly smaller amount of debt for some other degree online. If your goal is money then find an easier route...yes I said EASIER.

Hmm thx for the replies!

An online MBA? I couldn't imagine a more useless degree. Maybe online Literature. Do you know what it takes in business to get a 6 figure salary? Let alone make 200k? And an MBA from a good school costs big bucks, and MBA's in general are most worth it if you get into the top 5, and to get into one of those, I would have to redo undergrad. So the overall cost will end up being similar to medical school.

I want to help people, I just feel like studying for 8 years to treat people with clearly avoidable lifestyle diseases, while people in other parts of the world are starving, is very inefficient way to go about the whole thing. Most people want to be a doctor, because they want to be a doctor. Helping people is ancillary.

 

[mavric1298]

No duh

Do you really think the interviewers aren't going to see right thru your bullchit? Troll a little harder

Good luck failing, because without some sort of passion thats what your going to do. Go become a lawyer, then you can get paid to lie

 

[Mad Jack]

No duh

 

[LupaCupcake]

On second thought.....go for medical school. Worse case scenario, your competition eats you alive due to your lack of passion and GPA. Best case scenario, the journey in trying to get accepted somehow inspires you and makes you want to step up and really embrace becoming a good, caring physician. Have at it

 

[Goro]

Rifle, is that you? The arrogance sure smells familiar.

Assuming that you're not a troll, why do you think you'd make it in any medical school (diploma mill or not) with a 2.7 GPA?

 

[Sumbody1245]

Rifle, is that you? The arrogance sure smells familiar.

Assuming that you're not a troll, why do you think you'd make it in any medical school (diploma mill or not) with a 2.7 GPA?

Why do ppl with high GPA's assume they can make it in medical school? Correlation does not equate causation.

 

[petyr_baelish]

The deja vu in this thread is strong.

 

[InGen]

:troll:

 

[Goro]

There's strong evidence that GPA can equate to good medical school performance. Conversely, weak students have multiple deficits that cripple them in medical school. We've got > 10 years of dat on this. I could see differences in < 3.0 GPA applicants even in interviews. They simply didn't think well on their feet.

Why do ppl with high GPA's assume they can make it in medical school? Correlation does not equate causation.

 

[WhippleWhileWeWork]

Rifle or streampaw?

 

[Goro]

The former uncannily shares a lot of arrogance and attitude with OP; the latter is a high schooler with with the immaturity to match.

Rifle or streampaw?

 

[Mad Jack]

Op, I really think you should go to the Carib. I mean it. You won't do well and you won't match. The idea of you languishing in a mountain debt you can't repay for the rest of your life as penance for being a terrible human being that is willing to lie their your through life gives me the warm fuzzies and will help me sleep tonight. Against all odds, OP, against all odds.

 

[Sumbody1245]

Op, I really think you should go to the Carib. I mean it. You won't do well and you won't match. The idea of you languishing in a mountain debt you can't repay for the rest of your life as penance for being a terrible human being that is willing to lie their your through life gives me the warm fuzzies and will help me sleep tonight. Against all odds, OP, against all odds.

The people who go into medicine truly to help people I think are being disingenuous or are very daft. There are tons of ways to help people, why choose the path that takes a decade+ of schooling, that pays well, and where you are only really helping handfuls of people per week, only a few of which aren't dealing with avoidable lifestyle diseases? I would understand becoming a research physician or PhD but not a healthcare practitioner. Make money and donate to a litany of causes in the third world. Your bang for your buck will be enormously greater because these people are suffering from the lack of very basic human needs.

Also, wouldn't a doctor be the IDEAL profession to demand part-time? Because there is a greater demand for physicians, especially certain specialties, than there is supply.

 

[Mad Jack]

The people who go into medicine truly to help people I think are being disingenuous or are very daft. There are tons of ways to help people, why choose the path that takes a decade+ of schooling, that pays well, and where you are only really helping handfuls of people per week, only a few of which aren't dealing with avoidable lifestyle diseases? I would understand becoming a research physician or PhD but not a healthcare practitioner. Make money and donate to a litany of causes in the third world. Your bang for your buck will be enormously greater because these people are suffering from the lack of very basic human needs.

Also, wouldn't a doctor be the IDEAL profession to demand part-time? Because there is a greater demand for physicians, especially certain specialties, than there is supply.

The market isn't quite what you think it is, especially when you're starting out. And you can go part time, but expect to take a serious hit to your income due to paying a lot of your own malpractice, insurance, license, and CE costs. We were doing the math in another thread, and your after tax income as a family practitioner making 200k with 300k in loans is 88.5k after putting away cash for retirement and paying your student loans, but this is with paid malpractice, health insurance, and CE costs. If you are making 100k to start, your income is at base around 56.25k after paying for retirement and student loans but before paying for malpractice and errything else.

 

[mavric1298]

do you want some links to carib school? I'd be glad to help you gain a mountain of debt and not match.

 

[BrawnsNBrain]

Your motivation is so superficial you'll fail out of carib. Attrition rate down there is already ~40% I hear

 

[Sumbody1245]

Your motivation is so superficial you'll fail out of carib. Attrition rate down there is already ~40% I hear

Another armchair oracle, which includes adcoms. A dime a dozen.

 

[mavric1298]

So there are really 2 options here. Fail somewhere along the way and end up spending and/or being in a great deal of debt, or somehow make it thru, and become a Doc. In the case of the latter, you still aren't making very much $$, and in the scope of things, the time you invested getting to the point where you are making decent enough money, you could have been doing something else probably making more $$ the entire time. If your not interested in it why on earth would you do it. There are SOOOOO many other jobs that pay better with less schooling.

http://benbrownmd.wordpress.com

 

[Sumbody1245]

So there are really 2 options here. Fail somewhere along the way and end up spending and/or being in a great deal of debt, or somehow make it thru, and become a Doc. In the case of the latter, you still aren't making very much $$, and in the scope of things, the time you invested getting to the point where you are making decent enough money, you could have been doing something else probably making more $$ the entire time. If your not interested in it why on earth would you do it. There are SOOOOO many other jobs that pay better with less schooling.

http://benbrownmd.wordpress.com

Yeah but I already have a useless Bio degree, the overall cost of getting another bachelor's, added on to my Bio degree, will be pretty high. Especially if I decide to pursue a graduate education in the new field. Maybe if you are just graduating high school there are a lot of options, but few years out of college, there aren't any new doors opening.

Becoming a non FM doctor is probably the most financially intelligent thing I could do with my Bio degree. Other than maybe burning it for warmth.

 

[WhippleWhileWeWork]

Yeah but I already have a useless Bio degree, the overall cost of getting another bachelor's, added on to my Bio degree, will be pretty high. Especially if I decide to pursue a graduate education in the new field. Maybe if you are just graduating high school there are a lot of options, but few years out of college, there aren't any new doors opening.

Becoming a non FM doctor is probably the most financially intelligent thing I could do with my Bio degree. Other than maybe burning it for warmth.

You should cut grass for a living.
I'm considering it for my next move.
I've decided that high achieving is for suckers and that medical school is a trap.

 

[box1]

money and job security are common reasons why people flock to medical care. you can thank yahoo! articles and cnbc ("careers with the most projected growth!") for naive or disillusioned folks entering a field they do not like (not just medicine).

and btw, i am SICK and tired of hearing people say they are going into medicine because they like to help people. no. people suck. you really want to practice medicine. second, i am SICK of academically stupid or lazy people who have all these dreams of whatever job they will never do because they don't have the ability (you can usually identify them by their major - "women's studies" (lmao!), "english" "philosophy" etc.) or are just too lazy.

you go into medicine to master the art of working with the human body in a variety of ways from healing to repairing to changing and everything beyond and in-between. prestige and money are expected to follow (do not discount that - you are kidding yourself) as well as possible growth of a business or your own name in the industry.

but please don't tell me that you love healing/helping people and when grandma needs her number 2 area flushed out, you order the nurse to do it. hypocrisy isn't very sexy or cute.

 

[WhippleWhileWeWork]

money and job security are common reasons why people flock to medical care. you can thank yahoo! articles and cnbc ("careers with the most projected growth!") for naive or disillusioned folks entering a field they do not like (not just medicine).

and btw, i am SICK and tired of hearing people say they are going into medicine because they like to help people. no. people suck. you really want to practice medicine. second, i am SICK of academically stupid or lazy people who have all these dreams of whatever job they will never do because they don't have the ability (you can usually identify them by their major - "women's studies" (lmao!), "english" "philosophy" etc.) or are just too lazy.

you go into medicine to master the art of working with the human body in a variety of ways from healing to repairing to changing and everything beyond and in-between. prestige and money are expected to follow (do not discount that - you are kidding yourself) as well as possible growth of a business or your own name in the industry.

but please don't tell me that you love healing/helping people and when grandma needs her number 2 area flushed out, you order the nurse to do it. hypocrisy isn't very sexy or cute.

So. Many. SDN non-approved statements here.

 

[mavric1298]

money and job security are common reasons why people flock to medical care. you can thank yahoo! articles and cnbc ("careers with the most projected growth!") for naive or disillusioned folks entering a field they do not like (not just medicine).

and btw, i am SICK and tired of hearing people say they are going into medicine because they like to help people. no. people suck. you really want to practice medicine. second, i am SICK of academically stupid or lazy people who have all these dreams of whatever job they will never do because they don't have the ability (you can usually identify them by their major - "women's studies" (lmao!), "english" "philosophy" etc.) or are just too lazy.

you go into medicine to master the art of working with the human body in a variety of ways from healing to repairing to changing and everything beyond and in-between. prestige and money are expected to follow (do not discount that - you are kidding yourself) as well as possible growth of a business or your own name in the industry.

but please don't tell me that you love healing/helping people and when grandma needs her number 2 area flushed out, you order the nurse to do it. hypocrisy isn't very sexy or cute.

Prestige and money are a thing of the past, anyone who remotely thinks that going into it now is off their rocker. Will you make decent money? Yes. Will you make decent money for the time you've put in training, the sacrifices to your personal life, and the hours you work? Hell no. I grew up with a parent that was a doctor, I know how much sacrifice goes into it. And speaking from someone who is a financial analyst at a large hospital, and who's fiancé is a charge master, I can tell you the days of big money are long gone. Do you know your IDC-9's, hicpcs codes, etc? That amount of admin work required by a doc now to make sure the insurance reimbursement doesn't get rejected is now a large part of the job. And prestige? Are you kidding? People view you as a money bag (called malpractice insurance) ripe for suing, whether or not you actually did anything wrong. The largest medical award was recently given out based on zero scientific evidence.

And lastly, just because your a psychopath and don't have empathy for people, doesn't mean that's how everyone else thinks. Is it a mutually beneficial egotistical career? Of course. I personally find joy out of helping people. Deep down, everyone knows that you get personal satisfaction of it, not just philanthropic selflessness. But that doesn't mean you aren't in it for the love of helping others; it's just that is what you find personally rewarding. And if you have any idea of what actually goes on in a hospital, you would know how little prestige there really is. Working your ass off to keep someone alive that should have died and the never ending cycle of turfing people to and from nursing homes, the noncompliant patients, the lack of anything that resembles a TV hospital. I could go on, but you're not worth writing anymore, I already am ashamed of myself for even typing this much and putting this much effort into your asinine comment.

 

[box1]

mavric1298:

the article sources i mentioned are the ones pushing money and prestige in the profession, not me. i made that clear in the first sentence by saying it's a naive and uninformed (disillusioned) way of entering an industry.

and yes, i do agree with the article in the vein that those must necessarily follow because NO ONE in their right minds would train and then work as a doctor at any level if they made the same pay as a public city bus driver or a kindergarten or even high school teacher just because "he or she loves helping people/is empathetic!" (emphasis added on that exclamation mark). every doctor i have met is proud of his work and i rightly give him or her that much respect. every doctor deserves to make good money including base/generic family practitioners. if you aren't doing well, change backgrounds (go into working for insurance companies like that doc. on CNN who did an interview and talked about this income issue), or get another partner, or even relocate out of town/state.

also, i see that the median income for docs. in america $175k.

http://www.medscape.com/features/slideshow/compensation/2013/familymedicine

after all your costs (malpractice, office workers, lease, etc.), you are still making good money working at a job that requires virtually no physical labor (this will matter big time as you get older and those joints and bones won't forgive you anymore) and have 100% job security. what's with the hangup/complaints? every job has cons and every job has elements that "suck." that's why it's called work and not play.

psychopath? i have seen the disgust on doctor's faces over treating patients they do not like, as well as a healthy dose of eogtism dished out to/over nurses. you will not like everyone you meet. that's just human nature. especially patients who don't pay or take drugs as prescribed. obviously you will have empathy for those who you do like. it's just like any other job. a doctor is still a human and those behaviors will always be there. i have had mcjob workers treat me well while docs. treated me like a number or even worse. it happens. read the news or reflect on your own experience working at the hospital. and vice versa. what's your point? you make it sound like all of the workers in a specific industry (not just medicine) are/must be angels. give me a break. oh, and you work your ass off to keep someone alive in a hospital because you are compensated for that. you aren't doing any favors. that is your actual job. your house/car/whatever you fancy aren't free, you know. they are earned and this is what you must do to earn them. it's like saying a mcjob worker should be rewarded for giving me the right sandwich i ordered. that's the actual job, not something so amazing to celebrate.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...ip-club-partying-girls-time-article-1.1766359

docs like that spend $135k on "mammary meccas" yet return fuming to their practice because of a few obstinate patients or paperwork issues with insurance companies they hate. very funny. we all hate things about our jobs. "surprise!"

it sounds to me like you want to work 5-8 hours a day, a few times a week, while lounging in a bahamas island sipping on drinks with hot young'uns (in the words of al bundy) around your lounge chair. hey, as long as you are not in family practice and are a specialist making half a million bucks a year or so (even higher if you have a good plastic surgery practice), you've got it. otherwise, your base md/do degree ain't gonna cut it in today's doc.-knockin' society. times have changed, not just in medicine but everywhere else. i need not even mention illegal immigrants and h1b visa workers who have completely decimated/displaced millions of american jobs and workers. at least you are immune to that.

 

[mavric1298]

First off, way to throw in some anti immigrant sentiment in there. Nothing like some good ole' racism! Or your elitist "the poor are poor because they are lazy" attitude, not to mention discounting anyone who's major you're not interested in as academically "stupid or lazy". "If you aren't doing well, change backgrounds", yeah, just go back and be born into more money next time, idiots. It's not like your social status you're born into has any impact on your ability to succeed! Your posts read straight out of Fox news, it's truly remarkable.

Secondly, "it sounds to me like you want to work 5-8 hours a day, a few times a week, while lounging in a bahamas island sipping on drinks with hot young's" is just hilarious. Did you take the time to even comprehend a word I said previously? Yeah, I'm the one that was saying how ridiculous the hours are and how the pay isn't what it's hyped up to be. Your kinda making my argument for me, so thank you. My point was exactly that, that it's long hours, and relatively low pay for the training and time invested. Maybe you should check out https://www.aamc.org/download/152968/data/debtfactcard.pdf. The reason I personally want to do it, is neither pay nor prestige since obviously there isn't much of either. It's because it's something I find rewarding. I have no qualms about the con's of the job, and again, your making my point for me; the only real reason to go into it now-a-days is because you love it.

Next, no, absolutely it's not just a job. Maybe that's what it is to you, but that's not what it is to me, or anyone I know or respect. You are in charge of people's lives and wellbeing, and with that comes a level of responsibility above the norm. You're not there to punch in and punch out. Sure there are dinguses and egomaniacs, probably more then the usual in the profession, but you're the one that discounted ANYONE who actually wants to help people.

 

[WhippleWhileWeWork]

First off, way to throw in some anti immigrant sentiment in there. Nothing like some good ole' racism!

Man, I don't get this at all.
If someone has legitimate issues with illegal immigration then they are "anti-immigrant" and racist?
Could we rediscover nuance in our conversations? This over simplistic partisan non-sense is so worthless.

 

[mavric1298]

Sorry, but that's not possible with statements like "illegal immigrants and h1b visa workers who have completely decimated/displaced millions of american jobs and workers".

I completely agree there is room for a logical and rational conversation around the topic, but clearly that's not what box1 is interested in. I would gladly discuss agriculture worker shortages after immigrant crackdowns, or how many of the "decimated/displaced" job are positions that Americans have no interest in filling, and would be happy and open to listening to others point of view. Last time I checked though, Loyal is the only place to accept undocumented students offering 10-12 slots. There was absolutely no reason to bring immigration policy into this conversation, other then to stir the pot. That, along with the tone and outright implication that undocumented and legal h1b visa workers are destroying the job market, is what makes the post racist.

 

[Hailstorm]

I completely agree there is room for a logical and rational conversation around the topic, but clearly that's not what box1 is interested in. I would gladly discuss agriculture worker shortages after immigrant crackdowns, or how many of the "decimated/displaced" job are positions that Americans have no interest in filling, and would be happy and open to listening to others point of view.

There's a worker shortage because your vocational examples are poorly compensated. Do you honestly believe that you would have trouble finding agricultural workers if they were making 250k a year?

 

[Sumbody1245]

Hah can't even get a 2nd bachelor's degree, GPA ain't high enough, nothing left but medicine I suppose. :\

Life.

 

[mavric1298]

There's a worker shortage because your vocational examples are poorly compensated. Do you honestly believe that you would have trouble finding agricultural workers if they were making 250k a year?

I think you misunderstood my point. My point was it's stupid to say that millions of jobs are being decimated and "lost" due to illegal immigrants. The jobs they are "taking" are jobs that have low wages and it's been born out that American's simple aren't willing to do the jobs. Alabama is/was the perfect example. If we suddenly didn't have any immigrants, agriculture would be screwed.

Then as a separate point, even brining immigration into a discussion about MD's is a pointless, hyperbolic pot stir, that has little to any relevance to the discussion. There is basically 0 jobs being "taken" by undocumented people (10 out of what, 22k a year?)

 

[Sumbody1245]

Prestige and money are a thing of the past, anyone who remotely thinks that going into it now is off their rocker. Will you make decent money? Yes. Will you make decent money for the time you've put in training, the sacrifices to your personal life, and the hours you work? Hell no. I grew up with a parent that was a doctor, I know how much sacrifice goes into it. And speaking from someone who is a financial analyst at a large hospital, and who's fiancé is a charge master, I can tell you the days of big money are long gone. Do you know your IDC-9's, hicpcs codes, etc? That amount of admin work required by a doc now to make sure the insurance reimbursement doesn't get rejected is now a large part of the job. And prestige? Are you kidding? People view you as a money bag (called malpractice insurance) ripe for suing, whether or not you actually did anything wrong. The largest medical award was recently given out based on zero scientific evidence.

And lastly, just because your a psychopath and don't have empathy for people, doesn't mean that's how everyone else thinks. Is it a mutually beneficial egotistical career? Of course. I personally find joy out of helping people. Deep down, everyone knows that you get personal satisfaction of it, not just philanthropic selflessness. But that doesn't mean you aren't in it for the love of helping others; it's just that is what you find personally rewarding. And if you have any idea of what actually goes on in a hospital, you would know how little prestige there really is. Working your ass off to keep someone alive that should have died and the never ending cycle of turfing people to and from nursing homes, the noncompliant patients, the lack of anything that resembles a TV hospital. I could go on, but you're not worth writing anymore, I already am ashamed of myself for even typing this much and putting this much effort into your asinine comment.

What else could I do to make money though? I don't understand I feel cornered in. Low GPA with a Bio degree... what other options do you have other than a foreign medical school? ARRR 7-8 years of HELL await me, just to make a decent living! What a sad life this was... because its practically over now...

 

[mct2762]

About to do the Carib route 110%, and the ONLY reasons are for the job security/pay of medicine. Graduated with a 2.7 and am now working in a non health-care field while studying for the MCAT.

I'm not the most interested in the subject, I would rank bio below math, and both of those below liberal arts. Bio ranks so lowly because it feels like I'm not even human studying bio, you're just memorizing things with zero problem solving, you know, what humans do better than machines. In a few years I wouldn't be surprised if computers did most of the job of a GP.

But I feel like I have no other options with such a low GPA other than literally redoing my undergrad. Anyone have any other ideas for someone in it primarily for the $$$? Thanks beforehand!

wait...is this a joke? If not...

1. I sincerely doubt you will make it through medical school if you are not passionate about it. It is, as I'm sure you know, very rigorous. I can't imagine anyone being able to discipline themselves to sit down and put the required amount of study time in if it was not even something they liked.

2. Well you don't have to do well in med school, you just have to pass, right? wrong. If you plan to get a residency in the US from a Caribbean school, you will need to be at the top of your class, and have stellar board scores, otherwise you will be hard pressed to get in anywhere. So not only do you have to make it though, but you have to do well.

3. Do you know the amount of time doctors work? Can you really imagine dragging yourself to a job every day and working doing something you hate?

4. If you can get past the first three, lets talk about the money. Are you aware of the current state of healthcare in the US? Do you know what Obama care is? Do you know the ramifications it has on our profession and on our pay? If so, I cant even imagine you would be making this thread. Doctors do not make nearly as much as they used to. Every doctor I know complains about the pay. Not to mention that coming from a Caribbean school you will be more debt than most US students.

Nuff said

 

[Sumbody1245]

wait...is this a joke? If not...

1. I sincerely doubt you will make it through medical school if you are not passionate about it. It is, as I'm sure you know, very rigorous. I can't imagine anyone being able to discipline themselves to sit down and put the required amount of study time in if it was not even something they liked.

2. Well you don't have to do well in med school, you just have to pass, right? wrong. If you plan to get a residency in the US from a Caribbean school, you will need to be at the top of your class, and have stellar board scores, otherwise you will be hard pressed to get in anywhere. So not only do you have to make it though, but you have to do well.

3. Do you know the amount of time doctors work? Can you really imagine dragging yourself to a job every day and working doing something you hate?

4. If you can get past the first three, lets talk about the money. Are you aware of the current state of healthcare in the US? Do you know what Obama care is? Do you know the ramifications it has on our profession and on our pay? If so, I cant even imagine you would be making this thread. Doctors do not make nearly as much as they used to. Every doctor I know complains about the pay. Not to mention that coming from a Caribbean school you will be more debt than most US students.

Nuff said

No its not "Nuff said", what else do you expect me to do with a useless bio degree? No one cares what you like, you think your lawnmower likes mowing lawns every day, you think your garbage man is in ecstasy as he scoops up your trash, you think DOCTORS enjoy their job as somewhere around 50-60% say they wouldn't choose medicine as a career if they had the choice to do it over? Not all of us can do what we like. Looks like this will be true about me, what can I do, go back to school, be several years behind, and pay practically as much as medical school for a second bachelor's degree and a graduate degree following that? To probably be making LESS than a doctor?

 

[mct2762]

No its not "Nuff said", what else do you expect me to do with a useless bio degree? No one cares what you like, you think your lawnmower likes mowing lawns every day, you think your garbage man is in ecstasy as he scoops up your trash, you think DOCTORS enjoy their job as somewhere around 50-60% say they wouldn't choose medicine as a career if they had the choice to do it over? Not all of us can do what we like. Looks like this will be true about me, what can I do, go back to school, be several years behind, and pay practically as much as medical school for a second bachelor's degree and a graduate degree following that? To probably be making LESS than a doctor?

Then why did you post this thread in the first place? You seem to have your mind made up. A lot of doctors do indeed say they would not do it again if they could go back, but at some point, for a majority of them, it is what they wanted to do. If you DO become a doctor, and don't change your attitude, I pity your patients.

 

[bearded frog]

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[Sumbody1245]

Do it, enjoy yourself in the Caribbean! Who knows, you might even pull it together and make it work. If not you'll give up and move on. I'm a firm believer that everyone has to find their own path. All you have to lose is time and money, and you seem to be aware of that possibility, so I say go for it. And if it doesn't work out, maybe that will provide some incentive or direction for something you do want to do.

EDIT: and for those with things like "I feel sorry for your future patients", nobody slips and falls and accidentally becomes a doctor. If he makes it, then hes gonna have to really want it for the right reasons, or else he'll be churned out like everyone else who goes for the wrong reasons. Let the system work like its supposed to!

What else can I do? Everyone makes it seem like medicine is this great big trap unless you are passionate about it, but do I really have any other options? I'm asking, I wouldn't be seriously considering memorizing facts on a subject that means nothing to me for 7+ years if I myself thought I had any other choice. When I prove people wrong, people just say "oh well you have your mind made up already," no, I'm just saying, "you're wrong." I don't know, there is no help anywhere...