Any aspiring pathologists or infectious disease physicians here?

[Angie_MD]

I am!
Let's communicate about how much we love microbiology & all that comes with this aspiring to be profession

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[allantois]

 

[BlueCircle]

I dont ncessarily love Microbiology ( ive never taken the course nor have ever had any interest too) but I would like to be an infectious disease specialist for hiv+ patients. Ive done a ridiculous amount of research on HIV on my own

 

[siffster]

Infectious Diseases sounds very intriguing, especially with a focus on tropical diseases!!

 

[IL Pre Med]

Just don't stick yourself with a contaminated needle!

 

[Caffein3]

Infectious Disease is extremely interesting to me it leaves a wide door open for international aid, working with NGOs, non-profits, etc.

 

[kthxbai]

Yep, that's me I have extensive background in the field, and lots of work to my name already (published author, outreach programs, awareness, etc).

 

[Angie_MD]

Cool!, how did you do that? I have been trying to get into such things

 

[Angie_MD]

Infectious Disease is extremely interesting to me it leaves a wide door open for international aid, working with NGOs, non-profits, etc.

Yes it does! But I also love the mystery about it as well

 

[Angie_MD]

Just don't stick yourself with a contaminated needle!

LOL! I work as a veterinary technician now, I've had a couple shares of needle sticks thank god they weren't contaminated though!

 

[Angie_MD]

LOL I see it's your popcorn haha

 

[Angie_MD]

I dont ncessarily love Microbiology ( ive never taken the course nor have ever had any interest too) but I would like to be an infectious disease specialist for hiv+ patients. Ive done a ridiculous amount of research on HIV on my own

Wow really?! That's very interesting and helpful of you, I think you'd contribute nicely to that field!

 

[Monika12]

-

 

[Mad Jack]

Path is a bad choice. Go read the path forums if you'd like to understand why. ID isn't bad though- just be ready to be the lowest paid physician you know.

 

[kthxbai]

Cool!, how did you do that? I have been trying to get into such things

I majored in microbiology, worked in a college lab for 2 years, an now work in an infectious disease lab.

I just got lucky, I guess, that opportunities were available in my field of interest.

 

[kthxbai]

I do detection, assay development, and some limited field work.

 

[Angie_MD]

Oh okay that's cool I see, I need to jump on it I live in NYC so I've been searching for opportunities as such I'm alil late in the game but I'm holding on

 

[kthxbai]

Oh okay that's cool I see, I need to jump on it I live in NYC so I've been searching for opportunities as such I'm alil late in the game but I'm holding on

Yeah, it isn't easy to break into the field. Lots of people have to settle for biotech with undergrad degrees, but if you search hard enough you should find something.

 

[Angie_MD]

Yea I hear ya, thanks!

 

[SummerWillow]

Anyone know of opportunities which involve working with parasites and tropical diseases?

 

[kthxbai]

Anyone know of opportunities which involve working with parasites and tropical diseases?

Start googling, emailing, and calling.

That's how I did it - that's how anyone does it.

 

[PsychPod]

Path is a bad choice. Go read the path forums if you'd like to understand why. ID isn't bad though- just be ready to be the lowest paid physician you know.

It's not always about money.

 

[Mad Jack]

It's not always about money.

I didn't say that was a bad thing, I just said be ready for it. It's hard to pay off 300-400k in loans on a 150k salary.

 

[allantois]

ID doctors indeed make the same as primary care providers

 

[Mad Jack]

ID doctors indeed make the same as primary care providers

Less than, actually. They consistently rank as the lowest paid medical specialty year after year.

 

[allantois]

Less than, actually. They consistently rank as the lowest paid medical specialty year after year.

Why don't they just work in primary care then

 

[Mad Jack]

Why don't they just work in primary care then

Because they love what they do.

Peds EM is another field like that- you typically take a substantial pay cut to do what you love.

 

[allantois]

Because they love what they do.

Peds EM is another field like that- you typically take a substantial pay cut to do what you love.

Well, you won't have people going into this kinds of fields with hundreds of thousands in debt.
Maybe, NPs will take over the specialty soon

 

[Mad Jack]

Well, you won't have people going into this kinds of fields with hundreds of thousands in debt.
Maybe, NPs will take over the specialty soon

I doubt it, honestly. Usually the people entering ID are doing it for personal reasons. It takes a special sort of person to complete a fellowship just to lose money, after all. It is also unlikely that this situation will change in the future, so long as student debt levels are below 500k, as there are many opportunities for loan forgiveness in ID if you look around. While they won't financially put one ahead of their non-ID/PCP colleagues, they will certainly reduce the financial burden of loans to the point that life is livable.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I'm interested in ID, but the low reimbursement rates are certainly a deterrent to seriously pursuing it. @Mad Jack is right on the money. Pursuing ID means losing money for doing additional training, which makes little sense financially. You'd make more just sticking with internal medicine and not going the extra two years on a resident/fellow salary.

 

[demayette]

Well, you won't have people going into this kinds of fields with hundreds of thousands in debt.
Maybe, NPs will take over the specialty soon

I am not too sure that ID is a field NPs would excel in ...

 

[allantois]

I am not too sure that ID is a field NPs would excel in ...

I don't think they will either, but I don't think nurses would care about out opinions as to what they can or cannot do

 

[ridethecliche]

I like ID work in the field. Doing ID work at the hospital is boring. **** tons of consults and anal retentive drug management. HIV is more of a chronic condition now and the drugs are so good that you can put someone on a pill for life if they compliant. Hep C stuff is interesting and more challenging in today's age and it's more of a burden in the US population (and becoming worse). Trop med is awesome, but a lot of that is now work at travel clinics for patients that need vaccines and prophylaxis prior to travel. Patients coming back from abroad with something like malaria isn't terribly common, but people get stuff from unpasteurized milk/cheese (listeria/brucella) when they travel as well.

I think the research is fascinating, but the practice isn't for me. It's sad because I've done a bunch of international and domestic work with HIV, but know that it's not what I'm going to be pursuing.

 

[DermViser]

I didn't say that was a bad thing, I just said be ready for it. It's hard to pay off 300-400k in loans on a 150k salary.

Really?

 

[Mad Jack]

Really?

200k is doable. 180k is tight. Once you hit 150k, it gets kind of hard to make a dent in 400k of debt post-tax.

 

[PsychPod]

200k is doable. 180k is tight. Once you hit 150k, it gets kind of hard to make a dent in 400k of debt post-tax.

I don't agree with this financially.

Rent, don't own.
Drive less than 30k cars.
Don't buy luxury items.

400k would assume a 3k payment a month for 20 years.
Average ID would be around what 150k?
150-k post taxes in a moderate taxed state is what probably 9.5k a month?
That's 6.5k a month for all things after taxes and loans, definitely do-able especially when you consider the possibility of spousal supplemental income. If you spread that to 30 years now you're looking at 7.5ishk a month spending.

EDIT: maybe sounding a bit more advantageous you could have 9.5k post taxes, knock out 5k for students loans of that and live on 4.5k (resident salary still not accounting for spousal income) and be debt free in 8 years.

 

[Mad Jack]

I don't agree with this financially.

Rent, don't own.
Drive less than 30k cars.
Don't buy luxury items.

400k would assume a 3k payment a month for 20 years.
Average ID would be around what 150k?
150-k post taxes in a moderate taxed state is what probably 9.5k a month?
That's 6.5k a month for all things after taxes and loans, definitely do-able especially when you consider the possibility of spousal supplemental income. If you spread that to 30 years now you're looking at 7.5ishk a month spending.

EDIT: maybe sounding a bit more advantageous you could have 9.5k post taxes, knock out 5k for students loans of that and live on 4.5k (resident salary still not accounting for spousal income) and be debt free in 8 years.

At that rate you're only paying down around 20-30k in principle per year at the interest rates that are projected to be coming down the pipe. That's a long payoff horizon, 15-20 years depending on your debt level during which you'll be making less than a nurse. I didn't say it was impossible, just difficult and basically not worthwhile financially not worthwhile compared to many bachelor's degrees.

 

[PsychPod]

At that rate you're only paying down around 20-30k in principle per year at the interest rates that are projected to be coming down the pipe. That's a long payoff horizon, 15-20 years depending on your debt level during which you'll be making less than a nurse. I didn't say it was impossible, just difficult and basically not worthwhile financially not worthwhile compared to many bachelor's degrees.

Agreed. Definitely not worthwhile financially imo.
Unless you do the IBR or serve in one of those areas which forgive your loans.
But then again, in places like Texas, I read that ID average 190k, no state tax, so you're looking at 13-14k per month after fed taxes.
Would definitely be better financially. It all just depends.
But possibly worthwhile none the less if its something you love.

 

[Mad Jack]

Agreed. Definitely not worthwhile financially imo.
Unless you do the IBR or serve in one of those areas which forgive your loans.
But then again, in places like Texas, I read that ID average 190k, no state tax, so you're looking at 13-14k per month after fed taxes.
Would definitely be better financially. It all just depends.
But possibly worthwhile none the less if its something you love.

The average property and local taxes in Texas are ridiculous though. If you look at Texas' average tax burden per resident, it's in the top ten in the nation just because of the local/sales/property taxes combined. It's still got higher salaries and lower overall cost of living than many other areas, but don't move there just for the taxes.

 

[allantois]

I don't agree with this financially.

Rent, don't own.
Drive less than 30k cars.
Don't buy luxury items.

400k would assume a 3k payment a month for 20 years.
Average ID would be around what 150k?
150-k post taxes in a moderate taxed state is what probably 9.5k a month?
That's 6.5k a month for all things after taxes and loans, definitely do-able especially when you consider the possibility of spousal supplemental income. If you spread that to 30 years now you're looking at 7.5ishk a month spending.

EDIT: maybe sounding a bit more advantageous you could have 9.5k post taxes, knock out 5k for students loans of that and live on 4.5k (resident salary still not accounting for spousal income) and be debt free in 8 years.

I wouldn't go to medical school so that I could rent an apartment all throughout my thirties.

 

[PsychPod]

I wouldn't go to medical school so that I could rent an apartment all throughout my thirties.

then the money means more to you than practicing medicine does.
no problem with that, just saying.

 

[kthxbai]

Say what you want, but I know ID doctors that make bank. They're in private practice treating a very profitable group of diseases. These docs don't accept insurance, and their visit is $2000 a pop.

They're, of course, completely unethical, but it's a great way to be in ID and still have enough to eat.

 

[Pacna]

I thought SDN was all aspiring dermatologists? Am I on the wrong site?

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

I thought SDN was all aspiring dermatologists? Am I on the wrong site?

Haven't you seen the ortho, neuro, vascular, and rad onc interest threads?!