Hi,
I am planning to apply to medical schools for the 2012-2013 cycle. I am a 36 year old nontrad applicant making a career switch with a science PhD and lots of research experiences. I am determined about my decision but my girl friend is against it mainly due to financial concerns. I understand that ultimately it comes down to how much I want to be a doctor, but we are getting serious and I need some information and reality check to make a better decision and make my case stronger.
I looked up the average indebtedness for most schools and they are around $140,000. I heard residents make ~$50000/yr. How about fellows? Attendings may make ~200k/yr. If these numbers are reasonable, how long will it take to repay the loan while living a not luxury but decent life style? How difficult is it to have family and kids during med school and residency?
Another question: since I will be 37 when I start med school. I will be ~45 when I become a real doctor, with 15 to 20 years to work. From a purely financial point of view, is the investment of going to med school worthwhile?
Please share your opinions and experience if you have thought about these or have gone through these. If these have been discussed in some old threads please point me to them. Thank you for your help!
I am planning to apply to medical schools for the 2012-2013 cycle. I am a 36 year old nontrad applicant making a career switch with a science PhD and lots of research experiences. I am determined about my decision but my girl friend is against it mainly due to financial concerns. I understand that ultimately it comes down to how much I want to be a doctor, but we are getting serious and I need some information and reality check to make a better decision and make my case stronger.
I looked up the average indebtedness for most schools and they are around $140,000. I heard residents make ~$50000/yr. How about fellows? Attendings may make ~200k/yr. If these numbers are reasonable, how long will it take to repay the loan while living a not luxury but decent life style? How difficult is it to have family and kids during med school and residency?
Another question: since I will be 37 when I start med school. I will be ~45 when I become a real doctor, with 15 to 20 years to work. From a purely financial point of view, is the investment of going to med school worthwhile?
Please share your opinions and experience if you have thought about these or have gone through these. If these have been discussed in some old threads please point me to them. Thank you for your help!