Help a fella decide...

[BTR1208]

Okay well as of right now I am pre-dental. I have a 3.75oGPA and a 3.9sGPA. I am getting to the point where I need to decided what I want to do exactly as I will be taking either the MCAT or DAT very very soon.

I have shadowed both a dentist and a podiatrist. Love both careers and could see myself being happy doing either. I have a few concerns about each and was wondering if I could get your opinon or any advice..

Let's just do a pros/cons list..

DENTAL:

Pros:
4 years and I can begin practicing and making money.
Great lifestyle with good pay.
Pretty much guaranteed a job at the end of 4 years.

Cons:
400k+ in debt.
Very repetitive work.
High overhead.

Summary: Very worried about the debt. I have been on my own since I was 17 and have always provided for myself. Taking on 400k debt with no scholarship opportunities (not interested in the military) is scary.

PODIATRY:

Pros:
Much more diverse work.
Good lifestyle, more hours but still good.
Lower overhead.
Lower debt.
Scholarship opportunities.

Cons:
No guarantee of a residency.
Much harder work in school. (so I have heard)
7 years post-grad
MCAT!

TOP PODIATRY SCHOOLS:
DMU
Midwestern
Kent State


Summary: I would thoroughly enjoy being a podiatrist but am worried I would put in the work and have no residency. Less debt is extremely attractive. But I know I would be very happy practicing everyday.



Another thing is school. Not saying I could cruise through dental school but I have heard there is much less time and stress put towards dental school compared to the podiatry program. I do not go out ever but I am a very serious competitive bodybuilder. Make money doing it. So it is important I can make it to the gym 4-5x a week for an hour or so. But I already train at 430am so should not be a big deal. I have heard Des Moines is very flexible for something like this as lectures are not mandatory.


Is it possible to work say 30-40hrs a week and bring in 200-250k a year as a podiatrist in one's career? One thing that attracts me to dentistry is the lifestyle. I want to spend time with my family, travel and provide a decent lifestyle for my wife and children in the future. Being 400k in debt with dentistry seems very difficult and stressful. I am after a healthy balanced lifestyle. Working no more than 40 or so hours a week and bringing in enough money to live comfortably.

Do you have any advice for me?

Thank you for your time,

B

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[PatchAdamsFan]

Have you not considered medical school, given your stats and interest in the health professions?
Why is the MCAT a con? You need to work very hard to do well on either the DAT or MCAT exams. Also, there are no guarantees in life, and that applies to dental employment. I know a dentist that works 25 hours a week, and another who works 80 hours. Ditto for podiatrists.

If you really care about the difficulty of the program, maybe it is not for you. I would put more thought in this. These are both great professions, but require 100% commitment, for your patients sake.

 

[Leira23]

Not sure about dental schools, but each podiatry school offers a chance for scholarships through the school, public health service is another option (similar to military but without deployment and all that), that's what I plan to do to pay for school, plus they give you monthly living stipend as well. Just fyi

 

[PrePodDoc]

Both programs are good for the family life; however, I see no difference in debt. Yes, dentistry has more debt, but during the 3 years of residency for podiatry, dentists will be working those 3 years. I think it kind of balances it out. From the podiatry student point-of-view, you will have time to exercise. All that matters is your time commitment. Can you fit that into your schedule and exercise or study and get distracted. It all depends on your habits. It is good that you're honest and serious about your decision, but which profession do you truly enjoy more? Do you like to work on the mouth or feet the whole day? Like PatchAdamsFan said, another option is the MD or DO program. Think this though carefully before making the jump. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

 

[tylerwayne]

I hate when people answer this way but: No one can make this choice for you :/

I agree with above, I see debt as relatively the same. And no one can truly know what your salary would be. I'm sure there's both pods and dents making 60k and others making 200k... There's A LOT of variables there.

I haven't looked much into dental curriculum, but I haven't heard it's easier? Can anyone comment on this? From what I understand dental school is just as difficult as the other health professions. They're still learning the advanced sciences and then the pathologies and treatments of the mouth. They still have board to study for and pass. And I've spoken to many dentists and its pretty unanimous that they suggest a residency. There are many facets to dentistry and just like pod/med you can't learn them all in 4 years. I would be scared as hell going straight into practice from school!!

I hate to say this because I really love the profession of podiatry (and personally I don't think its a reflection of podiatrists abilities)...but the admission reqs are not difficult! Don't be afraid of the MCAT. With that GPA you could probably score at least a 19-20 without ever studying and get in somewhere (well Kent, maybe a little harder for DMU and AZPOD).

I too am a fitness enthusiast. I compete in my sport so I'm very active with it. I train 6-7 days a week multiple times a day. Olympic lifting sessions, endurance sessions, gymnastics sessions etc etc.. Sure that's going to take a significant hit because right now I spend 3-4+ hrs in the gym a day which won't be possible. However I know you know this as you're competitive: if there's a will to train, there's a way. Might not always be ideal..but I'm sure you'll be able to manage. Even if your physique takes a hit I'd ask myself "what's more important, how I look on stage one time, or how successful I will be for the rest of my life??" I know there's no real money in your sport unless you make it to Olympia level and if you're there well then this is a different story.. Anyway don't worry about that, you're going to make it work in any situation I'm sure! (oh btw I believe most campuses have gyms on them)

Good luck with your decision! ...then good luck picking which acceptance you're going to choose that's my current dilemma haha

 

[ExGaucho]

Not sure about dental schools, but each podiatry school offers a chance for scholarships through the school, public health service is another option (similar to military but without deployment and all that), that's what I plan to do to pay for school, plus they give you monthly living stipend as well. Just fyi

I wasn't aware of the USPHS.....thanks for the heads up Ariel!

 

[BTR1208]

Wow you guys thank you so much for the responses!

This is such a hard decision.. Overwhelming but exciting at the same time.

Why I love the lifestyle of dentistry the debt scares the crap out of me. While I love podiatry so much overall and the scope of practice in general the chance of not having a residency out of school is terrifying.

As for medical school I am worried of falling into a specialty where I am working 80hrs a week and constantly on call. Not what I want.

My overall goal in life is this: Be able to help people on a daily basis, provide a comfortable life for myself and my family while spending quality time at home watching my kids grow up.

Can dentistry offer this? Yes but at what cost.

Can podiatry? Most likely, yes. But what if I am one of those unlucky students without a residency?

Can medicine? Absolutely but there is a chance I will end up in a specialty working 80hrs a week and constantly on call.

 

[PatchAdamsFan]

Just to touch on your last points:
Dentistry: I am certain there are struggling dentists out there, but I have yet to meet one. It is difficult to not prosper in a cash-based practice, let alone pay back loans.
Podiatry: for the class of 2014, there was about a 90% placement rate. This is a factor, albeit not a deciding one.
Medicine: The only way the above outcome can happen is if you choose to pursue those fields (general surgery, etc.). The majority of students match into primary care, such as family or internal medicine, and those hours are closer to the 40 hour a week model.

 

[Toadesque]

I wouldn't worry about residency placement. There are in fact more residency spots than applicants, the problem for the past few years was that people who weren't getting placed were having to wait a year to reapply and were taking away spots from the next graduating class. Basically causing a backlog. But every year that seems to get alleviated (I think partly because the quality of applicants is getting better so people aren't failing boards like they used to). By the time you graduate it should be a thing of the past and honestly the only people who really should be worrying are those with poor grades/poor clinical skills. It's not like it's the vast majority of graduates who can't get a residency, it's the opposite.

 

[Screwtape]

No state dental school?