AJ 725--you are right, it definitely has to do with grades mostly. But I don't know--at my school, there were so many surprises during OCI. People who had not so great grades, but who networked well (e.g. me) managed to get great offers at boutique patent law firms--but that took a LOT of work and a lot of independent networking away from OCI. To be honest, most of the firms accepted only 20% of our class via OCI, so most students had to go through their own rigorous job search while dealing with classes and moot court, e.t.c. (Although, my school is located in an area saturated with other top-10 law schools, so that might add to the competetiveness I felt).
As far as why I chose to make the transition, the reasons were myriad.
It helped that med school had always been in the back of my mind. In undergrad, I'd wanted to go to med school, but my grades were bad. But it helped that I was also interested in law, so I decided to go to law school. My interest in law was rooted in a lot of wrong reasons at the time though--I liked politics, the tech boom was all the rage and patent firms were snapping people up and hiking salaries. What I learned is that money alone won't fulfill you.
When I got to law school, I started feeling really unfulfilled, both academically and personally. I didn't work for years like others have, but I did summer. And I felt like I was just working to make corporations more money.
And I didn't have personal contact with the people I was helping--only partners generally got to know the clients well. Summers and associates were relegated to taking depos and doing discovery, or sitting in the office drafting motions. I wanted a career where I had more personal contact with the people I helped.
I tried to address these feelings by trying to get involved with clinics and more public interest child healthcare advocacy. But I noticed something funny. When I told a kid at clinic that I'd fight with his insurance company or his school to get him the resources he needed, the kid smiled and was relieved. But when a doctor told the kid that they could make them feel better, the kid (and his parents) came to the clinic visit the following week with an even bigger smile on their face. The doctor was able to give a more fundamental, lasting relief than I ever could. I decided I wanted to be on that side of the equation--where I could give people really lasting relief from their worries.
So in the end, going to law school was invaluable because it really refined my reasons for wanting to go to med school. I began to look at jobs not just as things you do during the day to make money, but rather as something you needed to find fulfilmment and personal satisfaction in.
I know going to med school is NOT going to make me money. And my choice of specialty is not dictatted by money concerns. I've shadowed physicians (even those in subspecialties) who basically are collecting eight cents on the dollar. Insurance companies simply aren't paying up these days. Every day, medical and medicare seem to write little notes on the EOB's (explanation of benefits) that say "due to recent changes to the reimbursement laws, your reimbursements will be going down effective ___ date.) And going to work for an HMO isn't any better, because although you get paid, your freedom to practice and diagnose as you see fit is severely constrained by regulation. That's no way to practice medicine--there's no joy left in it.
If there is one financial concern that assuages my decision to career-switch, it's the job security in medicine. People will always get hurt, and you will always be able to find work as a doctor.
Medicine is very much a business these days. And there is so much regulation that affects day to day practice. EMTALA, MICRA (if you're in Cali), and HIPAA are just a few examples of the administrative complexity involved in running a practice. And between making the decision whether to join a group, work for a HMO, or go solo, there are major financial calculations to be made. You also have to negotiate rising malpractice premiums and workers compensation law. I just hope being a lawyer will give me some advantage as far as keeping myself out of trouble goes.
Based on all that headache, I don't think anyone in their right mind should be a doctor or pick their specialty if they're ONLY in it for the money. There are far easier ways to earn a buck. A good patent attorney can earn way more than a doctor can. And patent partners' salary ceilings are way higher. Even real estate agents are earning more in commissions these days that physicians. But you're right. I have met people in class who are driven to the profession for the money. I can only wish them luck.
(Of course, I should IRAC and argue the opposite position--some people are interested in both medicine and business, and in those cases, medicine is a great fit. And, some people have families to feed, or kids who have already gotten used to a certain standard of living--in those cases, financial considerations have to be taken into account).
I guess I didn't answer your question very well--I think you were fishing to find out how the vast majority of students looked at medicine, and not so much how I personally felt. I can't answer that well just yet, because I haven't actually gone to medical school. Sorry about that.
