Am I crazy for considering this?

[JackIsaacs]

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I am an optometrist graduated 2005 and I am 33 yrs old.
I am married with 2 children age 3 years and 3 months.
I have 80k debt from optometry school.
I make a decent salary (100k+) working approx 45 hrs a week.

Basically I'm frustrated with my career professionally. With the advances in computer and laser technology, my role in the eyecare landscape is likely decreasing. Furthermore, despite my knowledge and experience, I am viewed as a little brother to the OMD. I have shadowed and worked for many OMDs. Their patients are loyal and appreciative (for the most part). OMDs practice without limitation and without someone breathing down their necks. Id like to be on the forefront of new technology surgical procedures that I can deliver to my patients, as well as the higher income that is associated with that knowledge and training (I'm not gonna lie and say income doesnt play a part in this decision)

I didnt go to MD school originally because I am only interested in eyecare and I knew an ophtho residency was difficult to attain, optometry seemed like the "safer" choice. Of course I was 21 then, and I had a little different worldview. I dont want to be 60 years old and full of regret that I didnt pursue my career further.

So are these thoughts justification for pursuit of medical school? If so what should be my first steps? Please be honest, as I am truly seeking some common sense here. Thanks for all responses.

 

[Jennet]

I am an optometrist graduated 2005 and I am 33 yrs old.
I am married with 2 children age 3 years and 3 months.
I have 80k debt from optometry school.
I make a decent salary (100k+) working approx 45 hrs a week.

Basically I'm frustrated with my career professionally. With the advances in computer and laser technology, my role in the eyecare landscape is likely decreasing. Furthermore, despite my knowledge and experience, I am viewed as a little brother to the OMD. I have shadowed and worked for many OMDs. Their patients are loyal and appreciative (for the most part). OMDs practice without limitation and without someone breathing down their necks. Id like to be on the forefront of new technology surgical procedures that I can deliver to my patients, as well as the higher income that is associated with that knowledge and training (I'm not gonna lie and say income doesnt play a part in this decision)

I didnt go to MD school originally because I am only interested in eyecare and I knew an ophtho residency was difficult to attain, optometry seemed like the "safer" choice. Of course I was 21 then, and I had a little different worldview. I dont want to be 60 years old and full of regret that I didnt pursue my career further.

So are these thoughts justification for pursuit of medical school? If so what should be my first steps? Please be honest, as I am truly seeking some common sense here. Thanks for all responses.

Not crazy, but I do think there are some questions to consider. While your goals are very understandable and honest, it is the larger implications I would review. Let me ask you a few things:

1) Can your family afford for you to attend medical school? Are you the only income source for your household?
2) Have you researched any way to enhance your career other than medicine? (I don't know that much about optometry, but are there ways to increase your ability to perform complicated new procedures other than medical school?)
3) Have you been able to follow any OMD's to get a sense of what the work is really like?

I think those questions are the most important to ask of any post-bacc, not necessarily just you. Once you've answered those, you can move forward.

 

[theseeker4]

I am an optometrist graduated 2005 and I am 33 yrs old.
I am married with 2 children age 3 years and 3 months.
I have 80k debt from optometry school.
I make a decent salary (100k+) working approx 45 hrs a week.

Basically I'm frustrated with my career professionally. With the advances in computer and laser technology, my role in the eyecare landscape is likely decreasing. Furthermore, despite my knowledge and experience, I am viewed as a little brother to the OMD. I have shadowed and worked for many OMDs. Their patients are loyal and appreciative (for the most part). OMDs practice without limitation and without someone breathing down their necks. Id like to be on the forefront of new technology surgical procedures that I can deliver to my patients, as well as the higher income that is associated with that knowledge and training (I'm not gonna lie and say income doesnt play a part in this decision)

I didnt go to MD school originally because I am only interested in eyecare and I knew an ophtho residency was difficult to attain, optometry seemed like the "safer" choice. Of course I was 21 then, and I had a little different worldview. I dont want to be 60 years old and full of regret that I didnt pursue my career further.

So are these thoughts justification for pursuit of medical school? If so what should be my first steps? Please be honest, as I am truly seeking some common sense here. Thanks for all responses.

I think the biggest question you need to ask yourself is, would you still want to pursue med school if you couldn't match into Optho? If no, I would stick where you are. If you want to be a physician even if you will end up in internal medicine, peds, psych, EM, surgery, etc, then go to the next step in determining what you would have to do and what you would have to give up to get that MD/DO.

 

[hopeful22213]

I am not sure the financial component should be a primary consideration. If we were to say you began at age 35:

-Four years of lost income at your present rate (-400,000)'
-the debt (for a round number I'll just put it at 200,000, though of course that varies greatly)
-Four years of residency at a salary significantly lower than your present one (for the sake of easy numbers, we'll say you make 50k, thus 100k-50k x 4 years = -200,000)

That means you complete your residency at age 43 somewhere around 800,000+ (excluding interest) behind where'd you be had you just kept working instead. As an OMD you'd earn more than your present salary, probably significantly more, and would most likely come out ahead at the end of your career. But the net gain won't be enormous.

You mentioned plenty of worthwhile reasons to go for it, I just don't think salary consideration is one of the stronger ones.

 

[dotdash]

Why not explore other options? There must be a ton of things you can do to make your career or life more exciting -- lead an industry association, volunteer in poor communities around the world, get involved in research studies (not sure about that one), learn Arabic or Chinese, change the future of optometry by innovating, mentor inner city future optometrists, invent a new device of some kind, be the blogging eyeguy -- there are a million things.

What I would not do, if I were you, would be to put yourself and your family through a bunch of difficult, costly years and end up (if you are lucky and match in your specialty) 10 paces farther on than where you are for free and easy now. You want to be somewhere slightly different? Don't get on a certain path simply because there is one there; it's harder to find and make your own path but probably better in the long run.

I get that you don't want to be 60 and have regrets. But regrets come from many different places. Be a good dad to your kids and expand your horizons where and how you can in ways that work with your current life. That's my opinion; others undoubtedly will have others.

 

[SnowyRox]

Are you in an area where you can do Lasik?

 

[JackIsaacs]

Not crazy, but I do think there are some questions to consider. While your goals are very understandable and honest, it is the larger implications I would review. Let me ask you a few things:

1) Can your family afford for you to attend medical school? Are you the only income source for your household?
2) Have you researched any way to enhance your career other than medicine? (I don't know that much about optometry, but are there ways to increase your ability to perform complicated new procedures other than medical school?)
3) Have you been able to follow any OMD's to get a sense of what the work is really like?

I think those questions are the most important to ask of any post-bacc, not necessarily just you. Once you've answered those, you can move forward.

1) Probably not. Yes.
2) I've thought about PA or surgical tech, but again lack of independence.
3) Yes I've worked for them and shadowed. Work in a clinic setting is not much different than I'm doing now , except they fish for surgical cases.

 

[JackIsaacs]

I think the biggest question you need to ask yourself is, would you still want to pursue med school if you couldn't match into Optho? If no, I would stick where you are. If you want to be a physician even if you will end up in internal medicine, peds, psych, EM, surgery, etc, then go to the next step in determining what you would have to do and what you would have to give up to get that MD/DO.

Answer is still no, thats why I never applied when I was 21.

 

[JackIsaacs]

Why not explore other options? There must be a ton of things you can do to make your career or life more exciting -- lead an industry association, volunteer in poor communities around the world, get involved in research studies (not sure about that one), learn Arabic or Chinese, change the future of optometry by innovating, mentor inner city future optometrists, invent a new device of some kind, be the blogging eyeguy -- there are a million things.

What I would not do, if I were you, would be to put yourself and your family through a bunch of difficult, costly years and end up (if you are lucky and match in your specialty) 10 paces farther on than where you are for free and easy now. You want to be somewhere slightly different? Don't get on a certain path simply because there is one there; it's harder to find and make your own path but probably better in the long run.

I get that you don't want to be 60 and have regrets. But regrets come from many different places. Be a good dad to your kids and expand your horizons where and how you can in ways that work with your current life. That's my opinion; others undoubtedly will have others.

Great Post. Thank you, I am working on trying to expand my horizons, believe me the last thing I want to do is put my kids in jeopardy.

 

[JackIsaacs]

Are you in an area where you can do Lasik?

Only Oklahoma and until recently Kentucky allow optometrists to use lasers , and no I dont live in those states. Maybe these states will set the pace for optometry, I would look forward to it.

 

[WADO]

Only Oklahoma and until recently Kentucky allow optometrists to use lasers , and no I dont live in those states. Maybe these states will set the pace for optometry, I would look forward to it.

Never understood that rationale. There already is a way to do eye surgery and that's to go medical school. Seems to me people who aren't satisfied with their career choice as a midlevel always want to find a backdoor way to become a surgeon. I guess expanding the scope of practice of an optometrist would be the easiest way to become a surgeon, though I'm not sure if optometry school is designed for that.

 

[thepoopologist]

I am an optometrist graduated 2005 and I am 33 yrs old.
I am married with 2 children age 3 years and 3 months.
I have 80k debt from optometry school.
I make a decent salary (100k+) working approx 45 hrs a week.

Basically I'm frustrated with my career professionally. With the advances in computer and laser technology, my role in the eyecare landscape is likely decreasing. Furthermore, despite my knowledge and experience, I am viewed as a little brother to the OMD. I have shadowed and worked for many OMDs. Their patients are loyal and appreciative (for the most part). OMDs practice without limitation and without someone breathing down their necks. Id like to be on the forefront of new technology surgical procedures that I can deliver to my patients, as well as the higher income that is associated with that knowledge and training (I'm not gonna lie and say income doesnt play a part in this decision)

I didnt go to MD school originally because I am only interested in eyecare and I knew an ophtho residency was difficult to attain, optometry seemed like the "safer" choice. Of course I was 21 then, and I had a little different worldview. I dont want to be 60 years old and full of regret that I didnt pursue my career further.

So are these thoughts justification for pursuit of medical school? If so what should be my first steps? Please be honest, as I am truly seeking some common sense here. Thanks for all responses.

With a marriage and two children and a good salary I think a question to ask yourself is if you value your time with them or significantly sacrificing the time you have now for a better JOB.

 

[sirenomelia]

I know a handful of JD/MD's, dentist/MD's, but i havent come across an OD/MD.
I think the grass may not be as greener as you think, nor any given opthal as endpoint and master as your impression. It seemed to me like most opthals wanted the everyday gravy like you described what bored you and readily referred someone on if something difficult or rare came along rather than take on challenges or blaze paths in their field- but thats on my limited experience.