Am I crazy?

[Geekman55]

I'm 27 years old and have Master's of Science in Electrical Engineering. I've been in the industry for about 5 years now, but I want something different. I want to become a psychiatrist.

The issues I have are that I still have about 20-30k debt from my undergrad and I need to take several prereqs to satisfy the premed requirements. I took 1 year of Chemistry, but no organic Chem. I didn't take any Biology, so I'm assuming I need 2-4 classes there. I should be good on physics and math classes. I am thinking I could probably take these classes over the next year while I continue to work at my current job.

I never really loved engineering, but I got into it because I was good at math and science and I wanted a decent paycheck. Now that I've been in the field for some time, I want to do something I love. I love helping people with problems and psychiatry hits close to home since I've dealt with depression, social anxiety and such myself.

But am I crazy? Am I too old to make the change? Has anyone else switched from Engineering to Medicine and had success?

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[KLPM]

Now that I've been in the field for some time, I want to do something I love. I love helping people with problems and psychiatry hits close to home since I've dealt with depression, social anxiety and such myself.

Social workers, nurses and psychologists do those things too. Probably more than doctors.

 

[SuperSoccer19]

No, you're not crazy...

My medical school class had quite a few students who were what most would consider "non-traditional," like yourself. Id say about half my class was straight out of college and the other half had taken at least a few years off--some decades off. We had a 36 year old science teacher (now a family medicine physician), a 32 year old OR tech ( now an Ob/gyn), and I don't even remember how many others. The class below mine had 3 students in their 40s and my medical school did not even have the reputation for attracting "non-traditional" students. There were two physicians in my residency class that were both well over 40 when we finished that (this was out of 5).

Look at various medical school's admission requirements to figure out what coursework you need--talk to their admissions even. You can even do a post-doc. Some schools attract more "non-traditional" students, but I don't know which ones. Med school can be a pain in the ass, but if this is really what you want to do its worth it.

As stated above, there are a lot of other jobs that don't take quite as long to get into, but I personally like the versitility of being an MD.

Good luck! Feel free to PM with any questions, but I am not sure if im the best person to answer the "how to" part of this.

 

[DOswag]

Not crazy at all Geekman. I completely agree with super soccer. We had a good mix of people in my class that were straight out of college and some non trads as well. I wouldn't consider myself a true "non traditional" in the sense that I had a different career before med school but I had a little time between college and med school and started at the age of 25.

We had plenty of others in their late 20's and early 30's starting. One guy was mid 30's, married, had 4 kids, lived 45 minutes from school and had a full time job that he worked on the weekends during the first 2 years. No idea how he held all that together but he matched into an EM residency. Had another lady in our class in her 40's matched family med.

You are not too old and even taking a year of undergrad classes and taking the MCAT won't be that big of a deal. I agree med school sucks and can be a complete pain in the ass. I was considering a different career path at the end of college but decided to take the extra classes and the MCAT and go for it. I made that decision a little younger than you but I knew that I would get several years down the road, when I would've been done with med school and residency, and I would've regretted not going for it when I was younger. Now I'm 29, just graduated school, and starting a transitional intern year. I'm planning on reapplying this year for a spot in Psychiatry (HPSP shooting for emergency medicine last year and didn't match, glad I didn't and going for Psych now). Good luck in whatever you decide.

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

We have three ex-engineers in our program, and no, 27 is not too old. 20 – 30K debt isn’t something I would minimize, but it would barely cover a modest wedding now days. If you finish med school, it will look like a spit in the ocean. You had better love it, because it is a long road. Almost everyone says it was worth it once they are done, and almost everyone has doubts along the way.

 

[BestDoctorEver]

@Geekman55 ... Not too old IMO... I am in my mid 30s and just started med school as a former nurse. My roommate, a MS-II, is in his early 50s and was a commercial pilot....

 

[bashir]

One of the psychiatry interns I worked with during my psych rotation was in his early 30s and had made the transition from engineering to medicine. He said it was difficult to leave a well-paying job but he was very happy he made the leap.

I'm sure you'll do your research as far as getting in to medical school, but I would advise you to start volunteering in a medical setting and/or shadowing physicians ASAP if you decide to go for it. Medical schools see that as a way to demonstrate your commitment to this path, so the longer you've been doing it when you apply, the better it will look. Otherwise your plan sounds totally workable. Good luck!

 

[OldPsychDoc]

28/140 of my MS1 class were over 30 at matriculation. A good portion of them went into psych.

 

[wholeheartedly]

You might be crazy, but I'm not qualified to make that determination

You are, however, in good company. If you haven't found it yet, there's a whole forum on this site for Nontraditional students like us and quite a few engineering to med folks as well. Also several threads on engineering and medicine.

Nontrad
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/nontraditional-students.110/

Engineering to med
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/engineering-vs-medicine.299433/
And
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/engineering-to-medicine.389101/


And "why did you quit engineering?"
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/why-did-you-quit-engineering.966626/#post-15237772

 

[Leo Aquarius]

I was around your age when I decided to be a doctor, and then began med school around age 29. My major was engineering, and yes I worked in industry for a few years before making the change. You're in good company.

 

[novopsych]

My undergraduate degree was in the dance, and I was in a ballet company for three years before I got the call. So if you're crazy, I'm not sure what that makes me. But I guess the difference between us is I didn't give up the dance. I extended it. It sounds like you want to give up engineering, which is not hard for me to understand (not my bag). But I'm sure you'll bring something from your past that will make you uniquely valuable.

 

[mgdsh]

You're crazy for leaving a field with a positive tailwind, spend 8+ years incubating, only to then face multiple negative headwinds.

There are plenty of other ways you can help people, such as donating, organizing a fundraiser, etc.

The benefits, flexibility, money, work environment, etc in tech right now are second to none.

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

I would have to disagree. I have worked as an engineer and I have several engineers in my family. One earns more than me, but the effort and stress is over the top. If engineering is in a tail wind, it is a gentle off shore breeze and medicine is traveling East in the jet stream. Engineers start out of school much better than most, but they hit the celling very quickly. The only way up is through management. Then you are surrounded by MBAs who stopped math at pre-calculus.

 

[Armadillos]

Would working for a biomedical device company or something along those lines satisfy the "helping people" itch at all for you? Or are you more looking for the face to face interaction?
Are you certain your not interested in engineering in general or is it just your particular job doesn't spark your interest?

(I was an engineering major as well, so I do think there are a lot of us who get pushed into engineering coming out of high school just because we are smart and good at science irregardless of if we actually like engineering)

 

[smalltownpsych]

If you are crazy, then maybe you are looking at the right field. In all seriousness, having an awareness and understanding of your own emotional and interpersonal difficulties can help make for a better clinician. For me it comes down to how much you love the study of human behavior and cognition. Psychiatrists tend to emphasize the biological aspects of this whereas psychologists tend to emphasize the psychological but we are both experts at interventions designed to alleviate suffering and maximize functioning. As alluded to previously, it is more than just helping people, it is using empirical methods to do so. As an engineer, you might have a leg up on a few in that aspect.

 

[greenlion]

I too had an engineering degree before medical school. You'd be surprised how many there are.

You're crazy for leaving a field with a positive tailwind, spend 8+ years incubating, only to then face multiple negative headwinds.

There are plenty of other ways you can help people, such as donating, organizing a fundraiser, etc.

The benefits, flexibility, money, work environment, etc in tech right now are second to none.

I would disagree as well. The expected lifetime income (such an 'engineer' thing to say btw) i.e. probability of attaining different income levels multiplied by the income and over time --> doctors make much more. For example the highest paid engineers are software engineers (except for the niche field of petroleum engineers working for Big Oil). The company that pays it's full-time software engineers the most? Google. Mid-career median income of a Google software engineer? $147k. Microsoft is second place at $122k. The equivalently intelligent doctor would have entered a high paid specialty residency and be making $400k+. The other problem is the half-life of an engineer: high-tech employers strongly prefer the young over the middle-aged. The idea (erroneously) being that those trained in older technology can't/won't keep up with recent tech.

So despite the recent upswing in engineering (which was followed by a 29% jump in computer sciences majors at US colleges in 2012 btw) - engineering still isn't the profession that makes big bucks. Unless you're an entrepreneur or a businessman- but that's true in every field.

All that said- engineers as a whole have higher career satisfaction than doctors. Perhaps they all think that one day they'll quit the grind and found the next Uber or Oculus VR...

 

[Geekman55]

One of the psychiatry interns I worked with during my psych rotation was in his early 30s and had made the transition from engineering to medicine. He said it was difficult to leave a well-paying job but he was very happy he made the leap.

I'm sure you'll do your research as far as getting in to medical school, but I would advise you to start volunteering in a medical setting and/or shadowing physicians ASAP if you decide to go for it. Medical schools see that as a way to demonstrate your commitment to this path, so the longer you've been doing it when you apply, the better it will look. Otherwise your plan sounds totally workable. Good luck!

I agree. I would like to get out there and volunteer in a medical setting ASAP. Do you have any recommendations for going about this? I'll search the forum as I'm sure someone else has asked this question. I don't know if I should contact psychiatrists directly or help by doing some administrative work at a local hospital. I hope this volunteer/shadow experience will help confirm my plan to get into the field.

You might be crazy, but I'm not qualified to make that determination

You are, however, in good company. If you haven't found it yet, there's a whole forum on this site for Nontraditional students like us and quite a few engineering to med folks as well. Also several threads on engineering and medicine.

Nontrad
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/nontraditional-students.110/

Engineering to med
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/engineering-vs-medicine.299433/
And
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/engineering-to-medicine.389101/


And "why did you quit engineering?"
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/why-did-you-quit-engineering.966626/#post-15237772

Thanks so much! I appreciate the thread links. I've actually read through them all now and I am feeling very inspired .

You're crazy for leaving a field with a positive tailwind, spend 8+ years incubating, only to then face multiple negative headwinds.

There are plenty of other ways you can help people, such as donating, organizing a fundraiser, etc.

The benefits, flexibility, money, work environment, etc in tech right now are second to none.

I don't know. I started out at 61k and am now at 76k about 4.5 yrs later. The only way I can really move up is to go into management which is just a bunch of politics in the corporate world. I feel like so many engineers could do my job and I'm not really having the impact on lives that I want to have.

I would have to disagree. I have worked as an engineer and I have several engineers in my family. One earns more than me, but the effort and stress is over the top. If engineering is in a tail wind, it is a gentle off shore breeze and medicine is traveling East in the jet stream. Engineers start out of school much better than most, but they hit the celling very quickly. The only way up is through management. Then you are surrounded by MBAs who stopped math at pre-calculus.

Agreed. I am somewhat disappointed with how many MBAs are running these businesses with no real idea what goes into the product. Granted my company does a good job of hiring engineers for business positions, there are still too many people who couldn't solve a differential equation. The engineers don't get rewarded financially for their efforts. If I were to stay in this line of work, I would probably go for an MBA and then try to get into management.

Would working for a biomedical device company or something along those lines satisfy the "helping people" itch at all for you? Or are you more looking for the face to face interaction?
Are you certain your not interested in engineering in general or is it just your particular job doesn't spark your interest?

(I was an engineering major as well, so I do think there are a lot of us who get pushed into engineering coming out of high school just because we are smart and good at science irregardless of if we actually like engineering)

I don't think so. I am more interested in the face to face interaction and having that bond with someone. I have been interested in mental disorders/illnesses my whole life and I know how hard it can be to get/afford a psychiatrist. It seems there is a big demand for the profession. I'm just not really interested in designing things anymore. I have done about 8 different engineering jobs in my company (through internships and a 2 yr rotational program) and none of them were any more interesting than the others. Even when I worked with technology I felt I was passionate about, the job itself was bleh sitting in a cubicle all day. I feel like I was also one of those kids who was really good at math/science and went into engineering because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but I knew I was smart and didn't want to be poor. I thought it would figure itself out, and maybe after 10 yrs it has...

If you are crazy, then maybe you are looking at the right field. In all seriousness, having an awareness and understanding of your own emotional and interpersonal difficulties can help make for a better clinician. For me it comes down to how much you love the study of human behavior and cognition. Psychiatrists tend to emphasize the biological aspects of this whereas psychologists tend to emphasize the psychological but we are both experts at interventions designed to alleviate suffering and maximize functioning. As alluded to previously, it is more than just helping people, it is using empirical methods to do so. As an engineer, you might have a leg up on a few in that aspect.

Haha! I agree. I think that since I've dealt first-hand with some of the interpersonal difficulties that it would make me a better clinician. I also agree that having an engineering background and being a problem solver by nature should help me. I hope I can use this to my advantage to help me get into a good med school.

 

[Geekman55]

I'm probably a little late to be able to enroll into any Fall classes, but I am going to give this a lot more thought over the next month or so and if I'm still onboard with my decision, I'm going to apply for the Spring. I am not sure how many classes I am going to need to take. I will need to talk to an admission/advisor rep. I currently live in greater Denver area, so the University of Boulder or the University of Denver - Anschutz Campus are probably going to be where I take my prereqs. I took engineering physics 1 and 2, but I'm not sure if this will fulfill the physics requirement. I also took Chem 1 and 2, but no organic chemistry. I didn't take biology either. I am thinking I will probably need to take a year of biology, a year of organic chemistry, and maybe a couple other classes before I can apply for a school. I can possibly do this all within 1-1.5 yrs while maintaining my full-time job.

One benefit I do have is my company is pretty flexible. I think they'll let me continue to work there while I take classes. They will probably even allow me to take day classes and just work evenings since I'm in a salaried position with flexible hours. This will help me continue to pay off my current loans and maybe pay for all my undergrad classes upfront. Then I will just need to take out massive loans for med school depending on how much financial aid will be available to a nontraditional student.

I just purchased the Kaplan 2015 MCAT prep books. I plan to start becoming familiar with some of the topics in my free time. I did very well on the GRE (verbal was meh but math sections were perfects) and my ACT back in the day was a 28 which isn't great, but helped me get some scholarships. I feel like I can get the necessary score to get accepted if I am dedicated. If I'm interested in something, I usually can pull off good scores. In undergrad I maintained around a 3.4-3.5 GPA even when I didn't really like my coursework. I am hoping if I am 100% committed I can get a 3.8+ GPA with these remaining prereqs.

Seems like I have a long, exciting road ahead if I decide to pursue this. I don't have a wife/kids right now, so I think the only thing holding me back would be myself at this point.

 

[mgdsh]

I too had an engineering degree before medical school. You'd be surprised how many there are.


I would disagree as well. The expected lifetime income (such an 'engineer' thing to say btw) i.e. probability of attaining different income levels multiplied by the income and over time --> doctors make much more. For example the highest paid engineers are software engineers (except for the niche field of petroleum engineers working for Big Oil). The company that pays it's full-time software engineers the most? Google. Mid-career median income of a Google software engineer? $147k. Microsoft is second place at $122k. The equivalently intelligent doctor would have entered a high paid specialty residency and be making $400k+. The other problem is the half-life of an engineer: high-tech employers strongly prefer the young over the middle-aged. The idea (erroneously) being that those trained in older technology can't/won't keep up with recent tech.

So despite the recent upswing in engineering (which was followed by a 29% jump in computer sciences majors at US colleges in 2012 btw) - engineering still isn't the profession that makes big bucks. Unless you're an entrepreneur or a businessman- but that's true in every field.

All that said- engineers as a whole have higher career satisfaction than doctors. Perhaps they all think that one day they'll quit the grind and found the next Uber or Oculus VR...

I don't know. I started out at 61k and am now at 76k about 4.5 yrs later. The only way I can really move up is to go into management which is just a bunch of politics in the corporate world. I feel like so many engineers could do my job and I'm not really having the impact on lives that I want to have.

Maybe most of the engineers I know are in tech and get compensated by not only salary plus stock options. Quite a few of these folks have also worked for companies that have gone public.

 

[Geekman55]

Maybe most of the engineers I know are in tech and get compensated by not only salary plus stock options. Quite a few of these folks have also worked for companies that have gone public.

The company I work for is a top 10 company in the world in terms of revenue and you will not get stock options or even bonuses until you reach executive band. I'd be lucky to reach E band by the time I'm in my late 30s. Most engineers will not reach E band in their career. Of course being in a fortune 500 company also means that I don't have as competitive pay as other smaller companies, but I have greater job stability and flexibility. Some tradeoffs I suppose...If I were to reach the E band it would be a sweet deal though. I still don't think I'd enjoy the job and would easily make more as a psychiatrist.

 

[mgdsh]

The company I work for is a top 10 company in the world in terms of revenue and you will not get stock options or even bonuses until you reach executive band. I'd be lucky to reach E band by the time I'm in my late 30s. Most engineers will not reach E band in their career. Of course being in a fortune 500 company also means that I don't have as competitive pay as other smaller companies, but I have greater job stability and flexibility. Some tradeoffs I suppose...If I were to reach the E band it would be a sweet deal though. I still don't think I'd enjoy the job and would easily make more as a psychiatrist.

That's understandable. It seems that you prefer stability to upside. My wife was in a position like that as well early in our relationship (older more stable tech company), then proceeded to join a start up, employee #60 something. Company should go public or get bought out eventually giving her good upside. She's also had a chance to grow professionally and personally. Work environment is more flexible and pay is significantly more. win-win all around.

I should add that I'm not a typical employed psychiatrist. 100% of my income is 1099. I'm happy with what I'm doing now (professionally + personally), but certain parts of the journey were definitely challenging and a significant sacrifice.

Wish you the best in your future, which ever direction it may take you. Just wanted to chime in an share other elements to consider.

Best.

 

[greenlion]

That's understandable. It seems that you prefer stability to upside. My wife was in a position like that as well early in our relationship (older more stable tech company), then proceeded to join a start up, employee #60 something. Company should go public or get bought out eventually giving her good upside. She's also had a chance to grow professionally and personally. Work environment is more flexible and pay is significantly more. win-win all around.

I should add that I'm not a typical employed psychiatrist. 100% of my income is 1099. I'm happy with what I'm doing now (professionally + personally), but certain parts of the journey were definitely challenging and a significant sacrifice.

Wish you the best in your future, which ever direction it may take you. Just wanted to chime in an share other elements to consider.

Best.

I think you hit in on the head with "stability" comment. I'm not an expert but I was around that culture for a bit after college while working at a late-stage financial software startup.
Early stage startup (pre-funding): you are making 50% undermarket at least and possibly living like a college student in a shared/house with your co-workers. Long hours and you're likely never reap financial rewards. But of course these are the people who have *a shot* at becoming multi-millionaires. Eventually (especially post 30) most give it up because they want to have a wife/kids/regular life. You could easily end up doing this until you've grown old and never see much more than a pittance though.
Late state startup (post initial round of funding): you still make ~30% undermarket on average but it can vary a lot. Experienced experts make more than they would at large companies. At this point the pre-ipo stock options are already gone. However you are much likely to actually get to the sale/ipo stage. Out of 10 startups they invest in- most VC expect 1 homerun, 3-4 that just give average returns, and 5-7 busting completely. Realistically if you are being paid ~$80k/yr then you can expect ~40k when the company sells out. Obviously it varies a lot though- but nevertheless these people very rarely become millionaires.

 

[mgdsh]

Most of that's pretty accurate, but I should point out you're grossly underestimating the salary. Most of my friends started at or near 100k and most are around or over 200k. (We're all in our early 30s). Most have wives, some have kids, most have homes, etc

 

[greenlion]

Most of that's pretty accurate, but I should point out you're grossly underestimating the salary. Most of my friends started at or near 100k and most are around or over 200k. (We're all in our early 30s). Most have wives, some have kids, most have homes, etc

I know nowadays top prospects can start at or near 100k but I always thought approaching and going over 200k as a salaried engineer (even software "engineer") was rare. Without naming names maybe you could PM me about what they do/what company. But maybe your friends are just at the more successful startups. Successful people do hang out together.

 

[mgdsh]

I know nowadays top prospects can start at or near 100k but I always thought approaching and going over 200k as a salaried engineer (even software "engineer") was rare. Without naming names maybe you could PM me about what they do/what company. But maybe your friends are just at the more successful startups. Successful people do hang out together.

In general they're in tech. The company specific details aren't particularly important as each company in this field wants to be considered as competitive or highly competitive in attracting talented individuals. The bigger, the better name, the older (sometimes a bad thing), more secure the company... the less likely they are to feel the need to compete. Plenty of start ups or smaller companies that will never go public make it a point to compete on salary, benefits, etc.

 

[heyjack70]

You can help people as a dentist, too. And the road is 4 years shorter than becoming a psychiatrist. There are tons of people without health insurance and serious dental problems for which they cannot get treatment. For example, if you are in extreme pain from a dental infection, broken tooth, etc, and you go to the emergency department, they might give you pain killers. But there are not dentists on staff at the hospital to actually fix the probleml. You could work in a low income/free dental clinic and help loads of people.

 

[Geekman55]

You can help people as a dentist, too. And the road is 4 years shorter than becoming a psychiatrist. There are tons of people without health insurance and serious dental problems for which they cannot get treatment. For example, if you are in extreme pain from a dental infection, broken tooth, etc, and you go to the emergency department, they might give you pain killers. But there are not dentists on staff at the hospital to actually fix the probleml. You could work in a low income/free dental clinic and help loads of people.

This is a noble idea but I'm not so sure I would want to work in dentistry. Right now im thinking psychiatry is my number one interest and cardiology noninvasive would be a close second. Neurology sounds interesting too but I'm not exactly sure all the details. If I can get into med school I will get an opportunity to try it all right?

 

[Shikima]

Absolutely Geekman55 - more than you can chew on with 4 week rotations.

 

[Armadillos]

This is a noble idea but I'm not so sure I would want to work in dentistry. Right now im thinking psychiatry is my number one interest and cardiology noninvasive would be a close second. Neurology sounds interesting too but I'm not exactly sure all the details. If I can get into med school I will get an opportunity to try it all right?

If you go to the right medschool you will get to try a lot of things. I think there are still some out there where the entire 3rd year is made up of IM/FM/Ped/OBGYN/Psych/Surgery which is great if you want to do one of those fields, but not so go otherwise. I would definitely be questioning my choice to do psych if I hadn't gotten then chance to rotate through things like neuro/anesthesia/radiology. I think Derm and EM are about the only fields I never got to give a real shot before deciding. Which is probably fine, I dont think I would like derm and there is probably a good chance I would actually like EM because almost all medstudents love it, but not so sure as a career because those burnout numbers dont lie haha

 

[Geekman55]

Hi guys! You might have wondered what happened to this wonderful guy who got on here and asked if he was crazy for shaking up his life and going for med school to become a psychiatrist! I'm enrolled this semester in molecular and cellular biology + lab and taking the necessary steps to making this dream become a reality. I will also be volunteering this Fall to get some clinical experience. Here is my schedule going forward:

Fall 2014 (starting now basically): Molecular and Cellular Biology + lab
Spring 2015: Genetics + lab
Summer 2015: Psychology and Sociology at community college (should be easier)
Fall 2015: Organic Chem + lab
Spring 2016: Biochem + MCAT prep
Summer 2016: Take MCAT and apply
Fall 2016: wait...
Spring 2017: wait...
Summer 2017: wait...
Fall 2017: MED STUDENT (hopefully)

 

[Doctor Bagel]

If you are crazy, then maybe you are looking at the right field. In all seriousness, having an awareness and understanding of your own emotional and interpersonal difficulties can help make for a better clinician. For me it comes down to how much you love the study of human behavior and cognition. Psychiatrists tend to emphasize the biological aspects of this whereas psychologists tend to emphasize the psychological but we are both experts at interventions designed to alleviate suffering and maximize functioning. As alluded to previously, it is more than just helping people, it is using empirical methods to do so. As an engineer, you might have a leg up on a few in that aspect.

I guess I have a weird perspective of psychiatry because most psychiatrists I know don't emphasize the biological at the expense of the psychological. Most of us are pretty into both. The non-physician types I work with in mental health settings also seem way more enthusiastic about our medications than I (and lots of other psychiatrists) are. They also call me "the prescriber," which speaks to the idea that systems push us into this biological focus rather than our training or philosophical preferences.

To the op, good luck! You're certainly not too old, although as others have stated, medical school and residency is a long haul. My thought is that to make it bearable, you've got to like some of the plain medical stuff, too, not just the psychiatry stuff. Also, as debt is a very real thing, do you live in a state with a well-funded state school that likes to take its own? Those states are not on west coast or the NE and are generally in the middle of the county, the SE, and Texas (not my favorite place to be but maybe the best place to be a medical school applicant). I'm not sure about the feasibility of moving but establishing residency in one of those states can increase your odds of being admitted and the cost of attendance.

 

[Geekman55]

I guess I have a weird perspective of psychiatry because most psychiatrists I know don't emphasize the biological at the expense of the psychological. Most of us are pretty into both. The non-physician types I work with in mental health settings also seem way more enthusiastic about our medications than I (and lots of other psychiatrists) are. They also call me "the prescriber," which speaks to the idea that systems push us into this biological focus rather than our training or philosophical preferences.

To the op, good luck! You're certainly not too old, although as others have stated, medical school and residency is a long haul. My thought is that to make it bearable, you've got to like some of the plain medical stuff, too, not just the psychiatry stuff. Also, as debt is a very real thing, do you live in a state with a well-funded state school that likes to take its own? Those states are not on west coast or the NE and are generally in the middle of the county, the SE, and Texas (not my favorite place to be but maybe the best place to be a medical school applicant). I'm not sure about the feasibility of moving but establishing residency in one of those states can increase your odds of being admitted and the cost of attendance.

I live in CO. I'm not sure if CU-Anschultz qualifies as a school you are talking about. I am originally from Kansas and did my undergrad there. I wonder if they would consider giving me in-state tuition if I went back there.

I've also kicked around the idea of doing the military route. I think I would just owe them 4 years of my time? However, if I stick with them I could become an officer pretty fast and get good benefits. I need to research this more though.

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

Military benefits can be attractive, but don’t make them your only motivation for going into the service. It takes some patriotism and altruism. God bless those that do it and we need our heroes. Just remember that you can be activated, and you give up some freedoms protecting ours. Serving your country can be one of the most honorable things a person can do. It also takes some acceptance of the fact that you may be shot at. This isn’t common for a physician, but you are a soldier and the bad guys will do their best to ruin your day.
I have to give credit to the military recruiters I have spoken to. It is their job to plug the benefits of a military career, but they have always been frank and serious when you ask about deliberately placing yourself in harm’s way. It isn’t surprising that most recruits are very young, without families and unmarried.

 

[smalltownpsych]

I guess I have a weird perspective of psychiatry because most psychiatrists I know don't emphasize the biological at the expense of the psychological. Most of us are pretty into both. The non-physician types I work with in mental health settings also seem way more enthusiastic about our medications than I (and lots of other psychiatrists) are. They also call me "the prescriber," which speaks to the idea that systems push us into this biological focus rather than our training or philosophical preferences.

I agree with what you have said and that it is an unhealthy dynamic to have a psychiatrist relegated to role of just refilling and adjusting meds. I didn't mean to imply that psychiatrists are generally unaware of psychological factors, although I have worked with many who are but that was in more public health settings where we don't always get to see the better practitioners.

 

[Geekman55]

Military benefits can be attractive, but don’t make them your only motivation for going into the service. It takes some patriotism and altruism. God bless those that do it and we need our heroes. Just remember that you can be activated, and you give up some freedoms protecting ours. Serving your country can be one of the most honorable things a person can do. It also takes some acceptance of the fact that you may be shot at. This isn’t common for a physician, but you are a soldier and the bad guys will do their best to ruin your day.
I have to give credit to the military recruiters I have spoken to. It is their job to plug the benefits of a military career, but they have always been frank and serious when you ask about deliberately placing yourself in harm’s way. It isn’t surprising that most recruits are very young, without families and unmarried.

Yeah, it would definitely be a tough decision to make. Ultimately, I think the job would be rewarding working with active military, but maybe not the target group I envision working with. It would be nice to have all of my school paid for though. I don't have a family, or a serious relationship. All I have now is a lovely dog. I guess I'll need to weigh the benefits/downsides. I have no idea which branch I would apply to or any of those details. Fortunately, I have time to figure that out and I think there is a forum dedicated to military residency.

 

[notdeadyet]

The full tuition military scholarship (HPSP) is bad juju in many ways. You have much fewer options for residency training and all of them are lower quality than most decent academic programs. You have little control over where you practice and in what context. Morale is pretty rough among military doctors, and most of them went in specifically because the military servicemembers WERE who they wanted to treat.

Wait until after medical school if you're on the fence. There are all sorts of hiring bonuses and loan repayment programs for joining later. Taking HPSP before starting medical school is kind of like being asked to chooses a car before you learn to drive...