Anyone else on the border of going to med school?

[loren646]

I'm not sure if I want to pursue this avenue. I do need a good job when I'm 35 or so. Not really sure if this is the way to go.

Anyone else up in the air about this whole thing?

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[Law2Doc]

I'm not sure if I want to pursue this avenue. I do need a good job when I'm 35 or so. Not really sure if this is the way to go.

Anyone else up in the air about this whole thing?

Don't do it to have a "good job". Only do it if this is the only thing you see yourself doing, after researching this and other options more fully. I suggest finding some good healthcare related ECs and some shadowing, so you can see what medicine is all about. It's probably somewhat different than you think.

 

[Accountant2md]

I'm in the same situation as you loren646.
I'm 25 and I have an undergrad degree in accounting. I've been working in the field for about 5 years. This is not what I see myself doing for another 30+ years.
A career in medicine has been in the back of my head for the last 12 years or so and just now have I decided to make it a reality. Although I have a long way to go before I reach my goal, I know this is something I CAN do and WANT to do.

 

[Thorpedo]

I was planning on applying to PA school because I didn't want to work myself to death and have more time for life outside of medicine. Then I talked to a bunch of PAs, and most of them told me that while they were happy being PAs--and I have yet to meet a PA who isn't happy--if they could do it all over again, they would have gone to medical school; doctors may put in more time in school and residency, but these PAs are working more than their doc counterparts and not making as much money.

I want a good job when I'm 35 too; however, one of the main reasons I looked at other avenues doesn't really lead away from med school when you look at it on a deeper level.

 

[dragonfly99]

Idoctors may put in more time in school and residency, but these PAs are working more than their doc counterparts and not making as much money.

Having finished med school and IM residency, and having worked in and/or trained in several hospitals, I have to disagree with the PA's who contend they are working more than the physicians. I mean, everyone in the world thinks they are underpaid and underappreciated and work harder than other people, but you've got to take that with a grain of salt. PA's working harder and longer than MD/DO's is not what I have seen at any of the 5-6 hospitals where I've worked or trained. Definitely the opposite...PA's go home at the end of their shifts, MD's don't really have shifts...just stay until the work is done and come in on weekends, etc. to finish extra work related to their clinic patients, etc. The MD/DO's really don't have such a thing as a "shift", unless they are ER docs or anesthesia, and even those guys stay overtime to do dictations, etc. and have to be supervising the PA's and students, etc. which takes extra time after signout. You will (eventually) make more money as a DO/MD, but you will work longer hours, and perhaps harder, for it (unless perhaps you do something like derm, but even then you have more stress, >> risk of liability than a PA, etc.).

It is true that the MD's make more money once they are doing with residency. However, the PA's start earning a pretty good salary as soon as they are doing with school, and they go to school for a smaller number of years (less tuition). Therefore, you've got a couple of less years of school (with negative income and and paying tuition) plus 3-9 years of residency (less pay than a PA would get) if you go for the DO/MD. So I think for the MD/DO, you are giving up quite a lot of $, lifestyle, time with family, etc. for the next 10 or so years, in exchange for the satisfaction of being a MD/DO (if that is the occupation you prefer) and the likelihood of eventually having a good deal of financial security when you are older (like 40's-60's).

 

[Thorpedo]

Well, in case it wasn't clear, I was talking about my experience with a certain number of people, not across the board. The ones that I know are definitely in the office earlier and leave later than the docs they work for on average. I'm not talking a significant amount of hours here; rather, I'm saying that the experience of these PAs is that they do not have the amount of extra time they were expecting by not going to medical school. A big factor for me was having that extra time while still getting to do a lot in practicing medicine. If I'm still going to be working as much as a doc, I'd rather just be a doc despite the longer road.

Also, I'm not sure if your post was defensive or not, so just to clarify: I'm not saying one profession works harder than the other since I'm neither and the only experience I have is what I see in the OR and what I'm told from docs and PAs.

 

[NTF]

I know I'm being a pain in the arse, but the title of this thread should really be, "Anyone else on the border ABOUT going to med school."

Or even better "Anyone else on the FENCE ABOUT going to med school"

Sorry, I'll shut up now.

 

[sarahg]

This is me. I planned to go to occupational therapy school, but as I've shadowed OTs I've started to wonder if it's challenging enough for me -- I could see myself getting burned out quickly. I've always been interested in medicine, diseases, and how the body works, but was turned off by how long med school takes to complete so I never considered it earlier in college (I'm a senior now). I'm considering med school now, though (obviously, lol) -- just need to get a little more experience in what it's like to actually be a doctor to know whether it's worth the time investment.

 

[loren646]

accountant: guess you are in the same boat. I was an accountant but only for 8 months. I left after I realized I didn't want to do what my bosses were doing at 40 years old.

sarah: lol, i hear ya. I was a junior in college and was talking to the premed advisor at the time. I'd have to practically start all over since I was a business major. Decided to opt out and now thinking about it once again.

I don't really know what else to do with myself. I'm decently healthy now but when I'm 35 I won't have the options that I have right now. I could really do anything - that's the problem. Just want to break 100K/year and have a decently stimulating job. +++ if i am involved in something groundbreaking or novel (even something simple as a new way or modified method).

 

[Newmanium]

I'm in the same boat, been mulling over pursuing med school for the past 6 months or so. I had *never* considered it before, so I went in with wide eyes.

Reading books, talking with people, and obsessively absorbing studentdoctor.net were all helpful - but the most insightful has been volunteering in a hospital. At first it was exciting (I love hospitals and airports, hustle and bustle) - I love seeing behind the curtain.

But then I started to see the routines behind everything - and once that "new car smell" faded away, you're left with a high stress job that doesn't really give you much personal freedom. Ever have those brain fart days when you just waste time chatting with your coworkers? There has to be some specialty where you can get away with this, but with most docs the job seems to fully consume you. I like the chance to be a bit lazy, let the creative juices flow.

I'm a sucker for the glamor of med school and residency - I like learning new things, being pushed in training. But once you get out - I've finally seen (as most of the residents/attendings seem to preach) that it eventually becomes "just a job". Sure you get to help people, but I think any buzz this provides wears off fairly quickly in residency.

Obviously, this is all highly subjective, just throwing out there all the things I've learned by getting out and experiencing "the system". If you're thinking about this - get involved somehow so you can actually see what it's like. You'll either slowly burn off your excitement, as I'm managing to do... or you'll get pumped about everything, and get all fired up for the MCAT and applications.

Even if I never end up pursuing med school further - what I've learned so far has given me a *much* deeper respect for docs, and all the BS they have to endure. I'm amazed anybody goes to med school - but I'm thankful there are so many hardworking insomniacs out there with an unlimited tolerance for pain!!

 

[sarahg]

premed advisor at the time. I'd have to practically start all over since I was a business major. Decided to opt out and now thinking about it once again.

Yeah, seems like to be an optimal premed candidate your entire undergrad career has to be geared towards it. I was originally planning on pursuing my PhD in psych, and those programs only care about your experience in the field, so obviously I didn't bother with any ECs or leadership positions. After concluding that I hate research and nearly flunking a semester because I was so unmotivated, I took a semester leave of absence, went abroad for awhile to teach English and learn Spanish, then decided that I'd like to work with kids and do work in developing countries for a career. The rest of my time off I basically spent online researching different career options, and settled on OT because it only required a Master's, allowed me to work with kids, and there was some opportunity in international work, and the job opportunities are so great (plus even the top programs admit over 50% of applicants). That was a couple of months ago and I've been shadowing pediatric OTs, and while I absolutely love working with kids so much of the actual OT work is boring to me. I'm starting to think being an actual pediatrician (or other kind of doc...lots of fields of medicine interest me)might be more in line with my interests.

The coursework is easy enough to make up, but I'll be applying with basically no ECs and no leadership because I never planned to pursue anything that required them. And I go to a small, cliquish private school, and I'm A) a transfer, B) a commuter, and C) not in a sorority, so I don't know enough people to get elected to any sort of leadership at this point. I do volunteer work, but I'm an independent person and more inclined to go out into the community (or take off for Costa Rica) and find my own opportunities than join a campus organization and become an officer of it. So I guess at this point I have to hope that I can ace my science courses and the MCAT and that community involvement can make up for ECs and leadership.