Avoiding certain things

[Chamahk]

I would like to know, what career in medince:

-are you least likely to face litigation (or avoid it at all completely)
-requires less than 11+ years
-pays well

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[DrYoda]

-requires less than 11+ years

Unless you finish college in less than 4 years, there is not a clinical speciality that takes less than 11 years post-high school. college (usually 4 years)+ 4 years med school + residency (3 years minimum).

-pays well

depends on your definition of well.

 

[Daedra22]

I would like to know, what career in medince:

-are you least likely to face litigation (or avoid it at all completely)
-requires less than 11+ years
-pays well

You might be interested in becoming a PA. I believe PA is 4 years of undergrad plus 2 (correct me if I'm wrong) years of PA school. It pays better-than-average and litigation is less, since you work for the doctor who is more likely to be sued.

 

[chrslbrt]

Clinical Pharmacy:
Do 2 years undergrad, 4 years to get PharmD, and 1-3 years residency.

Pays over 100K, and then bonuses. Don't have to work in Walgreens for the rest of your life; work in clinical setting.

 

[Chamahk]

You might be interested in becoming a PA. I believe PA is 4 years of undergrad plus 2 (correct me if I'm wrong) years of PA school. It pays better-than-average and litigation is less, since you work for the doctor who is more likely to be sued.

Physician Assistant?

 

[the duck]

Physician Assistant?

Yes. I think your career expectations are better fitted from something outside of the MD track. Pharm and PA are two good suggestions.

 

[FutureCTDoc]

The OP should switch his status as based on his questions he is not a MD/PhD and that is a TOS violation.

 

[Depakote]

I could list my status as a school admin. That would not make me one.

It is clear he is not attempting to pass himself off as something he is not.

If the OP would like help changing his status, we would be happy to offer it.

 

[Silverman780]

I would like to know, what career in medince:

-are you least likely to face litigation (or avoid it at all completely)
-requires less than 11+ years
-pays well

With the exception of the schooling,
Radiologist make bank and are the least likely to be sued.

 

[lord_jeebus]

With the exception of the schooling,
Radiologist make bank and are the least likely to be sued.

source?

Radiologists have great potential to be sued. Perhaps no other physicians are responsible for the outcomes of so many different patients - tens of thousands of imaging studies per year.

Consider just the simple chest x-ray. Miss a tiny nodule on one of the thousands of chest x-rays you read every year and you get sued when the patient is diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer and a second look at the old film reveals the vague lesion. And there are plenty of things other than nodules that can be missed with severe results. A radiologist at a hospital I previously trained at missed a feeding tube that had been placed in the lung instead of the stomach - feeding was started, the patient developed severe pneumonia and quickly died.

 

[Geekchick921]

My first thought was a pathologist that works in the morgue is pretty unlikely to be sued. What for? Making them deader?

It is a four year residency, though. And if you're squeamish about dissecting a cadaver, which I'm assuming from your other thread, it might not be a good idea.

 

[Chamahk]

Thanks guys.
I've decided to go with the following plan:

1 - Physician
2 - Physician Assitant
3 - Biologist / Scientist

I'm going to speak to some docs and shadow several of 'em. If I like what I see and hear then I'll go with number one. If it turns out not to be my thing I'm going with number two. And if all else fails, I'll follow through with my Biology major and work in some lab.

But as it stands now, number one's winning the race. I'm willing to put in the effort.

As for my status, I always forget to change it. I think I should be able to do it from profile settings. If that doesn't work out, expect a PM from me Depakote.

 

[chrslbrt]

If I were you, I'd look into physician assistant. Its 4 years undergrad and then 2 years of professional school. You do have to pay a malpractice insurance, but not as much as doctors do. Less debt, and an average salary of $82,000. Also, if you decide to do a PA residency, you could possibly get to make six figures.

On the downside, you'll always be someone's direct subordinate. Some allow you to have a certain degree of autonomy, but doctors who are wary of lawsuits will be more involved with your work. Also, patients are skeptical of your medical education. Many people already question the validity of what a doctor tells them, so imagine how they would act towards a person with half of the medical expertise as a doc. Many people know call them fake doctors. Also, from what I've seen on here, the profession isn't as respected as it could/should be. But hey, pays well.... so who cares.

In general, I think its a pretty good career, and it might be worth looking into. I'm considering it, because I may not want to do all of the time required for being a doctor.

 

[Chamahk]

If I were you, I'd look into physician assistant. Its 4 years undergrad and then 2 years of professional school. You do have to pay a malpractice insurance, but not as much as doctors do. Less debt, and an average salary of $82,000. Also, if you decide to do a PA residency, you could possibly get to make six figures.

On the downside, you'll always be someone's direct subordinate. Some allow you to have a certain degree of autonomy, but doctors who are wary of lawsuits will be more involved with your work. Also, patients are skeptical of your medical education. Many people already question the validity of what a doctor tells them, so imagine how they would act towards a person with half of the medical expertise as a doc. Many people know call them fake doctors. Also, from what I've seen on here, the profession isn't as respected as it could/should be. But hey, pays well.... so who cares.

In general, I think its a pretty good career, and it might be worth looking into. I'm considering it, because I may not want to do all of the time required for being a doctor.

It has officially become my back up plan. I'm going into college with the mindset that I'm coming here to do what it's going to take to get into med school in 4 years. But in life you always have to have a back up plan. Maybe the case may arise that I can't cut it in med school or I'm not cut-out for the Physicians work. I'll make a turn and go the physician assistant route. I don't want to be caught in a situation in the future where I'm always thinking and wondering about what could have been if I had went on to med school. I'm not in any rush as of now so I'll have to wait and see.

Also, I read somewhere that PA's have to take some test every 2 year to remain certified.

 

[derek320]

You could do biomedical engineering which is just a 4 year undergrad program, a lot of biomedical engineers have the chance to see patients depending on what focus of biomedical engineering you choose to go into.

 

[peppy]

Also, patients are skeptical of your medical education. Many people already question the validity of what a doctor tells them, so imagine how they would act towards a person with half of the medical expertise as a doc. Many people know call them fake doctors. Also, from what I've seen on here, the profession isn't as respected as it could/should be. But hey, pays well.... so who cares.

My experience (as a doctor myself) is that while most people probably couldn't tell you exactly what a PA is if you asked them, when people are seeing a PA in a clinical setting they often don't notice that they're not doctors. A lot of patients I see at a family medicine clinic refer to the clinic's PA as "Dr. So and So" (even though I don't think she does anything to encourage that).

 

[mintleif]

Yes. I think your career expectations are better fitted from something outside of the MD track. Pharm and PA are two good suggestions.

Clinical Pharmacy:
Do 2 years undergrad, 4 years to get PharmD, and 1-3 years residency.

Pays over 100K, and then bonuses. Don't have to work in Walgreens for the rest of your life; work in clinical setting.

no! don't suggest pharmacy. i have enough competition already!



OP, i hear nursing is a good career. 2-4 years of school and decent pay . or dental hygiene. takes 2 years and they make good money too.

 

[derek320]

My experience (as a doctor myself) is that while most people probably couldn't tell you exactly what a PA is if you asked them, when people are seeing a PA in a clinical setting they often don't notice that they're not doctors. A lot of patients I see at a family medicine clinic refer to the clinic's PA as "Dr. So and So" (even though I don't think she does anything to encourage that).

I would agree, I was checked on by a PA when I had my appendectomy and if she hadn't introduced herself I would have thought she was a doctor. I would say that for most patients it would be hard to tell the difference between a PA and a MD/DO unless they introduce themself as a PA.

As for people being skeptical of a PA, I would have to disagree. In fact the the PA that I saw was much more helpful than the doctor, she had more time to explain what was going on whereas the doctor was trying to check on multiple patients. The PA explained to me the entire appendectomy procedure and explained what was going on with the appendix whereas the doctor just told me that it needed to be removed and that he would be doing the surgery.

 

[mintleif]

My first thought was a pathologist that works in the morgue is pretty unlikely to be sued. What for? Making them deader?

It is a four year residency, though. And if you're squeamish about dissecting a cadaver, which I'm assuming from your other thread, it might not be a good idea.

 

[Geekchick921]

I'm glad someone got a kick out of that.

 

[mintleif]

i'm glad someone got a kick out of that.

 

[Winged Scapula]

With the exception of the schooling,
Radiologist make bank and are the least likely to be sued.

My first thought was a pathologist that works in the morgue is pretty unlikely to be sued. What for? Making them deader?

It is a four year residency, though. And if you're squeamish about dissecting a cadaver, which I'm assuming from your other thread, it might not be a good idea.

Sorry, these are two specialties that have a high rate of litigation.

Missing a breast cancer, for example, is the second most common reason for medical litigation. Radiologists can miss it on breast imaging or by missing a lesion during a biopsy and thinking the results are concordant and pathologists can miss it by reading the slides. Pathologists do not only work in the morgue (ie, medical examiners) and even if they did, they can be sued.

These would not be good specialties for the OP to consider. Less likely to be sued specialties include Medical Genetics, Toxicology, Allergy and Immuno, Endocrine, etc.