Backups/Alternate career plan

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GujuMD

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I am a re-app this year. I am thinking of my backups and alternate career plan. I am applying to DO and MD schools this year. GPA is 3.7, MCAT 28 L in august 2005 (11-6-11) and 31 L in April 06 (11-7-13)
Any suggestions/advice and information about the following:

Physician assistant
Nurse Practicioner
Public Health
 
GujuMD said:
I am a re-app this year. I am thinking of my backups and alternate career plan. I am applying to DO and MD schools this year. GPA is 3.7, MCAT 28 L in august 2005 (11-6-11) and 31 L in April 06 (11-7-13)
Any suggestions/advice and information about the following:

Physician assistant
Nurse Practicioner
Public Health
Click to expand...

I think you should be fine with a 31 in the MCAT and a good GPA. You should get some interviews at MD schools and a few acceptances into DO schools. I don't think a backup career is necessary. I will be extremely shocked if you do not get into somewhere this year.
 
GujuMD said:
I am a re-app this year. I am thinking of my backups and alternate career plan. I am applying to DO and MD schools this year. GPA is 3.7, MCAT 28 L in august 2005 (11-6-11) and 31 L in April 06 (11-7-13)
Any suggestions/advice and information about the following:

Physician assistant
Nurse Practicioner
Public Health
Click to expand...

I wouldnt worry bout that too much with your stats...just be a lil more confident about your decision to pursue medicine.

Not to offend anyone, but after going through this admissions process even ONCE, deciding on a career as a PA is a degradement....I can imagine it tough being an assistant to someone riding out your goals...

Anything below that,....you get the drift.....Dont mistake this for lack of respect for the above mentioned careers, cuz we all gonna find out that we will often respect nurses and PAs more than our fellow physicians...food for thought ..... I just cant see myself saying "oh, I wanna be a doctor" and then end up being a pharmaceutical salesman.....dont give up your goals....if being a nurse is good for you then great! You are one of the small percentage of people that actually found out what they wanna do wit their lives..but dont give up when it gets tough and say "oh well, being a nurse is much easier...I'll just do that then"....Sorry bout my rantin, but to the OP, you're straight...no worries...I just had to vent..lol
 
GujuMD said:
I am a re-app this year. I am thinking of my backups and alternate career plan. I am applying to DO and MD schools this year. GPA is 3.7, MCAT 28 L in august 2005 (11-6-11) and 31 L in April 06 (11-7-13)
Any suggestions/advice and information about the following:

Physician assistant
Nurse Practicioner
Public Health
Click to expand...

It's like you're compromising being unhappy now for being unhappy in the future.
 
PEN15 said:
It's like you're compromising being unhappy now for being unhappy in the future.
Click to expand...

Agreed...except the OP will be much more unhappy in the future because he/she will have to go through 3 years more school to become a PA and then being stuck for the rest of his/her career doing something that was not his/her dream. One year of going through this admissions crap is much better than a lifetime of it. Don't give up! You will get in somewhere MD or DO with your stats!
 
Honestly, there are other careers outside the medical field too, lol. Since your alternatives seem to vary quite a bit (Public health is very broad btw), you should probably also look at other types of careers.

I don't know what your family history is, but if you feel like you have to go into whatever field your parents were in, don't. Seriously, I've come to the realization that parents only push certain fields because they know those fields. You always try to sell the field you're in-so doctors are more likely to tell you how great it is to be a doctor, teachers are more likely to tell you about the rewarding aspects of being a teacher, etc. Understandably then, parents will probably tell you about whatever job they have, or whatever job was their dream job.

In reality though, you should probably talk to people who work in other fields too-honestly, medicine isn't the only field where you can help people-since getting sick isn't the only kind of problem that people find themselves in!

I don't know what your other interests are, but you should also consider other fields so you don't end up in a job you hate just because you wanted to stay within some field.

Heck, if I don't get into a med school this round, or maybe next round (I'd reapply super early-only because I applied ultra late this time-otherwise I wouldn't even go for a 2nd try) I'd probably just focus on starting my own business again. Before I got my current job that's what I was focused on. I actually made a website that made $120 in the one month it was up before I got my job, lol. Of course that $120 was for about 90 hours of work, so I made like $1.40 an hour.

Still, the point is, don't freak out just because you don't get into medical school, and don't feel trapped by your original decision to go into medicine. There's LOTS of jobs out there, even jobs people haven't even thought of yet. Or just go into business and run your own thing-I'll tell you that working for yourself isn't really easy work since it's a lot of hours spent trying to get things going, but while the hours are similarly long and hard, they're also all your own hours-nobody tells you what to do, you do it because you want to succeed, and you make the big decisions to do big hard projects by yourself.

So...yeah, don't freak out =)
 
I'd say the OP has a good shot at getting in DO and a fair chance at MD.

Now for the sake of anyone else reading this thread...

Nurse practitioners are great. They really are the staples of a large practice. It's not just limited to family medicine either, our Oncology Research group utilizes several Nurse Practitioners to allow the attendings to carry the patient loads they do. They're the research associate's best friend...

Anyway, a nurse practitioner has a lot of autonomy and a ton of patient interaction. It is the way I would have gone if I didn't get in this cycle...
 
Depakote said:
I'd say the OP has a good shot at getting in DO and a fair chance at MD.

Now for the sake of anyone else reading this thread...

Nurse practitioners are great. They really are the staples of a large practice. It's not just limited to family medicine either, our Oncology Research group utilizes several Nurse Practitioners to allow the attendings to carry the patient loads they do. They're the research associate's best friend...

Anyway, a nurse practitioner has a lot of autonomy and a ton of patient interaction. It is the way I would have gone if I didn't get in this cycle...
Click to expand...



I have plenty of respect for PAs and NP's as well, heck a PA taught me more in a day than most of the docs I followed around did but on the flipside I have had a lot of (mainly) NPs saying that they would've/should've gone to medical school but due to outside circumstances, which were generally being a female during the 60s and 70s decided to go the nursing route, and later became a NP. It is perfectly respectable, good hours, do lots of stuff, PAs can do lots and lots of stuff in surgery, NAs can do lots and lots of stuff....but for some reason I just feel it is all or nothing with me. I don't take orders very well for one, but also I want the responsbility...a lot of them have to seek approval for stuff, and well, that just seems like it would suck.
 
Why not podiatry or dentistry?

Just wondering why your only backup choices were PA/NP, etc. Dentistry and podiatry are great professions, and they are the most similar to being a medical doctor in terms of responsibility, lifestyle, power, etc. Essentially, as a dentist, you ARE a doctor, a doctor of the oral cavity. As a podiatrist, you ARE a doctor, a doctor of the foot. The other professions you described don't allow you to be the doctor of anything. Of course, you may have your own reasons for looking into them, which is fine. (Also, dentists and podiatrists are the closest to medical doctors in terms of income, and some will make significantly more than primary care practioners...if money is very important to you, which it may not be, which is fine.)
 
lk2230 said:
Why not podiatry or dentistry?

Just wondering why your only backup choices were PA/NP, etc. Dentistry and podiatry are great professions, and they are the most similar to being a medical doctor in terms of responsibility, lifestyle, power, etc. Essentially, as a dentist, you ARE a doctor, a doctor of the oral cavity. As a podiatrist, you ARE a doctor, a doctor of the foot. The other professions you described don't allow you to be the doctor of anything. Of course, you may have your own reasons for looking into them, which is fine. (Also, dentists and podiatrists are the closest to medical doctors in terms of income, and some will make significantly more than primary care practioners...if money is very important to you, which it may not be, which is fine.)
Click to expand...

The OP was looking for input like this - to add to the list! And I agree with this post. They are great backups, and for people really going for the money, you can't go wrong with dentistry - they make a TON. Podiatrists do, too.

Just to add a little controversy - I have already been accepted and would even STILL consider going to PA school at this point. Why? I'm not sure I want to go through the years of school & residency, and debt that follows - at my age. If I was younger, I would not even hesitate. And in the end, I will almost certainly go to med school, but it doesn't stop me from considering whether it is the smartest route for me at this stage of the game.
 
with this GPA and such MCAT score ,i don't see any kind of worries you may feel. may be I’ll have less GPA and MCAT than you, but still have the faith .
what about Caribbean?at least you should put this option b4 PA and NP
 
If I don't get in, I'll either get one more master's and work in public health for a year (already have my MPH).

Also, I love Texas, I want to eventually end up settling down there, so I might move to Texas and pursue career opportunities there.
 
If I don't get in, I will probably just remain an RT and keep reapplying until I get in....completing my doctorate in something while I am in the process of applying (since there is a slight chance I might have a masters already by the time I apply).

I refuse to be a PA or NP because of the miserable pay comparable to what they do. I would much rather leave medicine completely and go be an airline pilot. Podiatry isn't an option because I don't like feet that much and if you can't get into medical school, you probably have only a marginally better chance at dental school. Veterinary school is another option, but I have no idea whether that is economically feasible or not.
 
DropkickMurphy said:
If I don't get in, I will probably just remain an RT and keep reapplying until I get in....completing my doctorate in something while I am in the process of applying (since there is a slight chance I might have a masters already by the time I apply).

I refuse to be a PA or NP because of the miserable pay comparable to what they do. I would much rather leave medicine completely and go be an airline pilot. Podiatry isn't an option because I don't like feet that much and if you can't get into medical school, you probably have only a marginally better chance at dental school. Veterinary school is another option, but I have no idea whether that is economically feasible or not.
Click to expand...

"Miserable pay"?? They start around $95k here and go up as they get more experience. I wouldn't call that miserable pay for a measly 2 years of school!
 
GujuMD said:
I am a re-app this year. I am thinking of my backups and alternate career plan. I am applying to DO and MD schools this year. GPA is 3.7, MCAT 28 L in august 2005 (11-6-11) and 31 L in April 06 (11-7-13)
Any suggestions/advice and information about the following:

Physician assistant
Nurse Practicioner
Public Health
Click to expand...


Did you get interviews during your first cycle? Have you already interviewed this cycle?
 
Orthodoc40 said:
"Miserable pay"?? They start around $95k here and go up as they get more experience. I wouldn't call that miserable pay for a measly 2 years of school!
Click to expand...
Where is here? In Indiana and most places outside of major cities (the places I've checked out) the PA's make about $75K a year and I believe that is more comparable with national averages.
 
i believe in you guju!!!!😀
 
One of my friends didn't get into med school 2 cycles ago. Now she's with Disney On Ice.
 
DrAverageJoe said:
Did you get interviews during your first cycle? Have you already interviewed this cycle?
Click to expand...

First cycle- 1 interview at WVU, was waitlisted
This cycle- 1 interview to go in december at WVU, Haven't heard from other schools for interviews yet.
 
DropkickMurphy said:
If I don't get in, I will probably just remain an RT and keep reapplying until I get in....completing my doctorate in something while I am in the process of applying (since there is a slight chance I might have a masters already by the time I apply).

I refuse to be a PA or NP because of the miserable pay comparable to what they do. I would much rather leave medicine completely and go be an airline pilot. Podiatry isn't an option because I don't like feet that much and if you can't get into medical school, you probably have only a marginally better chance at dental school. Veterinary school is another option, but I have no idea whether that is economically feasible or not.
Click to expand...

It's impossible to get in to veterinary school. Practically, anyways, for the majority of people who got into medical school. It is very competitive and they can afford to be very selective.

Not to mention that you don't get points for holding Dead African Kittens.
 
Panda Bear said:
It's impossible to get in to veterinary school. Practically, anyways, for the majority of people who got into medical school. It is very competitive and they can afford to be very selective.

Not to mention that you don't get points for holding Dead African Kittens.
Click to expand...

So, why do you want to be a vet?

I like helping people, er animals.
 
Panda Bear said:
It's impossible to get in to veterinary school. Practically, anyways, for the majority of people who got into medical school. It is very competitive and they can afford to be very selective.

Not to mention that you don't get points for holding Dead African Kittens.
Click to expand...
What about Dead African Hyena Pups? :meanie:
 
I don't know, I might just go to grad school, seeems like more grad school wants me than med schools. Everyone is telling me being a doctor is not the right thing for you, but that is what I wanted to do all my life.
 
DropkickMurphy said:
Just imagine if Panda Bear had not gotten in....."Now at center ice, performing the Dance of the Dead African Babies....PAAAAAAANDA BEEEEAAARRR!" *cue spotlight*
Click to expand...

We could still pitch it to Disney... I don't think anyone has the rights.
 
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