Deciding if I want to go to med school or optometry

[SarahLorraine]

I am 24 and will begin my prerequisite courses in January...so that will take me 3 years and I will be 27 when I start either med school or possibly optometry school.

I originally thought I would like to be an optometrist, but after thinking for a while I realized that I actually COULD shoot for med school if I want...I am just not sure.

Med school DOES offer more options...

How do I decide this (my question mark is broken for some reason...)

I am thinking of maybe just shadowing people in all different fields and see which feels right. How did you all come to the decision that you wanted to go to med school. Do you have any idea what field you might be intersted in.

Thanks!

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[njbmd]

I am 24 and will begin my prerequisite courses in January...so that will take me 3 years and I will be 27 when I start either med school or possibly optometry school.

I originally thought I would like to be an optometrist, but after thinking for a while I realized that I actually COULD shoot for med school if I want...I am just not sure.

Med school DOES offer more options...

How do I decide this (my question mark is broken for some reason...)

I am thinking of maybe just shadowing people in all different fields and see which feels right. How did you all come to the decision that you wanted to go to med school. Do you have any idea what field you might be intersted in.

Thanks!

When I was your age, I was a newly minted speechwriter and press secretary for a United States senator. I spent a couple of years in that job and went on to become a TV network news producer and had a couple of other careers before settling on medicine (now a surgeon). My point is, that you have plenty of time to explore both careers and maybe a couple more before you commit. Taking some time to shadow is a great beginning. Also, think about what you might like about both careers and see which is the best fit for your talents and interests. Medicine is a pretty long haul but once you have decided to make the commitment, the time flies by pretty fast. Good luck!

 

[SaharaWolf]

I'm neither OD nor MD student; I do research in Opt school,and worked as TA for opt classes before.
From what I know, here are the major cons and pros:
Cons:
(1) Job market for new OD graduates is not so good, at least in metro areas;
(2) Average income is not comparable with MD's;
(3) Hard to get on medical panel for insurance purpose;
(4) Lack of communication with other health-care providers;
(5) The profession is going commercial;

Pros:
(1) Easier to get in and get out of school;
(2) Less pressure and better life style (no call, no night shift);
(3) Easier to have your own clinic and to be your own boss;
(4) No need for residency;
(5) Rarely get sued for malpractice;

It really depends on your interest and expected life. Go the Optometry board on SDN, you'll see tons of discussions there.

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

Something to consider if you don't already know this, but if you are interested in eyes, Opthamology is a VERY competitive Medical specialty to get into. VERY, VERY competitive. My Optometrist went into Optometry because he realized he wasn't the caliber of student (so he says) that got into Opthamology residency, but wanted to be an eye doctor, so that was the road he took.