Drawbacks of Becoming Family Physician

[hnh]

---

Members don't see this ad.

What r the drawbacks of becoming a family physician vs. a general dentist vs. a dental specialist (like an endodontist) ?

 

[hotshottt]

my advice, become an orthodontist. The career is much more pleasant and you the assistants do most of the hands on. Very creative ( use of all of appliances ) and the field is evolving a whole lot. It is very cool
You have to decide what you like, if you like lots of fillings and easy extractions along with some root canals, bridges and crowns then you should be okay. If you like doing more complicated things then specialize. There's not only ortho but you can do oral surgery(thats a cool one) endo, whatever ! Ortho is the highest paid too. You have to do what you love, or else it will be miserable !

 

[Blue Panther]

What r the drawbacks of becoming a family physician vs. a general dentist vs. a dental specialist (like an endodontist) ?

Going to med school, going to dental school, spending 2-3 extra years after dental school respectively.

 

[476515678234896]

my advice, become an orthodontist.

if only it were that easy 🙁

 

[anishannayya]

MD/DO:

Residency, less pay, more hours, most respect, most patient interaction, may have to deal w/ kids (if your one of those people who don't like them), harder to own your own business

DMD/DDS:

More pay, low hours, fairly easy own your own business, people kinda scared of you, kids might give you problems, low respect

Endodontist:

Most pay, DMD/DDS friends were making 100-150K a year while you were slaving away at your specialty training, lowest hours, people are freaking terrified of you, more patient interaction, lowest respect, very easy to own your own business

EDIT: I know you are new to these forums, so I will kindly point you towards the search tool. This is a question that has been asked, answered, and debated many times.

 

[Near]

I recommend watching this documentary.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/doctors/program.html

It's really good. Also, in medicine you'll have to put up with malpractice issues, insurance corporations, and HMOs which I hear can get tiring quick as a lifestyle.

In dentistry you don't have that nearly on the same level, but you'll have to deal with the hassles of running an office (if you go into private practice) and you'll have to play salesman a bit (which you might not like if you want to be more focused on the treating aspect less than the business side).

Endodontics: If you don't mind doing the same procedures over, and want to make whooping bucks.

Hope this helps.

 

[DrReo]

MD/DO:

Residency, less pay, more hours, most respect, most patient interaction, may have to deal w/ kids (if your one of those people who don't like them), harder to own your own business

DMD/DDS:

More pay, low hours, fairly easy own your own business, people kinda scared of you, kids might give you problems, low respect

Endodontist:

Most pay, DMD/DDS friends were making 100-150K a year while you were slaving away at your specialty training, lowest hours, people are freaking terrified of you, more patient interaction, lowest respect, very easy to own your own business

EDIT: I know you are new to these forums, so I will kindly point you towards the search tool. This is a question that has been asked, answered, and debated many times.

Interesting outlook for a 17 yr old. Somethings are left for those with more experience.

 

[hnh]

What i mean w/ regards to my question is:

All I wanna do is make >$100k in 3 workdays per week, take 3-week vacations 3x a year, be less afraid of having my license revoked and sent to jail for manslaughter due to malpractice. So here's my reasoning how:

If i become a general dentist, I may not have enough patients to fill 3 whole workdays (since that's all i wanna work). Family docs prolly get more patients thus can easily fill 3 workdays per week, since there r many more body parts to treat than just the mouth. In general dentistry, where u can do a bad job & it's harder to tell (don't get mad at this statement. It's the truth. Other than the patient feeling pain or the tooth does not APPEAR nice and functional, it's hard to detect bad dental work.) . As a family doc, u have to cure the patient--that's how s/he can tell whether u're doing a good job or not. As a general dentist, as long as the teeth are functional & look nice enough, that's all most patients care about. So u have to be really good as a family doc & much more careful than as a general dentist. One small mistake can cost a life as a family doc, such as accidentally writing an extra 0 after 15 mg, so the patient overdoses on 150 mg. Family docs are ppl too, so mistakes can happen. So it seems like, as a family doc, u get more financial security than as a general dentist (cuz u supposedly get more patient cases), but that financial security depends on u being really good, not making life-costing mistakes or ur MD license is revoked, & u less able to work part-time cuz ur patients have chronic problems like heart disease that needs to be monitored every few weeks. In dentistry, there aren't too many of these chronic life-threatening problems to worry about.

So I figure it's better for me to become a general dentist than a family doc. If I'm afraid of not filling up my 3 workdays per week, I can work in 3 different counties in the same larger city, so that I do have enough patient cases. I can teach to supplement my income, if need be, I can travel to several different senior homes treating their teeth as needed, which is every 6 months mostly for check-ups. If I still can't make at least $100k doing all these things in my 3 workdays per week, I'll specialize in endodontics/perio/ortho, and work as both a dental specialist & general dentist.
How does that sound? Recall that all I wanna do is make >$100k in 3 workdays per week, take 3-week vacations 3x a year, be less afraid of having my license revoked and sent to jail for manslaughter due to malpractice.

 

[Near]

What i mean w/ regards to my question is:

All I wanna do is make >$100k in 3 workdays per week, take 3-week vacations 3x a year, be less afraid of having my license revoked and sent to jail for manslaughter due to malpractice. So here's my reasoning how:

Don't we all, don't we all. 🙂

Note that you'll still have debt to pay off, and most people with that kind of lifestyle have been at it for a while. So if you don't mind working your butt off for years at first, it's definitely possible.

 

[jay47]

What i mean w/ regards to my question is:

All I wanna do is make >$100k in 3 workdays per week, take 3-week vacations 3x a year, be less afraid of having my license revoked and sent to jail for manslaughter due to malpractice. .

Oh, you should have just said you were lazy in the first place, because frankly, that's exactly what your statement above says. You don't make a lot of money not working

Eliminate choices A, B, C because it takes a SHI* ton of work to be any of the above three. The shortest path is general dentistry, but it will take you a while to be able to work 3 days a week and pay off all of your student loans at that rate unless you own a monster practice.

Endo and ortho are both much more likely to be able to work just 3 days a week, but that's another 2-3 years after dental school- and you have to be in the top of your class, plus more student loans!

 

[hnh]

Oh, you should have just said you were lazy in the first place, because frankly, that's exactly what your statement above says. You don't make a lot of money not working

Eliminate choices A, B, C because it takes a SHI* ton of work to be any of the above three. The shortest path is general dentistry, but it will take you a while to be able to work 3 days a week and pay off all of your student loans at that rate unless you own a monster practice.

Endo and ortho are both much more likely to be able to work just 3 days a week, but that's another 2-3 years after dental school- and you have to be in the top of your class, plus more student loans!

Well, yes, the loans would need to be paid off first w/ prolly 5-6 workdays per week. But after 5-6 years in practice as an associate (I don't want the hassle of owning & maintaining an office, but I might consider doing it later, if it means I can still work only 3 days/week), I wanna start living this lifestyle by cutting back my workdays.

Lazy..lazily efficient..same thing. After all, aren't the reasons I stated exactly why ppl go into dentistry, for the most part. I've found that after a while, a job is a job, no matter how u might initially love it. So the less time I spend in a job of any kind (and more time travelling and enjoying life), the better. I don't mind working hard the first few years to get this lifestyle tho.

 

[hotshottt]

If you really want that laid back of a life style, this is not for you....there is always going to be hard work and a chance of getting into suits. From the sounds of it you need a sugar daddy (or mommy) . I would not want to work under you with that attitude, let alone let you do any work on me. You have to go into a career for the right reasons. Your not even starting it off for the right reasons. I'm not trying to be rude here or whatever, or push you away from it but is this something that you really have your heart in ?

 

[anishannayya]

Interesting outlook for a 17 yr old. Somethings are left for those with more experience.

It's a simplified response. Again, this has been much debated.

1. Dentists aren't well respected. For some reason, people don't consider them to be "real doctors". They are thought of as bandits who stick their hands in people's mouths. I don't agree with that opinion, I'm just stating the facts.

2. The pay for dentists is over-exaggerated. I doubt that many people are fast enough or experienced enough to make much more than low six-figures right out of dental school. I'm sure that there are exceptions, but again these are generalities.

Yeah, I might be 17 but I'm smart enough to catch on to things just as quickly as anyone else. I might not have worldly experience, but I do think that, or at least like to think that I act beyond my age level. And trust me, there are many more people on this forum who are 17. I received not one, but several PMs from multiple people after I posted that. BTW, 18 in November! I'm always the youngest in my peer group, and it's really starting to annoy me.

 

[hnh]

If you really want that laid back of a life style, this is not for you....there is always going to be hard work and a chance of getting into suits. From the sounds of it you need a sugar daddy (or mommy) . I would not want to work under you with that attitude, let alone let you do any work on me. You have to go into a career for the right reasons. Your not even starting it off for the right reasons. I'm not trying to be rude here or whatever, or push you away from it but is this something that you really have your heart in ?

Yes, I have my heart set on this. There r no other jobs out there that come close to giving me this lifestyle, as well as job security, because 98% of every other job out there requires u to have a boss, which means u can't set ur own hours. Plus, dentistry is in healthcare, so there is more job security than other jobs (w/ the exception of medicine & pharmacy).
I know of an associate dentist who goes on vacation for 3x a year (3 weeks each). He doesn't own the practice--he's an associate. I don't want to own a practice if I have to work all the time. I know of another endodontist who works 3 days/week & takes vacations all the time (at least 2x, 3 weeks per time). This endodontist associates w/ 2 other endodontists in the same office.

If physicians work in the ER, they're hired by the hospital & the hospital has a lot of physicians to schedule work schedules/vacations, so no, u can't choose to work 3 days/week & go on vacation 3x a year (3 weeks each)..not if u have a boss (which is the hospital, which has to try to pls all physicians working at the hospital--u can't have ur pick all the time). But as an associate dentist, u can work smthg out w/ ur 2-3 colleague dentists and alternate when u each have vacation times. The good thing abt dentistry is u can own or co-own ur own office, thereby being able to set up ur own hrs. Only family medicine, dermatology, otolaryngology, ophthalmology, & plastic surgery allow u to own/co-own ur own office thereby allowing u to set ur own hrs. But those last 4 medical specialties r really hard to get into & u can do a bad job and the patient will know, unlike in dentistry where as long as the teeth APPEAR good and functioning, the patient doesn't care.

I'm just wondering if it's possible to work 3 days/week & take 3-week vacations 3x a year as a family doc? I'm afraid that since patients have chronic problems that r life-threatening, they'll want u to b available for more often than that. Otherwise, they'll find sum1 else who is more available. In dentistry, there r few chronic, life-threatening problems that prompt u to be there at a patient's beck-and-call, that ur colleagues can't take care of while u're on vacation. As an associate family physician, there might be lots of miscommunication mistakes if the 3 colleagues in the family practice take off for vacation so often. For ex., I write smthg on a patient's chart before I leave on vacation, but my colleague misunderstands what i wrote & prescribes the wrong meds.

 

[DrReo]

Yes, I have my heart set on this. There r no other jobs out there that come close to giving me this lifestyle, as well as job security, because 98% of every other job out there requires u to have a boss, which means u can't set ur own hours. Plus, dentistry is in healthcare, so there is more job security than other jobs (w/ the exception of medicine & pharmacy).
I know of an associate dentist who goes on vacation for 3x a year (3 weeks each). He doesn't own the practice--he's an associate. I don't want to own a practice if I have to work all the time. I know of another endodontist who works 3 days/week & takes vacations all the time (at least 2x, 3 weeks per time). This endodontist associates w/ 2 other endodontists in the same office.

If physicians work in the ER, they're hired by the hospital & the hospital has a lot of physicians to schedule work schedules/vacations, so no, u can't choose to work 3 days/week & go on vacation 3x a year (3 weeks each)..not if u have a boss (which is the hospital, which has to try to pls all physicians working at the hospital--u can't have ur pick all the time). But as an associate dentist, u can work smthg out w/ ur 2-3 colleague dentists and alternate when u each have vacation times. The good thing abt dentistry is u can own or co-own ur own office, thereby being able to set up ur own hrs. Only family medicine, dermatology, otolaryngology, ophthalmology, & plastic surgery allow u to own/co-own ur own office thereby allowing u to set ur own hrs. But those last 4 medical specialties r really hard to get into.

I'm just wondering if it's possible to work 3 days/week & take 3-week vacations 3x a year as a family doc? I'm afraid that since patients have chronic problems that r life-threatening, they'll want u to b available for more often than that. Otherwise, they'll find sum1 else who is more available. In dentistry, there r few chronic, life-threatening problems that prompt u to be there at a patient's beck-and-call, that ur colleagues can't take care of while u're on vacation. As an associate family physician, there might be lots of miscommunication mistakes if the 3 colleagues in the family practice take off for vacation so often. For ex., I write smthg on a patient's chart before I leave on vacation, but my colleague misunderstands what i wrote & prescribes the wrong meds.

Although brutal, an ER doc's hospital will let him do the required amount of 12 hour shifts needed for the month and have the rest of the month off. Does he do that? No. If the problems are chronic and life threatening, in most cases wouldn't a specialist be seeing them? 🙂

 

[Oracle DMD]

Yes, I have my heart set on this. There r no other jobs out there that come close to giving me this lifestyle, as well as job security, because 98% of every other job out there requires u to have a boss, which means u can't set ur own hours. Plus, dentistry is in healthcare, so there is more job security than other jobs (w/ the exception of medicine & pharmacy).
I know of an associate dentist who goes on vacation for 3x a year (3 weeks each). He doesn't own the practice--he's an associate. I don't want to own a practice if I have to work all the time. I know of another endodontist who works 3 days/week & takes vacations all the time (at least 2x, 3 weeks per time). This endodontist associates w/ 2 other endodontists in the same office.

If physicians work in the ER, they're hired by the hospital & the hospital has a lot of physicians to schedule work schedules/vacations, so no, u can't choose to work 3 days/week & go on vacation 3x a year (3 weeks each)..not if u have a boss (which is the hospital, which has to try to pls all physicians working at the hospital--u can't have ur pick all the time). But as an associate dentist, u can work smthg out w/ ur 2-3 colleague dentists and alternate when u each have vacation times. The good thing abt dentistry is u can own or co-own ur own office, thereby being able to set up ur own hrs. Only family medicine, dermatology, otolaryngology, ophthalmology, & plastic surgery allow u to own/co-own ur own office thereby allowing u to set ur own hrs. But those last 4 medical specialties r really hard to get into & u can do a bad job and the patient will know, unlike in dentistry where as long as the teeth APPEAR good and functioning, the patient doesn't care.

I'm just wondering if it's possible to work 3 days/week & take 3-week vacations 3x a year as a family doc? I'm afraid that since patients have chronic problems that r life-threatening, they'll want u to b available for more often than that. Otherwise, they'll find sum1 else who is more available. In dentistry, there r few chronic, life-threatening problems that prompt u to be there at a patient's beck-and-call, that ur colleagues can't take care of while u're on vacation. As an associate family physician, there might be lots of miscommunication mistakes if the 3 colleagues in the family practice take off for vacation so often. For ex., I write smthg on a patient's chart before I leave on vacation, but my colleague misunderstands what i wrote & prescribes the wrong meds.

you should ask this in the med forum. dentists, dental students, and pre-dents generally will not be able to answer your questions regarding downsides to being a primary care physician. can you make 100K+ and work 3 days a week as a dentist? certainly. but you'll have to work to get there, you don't graduate with the schedule of a veteran dentist.

really, worry about which you'd be happier DOING instead of which you'd be doing less. seriously, if you work hard at either, you'll be able to make that schedule soon enough.

 

[hnh]

Although brutal, an ER doc's hospital will let him do the required amount of 12 hour shifts needed for the month and have the rest of the month off. Does he do that? No. If the problems are chronic and life threatening, in most cases wouldn't a specialist be seeing them? 🙂

The hospital is ur employer & can replace u easily w/ other docs, so if the hospital asks u to fill in a shift, u can't keep saying 'No, I have to go sunbathe.' You need the job the hospital offers more than the hospital needs u, if it can replace u w/ another doc who is willing to work the extra hours. I prefer not having a boss, just colleagues who equally own the practice as u.

By "chronic and life-threatening", I mean for ex., a patient has a chronic heart condition & felt some pain the past few days & wanted to see u. Before seeing a specialist, the patient would have to see u first. When I had a problem w/ my ear infection, which had bn looked at by a specialist already, I was told to see my family doc for checkups & only to go to the emerg room to try to see a specialist ONLY if it was an emergency (ie. extreme pain and the family doc wasn't around).

 

[DMD 4 Me]

What i mean w/ regards to my question is:

All I wanna do is make >$100k in 3 workdays per week, take 3-week vacations 3x a year...

....If i become a general dentist, I may not have enough patients to fill 3 whole workdays (since that's all i wanna work). Family docs prolly get more patients thus can easily fill 3 workdays per week, since there r many more body parts to treat than just the mouth......

....Other than the patient feeling pain or the tooth does not APPEAR nice and functional, it's hard to detect bad dental work. As a family doc, u have to cure the patient--that's how s/he can tell whether u're doing a good job or not....

I can't believe the stuff I've been reading on here lately. You guys are saints for actually taking the time to respond to this.

 

[hnh]

I can't believe the stuff I've been reading on here lately. You guys are saints for actually taking the time to respond to this.

Well, u kno, I thought i should tell it as it is..no pretending to lie to myself & society. Personally, I think everyone has thought these same thoughts, especially ppl who have bn in both dentistry & med for a long time. They evaluate everyday whether they should b in the field they're in. That's y there r cases of ppl finishing medschool & finding out that they shouldn't have gone that way b/c they're not that self-less as to sacrifice themselves. I'm not pretending to be a saint & neither should anyone else. I don't believe there is such a thing as selfless altruism for the rest of one's life. I intend on helping others thru charities, just not by giving everything of myself up.

I can only see problems in the future if I lie & sugarcoat abt how I wanna go into dent/med to be Mother Teresa/Father ____. The way I see it, I can help many more ppl by having this lifestyle that I described & making lots of money that I can donate that money, w/o making myself miserable (Doctors in general are 2x more likely to commit suicide than the general public..think it must be looking at sick patients all day or inside a very small area of the mouth all day--that's why I only wanna look at the mouth 3 days/week). So I'm just being honest w/ myself, cuz I do not wanna be one of those ppl who kick themselves later cuz they folded when sum1 said they were too selfish. I'm not selfish--just realistic. I intend on helping others, but I can help others more and for longer (locally & internationally in starving countries) by being happy & having the lifestyle I want so that I can continue helping over the longterm.

 

[browncrack]

I'm not selfish--just realistic. I intend on helping others, but I can help others more and for longer (locally & internationally in starving countries) by being happy & having the lifestyle I want so that I can continue helping over the longterm.

It sounds like you are already making decisions you will need to make in another six years. You need to get a job and start working some 24/7 or even 8/5. You will probably appreciate the value of hard work and the value of people valuing your hard work. Start college and get a couple of semesters of 4.0 while taking your full time bioscience route.

 

[sfoksn]

It sounds like you are already making decisions you will need to make in another six years. You need to get a job and start working some 24/7 or even 8/5. You will probably appreciate the value of hard work and the value of people valuing your hard work. Start college and get a couple of semesters of 4.0 while taking your full time bioscience route.

👍 x infinity.

These high schoolers need to grow up before they are concerned with anything... They don't know anything.. Look at what anishannayya posted and he/she is a 17 year old!

 

[Climberak]

What i mean w/ regards to my question is:

All I wanna do is make >$100k in 3 workdays per week, take 3-week vacations 3x a year, be less afraid of having my license revoked and sent to jail for manslaughter due to malpractice.

I am not sure you fully understand what it means to be a family physician. You will never make >100K a year as a family medicine doctor if you take 2 months of vacation a year and you only work three days a week. Owning a family practice is a huge time commitment. Even if you co-own your practice, no one is going to work with you if you are only there three days a week and the rest of the time you're off traveling the world. It wouldn't take long before you're A) out of business or B) your partners leave you.

But those last 4 medical specialties r really hard to get into & u can do a bad job and the patient will know, unlike in dentistry where as long as the teeth APPEAR good and functioning, the patient doesn't care.

Do you know what is the most reliable predictor of a malpractice claim? POOR relationships with your patients. A half assed attitude ("I can screw up as a dentist and no one will care") isn't going to help. You will get sued in any profession if you don't respect your patients. I don't want a person like you anywhere near my mouth if you think I'm not going to care if you screw it up.

The hospital is ur employer & can replace u easily w/ other docs, so if the hospital asks u to fill in a shift, u can't keep saying 'No, I have to go sunbathe.'

Yeah, welcome to the real world. You can't do anything you want to when you feel like it.

that's y there r cases of ppl finishing medschool & finding out that they shouldn't have gone that way b/c they're not that self-less as to sacrifice themselves. I'm not pretending to be a saint & neither should anyone else.

Lots of medical graduates drop out because they didn't fully consider the profession before they entered it. They went in with naive ideas of what it's like to be a doctor, only to have them completely shattered by reality. I'm afraid you're one of these people: you want it all, but you're not willing to put in the work. As a resident, you will be working 80 hours a week for at least 3 years. You'll make less than minimum wage during this time.

Are you seriously going to tell me that when you become a family physician you'll only work 3 days a week, take 2 months of vacation per year, and own a practice (which costs $$$ to start and maintain), and you will still have enough money to pay off your loans, have a family, and to travel?

As a final note, you're not f*cking 12, so stop writing like it. Use complete words and not that text bullsh*t.

 

[hotshottt]

But those last 4 medical specialties r really hard to get into & u can do a bad job and the patient will know, unlike in dentistry where as long as the teeth APPEAR good and functioning, the patient doesn't care..

NEWSFLASH: The patient will more then certainly know. Unless your working with the brain dead! Not only will they know, but other doctors will too and then ruin your reputation. That is not the case at all. Must admit that is quite a douche like statement.

Oh my lord. I would say now more then ever you should not go into this career. You just over and over saying how you want such an easy life. DUDE ITS STILL NOT AN EASY LIFE. The reason the pay is high, and vacation time is good is because of what you will have to put into this. The stress is always going to be there, the liability is great and there will always be work needing to be done. You have to want to do the work and to actually like the work, not the pay.

Also, remember what you write on the internet is there forever. You are writing some things in here that you may not want to follow you in your future, but trust me it can and will. Schools that your looking to apply to can find this easily too

 

[Ponger]

Well, u kno, I thought i should tell it as it is..no pretending to lie to myself & society. Personally, I think everyone has thought these same thoughts, especially ppl who have bn in both dentistry & med for a long time. They evaluate everyday whether they should b in the field they're in. That's y there r cases of ppl finishing medschool & finding out that they shouldn't have gone that way b/c they're not that self-less as to sacrifice themselves. I'm not pretending to be a saint & neither should anyone else. I don't believe there is such a thing as selfless altruism for the rest of one's life. I intend on helping others thru charities, just not by giving everything of myself up.

I can only see problems in the future if I lie & sugarcoat abt how I wanna go into dent/med to be Mother Teresa/Father ____. The way I see it, I can help many more ppl by having this lifestyle that I described & making lots of money that I can donate that money, w/o making myself miserable (Doctors in general are 2x more likely to commit suicide than the general public..think it must be looking at sick patients all day or inside a very small area of the mouth all day--that's why I only wanna look at the mouth 3 days/week). So I'm just being honest w/ myself, cuz I do not wanna be one of those ppl who kick themselves later cuz they folded when sum1 said they were too selfish. I'm not selfish--just realistic. I intend on helping others, but I can help others more and for longer (locally & internationally in starving countries) by being happy & having the lifestyle I want so that I can continue helping over the longterm.

First off, you type like a dickhead. It's not difficult to type out full words and it makes you look rather immature typing in textspeak.

Back to the topic, it sounds like you want to have your cake and eat it too. You want all the auxiliary benefits but don't want to put in the work. Your words just sound like doubletalk "I want to help others by being happy" What the hell does that mean?

Believe it or not if you became a doctor/dentist you'd be helping people. You don't have to go feed the starving children in Nigeria to help people.

I do personally believe there can be a selfish element to joining these professions. After all, you did point out the very nice benefits (job security, good pay, etc..) but if you really understood the time you need to invest in order put yourself in that position then you'd probably wouldn't want to bother. There has to be some self-less element to those career paths, because quite honestly the work/pay ratio isn't all its cracked up to be. You gotta bust your ass and be top of your college class to get into med/dental school and bust your ass for four more years there. And if you went into family med, you'd bust your ass for another 3 more years before making the six figures you so sorely crave.

 

[hnh]

NEWSFLASH: The patient will more then certainly know. Unless your working with the brain dead! Not only will they know, but other doctors will too and then ruin your reputation. That is not the case at all. Must admit that is quite a douche like statement.

Oh my lord. I would say now more then ever you should not go into this career. You just over and over saying how you want such an easy life. DUDE ITS STILL NOT AN EASY LIFE. The reason the pay is high, and vacation time is good is because of what you will have to put into this. The stress is always going to be there, the liability is great and there will always be work needing to be done. You have to want to do the work and to actually like the work, not the pay.

Also, remember what you write on the internet is there forever. You are writing some things in here that you may not want to follow you in your future, but trust me it can and will. Schools that your looking to apply to can find this easily too

But how are they able to link it to me? I didn't put my name/identifiers anywhere. I only wanted honest opinions to brainstorm stuff I didn't think of before.

I think u all should read the post titled "..opening shop after 10" in the dental forum where quite a few dentists are having the lifestyle I described.

 

[Edentulator]

When your patients ask "Why did you become a ________," you should be able to answer this question honestly and with pride. If you're ashamed of your perspective, then maybe that's an indication that you're headed in the wrong direction.

If you have to lie to your patients about a basic question like this, then you shouldn't be considering a career in health care. Being successful in demanding professions like medicine and dentistry requires not only hard work, but also integrity.

Patients aren't idiots, and they can easily separate the doctors who are in it for money from the ones who genuinely care. And guess where they go?

 

[hnh]

When your patients ask "Why did you become a ________," you should be able to answer this question honestly and with pride.

Patients aren't idiots, and they can easily separate the doctors who are in it for money from the ones who genuinely care. And guess where they go?

If you have to lie to your patients about a basic question like this, then you shouldn't be considering a career in health care. Being successful in demanding professions like medicine and dentistry requires not only hard work, but also integrity.

Obviously, I care about the patients, but I also care abt not burning out & abt my & my family's happiness, as I'm sure many ppl would prefer not to go into the 60-hr work week of a surgeon and never see their families. Obviously, I do not want to harm anyone since my license wouldn't last too long (if I were to look at it from a selfish perspective). I wouldn't want to harm anyone regardless since it'd b on my conscience. The fact that I'm so thoroughly researching & asking ppl who have bn doing these careers for a long time should b an indicator that I'm careful, methodical, and weigh the pros/cons of a situation before acting. Just b/c dentistry happens to offer what i'm looking for doesn't mean i can't be good at it & that patients can't love me if i do a good job. There r many (legitimate & good) reasons y ppl go into a field they do. About 20-40% of these reasons can be selfish since I know they are not completely 100% unselfish reasons. Everyone has selfish reasons.

 

[Ischemic]

I hope life takes a bat and smashes you in the face you lazy ****. Who the hell do you think you are to deserve an amazing lifestyle without putting in the work. May you fail in your life pursuits.

 

[hnh]

I hope life takes a bat and smashes you in the face you lazy ****. Who the hell do you think you are to deserve an amazing lifestyle without putting in the work. May you fail in your life pursuits.

Who the f*** said i'm not putting in the work u sob??? mayb i was smarter than u not to head in the direction u r in

I see it's very hard to b honest on these forums w/o offending sum1 on either side of the med/dent fence, depending on the stance i take. i notice that. mayb this is y ppl head in directions they realize is wrong for them cuz they're always lying to themselves & putting ppl down when they question abt the cons of their chosen path.

U would make a grand dr. i'm sure, wishing ill-luck on ur patients when they ask questions & just want honest answers.

"Dr. Ischemic, y do u always look so tired? I thought u said u love being a dr. & treating me. Why? Could there really be cons to being a dr.? What r they? Pls tell so it can help me w/ my career."

Dr. Ischemic: "F*** off, u lil brat! Medicine's a great career (even tho my spouse left me cuz i was working all the time), i didn't make a mistake choosing my career (or did i??)."

 

[hnh]

AGAIN, I DO NOT WANT TO DISS ANYBODY'S CHOSEN CAREER. THAT IS NOT THE PURPOSE!!! I JUST WANT THE DAMN HONEST TRUTH ABOUT THE CONS & PROS OF EACH PROFESSION, WHICH A LOT OF PPL SEEM TO HAVE A PROBLEM W/!! WHO R U LYING TO??? I WOULD ONLY B HURTING MYSELF IF I'M NOT BEING TOTALLY HONEST. GEEZ

THEY'RE CALLED PROS & CONS. CONS!! AS IN THE BAD SIDE OF THINGS, NOT THE ROSE-COLORED EVERYTHING'S PERFECT DON'T BOTHER W/ THE CONS CUZ THEY DON'T EXIST (UNTIL I ENCOUNTER THEM LATER WHEN I'M IN TOO MUCH DEBT TO CHANGE MY FREAKIN MIND)

Wow, i am normally a calm person

 

[Charmm]

Work in a dental and a medical office, then you will figure out the +/- of each. There is a reason premeds and predents are required to volunteer in dental and medical offices. I started off as a premed, aced the MCATs but when I was working in a medical practice I was BOARED TO DEATH. I hated it; then I worked for an OMFS, LOVED it, Took the DAT and here I am. Although, I must say that the lifestyle was a big factor that I am going with dentistry. Having 13 physicians in the family, It wasn't hard to see that they didn't have enough time to spend with their kids or have fun. My brother started residency a week ago ( internal med) and in a week he is exhausted ( probably because he is over weight 😛)

Also one very very important point: It is very hard to get into respectable medical school b/c they want to make sure you absolutely love medicine. If you go with medicine for any reason but love of medicine, YOU WILL REGRET.

 

[Ischemic]

Who the f*** said i'm not putting in the work u sob??? mayb i was smarter than u not to head in the direction u r in

I see it's very hard to b honest on these forums w/o offending sum1 on either side of the med/dent fence, depending on the stance i take. i notice that. mayb this is y ppl head in directions they realize is wrong for them cuz they're always lying to themselves & putting ppl down when they question abt the cons of their chosen path.

U would make a grand dr. i'm sure, wishing ill-luck on ur patients when they ask questions & just want honest answers.

"Dr. Ischemic, y do u always look so tired? I thought u said u love being a dr. & treating me. Why? Could there really be cons to being a dr.? What r they? Pls tell so it can help me w/ my career."

Dr. Ischemic: "F*** off, u lil brat! Medicine's a great career (even tho my spouse left me cuz i was working all the time), i didn't make a mistake choosing my career (or did i??)."

Have you reread your posts? "I want to earn 100k, work 3 days a week, take 3 months off each year" that's just utterly ridiculous. You gotta earn that and not start off doing that.

Ahh... the tried and true SDN method of saying you're going to be a terrible doctor. Guess what ****face? I'm closer to being where you want to be than you are. May you still fail in life, *****.

 

[Oracle DMD]

 

[The Hammer]

Oracle FTW like a BOSS!😀

 

[omaralt]

wow, everybody relax..

first off, is it possible to work 3 days/week and make 6 figures in dentistry? absolutely. i can do that right now and i just graduated. however, you will not be making much over $100K. that sounds like a lot, but add in loan repayments, etc and then take out taxes and your really not talking about a lot of money left over.

i understand where the OP is coming from, because honestly, one of the reasons i went into dentistry is because of the lifestyle. my uncle is a cardiologist and he pushed me away from medicine because of the hours and lifestyle involved.

to have a good lifestyle in dentistry, you need to own your own practice. you can then set your hours and take off when you want. however what most people are having a problem with is your attitude. you dont start off with this attitude. you need to work your ***** off and get accepted to dental school. then work your ***** off and graduate from dental school. you then need to work your ***** off as an associate and pay down your loans. then you need to find a good practice to purchase and work your ***** off to get it going. only then can you think about cutting hours and taking long vacations.

 

[hnh]

wow, everybody relax..

first off, is it possible to work 3 days/week and make 6 figures in dentistry? absolutely. i can do that right now and i just graduated. however, you will not be making much over $100K. that sounds like a lot, but add in loan repayments, etc and then take out taxes and your really not talking about a lot of money left over.

i understand where the OP is coming from, because honestly, one of the reasons i went into dentistry is because of the lifestyle. my uncle is a cardiologist and he pushed me away from medicine because of the hours and lifestyle involved.

to have a good lifestyle in dentistry, you need to own your own practice. you can then set your hours and take off when you want. however what most people are having a problem with is your attitude. you dont start off with this attitude. you need to work your ***** off and get accepted to dental school. then work your ***** off and graduate from dental school. you then need to work your ***** off as an associate and pay down your loans. then you need to find a good practice to purchase and work your ***** off to get it going. only then can you think about cutting hours and taking long vacations.

Nuff said.

A few posts up, I agreed loans needed to b paid off first. seems like they just see criticism abt said career & want 2 stop ppl from thinking there--wasn't looking for communism. There was no attitude all along, except when that idiot started swearing cuz it was the only comeback. S/he didn't counter using facts, just attacks..really makes u wonder y..

Thanks for clearing up this myth omaralt (dentist)!

 

[PharmaTope]

wow, everybody relax..

first off, is it possible to work 3 days/week and make 6 figures in dentistry? absolutely. i can do that right now and i just graduated. however, you will not be making much over $100K. that sounds like a lot, but add in loan repayments, etc and then take out taxes and your really not talking about a lot of money left over.

i understand where the OP is coming from, because honestly, one of the reasons i went into dentistry is because of the lifestyle. my uncle is a cardiologist and he pushed me away from medicine because of the hours and lifestyle involved.

to have a good lifestyle in dentistry, you need to own your own practice. you can then set your hours and take off when you want. however what most people are having a problem with is your attitude. you dont start off with this attitude. you need to work your ***** off and get accepted to dental school. then work your ***** off and graduate from dental school. you then need to work your ***** off as an associate and pay down your loans. then you need to find a good practice to purchase and work your ***** off to get it going. only then can you think about cutting hours and taking long vacations.

exactly!

BUT, be very very careful..... do not do dentistry for lifestyle. lifestyle can change OVERNIGHT. let's say government gets involved (WHICH THEY PLAN ON DOING) and dictates you must take gov insurance for dental procedures but pay little. your pay and lifestyle can drastically change.

also, look at what is going on in pharmacy. pharmacy was amazing in you could quit a job in the morning and have 6 job offers by that very evening!

sign on bonuses, incredibly job security..... that has all changed now. always keep that in perspective because this is a reality right now.

 

[hnh]

wow, everybody relax..

first off, is it possible to work 3 days/week and make 6 figures in dentistry? absolutely. i can do that right now and i just graduated. however, you will not be making much over $100K. that sounds like a lot, but add in loan repayments, etc and then take out taxes and your really not talking about a lot of money left over.

i understand where the OP is coming from, because honestly, one of the reasons i went into dentistry is because of the lifestyle. my uncle is a cardiologist and he pushed me away from medicine because of the hours and lifestyle involved.

to have a good lifestyle in dentistry, you need to own your own practice. you can then set your hours and take off when you want. however what most people are having a problem with is your attitude. you dont start off with this attitude. you need to work your ***** off and get accepted to dental school. then work your ***** off and graduate from dental school. you then need to work your ***** off as an associate and pay down your loans. then you need to find a good practice to purchase and work your ***** off to get it going. only then can you think about cutting hours and taking long vacations.

Ya, relax everybody. It was a legitimate question cuz i saw a few dentists w/ this lifestyle, so just wanted to see how common it was. Of course, I appreciate all the hard work that goes into it first. But i was thinkin longterm, way after graduation of course. I said that in the posts above, abt loans being paid off first.

Thanks for all the help brainstorming everyone !!! Got the 'facts' i came for & swearing isn't my thing cuz it's a last resort defence when there's nothing else to say. The Bible (& the Secret) said wishing ill on someone doesn't work. U can only feel inferior if u let urself. I have nothing to prove.

I really do appreciate everyone's time in brainstorming abt this. I only meant to ask to find out cuz i saw it happening in dentistry. that was the only reason y i would even post in the 1st place, since i don't post for no good reason. I hope everyone doesn't have hard feelings. i really didn't intend on offending anyone, just wanted to get the facts.

Anyways, I really am grateful to everyone for their input, yes even the bad input, cuz it really helps in the decision-making.

Ciao, and peace. God bless everyone in their lives. Time to shut this account down & spend time w/ those I love while they r w/ me.

 

[hnh]

exactly!

BUT, be very very careful..... do not do dentistry for lifestyle. lifestyle can change OVERNIGHT. let's say government gets involved (WHICH THEY PLAN ON DOING) and dictates you must take gov insurance for dental procedures but pay little. your pay and lifestyle can drastically change.

also, look at what is going on in pharmacy. pharmacy was amazing in you could quit a job in the morning and have 6 job offers by that very evening!

sign on bonuses, incredibly job security..... that has all changed now. always keep that in perspective because this is a reality right now.

Thanks for that insight PharmaTope! I really appreciate u taking the time to point that out to me so I don't miss anything!

 

[klm84]

I wouldn't want you as my doctor or my dentist. If you hope to get into any of these schools you better be a good liar.