YeOldeMan, I've skimmed the idea of an MPA. MBA seems like a nice extension of my current trajectory, so likely why I lean that way. Also, Plan 2 is more hazy at this point - if I wanted something pure policy / no patient contact, there wouldn't be much of a reason to get an MD...in my eyes you goto med school because you want to see patients / see value in that aspect of the job. Else, almost every other function within the healthcare space can be accomplished without the MD.
Dr. Kim, I'm so glad you stumbled on this post. I'm a long-time, on and off reader of your blog, particularly in school. I have found very few places where you can find concrete information re: intersection of medicine and business that are particularly helpful / not just fluff. Your posts are always a source of good leads / interesting points re: this intersection. Though, I am still searching for meaty examples of MD/MBA's and how they've managed to combine patient contact with an MBA skill-set to effect change at a higher level in the community (I.e. developing a free / subsidized clinic). If you know of any good resources, please advise. I have not read your blog in a while so will make sure to poke around for any leads...
dirtyshoe, I did delete the post. Felt it was a long-winded way of asking what are some neat / interesting extracurriculuars to get involved in that are more in-line with my future aspirations. Also, on the flip side, a good way to solicit advice and how to build a strong app through the set of activities that I find most interesting. Will likely post again the same question in the non-trad forum in a more succinct form.
dirtyshoe / dukemed22, I don't want to make this a public discussion re: salaries. There are far too many [albeit, speculative] posts floating around on this. I'll give some high-level, reliable dataopoints but let's focus on the more qualitative stuff, as those become infinitely more important when you actually have to do the job. Post undergraduate when I graduated (peak), ibanking pays about ~$110-130 cash (about half bonus, half base), mgmt. consulting pays about $70-90 cash (much smaller bonus, but arguably opens up more doors, is more interesting, and they often give you options to pay for b-school, gauranteed offers to return, etc - I'm speaking about the top 3). Today, pay has come down ~20-40K at the i-banks, though some still pay fairly well. Private equity pay is highly variable and is a little more complicated. Range is $180K to ~$300 cash for the bigger / more reputable places (Loosely defined as $4Bn funds and greater, through they are certainly very good places that are a little smaller than that). You also get significant forms of equity investing (fancy names for this - co-invest, phantom equity, etc), though usually at the junior level will bear both downside and upside risk and can sometimes be structured as a levered investment (aka buying on margin).
Numbers are for transparency. What's more important is the qualitative stuff. dirtyshoe, what makes me want to "give up" has very little to do with money. Two points here:
1) We all make the choice to go into medicine for a variety of reasons. I'm not sure there are "right" and "wrong" reasons; in fact, my personal belief is we all do it to maximize our own happiness. What I can say is that if the reason is to make an absurd amount of money, you'll likely be dissapointed in medicine (so I hear). This doesn't mean money is the "wrong" reason; but it does mean you might be dissapointed if your "money wants" exceed what are known to be average physician comp levels.
2) I've realized (and most people come to this realization, I think) post-college that money has a diminishing marginal value a lot faster than you'd think - esp when comparing top-notch careers (medicine, law, finance, etc). Sure, I want to drive a nice car, send my kids to private school, etc - but, you can do all those things in all those professions. What matters more is you're able to derive satisfaction (read: happiness) from your actual job. Note, this is easy to say and harder to believe sometimes without actually playing the part; the grass is always greener on the other side, so to speak. So, if you have doubts / want to give it a taste, I'd say try it before committing to medicine. If you're satisfied (happy enough) in a profession other than medicine, then you're set - no need to change. I think that's the way I looked at my decision and I'm happy I'm here now; but, as stated above, planning to make the move back in ~2-3 years.
Cheers.