Interested in becoming a cardiac surgeon

[RougePotatoes]

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Hey, I'm 17 years old. I am a junior in high school. I've been interested in becoming a cardiac surgeon for about a year now. I'm taking a dual credit anatomy and physiology class that really opened my eyes to the medical careers. I haven't shaped a definite opinion, but cardiac surgeons definitely fit my interest.

What should I do from now until the end of high school? I don't want to jump too far ahead. Even if I don't become a cardiac surgeon, I'd like to do something in the medical field. I graduate in 2014. I've talked to my counselor about testing out my senior year. Would this help me in any way for college, med school and thereafter? What do colleges look for when accepting applicants?

My freshman and sophomore year were pretty bad. I was having a lot of family issues. My GPA was pretty lousy and I failed a semester of Spanish and English from lack of trying. This year I've passed all my classes with 95 and higher, including anatomy and physiology. I don't do any extracurricular activities or anything. I want to know what my steps should be for the rest of this year and my senior year.

I think I'm going to attend a community college for my basics and then attend a university after that. I don't know yet... What do you think?

 

[xroc]

Hey, I'm 17 years old. I am a junior in high school. I've been interested in becoming a cardiac surgeon for about a year now. I'm taking a dual credit anatomy and physiology class that really opened my eyes to the medical careers. I haven't shaped a definite opinion, but cardiac surgeons definitely fit my interest.

What should I do from now until the end of high school? I don't want to jump too far ahead. Even if I don't become a cardiac surgeon, I'd like to do something in the medical field. I graduate in 2014. I've talked to my counselor about testing out my senior year. Would this help me in any way for college, med school and thereafter? What do colleges look for when accepting applicants?

My freshman and sophomore year were pretty bad. I was having a lot of family issues. My GPA was pretty lousy and I failed a semester of Spanish and English from lack of trying. This year I've passed all my classes with 95 and higher, including anatomy and physiology. I don't do any extracurricular activities or anything. I want to know what my steps should be for the rest of this year and my senior year.

I think I'm going to attend a community college for my basics and then attend a university after that. I don't know yet... What do you think?

Try to make it to a 4-year university if you can. While this is debated a lot, the prestige of the university does not matter as much as how well you actually do. Do well in school from now on and if you have time, you can pick up some extracurricular activities that interest you.

Do not place your hopes a dreams on becoming a cardiac surgeon, as this will more than likely change. There is no way you can really know what the day-to-day activities of a cardiac surgeon are or what the job really entails ... even if you did, how would you know if you really wanted to do this since you did not experience other medical specialties?

The vast majority of medical students go into medical school thinking they'll do a certain specialty and change their minds. Worry about making it there before being dead-set on picking a specialty.

As far as making it there, taking all of your classes at a university, and not a community college is what medical schools like to see. The major that you pick does not have any effect on your chance of getting into medical school, so study something that you enjoy and do very well in your classes.

Once you get into college, look into doing some medical and non-medical related volunteering.

Hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[RougePotatoes]

Thanks for the reply. How many years in total would I be going to school for? Will I only make money once I am official or do I make money during residency? Also, do you know about how much school would cost?

 

[EvenStevens]

8 years, 4 undergrad, 4 medical school.
You make money once u start as an intern (first year) but you don't make the "big bucks" until after residency.
Medical School on avg leaves u with 200k + debt depending on where you go/ how you pay etc.
But there are i think deals u can make to not pay it back until after residency

 

[da8s0859q]

Thanks for the reply. How many years in total would I be going to school for? Will I only make money once I am official or do I make money during residency? Also, do you know about how much school would cost?

8 years, 4 undergrad, 4 medical school.
You make money once u start as an intern (first year) but you don't make the "big bucks" until after residency.
Medical School on avg leaves u with 200k + debt depending on where you go/ how you pay etc.
But there are i think deals u can make to not pay it back until after residency

This, basically -- except the average debt for new MDs is around ~$165k, including undergrad debt (too lazy to find the source again, but it was near there as of a year or two ago).

Residents get paid anywhere from $45k to $55k at first and work more than attending physicians do. That number incrementally increases with each year, which might matter to you since CT surgery is a long, long road.

Just my $0.02, but don't be too quick to put on the horse blinders and go straight for medical school, much less any particular specialty. I still "what if" myself in my final year of med school, but I think I'd be a whole lot more conflicted if I didn't agonize over the decision back in college.

 

[iforget2]

It's nice to have a long-term goal, but specialty is something you don't need to worry about for a long, long time

 

[xroc]

Thanks for the reply. How many years in total would I be going to school for? Will I only make money once I am official or do I make money during residency? Also, do you know about how much school would cost?

You would be going to 4 years of undergrad, 4 years of medical school, and then train as a resident for 4 years in general surgery, followed by 3 years in cardiothoracic surgery, so you're looking at about 15 years of training before you're making any real money.

School will cost a lot, depending on where you go, and while you earn some money as a resident (~ 50k), a lot of this is used to pay off the interest on your loans ... from what I've read, you will not be living a "comfortable life" by any means during resident years. Keep in mind that as a resident, you are also working 70-80 hours a week, and surgery specialties are very well known for having some of the worst hours and working conditions after residency (not very conducive to having a "life" or a "family" unless you are very good at prioritizing your free time). Many surgeons say that they work more than the 80 hours that they did during residency after they finish, so keep all these things in mind if you're only looking to do it for the $ (not saying you are, but a lot of people seem to have these aspirations).

 

[USERX]

This, basically -- except the average debt for new MDs is around ~$165k, including undergrad debt (too lazy to find the source again, but it was near there as of a year or two ago).

Residents get paid anywhere from $45k to $55k at first and work more than attending physicians do. That number incrementally increases with each year, which might matter to you since CT surgery is a long, long road.

Just my $0.02, but don't be too quick to put on the horse blinders and go straight for medical school, much less any particular specialty. I still "what if" myself in my final year of med school, but I think I'd be a whole lot more conflicted if I didn't agonize over the decision back in college.

what med school do you go to?