Is it too late to get good grades and get into medical school?

[el_duderino]

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DO and MD are the same thing. You have a much better shot at getting into a DO program. Grade replacement is your friend.

Leave the DO vs MD bias behind right now.

 

[OneDayIllBeASurgeon]

Actually, I really want to be a surgeon, and you can't do that with an D.O. So I guess all I can do is give it all I got, and hope that when all is said and done, that I get in. It's my dream so it's worth all the hard work and stress. But, I am not going to stress out until I calculate my GPA

 

[ZedsDed]

Actually, I really want to be a surgeon, and you can't do that with an D.O. So I guess all I can do is give it all I got, and hope that when all is said and done, that I get in. It's my dream so it's worth all the hard work and stress. But, I am not going to stress out until I calculate my GPA

DO's are licensed to specialize in anything an MD can.

 

[OneDayIllBeASurgeon]

So DO's are able to do surgery in hospitals? Okay, I was just researching it and read that they aren't allowed to do that. That there is a law. But I will do more research .

 

[ZedsDed]

So DO's are able to do surgery in hospitals? Okay, I was just researching it and read that they aren't allowed to do that. That there is a law. But I will do more research .

Completely wrong I'm afraid. In fact, DO's matched 78% (I could be off by a little) into MD residencies last year. When looking at MD and DO residencies, their match rates are over 90% (again I could be off by a few % points); and yes, this includes surgery as well.

 

[el_duderino]

So DO's are able to do surgery in hospitals? Okay, I was just researching it and read that they aren't allowed to do that. That there is a law. But I will do more research .

100% absolutely wrong. DO and MD are 100% legally equivalent in the United States, and DOs can and do match into every residency specialty, including surgery.

BTW... you are in no position at all to choose a specialty right now. You simply don't have enough (any) experience with various specialties.

 

[PreMedBeauty]

that is good, you may Pm me if you want to.

Can I PM you?

 

[SpicyFalafel]

yes.

 

[SpicyFalafel]

Can I PM you?

Yes, you can.

 

[keitaiKT]

Out of curiosity, why are you so driven to be a surgeon in particular? Did you work in the field? Were you a surgical patient and it changed your life?

 

[OneDayIllBeASurgeon]

I just am. I have wanted to since I was a kid. I want to know how to fix people and make them well again. I want to work in Emergency Medicine,

 

[el_duderino]

I just am. I have wanted to since I was a kid. I want to know how to fix people and make them well again. I want to work in Emergency Medicine,

Emergency medicine and surgery are two very different fields. EM docs do some procedures, but not in an OR and not really surgery.

Your primary focus right now should be to shadow some physicians and see if this is what you actually want to do. You seem to have very little experience with medicine, and you really owe it to yourself to acquire more before you dedicate years and thousands of dollars to attempt to get accepted to medical school and take on hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt.

 

[OneDayIllBeASurgeon]

Yeah, you're right that was what I was going to say. I can't say for sure until I get there. I've only spent a little bit of time in a hospital. But either way, I have to finish the pre med program first. I am probably gonna spend time shadowing physicians while I'm taking the pre med classes.

 

[el_duderino]

But either way, I have to finish the pre med program first. I am probably gonna spend time shadowing physicians while I'm taking the pre med classes.

You don't need to finish the pre-med program first. Med schools looking at your application will expect to see a history of experience with being around patients, observing physicians, and performing community service. You can't just knock those out of the way later on; you need to start doing them now.

Adcoms will want to see 3 things from you:

1) That you can handle the curriculum. You do this with good grades and a high MCAT.
2) That you know what physicians actually do. You do this with shadowing.
3) That you are interested in being around and helping sick people. You do this with clinical volunteering, working in the field, etc.
[4] Is that you're a good, interesting person. You do this with ECs and leadership.

 

[OneDayIllBeASurgeon]

Oh, I didn't mean that I was going to finish it first, I meant that while I am working on the pre med classes, I will shadow physicians. I'm starting this August, but I didn't think I would be able to start doing that now. I thought most hospitals ask you if you are a student, and since technically I haven't started yet.

I have been reading a lot of books written by doctors, they write these books talking about what it's like to be a surgeon and what medical school is like.

 

[OneDayIllBeASurgeon]

I need to find a place to volunteer in a clinic. I was around my sick brother in law before he died. But that was only for a few hours a day

 

[deleted480308]

I need to find a place to volunteer in a clinic. I was around my sick brother in law before he died. But that was only for a few hours a day

First, I am sorry you had to lose your brother.

Separate from that, just find a gig that is a few hours a week and stick to it. You don't need 70,000 hrs, just show some consistency

 

[jl lin]

Actually, I really want to be a surgeon, and you can't do that with an D.O. So I guess all I can do is give it all I got, and hope that when all is said and done, that I get in. It's my dream so it's worth all the hard work and stress. But, I am not going to stress out until I calculate my GPA

Who says you can't be a surgeon as a DO? I have worked with some fine surgeons that were DO--and they were CT/Vascular surgeons. Is it harder? Perhaps. But just kick butt throughout all the processes--licensing and certifying exam. Get some good support around you.

 

[jl lin]

Also, I agree with the poster/s that say you really need to be around surgeons. It's incredibly tough training, scheduling, and it's not an easy life--depending on the type of surgery you will ultimately be doing. The training is a LONG, very brutal grind from what I have seen. So talk to some surgeons and shadow with them more than a few hours.

 

[keitaiKT]

It is pointless to spend a lot of time right now focusing on one specialty as your goal. Third year medical students change their mind on a weekly basis about what specialty they want to pursue based on what they experience on their rotations. I thought I would want to be a pediatrician because I love kids, but realized on my first day of pediatrics that there was no way I would do ever do it. There were many other medical students who changed their preconceived notions about what field they would pursue in my class as well. Keep your mind open and get through your pre-med years, and get as much exposure as you can to medicine through volunteer work to get a feel for whether this is the field for you.