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What should I pursue

  • Medicine

    Votes: 11 28.2%
  • Veterinary Medicine

    Votes: 4 10.3%
  • Veterinary Medicine (Specialty)

    Votes: 1 2.6%
  • Pharmacy

    Votes: 5 12.8%
  • Dentistry

    Votes: 15 38.5%
  • Optometry

    Votes: 3 7.7%

  • Total voters
    39

jm88

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Hey Everyone,

I'm a Canadian student currently nearing the deadline to apply to university. I've always wanted to be a veterinarian all my life, since a) I love animals, b) I love science and I find the study of disease and how the body functions absolutely fascinating and c) I want a job that can make a difference in people's/animal's lives, and not be stuck in a lab all day working on cells. Over the last 6 years, I have lost motivation for becoming a vet due to the lowish salary relative to school debt and the thought of having to euthanize animals, which I absolutely cannot do. As a result, I have convinced myself that becoming a doctor is the best route for me, since it is essentially the same thing without the overly emotional attachment I have with animals. Recently however, I have been questioning my motives for entering medicine. I am a very shy/socially awkward person, so I'm not necessarily keen on having to deal with many angry, irritable patients on a daily basis...I would prefer animals much more, or people that I am familiar with such as coworkers or reccurent patients. I also despise the hospital environment. I have been volunteering at my local hospital on the geriatric general medicine floor for a year now and I just find everything about it sad, disgusting, unsanitary, and even cruel. I loathe going there, and I hate dealing with the irritability of very sick/dying patients and having to see their conditions. I can survive clinical rotations in medical school, but I refuse to work on a hospital floor for the rest of my career. I am also a person who has a huge fear of liability and screwing up someone's life from a mistake I make, and I'm not very good with my hands nor decisive...I rely more on theory and carefully planning out things (pros and cons) before I undertake or decide on them. This has had me narrow down to the specialties where people are a) young, mostly healthy or with easily treatable illnesses with very low procedural risk, b) with as little patient contact and liability as possible, and c) one where I can practice at a clinic or my own private practice and not in hospital, that has a good work/life balance and the least stress, and d) something where there aren't many surprises, long hours or inconsistencies...disruptions in schedule, call, being stuck with treating a critical patient within minutes...etc. As a result, I have considered pediatric specialties or pediatrician, Diagnostic Radiology, Opthalmology, Derm or Path. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

However, because of all the previous personality traits, I wonder if medical school, residency, and the job of physician are even right for my personality...regardless of specialty. I am afraid that if I become a doctor and don't like the realities of the job, I will have wasted such a big chunk of my life for nothing. And I admit that a big part of wanting to become a doctor is the prestige, security, and the money, however, I also really do want a career that makes a difference in healthcare and involves the science of disease and cures, just without intense patient interaction or procedures. Now, I have started to reconsider vet school since I like dealing with animals far more than irritable people, but I am now considering a veterinary specialty such as clinical pharmacology, ophthalmology, nutrition, or something else where I won't have to put down animals and that pay more than the typical 90-100k. Unfortunately, I don't know if that fact is even true for these specialties despite a ton of research, or how promising the employability, lifestyle, and salary is for these in the US/Canada, so I was wondering if anyone can help with that.

Recently, I have also been considering optometry, dentistry, audiology or even pharmacy. My goal in life is to have a healthcare job, with a good lifestyle first and foremost, and a good salary (at least over 150k after 5 years experience, with more salary growth possible after that). Equally, I also consider growth and expansion important since I have a strong entrepeneurial side to me. I have been reading how optometrists, dentists and the other aforementioned fields can open their own practices, set their own schedules and be their own boss while making a very good salary (I've heard some optometrists in western canada can be making between 250k-500k or more, and I've heard of dentists working 4 days a week and making 330k-400k) much easier than any doctor can. (I should mention however that the dentistry option is a little late, since I'd have less than a month to prepare for the last DAT but will nonetheless do so if it is the best option for me). However, going into these fields would have me give up the great diversity of medicine or veterinary medicine and the things that attract me to those careers (possibility for research, teaching, etc.). Also, I'd be giving up the "safety" of a doctor's job and salary, not to mention the amount, as well as prestige (yes, I value prestige A LOT). Please note that my parents actually don't want me to be a doctor because of the crappy lifestyle, difficulty, and length of studies, and these realities have started seeping in the closer I get. However, they will support me in anything I choose to do, so no influence is coming from them.

My ultimate question is: Should I stick with medicine since it has been what I wanted longest and what I have prepared for and researched tirelessly? These second thoughts have only surfaced in the last few weeks since the application deadline is close, so I wonder if they are natural fears every pre-med student has.

Any input from anyone currently studying in these fields or in the workforce would be greatly appreciated. Also, if you went through the same dilemma before entering your respective programs, any reassurance would be highly appreciated. Please do not be mean about my priorities on salary and growth potential, since for me, these are important factors in a career choice, especially since all of these jobs are in the same sector and I can see myself doing any with sufficient satisfaction.

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not be stuck in a lab all day working on cells. PhD is out
euthanize animals, which I absolutely cannot do Vet option out
hospital environment is sad, disgusting, unsanitary, and even cruel Ok, no medicine
hate dealing with the irritability of very sick/dying patients and having to see their conditions
I'm not very good with my hands nor decisive... Not good for dentistry
I admit that a big part of wanting to become a doctor is the prestige, security, and the money
I have a strong entrepeneurial side to me. Not useful for Pharmacy
yes, I value prestige A LOT
make at least over 150k after 5 years experience Optometry out?
________

Looks like, the only thing that's left is opening up a dry cleaning business.
Honestly OP, the less you are willing to compromise on some of your points, the more unsatisfied you will be with whatever career you choose.
 
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You will never be happy if you are that narrow minded. Still, I wish you nothing but the best. Try law school
 
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Just be a vet and don't euthanize animals. If you don't like people, making decisions, being responsible for people, or being in a hospital medicine doesn't seem like a great idea

Edit: Also, you are considering pediatric specialties?? Have you ever met a worried parent? They will be angry and irritable and panicky
 
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And I admit that a big part of wanting to become a doctor is the prestige, security, and the money, however, I also really do want a career that makes a difference in healthcare and involves the science of disease and cures, just without intense patient interaction or procedures.

This sentence made me cringe a little bit.

I honestly don't know of any profession that meets all your desires, I think you need to do a lot of thinking about what you want because I feel you're being unrealistic.
 
Why don't you shadow some people in each of these fields? It sounds like you are making a lot of conclusions based on things you've heard or looked up rather than things you've experienced yourself. If you've never seen what a pharmacist or dentist or optometrist does all day, what makes you think those are careers you would be interested in? If you've never seen the kind of compassionate care a vet can provide to both pet and owner at a euthanasia, how do you know you could not do that? I think shadowing could help you get a better idea about what all of these careers are about and may help you see what you actually are interested in and perhaps narrow down your "can'ts and won'ts".

A note on the DAT, I doubt less than 1 month is going to be sufficient time to prepare. A friend of mine is pre-dental and took the DAT twice, both times studying about four months for it. It is rote memorization of biology, chemistry, and ochem and then also includes a reading comprehension section, a perceptual ability section, and a mathematics section. It is a five hour exam. It took her about a month alone just to get her perceptual reasoning score where she wanted it.
 
Please, don't spend any more time considering medicine as an option past today. Your heart is clearly not in it. And it really needs to be.

I second the law school suggestion.
 
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I also despise the hospital environment. I have been volunteering at my local hospital on the geriatric general medicine floor for a year now and I just find everything about it sad, disgusting, unsanitary, and even cruel. I loathe going there, and I hate dealing with the irritability of very sick/dying patients and having to see their conditions.
Honestly, OP, this statement right here makes me think that you should completely rule out medicine all together. Even though it's possible to end up in a specialty with relatively low patient contact (like rads or path), you'd still have to make it through medical school, where you'll be evaluated at least to some extent on your ability to thrive in exactly this type of hospital environment. I suspect you'd not only be miserable but probably wouldn't do the job very well. (I don't mean this as a dig, just to say that when people are very unhappy with their work, they tend to underperform.) And I can't think of any medical specialty in which you could escape liability for bad outcomes.

Just be a vet and don't euthanize animals.
Is this possible? I'm honestly wondering since I know nothing about veterinary medicine. If I were you, OP, I would head on over to the pre-vet forum and talk to folks there. Given that you love animals but don't really enjoy working with people, working in a lab, working with your hands, being around sick people, being in a hospital, being on call...

What about something research-based that won't leave you stuck in a lab? Public health/epidemiology?

I get that you're looking for money and prestige. There are others way to find that outside of medicine that probably won't make you miserable.
 
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Go into CSE (computer science and engineering). You'll make a lot of money while having prestige and job security. If you decide you want to continue in the healthcare field, technology is a huge part of it and you can avoid all the people/grossiness you seem to dislike. It also seems to fit your thinking process.
 
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Is this possible? I'm honestly wondering since I know nothing about veterinary medicine. If I were you, OP, I would head on over to the pre-vet forum and talk to folks there. Given that you love animals but don't really enjoy working with people, working in a lab, working with your hands, being around sick people, being in a hospital, being on call...
https://www.avma.org/Advocacy/StateAndLocal/Pages/euthanasia-laws.aspx According to this some states have techs that do the euthanasia. And doing a quick search, it seems that there are vet specialties that don't require euthanizing animals at all.

The OP should also watch an animal be euthanized. Seeing a blind dog with cancer who can't walk may make the OP understand why euthanasia occurs.
 
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This sentence made me cringe a little bit.

I honestly don't know of any profession that meets all your desires, I think you need to do a lot of thinking about what you want because I feel you're being unrealistic.
I actually think OP has done too much thinking.
 
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angry, irritable patient

I thought of being a vet - but not all animals are the nice furry animals. You will get some crazy cats and dogs from hell...

Honestly OP, the less you are willing to compromise on some of your points, the more unsatisfied you will be with whatever career you choose.
^ that. But maybe your views will change - mine did:

Or you can be a vet that doesn't euthanize - I'm pretty darn big against euthanization but my views changed when my adorable lovely most beloved kitty was suffering. The vets couldn't figure out what was wrong but by the end, he couldn't see anything, lost bowel control, he could no longer stand (hours before that - he still attempted to make it to the bathroom despite falling over every step - he was a great cat), meowing in pain and fright (it was <72 hour from perfectly healthy to that - i drove back and forth to the vetER non stop every 3 hours for 3 days with no sleep). It was probably one of my sadder days to see him go through it. At the time I couldn't and didn't want to do Euthanasia - but my vet convinced me to do it and even waived the fee for it. Looking back, I realize, it was probably the right thing to do.
 
Hey Everyone,

I'm a Canadian student currently nearing the deadline to apply to university. I've always wanted to be a veterinarian all my life, since a) I love animals, b) I love science and I find the study of disease and how the body functions absolutely fascinating and c) I want a job that can make a difference in people's/animal's lives, and not be stuck in a lab all day working on cells.

A love for animals isn't a good enough reason to want to be a vet. Often times, the best "difference" you can make in an animal's life is giving it the benefit of a peaceful death.

Over the last 6 years, I have lost motivation for becoming a vet due to the lowish salary relative to school debt and the thought of having to euthanize animals, which I absolutely cannot do.

Euthanasia is a gift for veterinarians and suffering animals. It is a much more peaceful and much more pleasant death than an animal just suffering until whatever is ailing it finally takes its life. You will euthanize a lot of animals as a vet, if you cant' do it, being a vet is probably not a good idea. However, there are veterinary specialties in which you don't have to euthanize. I would say radiology and pathology and maybe nutrition. All other specialties, there will be euthanasia.

I am a very shy/socially awkward person, so I'm not necessarily keen on having to deal with many angry, irritable patients on a daily basis...I would prefer animals much more, or people that I am familiar with such as coworkers or reccurent patients.

Unfortunately, animals don't come into a veterinary clinic with the credit card attached to the collar and a note that says "Hi, my ears hurt, please fix them." Or "Hi, my balls need to be cut off, can you please cut them off." They come with people attached. I can't even count the number of angry pet owners I have dealt with. Angry, irritable people happen in veterinary medicine. Actually, as a veterinarian you need to know how to communicate and talk with people because most of your job will involve working with the pet owners. Your techs will be doing most of the treatments while you will be doing the client communication, diagnosing and surgery.

I am also a person who has a huge fear of liability and screwing up someone's life from a mistake I make, and I'm not very good with my hands nor decisive...I rely more on theory and carefully planning out things (pros and cons) before I undertake or decide on them.

Well, there is liability in veterinary medicine too. You can screw up someone's life by making a mistake with their pet. And you do need to be somewhat "good with your hands" in order to do some of the technical and surgical things in veterinary medicine. You also need to be good with your hands because our patients can't talk, so you are going to rely on them for feeling the animal and finding any abnormalities on physical examination. And you kind of need to be decisive in veterinary medicine. You need to be able to make decisions based upon diagnostics.

This has had me narrow down to the specialties where people are a) young, mostly healthy or with easily treatable illnesses with very low procedural risk, b) with as little patient contact and liability as possible, and c) one where I can practice at a clinic or my own private practice and not in hospital, that has a good work/life balance and the least stress, and d) something where there aren't many surprises, long hours or inconsistencies...disruptions in schedule, call, being stuck with treating a critical patient within minutes...etc. As a result, I have considered pediatric specialties or pediatrician, Diagnostic Radiology, Opthalmology, Derm or Path. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Yeah, good luck finding this in vet med. Maybe on radiology. Maybe. Even they have on call though. And I euthanized a patient on my ophthalmology rotation.

Now, I have started to reconsider vet school since I like dealing with animals far more than irritable people, but I am now considering a veterinary specialty such as clinical pharmacology, ophthalmology, nutrition, or something else where I won't have to put down animals and that pay more than the typical 90-100k. Unfortunately, I don't know if that fact is even true for these specialties despite a ton of research, or how promising the employability, lifestyle, and salary is for these in the US/Canada, so I was wondering if anyone can help with that.

Veterinary medicine... far more about people than people realize. There will be irritable people. A lot of them. They yell. They tell you that you are mean and heartless and only care about money.
Umm, rather certain clinical pharmacology is not a specialty in vet med.
Again, I euthanized a patient on my ohpthalmology rotation. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen.
Hahahahah, more than the "typical 90-100K"... hahahhaa... where is 90-100K typical in vet med? Yeah, good luck with that. A specialty might get you over 100K, depends upon where you are working.

a good salary (at least over 150k after 5 years experience, with more salary growth possible after that).

And you just eliminated vet med. Never going to happen.


In summary, veterinary medicine is not going to work for you. You will never make the amount of money that you want to make. Not only that, you need to be able to talk with and communicate with people in veterinary medicine. And you will have to deal with angry people in vet med too.
 
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Is this possible? I'm honestly wondering since I know nothing about veterinary medicine. If I were you, OP, I would head on over to the pre-vet forum and talk to folks there. Given that you love animals but don't really enjoy working with people, working in a lab, working with your hands, being around sick people, being in a hospital, being on call...

Sure, for maybe pathology and radiology you won't have to euthanize. The saying usually goes, "nothing dies in radiology". Maybe public health too, but I think even those people have to euthanize sometimes.

The rest of the veterinary specialties, euthanasia happens.

You have to work with people in vet med. Pet owners get angry too.
Many vets (especially pathologists) work in a lab.
Need to be able to work with your hands to do thorough exams on animals and surgeries. Heck, even radiology requires needing to be able to do ultrasound and sampling of organs/masses via ultrasound guidance.
Vets work in hospitals, with sick animals. Animals like to crap in their kennels and then paint the walls with feces. Ever seen parvo bloody diarrhea painted all over a kennel? It isn't pretty and the smell is horrible. Falls under that "unsanitary" thing that was mentioned by the OP.
Vets are on call. Including radiologists and even pathologists.

In summary, I don't think vet med will work for the OP either.
 
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I'm not very good with my hands nor decisive... Not good for dentistry
make at least over 150k after 5 years experience Optometry out?

Looks like, the only thing that's left is opening up a dry cleaning business.
Honestly OP, the less you are willing to compromise on some of your points, the more unsatisfied you will be with whatever career you choose.

The bolded probably rules out Podiatry as well.
That was one hell of a list of demands :laugh: I'd suggest Accounting and getting a CPA designation. Avoid health professions altogether and still have the potential to make the income OP wants 5 years out.
 
Everyone wants to make good money and have a good lifestyle while feeling good about helping people. The difference is, are you willing to make the large sacrifices? You need to reconsider your heart in doing this if, like you said, the motivation is in prestige and cash. Perhaps a different direction altogether might give you more happiness in the future.
 
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