Newbie to all medical stuff, have a few questions

[byarbrough]

Hey guys, I'm going to be a freshman in college this year and I just started looking into the medical field a few days ago. Being a doctor never really struck my fancy, but I did a tiny bit of research on anesthesiology and it sounds like it's more up my alley. I tried looking through the forums here, but the wealth of information is a little bit overwhelming, especially since I have no idea what the abbreviations or medical terms mean. I was wondering if anyone could help me with a few questions, or point me to threads where they're being discussed.

-From what I gather, there's been talk of universal health care being implemented in the states (remember, I've never thought about a medical career so I've had no idea what's going on up to this point). How would that affect anesthesiologists?

-Is this specialization particularly more difficult than becoming, say, a regular doctor or something?

- On another board, I saw people complaining about how being a doctor, while rewarding, isn't financially that great. Looking at the salaries for anesthesiologists, I'd say they look pretty damn good. I understand that you have to pay off huge medical school loans and you don't start making good money until several years out of med school, but 250,000 average seems like it's definitely a plus to the job. It's not exactly hard to make a living financially as an anesthesiologist is it? After your internships, do you start right out at the national average? I don't want to make it sound like I'm too interested in the money, but I have to admit that's the first thing that caught my attention, and after research it sounds like I found that perfect job where you make tons of money and actually have fun doing it.

-It sounds like right now there's a need for anesthesiologists, but they're anticipating this gap to be filled within the next 10 years or so and the need to go down. Is this true? If I chose this path, would it be harder for me to get a job down the road than it is now?

-If I'm going to an undergraduate liberal arts college that doesn't have a specific pre-med program, would this hurt my chances of getting into med school? Their site says their placement is 2x the national average, so hopefully this won't be an issue.

-Do you guys love your jobs? It sounds like everyone here is having a great time and the job makes all the hard work totally worth it.

Thank you so much for all your help, I really appreciate any advice or links to other threads answering my questions.

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[jeesapeesa]

there are things called stickies/FAQs/etc on the forum. first thing you need to learn is that you won't get spoonfed and that you need some type of assertiveness in your life.

 

[byarbrough]

I wasn't asking to be spoonfed, I've spent several hours looking at these threads and found them very interesting and informative. I was just looking for some specific answers to questions I had while I was still sorting through all the information in the stickies and hadn't found the information I was looking for yet. No need to be rude.

 

[byarbrough]

And I don't see what assertiveness has to do with it

 

[gas87]

I'm at the beginning of residency, but to answer one of your questions: you don't need a specific pre-med program at your undergrad. you just need to take the undergrad requirements (varies slightly by med school), do well in them, have some experience that shows that you know what medicine will be like (working in a free clinic doing some aspect of patient care such as history taking is great, just 'helping out' at a hospital or office with paperwork is not as good), and of course do well on the MCAT. At your med school interview show that you are super personable, a team player, and that you will be great to work with. Activities in college that show leadership help too.


and, Jeesepeesa, since you are listed as pre-med, here's some advice for you too - you are going to be a ****ty doctor with that attitude towards your future colleagues (if you can even get in to med school) - why don't you cut the sarcastic comments and since you're apparently a SDN expert, post some links to the posts that answer byarbrough's questions

 

[byarbrough]

Thanks gas. I didn't intend to sound like I was asking for easy answers, I just figured it would be helpful since my experience in the field can be measured in minutes and a lot of people on here have quite a bit of experience under their belts. I've done a lot of research, but it's hard to go from knowing absolutely nothing to knowing something overnight. Every time I learn something new it leads to new questions; ex. I looked at the thread about the Zweigler or whatever guy trying to get rid of anesthesiologists and it sounds like all the anesthesiologists on the board are up in arms, but then I had to look up what anesthetists are, what the nurse anesthesiologists do, how likely the bill is to pass, what the effects would be, etc, so it's very time consuming to do all of this myself. I didn't feel I was asking too much, if I'd asked all the questions I have it would've taken up pages, I'm just looking for a few little bits of advice.

 

[swpm]

How would [universal health care] affect anesthesiologists?

No one really knows, but you can safely assume there won't be a pay raise involved.

Is this specialization particularly more difficult than becoming, say, a regular doctor or something?

This question really doesn't really have a good answer.

The residency is longer than some fields, shorter than others. It's higher stress than most. Quick decision making and good judgment in a crisis are things that I find are "harder" than the basic knowledge that must be learned. An awful lot of residents get passing board scores 1-2 years early; this suggests that either the standards set on the academic side of this particular specialty aren't especially difficult, or that the specialty itself attracts smarter people.

But who the hell knows? I'm not a "regular doctor" so I can't tell you how difficult a family practice or internal medicine residency is. I just know that I'd rather disembowel myself with a rusty butter knife than make a living working in a primary care clinic.

I don't want to make it sound like I'm too interested in the money, but I have to admit that's the first thing that caught my attention, and after research it sounds like I found that perfect job where you make tons of money and actually have fun doing it.

No need to apologize for your interest in being well compensated for your work.

But at best, you're 12 years away from the anesthesiologist job market. I think it's pointless to try to predict anything that far out - except to say that physician salaries across the board will probably continue to decline.

It sounds like right now there's a need for anesthesiologists, but they're anticipating this gap to be filled within the next 10 years or so and the need to go down. Is this true?

Who the hell knows ... but our population is aging and they're not aging gracefully. They're going to need surgery, and lots of it. Someone's got to do it ... dentists kill too many people, and CRNAs are so desperately in need of supervision that half of them don't even know enough to know they need supervision. Most agree that demand for anesthesiologists' services will continue to increase.

If I'm going to an undergraduate liberal arts college that doesn't have a specific pre-med program, would this hurt my chances of getting into med school?

No. Just get As, do well on the MCAT, and don't let any personality disorders surface at your interviews. Your degree doesn't matter so long as you do the basic prerequisites for med school.

Do you guys love your jobs? It sounds like everyone here is having a great time and the job makes all the hard work totally worth it.

I'm happy as a resident, so I can only assume I'll be happier as an attending, when I'm earning more and have less residency-associated BS to endure.

 

[amyl]

specialization is harder than primary care. everyone in my medical school class is drawn to specialize...the only ones going into primary care are, in general (there are exceptions), are the ones without another option. however, by the time you get to this point, things may be different.
you will sacrifice a large amount for medicine, not just money, time, sleep, etc. -- trust me that $250k/year will seem just, not generous. many of my class mates owe $200,000+. and as an intern/resident you will work your ass off for about $38,000/year.
as long as you take the pre-med classes it doesn't matter at all what your undergrad degree is in.
i am not a resident yet, but as a fourth year, almost done, medical student there are good days and bad...days you love it and days you hate it. you will see when you get out into clinical rotations...you will fit in somewhere. anesthesiology is a great field, the very best in my opinion, with the best of all worlds....for me. choice of a specialty is a very individualized thing. don't worry too much about specialty right now as medicine is somewhat likely to change by then...just make sure you want to be a doctor. this is really a lot of work if you are not sure. good

 

[byarbrough]

Thanks for the help guys. I think I'll let it rest for a while and see how I feel about it after a few college chem/bio courses. It's a huge decision, you guys are brave as hell, I'll give you that. I don't know if I'll be able to commit myself to something like this or not, especially as I'm not dead set on it as it is. When did you guys know you wanted to do medicine? Have you ever had doubts?

 

[psychbender]

When did you guys know you wanted to do medicine? Have you ever had doubts?

During undergrad I joined the rescue squad for fun (was in wilderness SAR, and a bunch of my friends ran EMS for the town). After a while, I realized I liked medicine more than I running assays and splicing genes in the lab. As for doubts, sometimes I look at how far I still have to go, and how much people are idiots, and get discouraged. Then I realize that I actually really enjoy all this stuff I'm learning.

 

[amyl]

have you gotten a chance to shadow a doctor?
"sure" about medicine is tough to say. i guess about march of third year of medical school i was sure i had made the right choice in medicine (but ask me again after match day or when i get my step one scores back and i might say something else )
sometimes i have doubts.
but i think this more due to personality than the field i choose. i think i might have doubts about anything i chose...just my personality to re-analyze things i guess. i know this guy who loves being a doctor, no doubts at all, and he is actually not that great at medicine....i think that's his personality.
just mho.
you have to decide what you want out of life...if its money, there are easier roads. if it is to make a difference in someone' s life, i can't think of a better road. only you can decide what is going to get you out of bed in the morning with a smile on your face.

 

[byarbrough]

No, I've never shadowed a doctor or anything since I never considered a career in medicine til a few days ago. I'll try it when I get to college hopefully