Pursuing Art career before/after Med School.

[kiril89]

Recently, I read an article that said that a person should have their own personal reasons for going to medical school. After much contemplation, I realized what I wanted out of life, and that is to do everything I love. Before I head off to Med. School, I was planning on being a professional Artist for about 5 years: 3 years schooling, 2 years working/teaching. I wanted to also become a writer, but I think that I can do that while being a doctor, or whenever I retire.

As of right now, I'm 21 and will start my undergrad in January. By the time I start medical school, if I go into art initially, I'll be around 27 years old. On the other hand, I was wondering whether or not I could go to Med. school and become a part time Doctor whilst attending an art school to obtain a formal Art education. I don't want to work as an artist, I just want to get a formal education in Art.

My questions are:

1. Will going into medical school at 27, if I go to an Art school first, affect my chances to get a job since I'll be an older doctor?
2. Is it possible to be a part time doctor and attend an Art college?

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[jackieMD2007]

1. Will going into medical school at 27, if I go to an Art school first, affect my chances to get a job since I'll be an older doctor?
2. Is it possible to be a part time doctor and attend an Art college?

1-I don't know if you would want to go to Art school first necessarily. Why don't you major in Art at college as well as get premed reqs done?
2-Or, major in something that fulfills pre-med requirements and take art classes more on the side. When you start medical school maybe you could continue art classes on the side (especially if its a weekend thing) once you get your balance.

I think it is reasonable to have a hobby or something you like to do while you're in medical school. I taught for Kaplan on weekends during years 1 and 2 and that time commitment is equivalent to taking a college course on the side. You just have to be realistic about the fact that you're going to miss some of the social stuff at your medical school if you have your own weekend thing going on.

As for being a part time medical student I don't know if that is a reasonable or even prudent course. I personally feel that we work too hard in medical school and residency to end up a "part-time" doctor but that is my personal opinion after 3 years in.

If you're just not ready to make the commitment to becoming a doctor or aren't 100% sure that is what you really want (because it doesn't allow for a lot of side things sometimes and you are not in control of your schedule in later years)....then wait--not for art school or for writing--but because you're not ready. That is as good of a reason as any.

 

[Northwesterly]

I'm not quite clear on the timing here, (or what you mean by "art school" a BA in art or a BA followed by an MFA?) but you're 21 and about to start undergrad, so your choices would seem to be:

A) 4 years of undergrad, followed by medical school. You can take pre med classes and be an art major, assuming you don't go somewhere that has heavy duty distribution requirements. You'd start med school around age 25 or 26, depending on whether you had a gap year.

B) 4 years of undergrad, followed by an MFA (2 years) followed by teaching/working (2 years, you said?) followed by med school. Assuming you'd completed the requirements during undergrad and volunteered in the meantime (and had taken the MCATs at some point) this would put you in med school at 30 at the earliest.

As a former art major and someone who has worked in art related fields for most of the last eight years I'd advise you that option "A" is a *lot* simpler. If what you really want to do is be an artist, then by all means forget about medicine for the time being, but it's not an easy path from one to the other, or something that leads to a stable job.

And don't kid yourself about part-timing anything. If you want to go into a relatively low stress medical field and (*after* residency!) paint landscapes on weekends, that's great, but there's nothing part time about any reputable art school. It requires a ton of work and a good portfolio just to get in somewhere worth going, and given the money you spend while you're there you might as well make a serious go of it. I'm happy to have spent a few years in the art and film worlds, and it'll always be a part of who I am, but trying to actually work at medicine and art at the same time is a recipe for disaster... or at least mediocrity. Focus on one thing at a time, and you'll be golden. Good luck.

 

[kiril89]

Hey, thanks for the responses jackieMD2007 and Northwesterly.

At Northwesterly: Actually, I want to go to an art school that can help guide me on the path to becoming an illustrator. I've considered art at University, but those classes mostly focus on theory, I think. I don't want that. I want to attend classes that would help me develop my artistic ability.

Also, the intended time line is 4 years undergrad, followed by 3 years art school, followed by medical school. To be honest, I'm yearning for both Med. School and Art school, but I just figured that getting an art education before becoming a doctor would be more reasonable, since I'll probably be very busy as a doctor.

 

[Northwesterly]

If you want to do both, then yeah, art --> medicine makes a lot more sense than the reverse. But I'd take another look at undergrad options as well. You're going to spend four years there--you might as well learn some of what you're interested in. I'm sure there are schools that only offer art history and critical theory, but I went to a fussy old Ivy and they offered plenty of studio classes in a separate department. (Art vs. history of art)
Most decent size schools will probably have painting, drawing, design, film, and photography at a minimum. Taking a mix of "regular" classes and studios is a pretty fun way to go through school. Enjoy!

 

[TFS]

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[J-Rad]

Number 2 is just not really a viable option. Most good art programs are a time commitment both during the day and after-hours. My figure drawing classes were four hours long. It's been 12 years since my last formal art class, so memories are fading, but in my graphic design classes they used to say you were going to need to do multiple hours of work out of class for every hour in class. In the final year your classes in your major (graphic design for me, but this applied to illustration majors as well) each semester was a six credit class (amongst your other classes). Really, the only art classes you're going to be able to swing during med school are the intro courses at the local CC or something of the like. I'd recommend going to a university that has a good art program and good science classes (if your state U fits the bill, save money and go there) and get your pre-meds done early in your degree and try to throw in a couple other helpful courses along the way (physiology is a good one). And no, university classes don't focus "on theory" (though I'm not sure exactly what that means). I went to a state U that had a very robust art program (including illustration) because, in the past, it had incorporated a free standing art school into it (we also had to be competitive with RISD and Mass Art grads as they were the local competition for jobs). After I figured out I wanted to go med school, I was able to take high quality science classes (post-bac for me).

J-Rad, BFA, DO

 

[student1799]

Hey, thanks for the responses jackieMD2007 and Northwesterly.

At Northwesterly: Actually, I want to go to an art school that can help guide me on the path to becoming an illustrator. I've considered art at University, but those classes mostly focus on theory, I think. I don't want that. I want to attend classes that would help me develop my artistic ability.

Also, the intended time line is 4 years undergrad, followed by 3 years art school, followed by medical school. To be honest, I'm yearning for both Med. School and Art school, but I just figured that getting an art education before becoming a doctor would be more reasonable, since I'll probably be very busy as a doctor.

It sounds like you want to be the next Frank Netter. In case you haven't heard of him, he was an MD who spent almost his entire career as a medical illustrator. His masterwork was the Netter anatomy atlas that is now a staple in medical schools.

If you are in fact interested in this kind of work, maybe you should do some research and find out whether there are any specific training programs for medical illustrators that you would be eligible for. (Such programs must be out there, but I don't know if they require a prior art education first.) I don't know what the standard qualifications are for such a job, but I doubt that an MD degree is really necessary--you'd think that a degree in something like physiology would suffice, along with the art training.

If you do in fact want to practice medicine but just do art in your spare time, then ignore this post and go with the advice that others have given.

 

[HenriMatisse]

I've got a BFA in painting, a BFA in sculpture, and a minor in art history(Read useless). Granted I have a great undergrad GPA and might look interesting on paper, you can't make art part time. It's futile and frusterating. Trust me I tried. Working as an artist and getting into galleries requires a full time commitment in the studio AND a full time marketing yourself and kissing ass. Two or three years isn't enough to even get a career as an artist started.

I'm not trying to be a jerk, I'm just calling it how I see it. Had I known that I really wanted to do medicine while I was an undergrad I would have taken some science classes. I'm making up for it now taking prereqs and working to pay off undergrad loans. You might be better off getting a degree in something else and picking up a minor in art.

 

[aynmar]

Just want to say that I agree with HenriMatisse....I also have a BFA from a pretty reputable art-only school, and cultivating a paying career out of it (at least enough to pay back the loans) is pretty hard. Also, I agree that art classes and school is super time consuming. While a regular University had 3 hours of class a week....we had 9 hours of classtime for those same 3 credits...and that did not even include personal studio time. 😱

 

[JWestfall]

I would agree with taking art classes and even majoring in art as an undergrad while taking pre-req. Trust me, being an artist is hard work that does not easily pay off. I went to undergrad planning to go to medical school right off. After graduating, I decided to pursue other careers. I went back to school in the evening, became a certified professional photographer through PPA and spent 7 years trying to build a business in photography. I love every minute of it, but I was always extremely stress and low on funds. I also really miss science. I finally decided that after 7 years, I was really tired and frustrated and went back into science. I work in a research lab now at NASA and my stress level went down. I love art. I enjoy having a art business, it was fun, artistic, the photography industry is positive and energetic. I can understand you wanting to go to school and being an artist, but I would look more into the industry before making such a leap. I would also take all the pre-req classes now since are needed for the MCAT and medical schools.

 

[wholeheartedly]

I've found myself in your shoes on a few occasions. I went with a science a major then when I graduated was really torn between wanting to try for art school or medical school. I wasn't sure I'd be able to have both in my life.

As others have noted there are a few ways to go about this.

You could major in something other than art and knock out your pre-reqs, go to med school and get non-formal art training while you're an MD. I shadowed a Pathologist who also works as a sculptor. He got started by doing woodworking as a boy and moved up into stone sculpture. His work is amazing. He's a full time pathologist and has been commissioned to do several high profile pieces. He has no formal training in art and went the standard science major/medschoo/residency route.

You could major in something other than art, knock out your pre-reqs and minor in art. This is high on the list of things I wish I would have done. I did manage to take enough art classes to get a good foundation for myself. I've also managed to take quite a few well taught community ed courses. While I am lacking the formal training some have, I'm still getting a lot out of those experiences. I'm planning on launching a small photography and metal sculpture business next summer (mostly so my hobby can fund itself).

You can major in art as your undergraduate degree and get your sci. pre-reqs in and be fine as long as you do well. This would have been the other choice I wish I'd made. This would save time and serious money plus it looks like the suggested way to go according to this site for medical illustration:

http://www.mshealthcareers.com/careers/medicalillustrator.htm


I'd just suggest not locking yourself into anything and keep an open mind. I'd say doing four years of something plus another undergrad art degree really seems like an unnecessarily long and expensive route. Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[dragonfly99]

wow, this is a really interesting thread. I never knew there were so many artist and photographer premeds and docs.

I think the OP is underestimating the difficulty of doing "both" and will have to choose one and not be able to do both. You have to decide if art is going to be your hobby or your calling. If you want to do medicine part time, that can be done, but it's going to be 11+ years from now minimum (4 years undergrad, 4 years med school, 3 years residency absolute MINIMUM) before you could do anything part time in medicine.

 

[EdLongshanks]

wow, this is a really interesting thread. I never knew there were so many artist and photographer premeds and docs.

I think the OP is underestimating the difficulty of doing "both" and will have to choose one and not be able to do both. You have to decide if art is going to be your hobby or your calling. If you want to do medicine part time, that can be done, but it's going to be 11+ years from now minimum (4 years undergrad, 4 years med school, 3 years residency absolute MINIMUM) before you could do anything part time in medicine.

There were some old posts by someone named 'trigemestris" or something like that who was very down on medicine. He felt like he should have been an artist and was sorry that he started medical school and was now stuck with being a doctor. I don't know if his issues were simply narcissitic personality disorder, but one should consider if you really want medicine before starting medical school. This is one of those "put your hand to the plow" issues. You can't look back.