Question from law student who wants to go into medicine

[Smiler]

Hello All, I am currently going into my third and final year of law school but I seriously want to switch career paths and go to medical school. I have thought long and hard on the subject and have already begun to get clinical experience by volunteering at local hospital. My plan is to finish law school and then work for a yr or 2 at most and then going back to local university to complete my pre-reqs. The issue that I am faced with is what type of job to get after law school. On the one hand I think practicing law, either private or public sector, will show adcoms that I at least gave the law a shot and that I'm not a degree collector. However, on the other hand, adcoms might wonder why I dont go straight back to school or work in medical field if I want to be a doc. Why practice law if u want to be a doctor? So the way I see it I have 2 choices, practice law or work in medical field. The 3rd option is to combine the 2 options and work as a lawyer at a hospital or insurance company but I think that is a hard job to get straight out of school. What do you guys think? I appreciate your comments. Thanks.

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[flodhi1]

Hello All, I am currently going into my third and final year of law school but I seriously want to switch career paths and go to medical school. I have thought long and hard on the subject and have already begun to get clinical experience by volunteering at local hospital. My plan is to finish law school and then work for a yr or 2 at most and then going back to local university to complete my pre-reqs. The issue that I am faced with is what type of job to get after law school. On the one hand I think practicing law, either private or public sector, will show adcoms that I at least gave the law a shot and that I'm not a degree collector. However, on the other hand, adcoms might wonder why I dont go straight back to school or work in medical field if I want to be a doc. Why practice law if u want to be a doctor? So the way I see it I have 2 choices, practice law or work in medical field. The 3rd option is to combine the 2 options and work as a lawyer at a hospital or insurance company but I think that is a hard job to get straight out of school. What do you guys think? I appreciate your comments. Thanks.

To me it shows that you're not really committed to your profession. I mean what you just woke up one day and had a revelation that oh **** I don't want to be a lawyer and the next day you walked to a hospital. Even if you say something like oh I had thoughts of medical school way before law school I ask you why you didn't have the courage to walk away instead of going into law school? You know a lot of people would have mixed views on this. I on the other hand have a negative perspective of this. I've heard of people changing professions after several years but to NOT have finished law school yet and already start thinking about something else even before extensively practicing the law profession shows major red flags to me. What are you going to do be a third year med student and suddenly start volunteering at a dentist office to become a dentist? and if not what guarantee is there that you wouldn't away from the medical profession.....
I don't want you to think that I'm some psychotic pre-med and only favor pre-meds that's not true. I also made a profession change. I went from taking lives in the Infantry of the Marine Corp to a mission of saving lives now. However my story doesn't go something like oh while I was in Marine corp bootcamp i was like scr#ew this I want to be a doctor. Commitment and dedication are qualities that you will need in medical school. Be ready to answer all these questions not only to strangers like myself but ADCOM. Good luck!

 

[Smiler]

That might be the dumbest most *****ic response I have ever seen on this forum. You need to work on ur reading comprehension skills because I said I plan on finishing law school. Also, what is wrong with volumteering now. I know I want to be a doctor so why should I not pursue that dream and remain committed to a profession that I don't want to be a part of. I think it would be a mistake to drop out as that would definitely raise red flags. By starting to volunteer now I am showing serious commitment to medical profession since it will be 4-5 more years before I start med school. 4-5 yrs of volunteering and taking pre-reqs clearly shows comittment to the medical profession.

 

[flodhi1]

That might be the dumbest most *****ic response I have ever seen on this forum. You need to work on ur reading comprehension skills because I said I plan on finishing law school. Also, what is wrong with volumteering now. I know I want to be a doctor so why should I not pursue that dream and remain committed to a profession that I don't want to be a part of. I think it would be a mistake to drop out as that would definitely raise red flags. By starting to volunteer now I am showing serious commitment to medical profession since it will be 4-5 more years before I start med school. 4-5 yrs of volunteering and taking pre-reqs clearly shows comittment to the medical profession.

Yo idiot read what I wrote, "I've heard of people changing professions after several years but to NOT have finished law school yet and already start thinking about something else" I said you thought about joining medical school even before graduating out of law school (Which is a fact). I never said you planned on dropping out of law school or that you should. What I am saying is that making this revelation during law school will be a red flag to ADCOM unless you can drastically prove other wise. Yes I would say you would be committed to the medical profession after you have committed 4-5 years of volunteering but guess what YOU HAVEN'T YET! you've only started it (just like you started law school - oooooooo low blow). All I said was that you have to prove to ADCOM you're devoted to the medical field. If you feel like 4-5 years worth of volunteering will do it then go ahead because I feel like it will probably do it too but the problem my friend is that you have not devoted 4-5 years yet.....and what is to say that a couple years from now you don't want to volunteer anymore? I'm just asking.... So finish up the time and then post questions you haven't even finished the pre-reqs yet, you haven't even volunteered significantly yet, you haven't even taken the MCAT yet and you're ranting about some bu...ll sh...t

 

[Supisak]

don't you just love the pre-allo threads......lol

 

[Supisak]

that was a joke by the way, I thought we were kinder and more gentler over here?

anyone?

 

[flodhi1]

that was a joke by the way, I thought we were kinder and more gentler over here?

anyone?

OP wants us to give him a bed of roses and like give him huge props and stuff. Nah man I'm as straight forward as it gets. I respect the fact that you're making a change into the medical field. Becoming a doctor is a huge step into a positive way. GUESS WHAT THOUGH!? ADCOM WON'T NECESSRILY feel that way. So you have to be ready for whatever. With that being said I'm going to give it to him just like ADCOM will. They're going to question his devotion. For him to act like he's some Saint trying to save lives with mother teresa with a couple days of volunteer work won't cut it (he didn't even mention he wanted to volunteer 4-5 years in his initial post). Instead of clearing up the confusion he's sitting here whining like a school girl lol he needs to put the time and build the trust.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

back on topic. OP you could make either shine. you could work a couple years and say your heart was in medicine and couldn't get it into law, but you had to give it a chance to see if feeling would go away and it didn't, or you could jump right into the prereqs and medical stuff and say you wanted to do it from the first year, but you aren't a quitter. naturally both paths are going to take some finesse.

if it were me, i would go practice law a little bit just because 1) the money, and 2) you may like it more than school. it is good life experience. another path if you really don't want to practice law is to throw out a few apps, not wait too long and say you couldn't get hired. new law grads are having trouble finding jobs so that could be to your benefit.

as a caveat, i am not a lawyer, i don't know anything about the switching path, I am merely speculating on something that would make sense and what I have learned from being on the forum. good luck to you whichever path you choose and you will need to make it look awesome.

edit: i know that money isn't awesome in law jobs all over nowadays, however health related jobs without experience pay FAR less.

 

[ffs]

Smiler,

Correct me if I'm wrong ... you're graduating law school and plan to go to medical school afterward?

My suggestion is try working at a hospital, as a lawyer (get in touch with a partner), it seems the most logical and proactive 1. you're using what you know 2. you're getting involved in what you'll soon know. When it comes time for an interview for med school, you'll demonstrate that you started something, finished it, and practiced it (the law thing, here) but you didn't give up in the aspiration of the medicine.

If this doesn't seem reachable then focus in the practice of law while you do your pre-requirements. You'll be juggling different spectrums, so be careful.

Are you trying to be Aristotle? If you have the resources then, by all means go for it.

And get some professional suggestions! Go to your closest medical school/doctor. No one is going to condemn you for doing law and then medicine, but they will question your motives, be ready to be fully sincere in answering.

Keep going bud, we're all running.

 

[flodhi1]

Smiler,

Correct me if I'm wrong ... you're graduating law school and plan to go to medical school afterward?

My suggestion is try working at a hospital, as a lawyer (get in touch with a partner), it seems the most logical and proactive 1. you're using what you know 2. you're getting involved in what you'll soon know. When it comes time for an interview for med school, you'll demonstrate that you started something, finished it, and practiced it (the law thing, here) but you didn't give up in the aspiration of the medicine.

If this doesn't seem reachable then focus in the practice of law while you do your pre-requirements. You'll be juggling different spectrums, so be careful.

Are you trying to be Aristotle? If you have the resources then, by all means go for it.

And get some professional suggestions! Go to your closest medical school/doctor. No one is going to condemn you for doing law and then medicine, but they will question your motives, be ready to be fully sincere in answering.

Keep going bud, we're all running.[/QUOTE

👍

 

[Law2Doc]

Hello All, I am currently going into my third and final year of law school but I seriously want to switch career paths and go to medical school. I have thought long and hard on the subject and have already begun to get clinical experience by volunteering at local hospital. My plan is to finish law school and then work for a yr or 2 at most and then going back to local university to complete my pre-reqs. The issue that I am faced with is what type of job to get after law school. On the one hand I think practicing law, either private or public sector, will show adcoms that I at least gave the law a shot and that I'm not a degree collector. However, on the other hand, adcoms might wonder why I dont go straight back to school or work in medical field if I want to be a doc. Why practice law if u want to be a doctor? So the way I see it I have 2 choices, practice law or work in medical field...What do you guys think? I appreciate your comments. Thanks.

I guess my suggestion would be that rather than do a few years of law as window dressing to try to show adcoms you gave law a shot, perhaps instead you should actually give law a shot without an ulterior motive. There are health related law fields you might like. The short answer is that yes, the folks who actually worked in law get more mileage in terms of having transferable skills and not being seen as degree collectors/career students. But at some level, you are going to have to explain your story and why you ultimately decided to become a doctor, and why you are giving up the law. Having a contrived career just because you think it looks good to adcoms makes it very hard to do this convincingly so a better approach is to sincerely give law a chance, and if you still think medicine is a better fit in. Few years, then maybe look into what you need to do to make the transition. But yeah, the co gives approach/window dressing for the adcoms is a hard sell and not the way to spin this at all.

 

[TriagePreMed]

I would like to know when you decided to change and what motivated you to change professions. Call me a cynic, but lately I've been seeing a lot of law students wanting to switch simply because they realize that law is no longer as profitable. I'm not saying this is you, but on the off-chance that it is, I recommend you go into business instead.

On the other hand, I also am in disagreement with the rest on practicing law if you already know that it's not for you. I don't believe in making oneself miserable in order to possibly satisfy some ADCOMS that may or may not think that way.

Also, could you explain what made you go into law? Do you even enjoy law at all anymore?

 

[Dartmouth2005]

My suggestion is try working at a hospital, as a lawyer (get in touch with a partner), it seems the most logical and proactive 1. you're using what you know 2. you're getting involved in what you'll soon know. When it comes time for an interview for med school, you'll demonstrate that you started something, finished it, and practiced it (the law thing, here) but you didn't give up in the aspiration of the medicine.

I can almost guarantee that no hospital will hire a lawyer fresh out of law school as a lawyer. Getting in touch with a "partner" will do nothing for you. I would suggest reading the NY Times article that came out about how screwed up the legal field is. The lack of legal jobs explains IMO why many lawyers or law students are making the switch.

If OP wants any chance at a non-legal job at a hospital, hide the JD from the resume. A JD is not like an MFA (a possibly worthless degree). It will raise huge red flags whereas the latter degree is more likely to draw less attention. Employers will want to know why OP is not making mega bank practicing law as even lawyers fresh out law school make mega millions with no experience like Matt Damon in the Rainmaker. LOL! OP will be labeled as either too incompetent to get a job in law or as someone just wanting a job here to pass the time until something better opens up. For some reason, it never occurs to HR people that there is nothing better out there for JDs in this economy.

OP, shoot me a PM. I was once in your position many years ago. I work in medicine now but on the legal side while I wait to go to medical school.

 

[drdan83]

Yo idiot read what I wrote,

That caught me off-guard and made me laugh.

 

[LingoLaine]

With that being said I'm going to give it to him just like ADCOM will.

Uh, yeah, well hopefully they don't call anybody "yo idiot".

 

[yankswin2011]

You can actually combine MD-JD degrees in the following legal specialties:

(1) Medical Malpractice defense
(2) Patent Law (I.e. medical devices, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, etc.)
(3) Healthcare law.

In all three, you probably don't need an MD to practice but like most things in life, credentials sell (clients pay for the resume), and so, you're probably going to be able to get more clients with MD/JD. For example, in medical malpractice and patent law, your medical school classmates may be your future clients. So if you think of it from that angle, it's not entirely black-and-white. In fact, there's quite a number of MD/JD who practice who medicine and law at the same time for this very reason. We live in America and people should have the freedom to choose how they want to utilize their degrees and if that means being both a doctor and lawyer at the same time, then they have earned it. Arguing that going to medical school means that you're just going to be ONLY a doctor doesn't do it justice. Because if you take that premise, then what about MD/PhDs (i.e. if they just want to do research, then just do PhD, why need the MD right?) Similarly here, diversity in skillset should not be penalized.

 

[Law2Doc]

You can actually combine MD-JD degrees in the following legal specialties:

(1) Medical Malpractice defense
(2) Patent Law (I.e. medical devices, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, etc.)
(3) Healthcare law.

In all three, you probably don't need an MD to practice but like most things in life, credentials sell (clients pay for the resume), and so, you're probably going to be able to get more clients with MD/JD...Similarly here, diversity in skillset should not be penalized.

um no, you won't get more clients. The most successful health lawyers out there don't have MDs. It's not needed, and from a law firm standpoint not highly desirable. In fact it's a huge disadvantage because the folks who just got JDs will have 4 year head start in cultivating client relationships, working their way up in firms and so on. For patent law, you are going to need a science degree to sit for the patent bar, but the real value is folks with science degrees -- medicine is too patient oriented to bring much to the table in terms of DESIGN of apparatus/drugs. They want someone who spent more than a semester of med school pharm or biochem. While you need the sciences to get into med school, it's not really a science based education after the first year and a half, and so a hardcore undergrad science degree would serve you better in patent law.
This is just bad advice, or advice from someone trying to justify a dual degree. If you want to be a lawyer, any kind, the JD route alone is what works. MD just keeps you out of the job market longer, but really doesn't add as much to your marketability or ability to attract clients as folks would like to portray. And this is coming from someone who already has both degrees and has worked in the legal field.
The dual degree value simply isn't there. Perhaps it should be, but it isn't. You won't earn more, you won't be more marketable. You will in all likelihood have to pick one career and have wasted time on the other. Thus in my opinion I can understand why you might have both degrees as a career changer but couldn't justify getting both degrees as a dual degree.