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Hey student doctors,
When I first joined this website probably a decade ago, I did not believe I'd be posting that I wanted to become a doctor, but here I am. I'm posting a little bit of my thought process to get some feedback, please!
I'm currently a registered dietitian (master's degree level) and I'm thinking of becoming a medical doctor. Why?
The main reason was because I did medical missions while I was studying to be an RD and had the privilege of being incredibly involved -- conducting basic physicals and helping in the diagnosis in addition to my role as an RD educating patients on food habits. It was incredibly rewarding and I wanted to do it for the rest of my life. I searched for organizations that was run by dietitians (I thought surely there is a global pregnancy health organization that needs the aid of dietitians) or allows non-physicians to be active in the care. I quickly realized this doesn't exist. If I wanted to do medical missions in the capacity I had been doing, I need to become a medical doctor (not even PA or NP would do for global work).
Medical missions is the main reason why. I'd like to know that for the rest of my life, I can make a fulfilling impact in the world because I went to medical school and endured medical training. My family created a non-profit medical mission organization so I know that this is something that will never leave my life. I feel a slight irk every time we plan trips and I realize I won't be doing much more than checking blood pressures and basic (culturally appropriate) diet education. I just think "No, its not worth it to feel this irk every time I travel doing medical missions. It's not worth it to stop doing medical missions just because I'm irritated with my position."
The second reason is deeper knowledge. I love learning. I was originally planning to get a PhD in medical anthropology with a focus on nutrition studies. It is something I have personal interest in. But after thinking about my personality and the benefits of being an MD, I felt that it would be more rewarding for me to finish an MD program.
I currently run a private practice and it also would be much easier to get reimbursed if I were an MD or hired other RDs under myself as an MD. The thought of being able to provide more holistic care is very exciting for me.
There are so many more emotional reasons why, but I think that covers the most obvious reasons.
Questions:
1. Am I daydreaming? Am I romanticizing? Are there other options I hadn't considered?
2. I was planning on applying to the 2 schools closest to where I live now. One of which is the school I got my master's degree from. Their acceptance rate is 5 - 6%. As a nontraditional student, what do I need to focus on to be highly desired for acceptance? I am open to moving, but only as a last resort.
3. I do worry about the time it will take. I think its obvious that I'm most interested in gastroenterology (the thought of being an RD/food-geek who also understands GI disorders sends tingles up my spine... no more thinking in my head "that's outside of my scope of practice" when people talk to me about food and then tell me about GI problems that an average person would THINK I should understand...) -- but I know that requires IM and ANOTHER residency. If I did FM, it'd be much faster. I'm not becoming an MD to open an GI clinic... is it worth the extra time for my love of knowledge? Should I just commit to FM, wham-bam-thankyou-maam and start mission work?
P.S. I am not worried about the financial burden of medical school. Cost of the education is not a factor in my decision. I am also not worried about family planning.
When I first joined this website probably a decade ago, I did not believe I'd be posting that I wanted to become a doctor, but here I am. I'm posting a little bit of my thought process to get some feedback, please!
I'm currently a registered dietitian (master's degree level) and I'm thinking of becoming a medical doctor. Why?
The main reason was because I did medical missions while I was studying to be an RD and had the privilege of being incredibly involved -- conducting basic physicals and helping in the diagnosis in addition to my role as an RD educating patients on food habits. It was incredibly rewarding and I wanted to do it for the rest of my life. I searched for organizations that was run by dietitians (I thought surely there is a global pregnancy health organization that needs the aid of dietitians) or allows non-physicians to be active in the care. I quickly realized this doesn't exist. If I wanted to do medical missions in the capacity I had been doing, I need to become a medical doctor (not even PA or NP would do for global work).
Medical missions is the main reason why. I'd like to know that for the rest of my life, I can make a fulfilling impact in the world because I went to medical school and endured medical training. My family created a non-profit medical mission organization so I know that this is something that will never leave my life. I feel a slight irk every time we plan trips and I realize I won't be doing much more than checking blood pressures and basic (culturally appropriate) diet education. I just think "No, its not worth it to feel this irk every time I travel doing medical missions. It's not worth it to stop doing medical missions just because I'm irritated with my position."
The second reason is deeper knowledge. I love learning. I was originally planning to get a PhD in medical anthropology with a focus on nutrition studies. It is something I have personal interest in. But after thinking about my personality and the benefits of being an MD, I felt that it would be more rewarding for me to finish an MD program.
I currently run a private practice and it also would be much easier to get reimbursed if I were an MD or hired other RDs under myself as an MD. The thought of being able to provide more holistic care is very exciting for me.
There are so many more emotional reasons why, but I think that covers the most obvious reasons.
Questions:
1. Am I daydreaming? Am I romanticizing? Are there other options I hadn't considered?
2. I was planning on applying to the 2 schools closest to where I live now. One of which is the school I got my master's degree from. Their acceptance rate is 5 - 6%. As a nontraditional student, what do I need to focus on to be highly desired for acceptance? I am open to moving, but only as a last resort.
3. I do worry about the time it will take. I think its obvious that I'm most interested in gastroenterology (the thought of being an RD/food-geek who also understands GI disorders sends tingles up my spine... no more thinking in my head "that's outside of my scope of practice" when people talk to me about food and then tell me about GI problems that an average person would THINK I should understand...) -- but I know that requires IM and ANOTHER residency. If I did FM, it'd be much faster. I'm not becoming an MD to open an GI clinic... is it worth the extra time for my love of knowledge? Should I just commit to FM, wham-bam-thankyou-maam and start mission work?
P.S. I am not worried about the financial burden of medical school. Cost of the education is not a factor in my decision. I am also not worried about family planning.
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