sad student asking for advice

[deleted1106792]

Hello everyone,

I finished my first year of dental school and I have been studying to take the MCAT to switch careers into medicine. I wanted to take this route from the very beginning but decided not to due to A LOT of things.

I feel that after getting advise on this, I'm going to say good bye to SDN. I've spent so much time reading threads about physicians speaking about many of the problems that are in medicine which is really discouraging to me. I'm really fascinated by medicine and taking the same classes as the med students in my first year of dental school, I spend majority of my time invested in those classes as opposed to my dental-related classes. I also see that theres so many awesome opportunities to explore in medicine and post-graduation and it really motivates me to change careers but then hearing all the things physicians talk about medicine here on SDN, how it has become so beuracratic, all the problems physicians face that limits their ability to provide valuable care to patients, physician burnout, etc.. really makes me think twice about my decisions.

I'd be giving up a lot if I decide to make this switch. I had already made plans with some connections to help me open a private practice post dental graduation and having full autonomy of my schedule and life is amazing, but I think my vision of what I would want to do in medicine can compensate for this loss...... but then again the future is unpredictable.

Does anyone have any advise about my situation? Am I being naive and just not seeing things clearly? I really don't want to make this thread a dental vs medicine convo bc they're both awesome careers and i'm truly privileged to have the opportunity to choose between both, but do any current med students regret choosing medicine? I really hope I can get a more grounded perspective from this community as most of the advise I've gotten has been from my dental community..

Thanks a lot for any advise. Literally been the worst time of my life making a decision but I hope any advise provided on this thread can help me see things a bit more clear..

Cheers

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[Ganon]

The truth is, there are still doctors who love what they do. I have recently sat down and had lunch with multiple of them, trying to mold my residency/career choice to emulate their lives.

Many practices have been sold to corporations, and with that loss of power has come increased burden for less respect (and in some cases, less financial renumeration as well).

But the doctors I speak with love what they do and have no regrets in their career choices. Those people exist. If $$$$ or quality of life is your top priority, sticking with dental is wise. But if the education and practice of broader medical care is the only thing that will make you happy... You know what you have to do.

My situation was this: I'm an old ICU RN. I made plenty of money (still do), and if I wanted more, CRNA school was only blocks from where I lived. That would have been a better lifestyle, and likely more money than I will stand to make as a physician (once accounting for opportunity cost etc). However, for me the education and end goal of providing excellent care to patients as a physician was the only thing that was going to satisfy me. Could I still become an APRN and do almost the same job in a fraction of the time? YES. But the reasons to do that don't make sense. I want to do what I want to do, and am blessed to live in the USA where I have the ability to make that choice. That blessing is a responsibility to me, and so I chose the rougher path because it was a truer one... For me.

You have to decide which path is yours based on how you really feel about your life.

 

[operaman]

I absolutely love Medicine and I really had a good experience all through Med school and residency and fellowship. Sure there were tough times but I think it’s been worth it.

That said, I would think strongly about sticking with dentistry. It’s a wonderful field, good qol, good money, and you would be done a lot faster. What you would do as a dentist is very similar to my day to day as an ent: lots of clinic, lots of in office procedures, nice longitudinal relationships with patients, etc. I put a scope in their nose or look in their ears with a microscope; you would look in their mouth with loupes or a scope and you’d look at X-rays too. So the actual day to day is not all that different.

My thought would be to consider dentistry more strongly because it’s a great field, not because medicine is so bad. You may not like some of your dental courses but trust me that the led students have plenty of their courses that aren’t exciting either. That’s just how this goes and the really fun stuff in both fields is still ahead of you.

 

[mvenus929]

There are a lot of frustrations that come with being in medicine. But we do it because we enjoy the day-to-day care of patients. I love discharging a patient from my (subspecialty) clinic bc they're healthy and don't need me anymore, and I love how much impact I have on some of their lives. The continuity is definitely the best part for me--building a relationship with those patients and seeing them grow up and come into themselves.

But it's not for everyone. If it doesn't bring you joy, it's a tough job. Dentistry would be easier--not as much bureaucratic mess, more autonomy, and a good lifestyle. No one can tell you which decision is best for you.

 

[Dr G Oogle]

I think you can definitely find a job in medicine that you love. I switched residencies and jobs as an attending in a relatively short period of time within starting each (couple of years) and finally have a job I absolutely love and let’s me do everything I want. Sure there are admin headaches but you’ll get that even in dentistry private practice. I think it varies by geography and practice type but I’ve found that sub-specialists is tend to command a lot more autonomy and get what they need/want more often than pcp but again that’s location dependent. I definitely have days where I wish I was a rural PCP.

One thing you could consider is going through OMFS that way you don’t have to shift gears quite so hard, get to do medicine and are as high in demand specialist.

the other thing to consider is most people that post on any forum often do it to vent and there may a general skew towards the negative on SDN, when in reality being a doctor is still probably one of the best jobs out there. I think the same people who post their complaints might have something different to say after a really good day at work, but instead of posting the other aspect of things they are probably out there living their best life.

I do not think it is foolhardy to follow your heart in this.

 

[D1Bound]

This is how I see it. Work is just that, it's work. it isn't peachy. It's hard. Most people don't even like their job, so, if I can manage to even like what I do, then I'm doing well. I happen to really like my chosen profession. But, is my work my hobby? Does it define me? Is it my identity? Nope. I want to work hard enough to make money for my hobbies I prefer to be doing instead of working. I want to learn how to professionally drive cars, get better at golf, explore Asia. A high paying job will let me do those things.

 

[BidingMyTime]

One person's negatives may not be a negative for you. Different personality types thrive in different jobs. Listen to the details about why someone may be negative about dentistry or medicine (or anything else.) If those negative details resonate with you, I wouldn't progress further in that field. If after hearing the negative details you think, "that doesn't sound that bad", then proceed on that career path.

Basically, listen to other's advice, but then follow your own soul, not the crowd. Even if 98% of people hate something, that doesn't mean you will hate it. And the converse is true, just because 98% of people love something, that doesn't mean you will love it.

 

[Dave1980]

I feel that after getting advise on this, I'm going to say good bye to SDN.

Does anyone have any advise about my situation?
I really hope I can get a more grounded perspective from this community as most of the advise I've gotten has been from my dental community.

Thanks a lot for any advise. Literally been the worst time of my life making a decision but I hope any advise provided on this thread can help me see things a bit more clear.

I think you are looking for the word advice

 

[Aheadbyacentury]

omfs has easily the best job in all of healtcare... I am pretty confident when i say that.. and that is a dental specialty.. 2nd best job... orthodontics... 3rd best job in healthcare..... endodontics..... 4th best job.. plastic surgery...

 

[deleted1106792]

I think you are looking for the word advice

lol thanks!