shortest residency program

[victor14]

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hi,
im debating between MD, DDS and a DC degree. i am soo confused its not even funny. i want to know is internship/residency required after graduation from a med school? if so, how long can it take?

 

[potato51]

from what I understand residencies (not including fellowships) range from 3 to 7 years depending on what you want to go into.

It's possible to not do a residency after graduation, but I'm not sure what you can do. Industry/consulting? Postdoctoral research?

And what is a DC degree?

 

[victor14]

DC is doctor of chiropractic. i dont want to start a debate about DC vs MD.
how do you suggest i get my thoughts straight on what i want to do? DDS seems very intresting and the income potential is great, but i never liked going to a dentist lol. im thinking if i didnt like going to the dentist i might actually do well in the field lol. and for the MD, i just enjoy what they do, the rep they have and the income they make. help, please!
btw im turning 24 in aug and i will be starting my 2/3yr at a 4 yr school

 

[MedicineNutt]

from what I understand residencies (not including fellowships) range from 3 to 7 years depending on what you want to go into.

It's possible to not do a residency after graduation, but I'm not sure what you can do. Industry/consulting? Postdoctoral research?

And what is a DC degree?

DC = Doctor of Chiropractor...

i don't understand the OP...why do numbers influence your decision in the career you want to pursue?? choose somethin you really like so you dont have to go back to school or live a miserable life!!! dont make any involuntary (yet voluntary) decisions when it comes to your career...it's pretty much your whole life

 

[NapeSpikes]

Residency is required if you want to practice medicine as a clinician, i.e. see patients.

You don't need to do any residency for dentistry if you do not specialize.

I don't know anything about chiropractic stuff.

 

[victor14]

like i said before im confused!

whatever career i choose i will be in major debt. possibly 100k at the very least. with that said, i want to get into something that will pay off in the long run. i dont want to be making 5000$ / month. i want to live comfortably. i also want to be my own boss

 

[potato51]

DC is doctor of chiropractic. i dont want to start a debate about DC vs MD.
how do you suggest i get my thoughts straight on what i want to do? DDS seems very intresting and the income potential is great, but i never liked going to a dentist lol. im thinking if i didnt like going to the dentist i might actually do well in the field lol. and for the MD, i just enjoy what they do, the rep they have and the income they make. help, please!
btw im turning 24 in aug and i will be starting my 2/3yr at a 4 yr school

you need to shadow some docs to get a good idea of the lifestyle and the work it takes. Same with dentists, if shadowing them is possible.

 

[luke77]

To the OP - yes, residency is required (3 year minimum) if you want to practice. No residency required for dental school unless you want to do a dental specialty. Not sure about DC.

On a related note, though, what about for med school grads who want to go into a field like business, industry, or consulting? I've always wondered about this. If you aren't going to practice (say you are going to go get your MBA or JD, or become an expert witness) do you have to go through residency?

 

[MedicineNutt]

like i said before im confused!

whatever career i choose i will be in major debt. possibly 100k at the very least. with that said, i want to get into something that will pay off in the long run. i dont want to be making 5000$ / month. i want to live comfortably. i also want to be my own boss

dentists make way more than MDs...but u will have to wait a couple yrs or so to see the truth in this...plus a dentist is their own boss/flexible hours,etc...you might like the perks the career offers; however, you mentioned you really werent sure about it...

recently, a dentist lectured my class and said that most dentists who are dentists hate their job (roughly 60%--i think)...whateva you do man, do what you think is right...

plus, in residency you get paid like 40k/yr...so it isnt all that bad to be a resident!!

 

[top]

To the OP - yes, residency is required (3 year minimum) if you want to practice. No residency required for dental school unless you want to do a dental specialty. Not sure about DC.

On a related note, though, what about for med school grads who want to go into a field like business, industry, or consulting? I've always wondered about this. If you aren't going to practice (say you are going to go get your MBA or JD, or become an expert witness) do you have to go through residency?

Nope. In fact, the richest doctor I know is basically a really high end pharm sales rep. He graduated from WashU, didn't do residency, and now pimps drugs, making ~2.5 million/year working pretty decent. Obviously, you have to be a good salesman, and there isn't much opportunity for this...i.e. there aren't many spots for this (SO DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME! 😉). Also, if you go into something like health policy, i don't think you really need to practice. You need the MD to gain respect from the MDs so they'll listen to you, but otherwise why go through another 3-7 years unless you actually want to practice?

 

[top]

And to the OP, it sounds like you want to be a dentist. They make about as much as doctors (although you mentioned "rep," and DDSs don't have quite as much as MDs), but you get working a lot faster to pay off the debt you incurred doing whatever it was that cost you 100k. Plus, it's easier to be your own boss in dentistry than in medicine for a lot of reasons.

 

[omgwtfbbq?]

keep in mind that while you're doing your residency as a doctor you ARE a doctor, not just a doc in training. which means that you will be treating patients, the only difference is that you will be entrusted with more and more specialized cases the longer you're in the residency program. So even though you're not making a ton of cash (or anything near it) you are doing the job you want and the money's not horrible. in any position, even business, you'll be making about 40k till you're in your 30's unless you're a serious entrepreneur. And as far as DDS and DC goes... it depends on where your heart is. If you like teeth but want to specialize, you can do a post dental residency and become a maxillofacial surgeon. And as far as a DC career... it depends on if you believe in it. i mean, REALLY believe in it. Its like becoming an acupuncturist if you don't believe acupuncture works!
I'm a big fan of naturopathy, i mean big time, but i'd never go get a DC, because, while i think theres a lot of truth to not having nerves blocked and having muscles relaxed i don't believe that "crak the bones!" fixes things, at least, not the way the DC field is now. So first, don't ask yourself - which is going to make me the most money, shortest residency, but which do I really love? And then if you say.... love medicine, but aren't willing to put in the time or length of a residency, then say okay, thats off the list. how do i feel about the others. if the love isn't there.... .perhaps a phD program? or something else entirely? What is it you're the most interested in first and foremost?

 

[victor14]

cant you become your own boss in medicine?

 

[MedicineNutt]

And to the OP, it sounds like you want to be a dentist. They make about as much as doctors (although you mentioned "rep," and DDSs don't have quite as much as MDs), but you get working a lot faster to pay off the debt you incurred doing whatever it was that cost you 100k. Plus, it's easier to be your own boss in dentistry than in medicine for a lot of reasons.

I dont know if this is true, but i heard that DDSs are "failed doctors who couldnt get into med school"...i certainly dont buy it b/c dentistry looks like a practice one chooses to get themselves into...tell me if im wrong!

 

[MedicineNutt]

cant you become your own boss in medicine?

you are your own boss, but you have to follow orders from the hospital's director...

 

[victor14]

is it true that you are a slave to your job? im sorry if im asking offensive questions, but this is what ive heard and i want to get the facts right

 

[omgwtfbbq?]

you can be your own boss right away, after residency. One of the women who interviewed me for the school I got into is a physician in the community, she's about 32, she did a 5 year residency (dual specialties) and went straight into her own practice. you CAN do it right away after residency you just have to be proactive in getting starter loans and stuff during your last year. Its what I plan on doing. I'd like to go into ENT surgery and theres nothing that says, if you have a good business head on your, that you can't go straight into private practice.

 

[anon-y-mouse]

you are your own boss, but you have to follow orders from the hospital's director...

Are you a clown? I think Rafa should make a poll regarding most uninformed personality on SDN.

1) An independent license to practice is just that.
2) Most doctors are in private practice, meaning they answer to no one (they are their own boss).
3) "orders from the hospital's director": even a hospitalist basically has free reign with respect to patient care.

I think you need to lay off the medical dramas.

Also, for the original poster, do you want to be working with teeth all day? Becoming a doctor is a long haul type deal, so keep that in mind.

 

[top]

I dont know if this is true, but i heard that DDSs are "failed doctors who couldnt get into med school"...i certainly dont buy it b/c dentistry looks like a practice one chooses to get themselves into...tell me if im wrong!

you're wrong.

 

[MedicineNutt]

is it true that you are a slave to your job? im sorry if im asking offensive questions, but this is what ive heard and i want to get the facts right

if you really think about it everyone is a slave to their job...they have to do whatever they can to serve the individual...this question is kind of unanswerable without logic !!

 

[anon-y-mouse]

is it true that you are a slave to your job? im sorry if im asking offensive questions, but this is what ive heard and i want to get the facts right

You really need to find a few doctors and talk to them about medicine, and perhaps shadow them. Nobody on here can give you the most appropriate perspective on the issue. At the very least, you won't get into medical school if you have no idea what a doctor's life is like -- trust me, they ask you questions to ascertain whether you're familiar with the life of a doc.

 

[MedicineNutt]

Are you a clown? I think Rafa should make a poll regarding most uninformed personality on SDN.

1) An independent license to practice is just that.
2) Most doctors are in private practice, meaning they answer to no one (they are their own boss).
3) "orders from the hospital's director": even a hospitalist basically has free reign with respect to patient care.

I think you need to lay off the medical dramas.

Also, for the original poster, do you want to be working with teeth all day? Becoming a doctor is a long haul type deal, so keep that in mind.

🙂 i was emphasizing the hospital aspect...yes i need to lay offa the medical dramas and get back to watchin my BET comedies!!! haha

 

[omgwtfbbq?]

to succeed, everyone goes through a period of "slaving" i worked as a writer all through college, and a tutor, and i can tell you that in the one semester i didn't have any science classes, i was writing as many hours a day as i studied chemistry! i didn't even know that was possible! so if you want to be good at ANYTHING you need to throw yourself into it. granted, medicine may have more stress than other positions, but there are so many specialties to pick from that even within the medical profession there are many different lifestyles. And, if you're willing to make a little less money, you don't have to work every single day either. A psychiatrist friend of my family works 4 days a week, and writes non fiction popular consumption medical books the other three days. Specialties like psyciatry, dermatology, any non surgical specialty will be very flexible. Surgical specialties will have difficult residencies if a general surgery rotation is required. But then again there are other surgical specialties that don't require a hell year of general surgery. So if you love medicine, there is a HUGE difference in the life of the specialties. and its what you make of it. willingness to make less money in exchange for time, etc.

i also disagree that dentists aren't failed pre-meds. A good dentist is a wonderful thing. My dentist is an artist!!!!!! He's amazing! even his shots hardly hurt, and the fillings are gorgeous. plus, he did a oral surgery residency and he makes prosthetic "roof of the mouth's" for cancer patients who had to have part of their mouth and jaw removed. really amazing.

 

[victor14]

how is the best way to start shadowing a doc? do i just call random docs from the yellow pages? what do i say (in a professional health care way lol)

 

[tea4me]

dentists make way more than MDs...but u will have to wait a couple yrs or so to see the truth in this...plus a dentist is their own boss/flexible hours,etc...you might like the perks the career offers; however, you mentioned you really werent sure about it...
QUOTE]

The thought that dentists make more money than MDs isn't entirely true. Anecdotal evidence, but I know a recent dental school graduate who is $1 MILLION dollars in debt - $200K from dental school and the rest of it is from buying a new practice. According to him this isn't as uncommon as it sounds.

After medical school, doctors get a salary, albeit a small one, from their residency program. Then most either become hospitalists or gain employment with already an established private practice, with their earning potential increasing as they gain more skill and experience in the field. However, due to the high number of dentists in the country, some dental school graduates choose to start their own private practice (make more money in the long run) and the cost of starting a business can be amazingly high.

I would highly advise against making any important life decisions based ONLY on hearsay from anonymous pre-med/med students and future debt/length of training/etc. That being said, my personal advice would be to shadow in all three careers (DDS, MD, DC) and talk to the individuals in those fields to relly get a feel for what works best for you. Good luck.

 

[potato51]

*bangs head against desk*

 

[victor14]

i have ruled out the DC. many people including MD and DC say it is not a good career failed to get into. not stable, not ethical, so on. so its between MD and DDS. the only thing im worried about is not getting into a US med school. i dont have any extra activities or anything. my gpa is very low right now, working on getting it up. after i get it up i will be re-admitted to my college. than i will have 2 -3yrs max to finish up my BS in bio or biochem. still possible for me to get into a US med school?

 

[Law2Doc]

in any position, even business, you'll be making about 40k till you're in your 30's unless you're a serious entrepreneur.

This statement isn't actually true if we are talking about folks with advanced degrees (folks with JDs, MBAs, etc all average higher than this by age 30). Otherwise I agree with your post.
To the OP -- all of these career paths you mentioned are very different. Figure out what you want to do. Then do it. The goal should be to do a career you actually enjoy, because you will spend a substantial percentage of the rest of your life doing it. Don't do it just out of perceived comfort, or what you can do quickest, or because you want to put Dr. in your name -- do whatever you think you can get excited about, and enjoy coming to work each day. Otherwise your life will be one full of regrets.
You are actually still quite young -- check out the nontrad board and you will see folks pushing 40-50 just starting out. But as others have said, medicine involves 4 years of school 3+ years of residency (at which time you are working as a low paid doctor, up to 80 hours a week), and for some specialties, many folks do a fellowship for a year or two after that. And then they potentially start private practice. A lot can change in the world over those 10 or so years, so you really need to want to do the job function because some of the other aspects (money, lifestyle, level of competitiveness) will potentially be different by the time you get out. Hope that helps.

 

[Law2Doc]

still possible for me to get into a US med school?

We'd need a heck of a lot more detail to take a stab at that question.

 

[Flopotomist]

To the OP I would say get off of SDN and spend some time in the real world. Based on the questions that you have asked, you clearly have not spent enough time exposed to the medical fields that you are considering. Only this type of exposure can help you make a decision PLUS, if you DO decide to pursue an MD degree, you will need to demonstrate to the adcoms that you know what you are about to get yourself into.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

agree with flop.

 

[Depakote]

Medicine is not as profitable as it used to be. If you're only in it for the money, find something easier.

 

[victor14]

i have actually volunteered in the OR at a hosiptal up north. i watched maybe 5 operations, ranging from spine to hip. i enjoyed it alot. the only thing that worries me is not being accpeted to any US med school. are students eligible for FAFSA down at the caribbean? alot of people say the poans are privately funded.