do you have an mdapp?
anyways, since i'm studying for the mcat right now, and we both have similar GPAs, I was wondering how was it you were able to score so high and do so well on the MCAT? i know it's like years ago since you took it. but you have any tips? the MCAT is seriously the only thing that can save me right now and i'm aiming for a 35+
EDIT: also, how hard was it to be married during med school. i know it must take a toll on a relationship. i'm most likely going to be taking ~1-2 years off from undergrad and am strongly considering getting married. that way we can have some time together to build a relationship before i go to med school
I do not have an mdapp. I discovered SDN when trying to find info about studying for step 1 and didn't start posting until I was applying for residency. I didn't really use online resources for medical school or applications. The MCAT is a test. Nothing more, and nothing less. Do not over think it or try to learn content when studying for it. Learn how to take the test and then practice, practice, practice. How to take the test... I used Princeton Review books and then both PR and Kaplan materials to practice. My attitude was, I'm a native English speaker, the verbal section should be 'beatable' and so I really tried hard to learn how to read passages quickly without missing content. The books had some tips, but really it was doing a lot of practice and having read for pleasure through undergrad. Physical sciences was my bread and butter because of my Physics background. Biological sciences was my weakest area by far. I think that to improve my score I would have had to learn more biology as an undergrad ahead of time. Unlike the other sections, I thought that it was less thinking, and more, "did you happen to study this topic".
I asked my wife after my first week of internship how she was doing in a new city, knowing nobody, working, but only 9-3pm etc. She told me that she could understand why people break up over medical training. It is lonely, on both sides. Her opinion was that if either party is needy, then things will never work. I tend to agree. We see each other when we can, and when we do, we go out and do things. For example, last night when I was off, we went out to a new Greek restaurant that opened up and then watched a couple episodes of Big Bang Theory until I fell asleep. Today, we are going climbing and then to a movie + early anniversary dinner. The only way I can understand making this work is that both people have to be able to function independently. They have to be able to amuse themselves for days at a time without seeing the other. If they don't have independent activities, interests or hobbies, things just won't work.
What are patients generally like? Are they friendly and have a positive attitude towards physicians or are most of them just plain rude?
Also, when you say academic pays less, how much less does it pay? I realize it varies by specialty but generally how much less is academic?
Patients are 90%+ grateful. There are a fair few that are rude. But, it is all about attitude. One of my attendings told me, "No matter how bad your day is going or how poorly you are being treated, just remember that as a patient in the hospital, they are having a worse day/week/month/year. Nobody comes to the hospital for vacation." When you think about it that way, you see even the most difficult patients differently. They will still be taxing and frustrating, but they won't globally bring you emotionally down.
As for pay, just ball parking the numbers, I'd say for surgery it is a 20-40% pay cut to work in academics. But to be honest, I'm 6 years from looking for a 'real' job. So I'm not a good answer for that
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Do you foresee integrated surgical specialties becoming more competitive in the coming years?
On average, which surgical specialists spend the most time in the OR?
Are most of your colleagues from top medical schools?
Vascular will likely become slightly less competitive over the next 10 years. Reason, because the number of programs is increasing rapidly. Last year there were ~30 spots, my year there were 41. At least 4 new programs have already opened since I applied, likely there will be ~50 spots this year. That growth won't last forever, and certainly more and more people will become aware of the integrated programs which will increase the number of applicants. I think that it will always be competitive numbers wise, but it isn't as attractive as plastics, ortho or derm on its face, so I think that it will end up residing below those top selective residencies.
How much time you spend in the OR depends on the person more than the specialty. We have a vascular surgeon that did 40+ cases last week. Spends 1 day in clinic (with 3 residents/fellows helping him) and then has NPs doing other clinics to see his follow ups. It is all about how you structure your practice and the location that you are at.
My colleagues come from a mix of schools. I'd say maybe half went to top top USNews schools. The other half is a good mix of less competitive US MD schools.
Did you feel awkward when you were doing clerkships as a medical student and what's it like to teach medical students now (if you do any teaching)?
It is all about attitude. I am always up front with patients about where I am at. I tell them, I've been working hard all my life to be where I am. "I'm at the bottom of the totem pole, but I will try to answer any questions/help you the best I can. However, if I can't, I am very good at asking questions and finding out who to ask. If that happens then both you and I will learn something." Patients have universally appreciated this approach.
What specialty would you have picked if you didn't get into the program you are currently in?
I applied to general surgery and vascular surgery for residency. I am confident that I would have matched at a general surgery program if I hadn't matched vascular.
Thanks for doing this! My dream is to be able to do neurosurgery or even heart (cardiac?) surgery. I've always been fascinated with the brain and heart. I can't see myself being a normal physician just diagnosing patients, I'd rather be more hands on and get immediate results. Do you know many specialized DO surgeons? Are you and your peers more conservative or liberal (politically)?
I do not know any DO surgeons. That doesn't mean they don't exist, it just means that I haven't come across them. My peers are more fiscally conservative on average, but I live in Texas, so it isn't THAT surprising. I'd say they are reasonably liberal/central on social issues. Few people are politically active though and I don't think 90% of them vote (just too damn busy).
Thanks so much for doing this, mimelim! It sounds like you knew pretty early on that you wanted to do surgery, but I'll shoot you these questions anyway:
- How did you get to know surgery better early in med school to make sure it was for you?
- How early in med school do you think you need to decide on a particular specialty in order to have enough time to do the research, etc. that is necessary to match into the more competitive fields?
- If someone isn't sure, are there activities/research during the preclinical years that could let them hedge their bets to remain competitive for many different fields? (ideally both surgery and medicine) Or is it important to have fairly field-specific activities/research for the more competitive fields?
That's all for now, hope you enjoy the day off!
I liked working with my hands in undergrad and immediate results, so I knew that I might be interested in surgery. The summer between MS1 and MS2 I toured a bunch of different departments, spending a week or two shadowing/living the life of a resident on different services. I always ended up gravitating back to the surgical services, trauma in particular. I also saw a lot of myself in the surgical residents/attendings, which made the field more attractive.
To match competitive fields, you should have a vague idea of what you are interested in by the end of MS2. By the end of MS3, you need to know so that you can setup your MS4/aways appropriately for the field you are going into. Research is important in Rads, optho, derm, plastics etc. But it is by no means mandatory. The likelyhood of you (or any medical student) producing something substantial while busy in medical school is limited. It is more a demonstration of extreme interest in a field than anything.
For the pre-clinical years, keep busy. You have weekends and other time off. Volunteer, shadow, do research, work on projects that you are interested in. If you like programing, create things to help students study. If you like volunteering/free clinics, don't just volunteer, figure out how to take the limited resources that the clinics have and serve the local population better. Be proactive and try to improve things beyond the raw number of hours that you showed up and worked. (if that makes any sense...)
