Thinking about dropping Pre-Med....

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Hogfan10

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Sorry if any threads have already been made like this.

I am a sophmore Bio major and have a 3.9 GPA right now and have done plenty of shadowing and volunteer work to be on the right track for med school admissions. I've have my heart set on med school since my junior year of highschool but now I'm debating dropping pre-med to go either pre-dental or pre-pharmacy. I know many fellow pre-meds that have dropped and changed to one of those on the account of the future of the profession of the physician with healthcare reform. I have heard of many doctors advising undergrads to not go to med school. I haven't really stayed up to date on all thats changing in health care for doctors, but I plan to do some serious research and talk to more doctors over my christmas break.

Has anyone else felt like this?

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Yes. I thought about going to pharm or dental school in lieu of a medical program because of the ACA, but then I reflected on my motivations and got right back on track....sort of.
 
You have time to think about it between dentistry and medicine since the prereqs are pretty much the same. Pharm is a little different because you enter after junior year of college.
 
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Yeah, I'm not extremley stressed over it right now as I have time to decide. And without a doubt, right now, I feel like I would like being a doctor more than a dentist and defintley more than a pharmacist. But I don't know if doctors will be doing things the same way by the time I get there as they do now. And there's a threshold for living the dream as a doctor and what it's worth to be chipping away at a massive debt with a government salary...
 
Sorry if any threads have already been made like this.

I am a sophmore Bio major and have a 3.9 GPA right now and have done plenty of shadowing and volunteer work to be on the right track for med school admissions. I've have my heart set on med school since my junior year of highschool but now I'm debating dropping pre-med to go either pre-dental or pre-pharmacy. I know many fellow pre-meds that have dropped and changed to one of those on the account of the future of the profession of the physician with healthcare reform. I have heard of many doctors advising undergrads to not go to med school. I haven't really stayed up to date on all thats changing in health care for doctors, but I plan to do some serious research and talk to more doctors over my christmas break.

Has anyone else felt like this?

If you're having serious doubts about medicine because of healthcare reform, you need to re-think your motivation for going into medicine. Healthcare reform is not going to overthrow the way medicine is practiced in the US. It's going to change the payout.
 
Sorry if any threads have already been made like this.

I am a sophmore Bio major and have a 3.9 GPA right now and have done plenty of shadowing and volunteer work to be on the right track for med school admissions. I've have my heart set on med school since my junior year of highschool but now I'm debating dropping pre-med to go either pre-dental or pre-pharmacy. I know many fellow pre-meds that have dropped and changed to one of those on the account of the future of the profession of the physician with healthcare reform. I have heard of many doctors advising undergrads to not go to med school. I haven't really stayed up to date on all thats changing in health care for doctors, but I plan to do some serious research and talk to more doctors over my christmas break.

Has anyone else felt like this?

Its totally up to you to make your decision. I personally didn't think about dental school because I've never really liked teeth, but now i really like oral and maxillofacial surgery and its a dental specialty... Ask yourself what you really want to do in the future. Don't get scared into believing scare stories about reform, change etc. Over your career of 40 years many many things will change including salaries, healthcare reform etc. Choosing your future career based on new, fresh legislation or reform is like choosing a career based off of the signing bonus. Think about what you would like to do, and don't put too much thought into the reforms. I tend to compare the legislation of the day to homeostasis, if anything too extreme is legislated, it will be corrected in due time.
 
If you're having serious doubts about medicine because of healthcare reform, you need to re-think your motivation for going into medicine. Healthcare reform is not going to overthrow the way medicine is practiced in the US. It's going to change the payout.

I think this is a little harsh. OP has a legitimate concern that goes beyond money. Like it or not, the way healthcare is paid out is going to affect the way it is practiced.
 
Sorry if any threads have already been made like this.

I am a sophmore Bio major and have a 3.9 GPA right now and have done plenty of shadowing and volunteer work to be on the right track for med school admissions. I've have my heart set on med school since my junior year of highschool but now I'm debating dropping pre-med to go either pre-dental or pre-pharmacy. I know many fellow pre-meds that have dropped and changed to one of those on the account of the future of the profession of the physician with healthcare reform. I have heard of many doctors advising undergrads to not go to med school. I haven't really stayed up to date on all thats changing in health care for doctors, but I plan to do some serious research and talk to more doctors over my christmas break.

Has anyone else felt like this?

Those premeds probably dropped because their gpa sucks.

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I think this is a little harsh. OP has a legitimate concern that goes beyond money. Like it or not, the way healthcare is paid out is going to affect the way it is practiced.

Hence why I used the word "overthrow." Western medicine is not going to be revolutionized and rendered beyond recognition by the healthcare reform. Healthcare reform does, however, implement some important changes -- but it's not going to cut out the infrastructure.
 
Yeah I mean I still have a lot to learn as far as all the changes, I've just posted off what I've heard several upperclassmen and doctors say. But I just feel like I should be very concerned when I hear of doctors themselves advising people away from medicine. When they know better than anyone and they know the exact way we feel as a pre-med, that this our passion. And this wasn't just a couple doctors, I've heard this from several. Althogh I haven't got to have an in depth conversation with a doctor yet about it, which I plan to do in the next week or two.

I just don't want to go work so hard for something and be let down.
 
shadow dentists, pharmacists, and doctors and see what you like better. Although there is change in health care, you can get the lifestyle or whatever you want if you work hard at it. As a physician you will always have a job that will be in demand wherever you go and basicslly have many opportunities. However, if you're turned off by possible political changes, maybe reconsider. it's too much hard work to do if it's not really what you want from life
 
Some older physicians are sometimes cynical about it because they were trained and practiced during the "golden era" of medicine. No one used to question them and now there is a lot more oversight and pushback all around. They have to accept a skinnier paycheck and learn/follow more rules. We will be taught everything along the way and there won't be a significant transition because it'll be the only thing we know.

Personally, medicine is it for me. If I have to take a few extra years because of a lower salary to pay off debt then so be it. There are no alternatives to medicine for me. Sit at a lab bench or in a cube (etc. etc.) for the rest of my life? No way.

Don't let cynics dissuade you from doing something you're passionate about.
 
Those premeds probably dropped because their gpa sucks.

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That's always true.

OP, you're actually making a very smart move in being concerned for a valid reason. I appreciate you for "thinking outside the box". As others have mentioned, spend some time exploring the advantages in dentistry/pharmacy and reflect if that's what you want to do. Good luck.
 
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Do not go to medical school if you are not sure you want to be a doctor. It is too big of an investment.
 
Sorry if any threads have already been made like this.

I am a sophmore Bio major and have a 3.9 GPA right now and have done plenty of shadowing and volunteer work to be on the right track for med school admissions. I've have my heart set on med school since my junior year of highschool but now I'm debating dropping pre-med to go either pre-dental or pre-pharmacy. I know many fellow pre-meds that have dropped and changed to one of those on the account of the future of the profession of the physician with healthcare reform. I have heard of many doctors advising undergrads to not go to med school. I haven't really stayed up to date on all thats changing in health care for doctors, but I plan to do some serious research and talk to more doctors over my christmas break.

Has anyone else felt like this?

Don't drop it because someone else told you to....drop it because you don't want to do it. Things are changing, yes, but anyone who claims to know what the state of health care will be in 10+ years, or exactly how the profession will change over the next 10, 20+ years is either lying to you, FOS or just plain wrong. Wild postulation and conspiracy theories don't count.
 
Personally, I could see dental and how that would be a "similar" substitute (but teeth aren't my thing). But from what I have seen of pharmacy (I filled in as a pharmacy tech for a few months) in the retail environment I don't really see how it is a "substitute" for medicine at all. At least where I worked the pharmacists just checked that the pharmacy techs were accurate in their counting, audited controlled substances and dispensed them, answered any questions (generally there wasn't any) and split the responsibility of inputting and dispensing with the techs. It's really not a bad gig, but I wouldn't want to do that forever. You get some really nasty people when you are in retail. Now I'm not saying medicine doesn't, but in a retail setting you certainly not autonomous. Honestly, if I were looking for an alternative to medicine I would choose PA, PT, or OT (and I get that PT and OT are far different than medicine). As a PA although you hit a price ceiling, your pay is comparable to that of a pharmacist. Now of course there are differences in geography and what part of the industry you are in, but all things considered I would prefer the flexibility of PA (being able to have some flexibility in specialties) instead of the sort of 9-5 droll of retail.

For what it's worth.
 
If you're not sure, then don't.

If you're just trying to make a fuss about how the ACA is breaking your balls and the socialist Obama is ruining the country and destroying your hopes and dreams, then still drop.
 
Sorry if any threads have already been made like this.

I am a sophmore Bio major and have a 3.9 GPA right now and have done plenty of shadowing and volunteer work to be on the right track for med school admissions. I've have my heart set on med school since my junior year of highschool but now I'm debating dropping pre-med to go either pre-dental or pre-pharmacy. I know many fellow pre-meds that have dropped and changed to one of those on the account of the future of the profession of the physician with healthcare reform. I have heard of many doctors advising undergrads to not go to med school. I haven't really stayed up to date on all thats changing in health care for doctors, but I plan to do some serious research and talk to more doctors over my christmas break.

Has anyone else felt like this?

Hi. I'm just a lowly high school senior, but let me try to help you. Try to find what is truly important to you.

Sure, physician glamor has really dimmed down a lot, but what they do is STILL the same.

Do you want to hold people's lives in your hand?

Do you want to keep a person alive by putting your hand through his chest, pumping his heart to keep him alive?

Do you want to further the advancement of cures for diseases? Develop new treatments to cure a whole subset of diseases?

What do YOU want to do? There is no right or wrong answer. I wont lie, I think pharmacy is slightly boring, and dentistry is WAY cool... you have to be millimeter precise on procedures... very technical. The specialties in dentistry are pretty awesome, the life is awesome, the pay is awesome... Everything in dentistry is awesome.

The ONLY THING that you have that other specialities DON'T, is the INTANGIBLES

The feeling you get after you just performed an operation. The joy you receive when you deliver a baby.

Sure, the negatives may outweigh the positives in medicine in every single aspect that other fields, but you HAVE to count the intangibles.

THOSE ARE THE REAL REASONS WHY WE WANT TO HELP PEOPLE.

There are surgeons that i've talked to, who've been divorced, surgeons who i've talked to who have wonderful families.

My dad is a Cardiothoracic Surgeon.... I don't see him often. But when I do, I love asking him about what he does, because I love to see the actual joy that his career brings him as he says.

He loves letting me view video's of his surgeries, explaining what he does. It's the most interesting thing in the world to me.

Will I become a Doctor? Maybe, maybe not. my values as an individual are totally normal. I want to have a family life and I want to be relaxed in my work environment. I want to be an entrepreneur, as well as a health professional. I want the nice comfortable salary that health professionals earn. I want to continue playing Piano, and enjoy nice trips in my sports car with my girlfriend... But maybe that won't be possible. Just gotta find your happiness.

To the OP, that being said, ask yourself WHY you want to be a doctor. Ask yourself if the care and advancement of human life outweighs your own personal goals.

Just pointing this out, my father is a CT surgeon, works around 75-88 hours a week approx. and his brother (my uncle) is a dentist.

My I live in a moderately sized home. Parents drive Mercedes and a Range Rover (mother is a radiologist)

My uncle and my aunt who are dentists works around 50 hours a week (monday through friday) owns 4 dental practices, has like, 4 hygenists and 4 associate dentists and has 46% overhead .They Drive Ferrari's and he has an S-Class too, along with an Escalade. he has a always goes on weekend trips with my cousins on their boat... He hikes, ski's, and works out a lot (he is in better shape than I am)

He comes to the basketball games I play with my cousin (because my dad can never make it) and he usually drives me home too.

He has the biggest house... Huge.

When I ask him what his favorite thing to do, he says to spend time with his family after hard week's work.

When I ask my dad what his favorite things to do is, and he replied

"Seeing a heart beat in a patient's chest after performing a transplant."

This is to just give you an insight on the different types of people gravitate to different types of fields. I am lucky to have both healthcare professionals be in my family, because it makes the decision and what's important to you, a LOT easier.

Best of luck to your decision man... I would LOVE to be in your position. :laugh:

At least you aren't one of those students who scurry to Optometry or Podiatry because they couldn't make it to Med School (like my older brother :rolleyes:)
 
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Don't change your mind. If being a doctor makes you happy then learn to ignore others. You seem like a smart person so make up your mind.
 
If you're having serious doubts about medicine because of healthcare reform, you need to re-think your motivation for going into medicine. Healthcare reform is not going to overthrow the way medicine is practiced in the US. It's going to change the payout.

x2. Tiring of these threads.
 
Yeah I mean I still have a lot to learn as far as all the changes, I've just posted off what I've heard several upperclassmen and doctors say. But I just feel like I should be very concerned when I hear of doctors themselves advising people away from medicine. When they know better than anyone and they know the exact way we feel as a pre-med, that this our passion. And this wasn't just a couple doctors, I've heard this from several. Althogh I haven't got to have an in depth conversation with a doctor yet about it, which I plan to do in the next week or two.

I just don't want to go work so hard for something and be let down.

Docs have been telling premeds not to go to med school since way before the ACA was passed. Before this, it was HMOs, before that it was Medicare... this sort of thing has been going on for generations. Most physician parents would not wish a medical career on their children. Health care reform will come eventually because it has to, but we don't know what that will look like. It's not like it won't eventually affect dentists and pharmacists, as well.
 
If you're not sure, then don't.

If you're just trying to make a fuss about how the ACA is breaking your balls and the socialist Obama is ruining the country and destroying your hopes and dreams, then still drop.
I don't see why these types of comments are necessary. There is a legitimate reason to put that much more thought into going into medicine when there are so many changes on the way. Just because I'm not blindly following into medicine doesn't mean I need to drop it all together.

Thanks for the rest of the comments guys! I guess I'll just have to do some more shadowing in the dentist office and talk to both several dentists and doctors on their view of the outlook of their profession; and decide for myself if the positives out weigh the negatives.

Anyone know any good non-biased resources on understanding health care reform?
 
Yeah, I'm not extremley stressed over it right now as I have time to decide. And without a doubt, right now, I feel like I would like being a doctor more than a dentist and defintley more than a pharmacist. But I don't know if doctors will be doing things the same way by the time I get there as they do now. And there's a threshold for living the dream as a doctor and what it's worth to be chipping away at a massive debt with a government salary...

I don't think you know what are you talking about!
 
Pharmacy is a dying profession. Seriously do some research before considering your career. You will be judged based on not how many lives you save or how much good advice you give out, but rather on how quickly you pump out rx's and how long people wait at the drive through. There are clinical spots in which you actually get to practice pharmacy, but they are far and few between, hard to get when they are open, and pay significantly less than retail. If the bull**** that is in the ACA has you worried, then the bull**** you put up with working for CVS/Wags/etc will drive you nuts.
 
"Government Salary"??

Yeah I know that doctors have it bad, but you'll never make that little money...
 
I wouldn't put too much weight in internet forum opinions for this one. Find doctors or medical students that you respect, spend time with them and and ask them about your concerns. I had no idea the premedical/predental tracks were even different anyway.

All of the doctors I shadowed were happy they became doctors. All the med student I've talked were happy they choose medical school.

I think the main tradeoff is the job related satisfaction is generally lower in dentistry or pharm but you have a lot more free time to get satisfaction from friends/family or hobbies. Even then job related satisfaction is entirely in one's own mind so if it is something you can see yourself enjoying then great.

I know a lot of veternatians and I think veterinary medcine is actually pretty awesome. it is in demand, it pays well, you get a lot more freedom in how you practice, and the diversity of things you do is really huge.
 
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OP, I know exactly where you are coming from.

Every doctor I have shadowed have told me to stay away from medicine. It seems like most of them are unhappy with their profession compared to dentists/podiatrists for example. Why do most dentists and podiatrists seem to be happier. Can anyone else relate?

As far as medicine goes, I'm the kinda guy that likes emergencies. I can't do emergencies as a dentist/podiatrist/pharmacist. When I say emergencies, I mean emergency medicine, trauma surgery, or just surgery in general. I can't do that with a DMD or DPM. This is why I stayed. You need to find why exactly you stayed/left
 
My parents both work in pharmacy. The really like their jobs but are strongly encouraging people NOT to enter pharm because with the opening of a ton of new schools the market is saturated and its nearly impossible for young grads to find jobs.
 
Hi. I'm just a lowly high school senior, but let me try to help you. Try to find what is truly important to you.

Sure, physician glamor has really dimmed down a lot, but what they do is STILL the same.

Do you want to hold people's lives in your hand?

Do you want to keep a person alive by putting your hand through his chest, pumping his heart to keep him alive?

Do you want to further the advancement of cures for diseases? Develop new treatments to cure a whole subset of diseases?

What do YOU want to do? There is no right or wrong answer. I wont lie, I think pharmacy is slightly boring, and dentistry is WAY cool... you have to be millimeter precise on procedures... very technical. The specialties in dentistry are pretty awesome, the life is awesome, the pay is awesome... Everything in dentistry is awesome.

The ONLY THING that you have that other specialities DON'T, is the INTANGIBLES

The feeling you get after you just performed an operation. The joy you receive when you deliver a baby.

Sure, the negatives may outweigh the positives in medicine in every single aspect that other fields, but you HAVE to count the intangibles.

THOSE ARE THE REAL REASONS WHY WE WANT TO HELP PEOPLE.

There are surgeons that i've talked to, who've been divorced, surgeons who i've talked to who have wonderful families.

My dad is a Cardiothoracic Surgeon.... I don't see him often. But when I do, I love asking him about what he does, because I love to see the actual joy that his career brings him as he says.

He loves letting me view video's of his surgeries, explaining what he does. It's the most interesting thing in the world to me.

Will I become a Doctor? Maybe, maybe not. my values as an individual are totally normal. I want to have a family life and I want to be relaxed in my work environment. I want to be an entrepreneur, as well as a health professional. I want the nice comfortable salary that health professionals earn. I want to continue playing Piano, and enjoy nice trips in my sports car with my girlfriend... But maybe that won't be possible. Just gotta find your happiness.

To the OP, that being said, ask yourself WHY you want to be a doctor. Ask yourself if the care and advancement of human life outweighs your own personal goals.

Just pointing this out, my father is a CT surgeon, works around 75-88 hours a week approx. and his brother (my uncle) is a dentist.

My I live in a moderately sized home. Parents drive Mercedes and a Range Rover (mother is a radiologist)

My uncle and my aunt who are dentists works around 50 hours a week (monday through friday) owns 4 dental practices, has like, 4 hygenists and 4 associate dentists and has 46% overhead .They Drive Ferrari's and he has an S-Class too, along with an Escalade. he has a always goes on weekend trips with my cousins on their boat... He hikes, ski's, and works out a lot (he is in better shape than I am)

He comes to the basketball games I play with my cousin (because my dad can never make it) and he usually drives me home too.

He has the biggest house... Huge.

When I ask him what his favorite thing to do, he says to spend time with his family after hard week's work.

When I ask my dad what his favorite things to do is, and he replied

"Seeing a heart beat in a patient's chest after performing a transplant."

This is to just give you an insight on the different types of people gravitate to different types of fields. I am lucky to have both healthcare professionals be in my family, because it makes the decision and what's important to you, a LOT easier.

Best of luck to your decision man... I would LOVE to be in your position. :laugh:

At least you aren't one of those students who scurry to Optometry or Podiatry because they couldn't make it to Med School (like my older brother :rolleyes:)

Damn, dude. TL;DR
 
Drop it like its HOT!!


Go into engineering and get abusiness degree..
 
OP, I know exactly where you are coming from.

Every doctor I have shadowed have told me to stay away from medicine. It seems like most of them are unhappy with their profession compared to dentists/podiatrists for example. Why do most dentists and podiatrists seem to be happier. Can anyone else relate?

As far as medicine goes, I'm the kinda guy that likes emergencies. I can't do emergencies as a dentist/podiatrist/pharmacist. When I say emergencies, I mean emergency medicine, trauma surgery, or just surgery in general. I can't do that with a DMD or DPM. This is why I stayed. You need to find why exactly you stayed/left

Cause while "emergencies" sound fun right now, it won't be all that great when you have been up 2 days straight because your newborn child is crying (and she is a newborn because you didn't QUITE have time to get married/have a child in your 6 years of residency/fellowship training in becoming a trauma surgeon), and then you just got a call that some ***** tried to trim their hedges with a lawn mower and they need YOU to come in right now, even though it's blizzarding out and is 3 am. Pods/Dents are sleeping in their warm beds, after their seven year old's piano recital, dreaming of all the money they are making, next to their significantly hotter wife/husband.

That's why.
 
Cause while "emergencies" sound fun right now, it won't be all that great when you have been up 2 days straight because your newborn child is crying (and she is a newborn because you didn't QUITE have time to get married/have a child in your 6 years of residency/fellowship training in becoming a trauma surgeon), and then you just got a call that some ***** tried to trim their hedges with a lawn mower and they need YOU to come in right now, even though it's blizzarding out and is 3 am. Pods/Dents are sleeping in their warm beds, after their seven year old's piano recital, dreaming of all the money they are making, next to their significantly hotter wife/husband.
That's why.

Whoa now, let's not get ahead of ourselves
 
Cause while "emergencies" sound fun right now, it won't be all that great when you have been up 2 days straight because your newborn child is crying (and she is a newborn because you didn't QUITE have time to get married/have a child in your 6 years of residency/fellowship training in becoming a trauma surgeon), and then you just got a call that some ***** tried to trim their hedges with a lawn mower and they need YOU to come in right now, even though it's blizzarding out and is 3 am. Pods/Dents are sleeping in their warm beds, after their seven year old's piano recital, dreaming of all the money they are making, next to their significantly hotter wife/husband.

That's why.

lmao...:corny:

Funny thing is I was just speaking to a pharmacist today (she works in a hospital setting) and she was just telling me about how her salary has doubled in the last twenty years. I was like :wow: and she mentioned how she genuinely enjoys her career. I commented about chain stores and her colleague has had no real issues. Yet I'm not too familiar with pharm, except I do know that upon graduation slots are very limited due to how saturated the pharm field is right now. It is weird though, it seems like everyone I have encountered lately is pre-pharm.

Trust me OP many of us feel the same way, you just went to the extent of making an actual thread about the topic...but at this point in time your are :beat:
 
Cause while "emergencies" sound fun right now, it won't be all that great when you have been up 2 days straight because your newborn child is crying (and she is a newborn because you didn't QUITE have time to get married/have a child in your 6 years of residency/fellowship training in becoming a trauma surgeon), and then you just got a call that some ***** tried to trim their hedges with a lawn mower and they need YOU to come in right now, even though it's blizzarding out and is 3 am. Pods/Dents are sleeping in their warm beds, after their seven year old's piano recital, dreaming of all the money they are making, next to their significantly hotter wife/husband.

That's why.

Like a bauwse Max!!!
 
Well I figured I'd check back in, here is what I got from a respectable doc on the matter.

"Health care reform makes it very unpredictable as far as return on investment. If i was a sophmore undergraduate, I would stay on my premed/predental track because that's not very far apart. Pre pharm might have an extra chemistry but otherwise is pretty close as well. What may happen is the government starts heavily subsidizing primary care education...
Obviously, loan repayment plans are being rewritten as well - now you can take student loans, establish a payment plan based on your income..... Make your payments on time for a period like 10 years and they forgive the remainder of your debt.
Residencies at fellowships at some public service locations (like Charity Hospital in New Orleans or Cook county in Chicago are counted as years in public service and suffice for a year's worth of repayment. All is not lost."
 
If you're having serious doubts about medicine because of healthcare reform, you need to re-think your motivation for going into medicine. Healthcare reform is not going to overthrow the way medicine is practiced in the US. It's going to change the payout.

Nay. You have to wait three months in order to see a primary care physician in my area. It's only going to get worse.
 
Sounds like you should go to vet school. Autonomy without "the man" breathing down your neck.
 
I have considered the ACA and the possible deductions in the physician pay-check, and I still want to be a medical doctor. I would like to be the TRUE "expert in my field", and not skim the knowledge available like in dentistry or podiatry, but to have a thourough understanding of the body (or at least attempt to).

Also, my goal is to practice somewhere other than the U.S. anyway. :p Money isn't my biggest concern.
 
"Confess to yourself in the deepest hour of the night whether you would have to die if you were forbidden to write. Dig deep into your heart, where the answer spreads its roots in your being, and ask yourself solemnly, Must I write?"
-Rainer Maria Rilke

Now substitute "be doktar" or something equivalent. If you can't see yourself doing anything else, then stay pre-med. If there is any thought in your mind that you could be equally happy in a different profession, then go for that. It's that easy.
 
Go talk to Pharmacists and Dentists, and they'll tell you that their professions are dying and that dark days are ahead. The point is, everything apparently sucks now.

BTW, government salary? Please. PPACA doesn't anywhere close to the threat of Physician salaries as SGR cuts and the current sequester cuts. Hell, the reimbursement cuts made in 2002 will likely be worse.

Point is, this is nothing new.
 
As someone who is transitioning from a relatively lucrative career into medicine...look into going to a state school where your debt load won't be as high. If possible, move to Texas or somewhere that has a larger number of schools to choose from, or a state which has a mandatory % of required acceptance for in-state residents. Once you graduate, you're a doctor, regardless of the school you went to unless you want to do a research-heavy specialty. It's your choice, weigh the pros and cons, and proceed on your path with no looking back.
 
I have considered the ACA and the possible deductions in the physician pay-check, and I still want to be a medical doctor. I would like to be the TRUE "expert in my field", and not skim the knowledge available like in dentistry or podiatry, but to have a thourough understanding of the body (or at least attempt to).

Uhhh.... I can assure you that pods are the "TRUE" experts of the foot and ankle, and that dentists are the "TRUE" experts of the oral cavity....

They wouldn't be licensed to do their job if they weren't...
 
Agree with most, but dentistry and pharm are not the candy-land that so many make them out to be. They also have hefty student loans and their fields have become largely saturated. The pharmacists and dentists that are making the big money are the ones that are working their tails off and not enjoying the amazing lifestyle that everyone equates to those fields.
 
Uhhh.... I can assure you that pods are the "TRUE" experts of the foot and ankle, and that dentists are the "TRUE" experts of the oral cavity....

They wouldn't be licensed to do their job if they weren't...

I was with you until this. So you believe that NPs are TRUE experts of medicine? They're licensed to do their job after all.
 
I was with you until this. So you believe that NPs are TRUE experts of medicine? They're licensed to do their job after all.

NP's can't drill teeth or perform a total ankle replacement....
 
Go talk to Pharmacists and Dentists, and they'll tell you that their professions are dying and that dark days are ahead. The point is, everything apparently sucks now.

BTW, government salary? Please. PPACA doesn't anywhere close to the threat of Physician salaries as SGR cuts and the current sequester cuts. Hell, the reimbursement cuts made in 2002 will likely be worse.

Point is, this is nothing new.

This. Welcome to the United States of Obama.
































(notsrs). (kindasrs)





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The most eminent experts cannot even remotely agree on what impact the health care reform will bring, especially regarding physicians and reimbursement, so you might as well suck it up for a bit and don't listen to what anyone tells you, especially SDNers and doctors who don't know anything about it.
 
When you think about it, it seems like doctors have been telling kids not to go into medicine for decades. Every so often, something comes along that some doctors think will tank medicine. Not to discount the changes from the ACA, but this phenomenon of doctors discouraging pre-meds doesn't seem to be new.
 
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