Welcome from the world of accounting!
As others mentioned, I think you should take the opportunity to shadow some physicians AND other health care professionals, to make sure that it is the right path for you. I've shadowed and talked to docs, PTs and PAs..
You mention your thoughts of getting your CPA and working a while before heading back. How are you doing on your 150hr requirement? Those credits can be in anything so this is a great opportunity to explore the option while still accruing the credits needed to take the exam. Anatomy and Physiology, though not a required prerequisite for med school, could be a great way to gauge your interest.
It will never be easier to take your pre-recs than while you are still in school. Trust me! Working while taking classes is not fun, especially in the field of accounting. Plus, you will have easier access to advisors, premed committees and research opportunities.
But I don't just want to help people , I want to help people have longer healthier life. As a doctor people put so much trust in your hands and share with you some of the most intimate moments with you , I do enjoy that doctor-patient relationship.
Aside from the things I want something that challenged me and stimulate me , is constantly changing and it allows me to work with people.
I'm going to put my devil's advocate hat on now.
This is kind of the definition of public accounting. You may not play a role in the person's physical health, but you can play a very key role in their financial health, especially if you go down the tax route or financial planning. I can't begin to tell you the intimate details I've learned about clients. This is a field that is changing all of the time and provides a lot of challenges. Lots of problems to solve.
The financial rewards are very likely to be equal to or better than a physician's after you factor in the loans, deferred income, etc. Plus, there's no tax insurance companies to deal with. You'll still have to deal with the gov't but instead of Medicare, it's the IRS, and instead of begging them for money, you're making sure they don't get any more of your client's.
I think it would be well worth your time to do an internship at a CPA firm or a financial planning firm. You may find you like it. [End devil's advocate]
So after all my glowing adoration of accounting, why am I changing careers? After 8 years of trying really hard to like the world of accounting and finance, it is just not for me. I love science too much. I like making a meaningful difference in people's physical health. I can't shake the dream that I left behind. Watching those that I've shadowed has been inspiring. I am a happy and positive person, but I feel that I'm losing that in what I do. I have consistently worked as hard as many of my friends in residency (no kidding), and if I'm going to put that much time and effort into my job, I want it to be a more meaningful way.
If you do decide to go down the accounting path but really have an interest in working with people, focus on tax. Audit will sap every bit of life out of you. Nobody thanks you when you tell them they have a material weakness. But in tax, if you tell them they're throwing money away, they ask you how to fix it.
If you decide, after researching and shadowing, to go down the path of medicine or healthcare, what you have learned in your business classes will not be lost. I think there's a lot of doctors that wish they would have more business knowledge.
Please feel free to PM me if you have more specific questions and want some honest answers about accounting from someone that has been there, done that, and is hitting the "eject" button.
