Hey guys, I am about to graduate with an engineering degree and I have been fielding different career paths. I have thought of going into medicine because it seems challenging and I think I would enjoy using my problem solving skills to help patients. I wanted to know why you guys (engineers specifically) chose medicine as a career path? It seems like you had a well-paying, challenging, interesting, and respectable job before choosing this path; what about medicine do you think a fellow engineer would love? Do you find it difficult that you trained really hard for a specific career path and you will never be able to actually do what you trained to do? (I'm having trouble with this one) Does becoming a doctor involve honing problem-solving skills? Do you think that it would have been better for you to do a bio-related degree? Thnx guys any answers will help.
To the engineers
- Thread starter engfizz
- Start date
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2006
- Messages
- 61
- Reaction score
- 0
Man, don't even think about studying for the MCAT or filling out an app unless you're sure. The amount of time, money and personal sacrifice is not worth it unless you know that it's your calling. That said, I'm a 28 yo chemical engineer. I worked as a computer programmer for two and a half years when I got out of school and for the past three and a half years I've been doing liquefied natural gas consulting. I had toyed with the idea of med school ever since my first year of school but for a lot of reasons it never came together. It wasn't until last year when my grandmother passed away during open heart surgery that I really got serious and started exploring for real. I started volunteering in my local level-one trauma center's operating room stocking shelves on Sunday nights. That led to me watching surgeries, which led to me befriending a surgeon, which led to me scrubbing in and being able to help during a bunch of procedures. That interaction and experience is what sealed the deal for me. You need to get out there and see for yourself. Volunteer. Volunteer. Volunteer.
Peace.
Peace.
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2006
- Messages
- 2,015
- Reaction score
- 3
There are many reasons why I made the switch to medicine in particular (and I won't bore you with them). Here is a brief look at my case: I'm a Ph.D. Chem Eng and ran a small ($1.5 mill/yr) engineering company for 10 years before I made the switch (and worked for some years prior to that as well). I felt like if I wanted to stay in my particular area (process controls), I would need to travel / live internationally because of my particular specialty's opportunities and my interests. I had a fun job with many friends around me. However, my family missed me a lot even on short trips. They never minded me working 80 or 100 hour weeks as long as I slept at home most nights. I looked around at some domestic alternatives both inside engineering and outside and medicine caught my eye. I considered everything from forestry to teaching school just to be sure I was making the right choice. I have a really nice personal situation that allows me to follow my calling -- medicine. I have relatives in the healthcare field, so I had some insight and felt like that helped me quite a bit in deciding.
I had really already transitioned into the business management world, so I was comfortable doing work besides engineering. The healthcare field is a $2 trillion expenditure (~20% of GDP) that literally affects every person in the country. There are so many ways to serve, from managing the hospitals to writing computer programs to designing pharmaceuticals to biomedical engineering of tissues to nursing to being a doctor (a bizillion specialites). There are limitless opportunities; it's a matter of checking out the possibilities. Volunteering in healthcare is a great way to learn little bit about what it is like.
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2003
- Messages
- 1,444
- Reaction score
- 4
I think engineering is a good background for the problem solving aspects of medicine. However, be prepared to be kicked in the butt during the basic science years, as if you're anything like me, all that analytical training sapped you of the ability for rote memorization, which is the entirety of years 1 and 2. I'm looking forward to getting on the wards and figuring stuff out 
That said, I was attracted to the problem solving aspects of it, combined with the humanistic side of being able to directly make a difference in people's lives. I'll probably wind up in surgery, where I hope to use my engineering background to advance the technology and techniques used in surgery. There was a certain 'calling' aspect to it, but I worked in industry and that just wasn't what I felt I wanted or was supposed to be doing.
That said, I was attracted to the problem solving aspects of it, combined with the humanistic side of being able to directly make a difference in people's lives. I'll probably wind up in surgery, where I hope to use my engineering background to advance the technology and techniques used in surgery. There was a certain 'calling' aspect to it, but I worked in industry and that just wasn't what I felt I wanted or was supposed to be doing.
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2006
- Messages
- 266
- Reaction score
- 0
I'm an electrical engineering premed. coop'ed with an engineering company, researched, shadowed, and volunteered. In the end, I see myself enjoying what a doctor does more than what an engineer does from experience.
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2006
- Messages
- 4,110
- Reaction score
- 31
Human interaction. It is fun seeing people get well when you've played a part.
Not really. There are concepts (albeit few) that transfer over. And you are trained to be a problem solver. Ever interview a potential client to see what problem they want solved? That's identical to taking a history.
...More like you have that part down already. Engineers are trained to be problem solvers.
It depends. There's some advantages to being an engineer (don't think it's abnormal to sleep only 4hrs a night), but there is a learning curve associated with the culture shock - med school's first two years are all about memorization.
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2005
- Messages
- 3,635
- Reaction score
- 1,133
I got my degree in chemical engineering in 2005. I knew that I'd be going to some kind of professional school down the line (doctor, lawyer, dentist, optometry, etc.) so I never intended to work as an engineer. I chose the degree because it was the hardest major I could find and I wanted to challenge myself.
I'll have to echo the others when I say that engineering is not a fantastic degree to prepare you for the memorization that you'll have to do in the first 2 years of medical school. That said, you can turn it around quickly if you really care about your grades.
I suggest that you shadow several doctors and figure out what field of medicine you want to go into. Then if you're passionate enough about it, take the plunge. That's what I did.
I'll have to echo the others when I say that engineering is not a fantastic degree to prepare you for the memorization that you'll have to do in the first 2 years of medical school. That said, you can turn it around quickly if you really care about your grades.
I suggest that you shadow several doctors and figure out what field of medicine you want to go into. Then if you're passionate enough about it, take the plunge. That's what I did.
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2004
- Messages
- 104
- Reaction score
- 1
I don't thinkalot of people look at it this way. I think college/engineering prepared me for life in general. I had med school as a strong option even before I decided to do engineering in undergrad. With an engineering background you will not only have the problem solving skills but also the technical skills. You'll be miles ahead of your colleagues in understanding the background, use and manipulation of medical equipment.
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2006
- Messages
- 4,110
- Reaction score
- 31
At the risk of invoking the wrath of our colleagues:
A piece of equipment breaks down in the OR/clinic.
MD w/engineering background says "Let me fix it."
MD w/o/engineering background says "Send in the repairman."
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2004
- Messages
- 104
- Reaction score
- 1
or better yet
MD w/engineering background says "it was inefficient anyways. I'll come in with a better one I made in my garage tomorrow"
and despite what our colleagues may say/think its true. I was BME and I'm confident I know more about some of the equipment than an MD (especially the older ones)
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2006
- Messages
- 100
- Reaction score
- 1
i did CS. most of my friends work for MS, Apple, or Google now. i don't envy them one bit -- they're now a few years into their careers but as a rule feel antsy. "should i join this startup?" "i need some motivation in my life!"
in contrast, i have the next N years mapped out clearly for me, and i'm looking forward to each year as it comes. it only gets better from 3rd year on, and this first half of 3rd year hasn't been half bad...
in contrast, i have the next N years mapped out clearly for me, and i'm looking forward to each year as it comes. it only gets better from 3rd year on, and this first half of 3rd year hasn't been half bad...
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2005
- Messages
- 499
- Reaction score
- 8
I myself am a Biomedical Engineer. I graduated in 2005 never expecting to actually work as a BME. However, I also underestimated the difficulty of getting into medical school and was unsuccesful my first year. My degree trained me to be extremely analytical in my approach to problem solving. It also gave me a different perspective of the human body. I finally got into Mercer School of Medicine and will attend in the fall. However, you might find this story more inspiring.
My senior Biomaterials professor was an orthopedic surgeon who was burnt out with the medical field. He came to the US from Vietnam in 1990, worked his way through school at University of Florida and graduated with his BME degree. He went on to the University of Miami school of medicine. While there, he obtained he doctor of podiatric medicine (DPM) and PhD in Biomedical Engineering. He went on to complete his orthopedic training at Jackson Memorial in FOUR years instead of the normal five. Talk about brilliant. This guy can do whatever he wants. He holds the patent to a total ankel replacement and is waiting to sell it to the highest bidder (has turned down $1 million + offers).
So why did he get out of medicine? He felt it was unethical from the ground up. He talked about his training and how surgeons would always end up cutting more bone than needed, etc. His vision (and PhD research) was to use CT scans of joints which could be imported into a solids modeling program like ANSYS. This allowed him to custom build a joint replacement for each patient which took into account their unique stress/strain needs. Pretty neat stuff. Anyway, he has no doubt that his understanding of biomechanics gave him the edge over other applicants into orthopedics.
My senior Biomaterials professor was an orthopedic surgeon who was burnt out with the medical field. He came to the US from Vietnam in 1990, worked his way through school at University of Florida and graduated with his BME degree. He went on to the University of Miami school of medicine. While there, he obtained he doctor of podiatric medicine (DPM) and PhD in Biomedical Engineering. He went on to complete his orthopedic training at Jackson Memorial in FOUR years instead of the normal five. Talk about brilliant. This guy can do whatever he wants. He holds the patent to a total ankel replacement and is waiting to sell it to the highest bidder (has turned down $1 million + offers).
So why did he get out of medicine? He felt it was unethical from the ground up. He talked about his training and how surgeons would always end up cutting more bone than needed, etc. His vision (and PhD research) was to use CT scans of joints which could be imported into a solids modeling program like ANSYS. This allowed him to custom build a joint replacement for each patient which took into account their unique stress/strain needs. Pretty neat stuff. Anyway, he has no doubt that his understanding of biomechanics gave him the edge over other applicants into orthopedics.
Similar threads
