Torn.

[Draxula]

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I've always wanted to become a dentist but recently I've acquired a minor change of interest. I think I want to be a podiatrist. I know you're supposed to go with what you enjoy, but I love both fields equally! Would my best bet be to shadow a dentist and a podiatrist for a few days? Any tips would be great 😀

 

[RuralPhysician8]

Definitely try to do some shadowing, not only to get an idea of your interests, but to go ahead and have a shadowing position as you start undergrad. I am an incoming freshman and I have been getting the run around from physician offices everywhere in my area. My community is pretty strict on all things healthcare so I definitely wish I had started seeking out physicians toward the end of my junior year instead of the beginning of senior year.

These links might help as far as the statistics go for each field, but experience is the best teacher...
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291081.htm

http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291021.htm

 

[Arijos0222]

Lifestyle = Dentistry

Interesting cases = Podiatry

Podiatry doesn't have as much call as MD/DO's because most of trauma goes to orthopedists.

I'm leaning more towards things other than medicine, so I may be biased with the lifestyle issue, but if you want a for filling career that is interesting and has a lot of variety, Podiatry is the way to go. I highly recommend it.

 

[McNCheese]

Do some shadowing and remain open to everything. You have a lot of time to think about these things, and exploring is the best thing you can do right now.

 

[nysegop]

Lifestyle = Dentistry

Interesting cases = Podiatry

Podiatry doesn't have as much call as MD/DO's because most of trauma goes to orthopedists.

I'm leaning more towards things other than medicine, so I may be biased with the lifestyle issue, but if you want a for filling career that is interesting and has a lot of variety, Podiatry is the way to go. I highly recommend it.

Anyone who needs time to themselves/stable lifestyle = DO NOT CHOOSE MEDICINE. The following are other possible options:

-Podiatry
-Dentistry
-Chriopractic
-Surgical Tech
-Even Nursing (Nurses usually work shifts rather than call schedules)
-Physician Assistant
-Optometry
-Academics

The list goes on.

 

[MaxillofacialMN]

I picked pod over dent. Podiatry as a career sees a MUCH greater pathology than dentistry. The dentist lifestyle is fantastic, excellent pay for a monday-thursday job, but if you want to ENJOY your 40 hours a week at work, I picked podiatry. There is only so much you will see in a dentistry clinic - drilling, filling, and billing.
Podiatry has musculoskeletal surgery, derm, biomech, orthopedics, etc etc.

Just my .02

 

[nysegop]

I picked pod over dent. Podiatry as a career sees a MUCH greater pathology than dentistry. The dentist lifestyle is fantastic, excellent pay for a monday-thursday job, but if you want to ENJOY your 40 hours a week at work, I picked podiatry. There is only so much you will see in a dentistry clinic - drilling, filling, and billing.
Podiatry has musculoskeletal surgery, derm, biomech, orthopedics, etc etc.

Just my .02

Just my .03

 

[survivordo]

Keep your options open. Definitely shadow as much as you can. You don't need to make any kind of final decision for at least several years and most of the pre-reqs are fairly similar.

Survivor DO

 

[Arijos0222]

Actually a lot of the podiatry lifestyle is getting busier so I wouldn't necessarily call it an "easy" lifestyle.

Go on the pod forums and look for yourself. A lot of the attendings say that they work hard and i'd say that the hours are around 60+

 

[MaxillofacialMN]

Also a thought-provoking thing happened when I changed my mind between dent and pod: people quit telling me they hated their dentist. Whenever I told people I was pursuing dentistry, I would, on occasion, get people that said, "oh! I hate my/going to the dentist!" People don't tell me they hate their podiatrist. Just an interesting observation I've noticed.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using SDN Mobile

 

[nysegop]

Actually a lot of the podiatry lifestyle is getting busier so I wouldn't necessarily call it an "easy" lifestyle.

Go on the pod forums and look for yourself. A lot of the attendings say that they work hard and i'd say that the hours are around 60+

60+ is becoming the new reality for a lot of professions (doctors, lawyers, business people). One of my teachers had friends in college (at Middlebury) who got 4.0 GPAs and went to work at Goldman Sachs. They make well over $750,000 per year and have $5,000,000 + apartments near Central Park, but they have essentially no time. They work about 80 hours per week and get 2-3 weeks of vacation.

 

[ciruji]

60+ is becoming the new reality for a lot of professions (doctors, lawyers, business people). One of my teachers had friends in college (at Middlebury) who got 4.0 GPAs and went to work at Goldman Sachs. They make well over $750,000 per year and have $5,000,000 + apartments near Central Park, but they have essentially no time. They work about 80 hours per week and get 2-3 weeks of vacation.

The amount of stress that goes in banking career is not worth it IMO. It's like living to work.

 

[nysegop]

The amount of stress that goes in banking career is not worth it IMO. It's like living to work.

I think the money is the only desirable thing about a banking career. The people suck too.