Undecided on career....please help!

[loverofalldogs]

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Hey everyone, I'm new to this website so if I'm posting this in the wrong section please forgive me. I am interested in a career in medicine but I'm having a lot of trouble deciding what I want to do and I'm running out of time. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions or ideas for me.

I'm currently a college junior and I'm a public health major. I had plans of applying to either physician assistant or medical school and currently have half of my pre-requisites done for both, but haven't taken the MCAT and I have minimal patient care experience, so either way, I would probably have to wait a year or two after graduation before applying to med school or physician assistant school to strengthen my application. I'm interested in medicine because I love learning about science, the human body, and being able to diagnose and treat a patient. I'm particularly drawn to psychiatry because I've always wanted to work in the mental health field, but don't think I would enjoy doing therapy alone, or working as a social worker. I've had this plan in mind since I've started college, however, I keep second guessing myself and I'm not sure if this is the right profession for me, for a couple of reasons:

1. I would love working with patients, however, I'm more of an introvert and get drained by constant interaction with people all day. I'm interested in medicine more for the science and diagnostics aspect, but would not be content with working in a lab all day.

2. I have current mental health issues that affect my ability to function in everyday life. I'm getting help for it and going to therapy regularly, but I still have a long way to come. It hasn't affected my grades much (GPA ~ 3.9), but on some days I have trouble concentrating, or have really depressive episodes that makes it difficult to get things done and interact with people. I know this is something I can fix over time, but it's hard for me to imagine that in this moment and know what the future will bring.

3. Finances are an issue for me, and I'm currently paying part of my tuition through undergrad, but will still be graduating with about 40-50k in debt, before entering medical school or physician assistant school.

I know my post is all over the place, but I really want to get some suggestions. Does PA or MD/DO sound like a good choice for me? Is there any other career in the healthcare field that I might be better suited for that has decent pay and employment outlooks? Any and all comments are appreciated. Also, if there's another thread I could post on in addition to this that would reach a wider variety of people, please let me know. Thank you 🙂

 

[Celestia]

None of these hurdles seem insurmountable in my opinion. But it's a very challenging path. Make sure you have real life support because an Internet site will not be enough.

Good luck!

 

[tnedoots]

...and I have minimal patient care experience...

I'm interested in medicine because I love learning about science, the human body, and being able to diagnose and treat a patient...

1. I would love working with patients, however, I'm more of an introvert and get drained by constant interaction with people all day. I'm interested in medicine more for the science and diagnostics aspect, but would not be content with working in a lab all day.

3. Finances are an issue for me, and I'm currently paying part of my tuition through undergrad, but will still be graduating with about 40-50k in debt, before entering medical school or physician assistant school.

Based on these things, consider a PHd in something that would allow you to do clinical research with human subjects (big difference between clinical and bench research). You'd get the exposure you want with science and how the human body works (obviously diagnosing and treating patients would be difficult). You'd also get to work with people sometimes and at other times you could focus on the data, strategy, et cetera. Hopefully helping you with being overwhelmed.
And you can (and should) find programs that will pay you to get your PHd. Thus alleviating some financial burden.

However, I say this with this caveat: go get some clinical exposure with a physician in an area of medicine you think you'd be interested in (what a pathologist does versus an ER doc versus plastic surgeon are all VERY different) . Ask them questions about what they like and don't like about the career. Ask their peers the same question when you meet them. This is the only way you can really get a handle on what it's like to be a doctor, and even then it's not a complete picture. But at least you'll have a better idea before you make a life altering decision.

 

[futuremdforme]

Based on these things, consider a PHd in something that would allow you to do clinical research with human subjects (big difference between clinical and bench research). You'd get the exposure you want with science and how the human body works (obviously diagnosing and treating patients would be difficult). You'd also get to work with people sometimes and at other times you could focus on the data, strategy, et cetera. Hopefully helping you with being overwhelmed.
And you can (and should) find programs that will pay you to get your PHd. Thus alleviating some financial burden.

However, I say this with this caveat: go get some clinical exposure with a physician in an area of medicine you think you'd be interested in (what a pathologist does versus an ER doc versus plastic surgeon are all VERY different) . Ask them questions about what they like and don't like about the career. Ask their peers the same question when you meet them. This is the only way you can really get a handle on what it's like to be a doctor, and even then it's not a complete picture. But at least you'll have a better idea before you make a life altering decision.

PhD salaries are much lower though, and it's harder to get a job doing clinical research as a PhD than as an MD. I would not choose a PhD for financial reasons at all.

It sounds like you would benefit by learning more about what physicians and PAs do all day. There's a lot of management/paperwork in medicine and different fields have different levels of patient contact. I'd say that there are quite a few introverts in medicine but it all depends on where you are on that spectrum. Since you have some time before you plan to apply, you also have time to work on your mental health issues. If you are only seeing a therapist and not a psychiatrist, you might want to see a psychiatrist for a few sessions since they have a better sense of medical school itself, so it might give you a better idea of what to expect. Depression, anxiety, etc are really common in doctors and if it is controlled, I would not say it is a reason not to do it.

One thing to consider about finances is that if you applied in senior year and got in you would not have to pay back your loans. Realistically your 1st job out of undergrad won't make a dent in them and it would be better in the long-term financially. Do not apply if you are not confident that you can put in a strong application though.

As for MD/PA, you need to think about how you want to spend your day. For me, management/leadership is a huge part of my desired career, and I know that I will not be satisfied in any career where I'm limited by anything other than my own ambition. This is not the case for everyone! Be honest with yourself about what you truly want.

Hope this helps!

 

[Celestia]

One more thing about being an introvert. One on one interaction is very different than group interaction. Especially in fields where you develop a longitudinal relationship.

I am an introvert but really enjoy deep one on one patient relationships. I hate parties, on the other hand.

I have also had mental health issues at various times in my life. If you can maintain a 3.9 GPA, seems like it is not unreasonable to attempt med school.

In terms of finances, 50k doesn't seem too bad, but you will accumulate a lot more debt in graduate school (PhD being a general exception). On the other hand, most PAs/MDs won't have a huge problem paying it off if they are smart.

Maybe this will explain my position a little better. A hard road but doable for the right person with the right support.

As for PA/ MD- they are very different career choices, so I echo the above poster who said to get more exposure to understand the differences and make the right choice for you.

 

[loverofalldogs]

Celestia & futuremd, thank you for your comment! Id say Im a mild introvert, I prefer working with people half of the times and working by myself half of the time. And Im getting therapy and seeing a psychiatrist, it has helped but Im still having some mental health issues.

Tnedoots, what type of degree would you need to do clinical research? I partly agree with the above comment and am concerned about getting a PhD for financial reasons. And I already know if I wanted to go the med school route I would probably do psychiatry. Ive been to one but never shadowed one working in the field

 

[tnedoots]

Tnedoots, what type of degree would you need to do clinical research? I partly agree with the above comment and am concerned about getting a PhD for financial reasons. And I already know if I wanted to go the med school route I would probably do psychiatry. Ive been to one but never shadowed one working in the field

Before I applied for med school I worked with some exercise physiologists that did all of their work with human subjects. You can get a PhD in many many different areas so I'm sure there are plenty that will take you into the clinical research world. The school would be the biggest key to this. Finding one that has a lot of clinical research labs will be key in finding the opportunities there.

There are two components to the financial consideration. One is your salary potential when you are fully trained, the other is what it costs to get fully trained.
Unless you get some sort of grant or scholarship, med school can set you back many hundreds of thousands of dollars, plus all the interest that gets tacked on to it. If you get a fully funded PhD, as in no tuition and a stipend, you'll come out debt free. Most likely you'll be done with that in four years add in a post-doc (which you'll get paid for) and you'll be fully trained in 5 or 6 years. Taking the med school route, you'll rack up the debt for four years. Then you'll get paid a small amount in residency for a minimum of 3 years. So, you'd have to do the math for you to see when the crossover point is between getting your loans paid with an MD salary, and not having loans while being paid a PhD salary.
I'll add the caveat here that this shouldn't be a consideration unless the cost of the education would prevent you from getting to where you want to go. However, there are all kinds of options to pay off loans like the military, the 10 year forgiveness program, etc. Examine your options, gain as much knowledge as you can, and go from there.

 

[CBFutureHelper14]

Hey everyone, I'm new to this website so if I'm posting this in the wrong section please forgive me. I am interested in a career in medicine but I'm having a lot of trouble deciding what I want to do and I'm running out of time. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions or ideas for me.

I'm currently a college junior and I'm a public health major. I had plans of applying to either physician assistant or medical school and currently have half of my pre-requisites done for both, but haven't taken the MCAT and I have minimal patient care experience, so either way, I would probably have to wait a year or two after graduation before applying to med school or physician assistant school to strengthen my application. I'm interested in medicine because I love learning about science, the human body, and being able to diagnose and treat a patient. I'm particularly drawn to psychiatry because I've always wanted to work in the mental health field, but don't think I would enjoy doing therapy alone, or working as a social worker. I've had this plan in mind since I've started college, however, I keep second guessing myself and I'm not sure if this is the right profession for me, for a couple of reasons:

1. I would love working with patients, however, I'm more of an introvert and get drained by constant interaction with people all day. I'm interested in medicine more for the science and diagnostics aspect, but would not be content with working in a lab all day.

2. I have current mental health issues that affect my ability to function in everyday life. I'm getting help for it and going to therapy regularly, but I still have a long way to come. It hasn't affected my grades much (GPA ~ 3.9), but on some days I have trouble concentrating, or have really depressive episodes that makes it difficult to get things done and interact with people. I know this is something I can fix over time, but it's hard for me to imagine that in this moment and know what the future will bring.

3. Finances are an issue for me, and I'm currently paying part of my tuition through undergrad, but will still be graduating with about 40-50k in debt, before entering medical school or physician assistant school.

I know my post is all over the place, but I really want to get some suggestions. Does PA or MD/DO sound like a good choice for me? Is there any other career in the healthcare field that I might be better suited for that has decent pay and employment outlooks? Any and all comments are appreciated. Also, if there's another thread I could post on in addition to this that would reach a wider variety of people, please let me know. Thank you 🙂

Have you shadowed any MDs/DOs or PAs? That could help. Or you could volunteer at a hospital in your area. If I am not mistaken PA schools require at least 1,000 hours of direct patient contact before being able to apply to a program. Med schools don't require that, but recommend shadowing or being in a entry level medical profession such as CNA or EMT.
As far as your mental health, Both med and PA require students to be in appropriate mental heath in order to perform the duties required as students and professionals. Having a mental health issue won't keep you out of med or pa school, you just have to show admissions board that you have your mental health issues managed. Also keep in mind, med and PA schools do have counseling centers for the students to go to if they need to.
Finance wise there is a scholarship/loan repayment program, the National Health Service Corps, that will either pay for med/PA school if you get the scholarship and require you to serve as a doctor or PA in a health shortage area, in primary care,OR help you repay the loans you got while pursuing your med or PA license. The NHSC also extends the loan repayment options to Nurse Practitioners, Mental health counselors, and marriage/family therapists. Possibly more but thats all I can remeber right now. Just Google National Health Service Corps and the site will come up for you to look at.

 

[futuremdforme]

Before I applied for med school I worked with some exercise physiologists that did all of their work with human subjects. You can get a PhD in many many different areas so I'm sure there are plenty that will take you into the clinical research world. The school would be the biggest key to this. Finding one that has a lot of clinical research labs will be key in finding the opportunities there.

There are two components to the financial consideration. One is your salary potential when you are fully trained, the other is what it costs to get fully trained.
Unless you get some sort of grant or scholarship, med school can set you back many hundreds of thousands of dollars, plus all the interest that gets tacked on to it. If you get a fully funded PhD, as in no tuition and a stipend, you'll come out debt free. Most likely you'll be done with that in four years add in a post-doc (which you'll get paid for) and you'll be fully trained in 5 or 6 years. Taking the med school route, you'll rack up the debt for four years. Then you'll get paid a small amount in residency for a minimum of 3 years. So, you'd have to do the math for you to see when the crossover point is between getting your loans paid with an MD salary, and not having loans while being paid a PhD salary.
I'll add the caveat here that this shouldn't be a consideration unless the cost of the education would prevent you from getting to where you want to go. However, there are all kinds of options to pay off loans like the military, the 10 year forgiveness program, etc. Examine your options, gain as much knowledge as you can, and go from there.

Post doc salary isn't any higher than residency salary...

Before undertaking ANY PhD, I'd recommend talking to people who have done the program. Not just academics, but the ones who didn't make it. Academia is extremely competitive. I know tons of people still doing postdocs in their late 30s and finding themselves unemployed without a career at that age. That's one major advantage of medicine.