Why medicine is the best career

[steelerfans888]

You often hear on sdn a lot of negativity towards medicine these days. I really can't understand why. I am going to analyze medicine versus other careers to prove to you why medicine is on top. This analysis is strictly based on finances and lifestyle. I know that there are far more rewards in medicine that are better than money however I am leaving those out.

Medicine versus Law
-Severe shortage of MDs and extreme surplus of lawyers.
-These days even if your are from the top 15 law schools you still need to be near the top of your class to get a good job.
-As a lawyer you need to kiss a lot of ***, always keep an updated resume and constantly worry about impressing your clients or superiors, your skills can be easily replaced. Whereas in medicine after residency you can be a complete d*** for the rest of your life, you never have to worry about landing a job, forget about your resume as long as you have a MD after your name and you are board certified there will be work for you.
-Salary wise the average for medicine is higher. Most doctors do better than most lawyers. Some of the top lawyers make a lot of money but if you compare them to the top doctors (neurosurgeons, IC, plastic surgeons, orthopedics, gastroenterologists) it is roughly the same.

Medicine versus dentistry
- This is a close one but medicine still comes out on top. In dentistry people see the 35hr work weeks and the 180K salary and assume its better than medicine. What they don't realize is start up costs in dentistry are higher and there is a much greater competition between dentists for patients than for doctors. If a pcp wanted to he can see more patients at will and increase his salary to much higher than a general dentist. Dentistry doesn't give you this option.

Medicine versus finance/accounting/investment banking/mba

Sure CEO's, CFO's, investment bankers and top accountants earn millions of dollars. But going to school to become one of them is like me saying I am going to become an NBA player. Its probably not going to happen. Picture your average pre-med as an investment banker- it just wont happen he/she would get ripped off in a second and get taken advantage of. So many people major in accounting/finance in college hoping to make it to these ranks most don't even end up getting jobs.

Medicine versus engineering

Engineering is an awful field. You will likely get fired by age 45 or be moved from company to company.

Medicine versus nursing, pharmacy, optometry and other allied health careers

- Sure lifestyle and responsibility is much lower in these careers but financially medicine beats each one of these by a long shot. I don't know about you but I would not want to be taking orders from doctors especially when I know that I have the intelligence and drive to become one.

If there are other careers I missed please let me know. If you disagree with me about any of the careers please make your point and I will prove you wrong.

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[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Hmm medicine has its negatives too. There called 3rd and 4th year clinical and residency, after which you'll have likely aged by 10 years in half the time.
50 hours a week. I'd rather be a dentist and work 35 hour honestly then be a doctor and work 15 extra hours.
Bad home life, I know so many doctors who are just like Dr.Wilson from house.

I will agree, medicine has so many benefits in security and income. But for all the sacrifices you make only a fool would call it the best career.

But forever know, the best career is the one your sincerely interested in and will love doing for the rest of your life.

Anyway you don't go to school to become a CEO or industrialist. You have to be smart enough to abuse a niche in our society and profit from it. Bill gates for example flunked out of college and is top 2 in money?

 

[SusGob711]

I think the word 'best' is a matter of opinion. While I am passionate about medicine I wouldn't consider it the best of any field, by any means. The training is not only rigorous but extremely lengthy. And once training is completed, physicians work long hours every week. Even if medicine is a great field (which it is), it certainly is not for everyone.

 

[morning]

If I didn't think medicine was the best field FOR ME I wouldn't be busting my arse trying to get a 4.0...but it's certainly not the best field for everyone. That would be ridiculous. There comes a point where being ultra-pragmatic about your future ceases to be sensible and starts being sinister. If you're going into a field for job security and pay you're going to become burnt out and bitter very quickly.

(Wow, this post has A LOT of alliteration )

 

[JoshUNCW]

You often hear on sdn a lot of negativity towards medicine these days. I really can't understand why. I am going to analyze medicine versus other careers to prove to you why medicine is on top. This analysis is strictly based on finances and lifestyle. I know that there are far more rewards in medicine that are better than money however I am leaving those out.

Medicine versus Law
-Severe shortage of MDs and extreme surplus of lawyers.
-These days even if your are from the top 15 law schools you still need to be near the top of your class to get a good job.
-As a lawyer you need to kiss a lot of ***, always keep an updated resume and constantly worry about impressing your clients or superiors, your skills can be easily replaced. Whereas in medicine after residency you can be a complete d*** for the rest of your life, you never have to worry about landing a job, forget about your resume as long as you have a MD after your name and you are board certified there will be work for you.
-Salary wise the average for medicine is higher. Most doctors do better than most lawyers. Some of the top lawyers make a lot of money but if you compare them to the top doctors (neurosurgeons, IC, plastic surgeons, orthopedics, gastroenterologists) it is roughly the same.

Medicine versus dentistry
- This is a close one but medicine still comes out on top. In dentistry people see the 35hr work weeks and the 180K salary and assume its better than medicine. What they don't realize is start up costs in dentistry are higher and there is a much greater competition between dentists for patients than for doctors. If a pcp wanted to he can see more patients at will and increase his salary to much higher than a general dentist. Dentistry doesn't give you this option.

Medicine versus finance/accounting/investment banking/mba

Sure CEO's, CFO's, investment bankers and top accountants earn millions of dollars. But going to school to become one of them is like me saying I am going to become an NBA player. Its probably not going to happen. Picture your average pre-med as an investment banker- it just wont happen he/she would get ripped off in a second and get taken advantage of. So many people major in accounting/finance in college hoping to make it to these ranks most don't even end up getting jobs.

Medicine versus engineering

Engineering is an awful field. You will likely get fired by age 45 or be moved from company to company.

Medicine versus nursing, pharmacy, optometry and other allied health careers

- Sure lifestyle and responsibility is much lower in these careers but financially medicine beats each one of these by a long shot. I don't know about you but I would not want to be taking orders from doctors especially when I know that I have the intelligence and drive to become one.

If there are other careers I missed please let me know. If you disagree with me about any of the careers please make your point and I will prove you wrong.

Uhh, what?

 

[crprep23]

This is not a knock on you man, but that is the most superficial analysis of every career you listed. I'm sure it was unintended.

 

[mfrizzo3]

This is why pre-meds should refrain from making lists.

 

[Bernoull]

You often hear on sdn a lot of negativity towards medicine these days. I really can't understand why. I am going to analyze medicine versus other careers to prove to you why medicine is on top. This analysis is strictly based on finances and lifestyle. I know that there are far more rewards in medicine that are better than money however I am leaving those out.

Medicine versus Law
-Severe shortage of MDs and extreme surplus of lawyers.
-These days even if your are from the top 15 law schools you still need to be near the top of your class to get a good job.
-As a lawyer you need to kiss a lot of ***, always keep an updated resume and constantly worry about impressing your clients or superiors, your skills can be easily replaced. Whereas in medicine after residency you can be a complete d*** for the rest of your life, you never have to worry about landing a job, forget about your resume as long as you have a MD after your name and you are board certified there will be work for you.
-Salary wise the average for medicine is higher. Most doctors do better than most lawyers. Some of the top lawyers make a lot of money but if you compare them to the top doctors (neurosurgeons, IC, plastic surgeons, orthopedics, gastroenterologists) it is roughly the same.

Medicine versus dentistry
- This is a close one but medicine still comes out on top. In dentistry people see the 35hr work weeks and the 180K salary and assume its better than medicine. What they don't realize is start up costs in dentistry are higher and there is a much greater competition between dentists for patients than for doctors. If a pcp wanted to he can see more patients at will and increase his salary to much higher than a general dentist. Dentistry doesn't give you this option.

Medicine versus finance/accounting/investment banking/mba

Sure CEO's, CFO's, investment bankers and top accountants earn millions of dollars. But going to school to become one of them is like me saying I am going to become an NBA player. Its probably not going to happen. Picture your average pre-med as an investment banker- it just wont happen he/she would get ripped off in a second and get taken advantage of. So many people major in accounting/finance in college hoping to make it to these ranks most don't even end up getting jobs.

Medicine versus engineering

Engineering is an awful field. You will likely get fired by age 45 or be moved from company to company.

Medicine versus nursing, pharmacy, optometry and other allied health careers

- Sure lifestyle and responsibility is much lower in these careers but financially medicine beats each one of these by a long shot. I don't know about you but I would not want to be taking orders from doctors especially when I know that I have the intelligence and drive to become one.

If there are other careers I missed please let me know. If you disagree with me about any of the careers please make your point and I will prove you wrong.

Wow, tomorrow I'm going to the Dean's Office to ask for a refund!!! They didn't give me a disclaimer about the awfulness of Engineering....

 

[steelerfans888]

This is not a knock on you man, but that is the most superficial analysis of every career you listed. I'm sure it was unintended.

I know its superficial. But trust me I am not a superficial person I have thought long and hard about being a doctor. Medicine beats any career out there (at least for me) because of its combination of interesting science, the humanistic aspect, and research opportunities. Those are the most important reasons for me pursuing medicine. However I am materialistic and do want to be somewhat wealthy. I feel medicine will allow me to achieve that however many on SDN disagree. I just don't see why, when I compare the finances to any other career medicine seems to come out on top. What am I missing?

 

[steelerfans888]

Ok maybe I exaggerated engineering a little bit. This is because two of my family members got laid off. I am basing it on purely anecdotal evidence. All in all few engineers reach 100k. However I do have great respect for engineers, probably the hardest major in college.

 

[zidrem]

A ton of engineers reach 100k before you will even start to dream of making money, and they do it while working normal hours (as opposed to I-bankers for example, who can rake in that much after college but have to work 80 hour weeks).

And for being such an awful career, I would also like to point out that engineering has a lot to do with "interesting science," "research," and helping "humanity" as well.

Seriously you are out of control. Just saying.

It's never good to idealize too much or to be too gung-ho over something. Remember that - in reality - medicine often means a life of dealing with sick people at ungodly hours.

 

[OCizzle]

The reason why perfectly intelligent and motivated people chose careers other than medicine isn't necessarily because they aren't smart enough for it. Has it ever occurred to you that maybe they find other careers more appealing? Or maybe they didn't want to develop high blood pressure from spending 4 years of undergrad alongside idiots like you?

 

[Bernoull]

I know its superficial. But trust me I am not a superficial person I have thought long and hard about being a doctor. Medicine beats any career out there (at least for me) because of its combination of interesting science, the humanistic aspect, and research opportunities. Those are the most important reasons for me pursuing medicine. However I am materialistic and do want to be somewhat wealthy. I feel medicine will allow me to achieve that however many on SDN disagree. I just don't see why, when I compare the finances to any other career medicine seems to come out on top. What am I missing?

What you missed is that, you can make an argument that is based solely on its merits. In other words, you don't have to disparage other fields to make medicine "look better." These XXX Vs YYY fields are completely absurd, people have different motivations and interests in life, the different disciplines have inherent value and the world is a better place because young kids aspire to be a poets, librarians, athletes, musicians, social workers, teachers etc etc etc. We can't all do the same things in life, and it's stupid to disparage other fields simply because they don't interest you.

I'm majored in both Biology and Bioengineering and some of my favorite courses have nothing to do with either (geopolitics, international dev, ethics etc etc). Back to engineering, there's countless medical advances that found their genesis in engineering. More generally, engineering does complement the sciences a great deal, one may learn about cell migration/adhesion qualitatively in cell/dev bio but it's another thing to quantitatively/mathematically describe these processes, and model things like adhesion forces. This way if you design, say endothelial tissue grafts, u have some appreciation for the hemodynamic shear forces that such a graft can withstand...

Also it's good to provide sources when you made claims, it's easy to proclaim anything, but it's more meaningful to back it up...


Anyway, all the fields are important...

 

[randombetch]

You often hear on sdn a lot of negativity towards medicine these days. I really can't understand why. I am going to analyze medicine versus other careers to prove to you why medicine is on top. This analysis is strictly based on finances and lifestyle. I know that there are far more rewards in medicine that are better than money however I am leaving those out.

Medicine versus Law
-Severe shortage of MDs and extreme surplus of lawyers.
-These days even if your are from the top 15 law schools you still need to be near the top of your class to get a good job.
-As a lawyer you need to kiss a lot of ***, always keep an updated resume and constantly worry about impressing your clients or superiors, your skills can be easily replaced. Whereas in medicine after residency you can be a complete d*** for the rest of your life, you never have to worry about landing a job, forget about your resume as long as you have a MD after your name and you are board certified there will be work for you.
-Salary wise the average for medicine is higher. Most doctors do better than most lawyers. Some of the top lawyers make a lot of money but if you compare them to the top doctors (neurosurgeons, IC, plastic surgeons, orthopedics, gastroenterologists) it is roughly the same.

Medicine versus dentistry
- This is a close one but medicine still comes out on top. In dentistry people see the 35hr work weeks and the 180K salary and assume its better than medicine. What they don't realize is start up costs in dentistry are higher and there is a much greater competition between dentists for patients than for doctors. If a pcp wanted to he can see more patients at will and increase his salary to much higher than a general dentist. Dentistry doesn't give you this option.

Medicine versus finance/accounting/investment banking/mba

Sure CEO's, CFO's, investment bankers and top accountants earn millions of dollars. But going to school to become one of them is like me saying I am going to become an NBA player. Its probably not going to happen. Picture your average pre-med as an investment banker- it just wont happen he/she would get ripped off in a second and get taken advantage of. So many people major in accounting/finance in college hoping to make it to these ranks most don't even end up getting jobs.

Medicine versus engineering

Engineering is an awful field. You will likely get fired by age 45 or be moved from company to company.

Medicine versus nursing, pharmacy, optometry and other allied health careers

- Sure lifestyle and responsibility is much lower in these careers but financially medicine beats each one of these by a long shot. I don't know about you but I would not want to be taking orders from doctors especially when I know that I have the intelligence and drive to become one.

If there are other careers I missed please let me know. If you disagree with me about any of the careers please make your point and I will prove you wrong.

I think you're being very naive about medicine. Make sure you understand it's not all fun, games, and a high salary when it comes to medicine: you will undergo much, much more debt, and have a much longer delay until you start reaping the rewards of years and years of studying.

Furthermore, although you didn't exactly imply you're going into medicine just because all other fields aren't as "good," make sure you know that such reason would be a very poor one for entering medicine..

As for the bold - that's just a terrible analogy. If you're coming from a top 10 undergrad, getting a job as an investment banker and making a >$500k salary is not that unrealistic if you are driven enough.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Somewhat off topic:



I always hate reading/hearing the Gates example -- it makes it sound like college and intelligence is just worth mehh... "I mean BILL GATES FAILED OUT OF COLLEGE and look at him now!!!"

Yet in reality, he was a genius before going to Harvard. Later as his baby company began to blow up, he couldn't find the time to go to class = dropped out.

You have understand that Millionaires obtain there wealth not from their degree's.
Realistically if your going by the Weberian sociological system of class, after 250k income your level of education( bach/mast/doct) no longer really matter.

 

[anonymousername]

Y
Medicine versus dentistry
- This is a close one but medicine still comes out on top. In dentistry people see the 35hr work weeks and the 180K salary and assume its better than medicine. What they don't realize is start up costs in dentistry are higher and there is a much greater competition between dentists for patients than for doctors. If a pcp wanted to he can see more patients at will and increase his salary to much higher than a general dentist. Dentistry doesn't give you this option.

that isn't really a great argument for why medicine > dentistry

 

[anonymousername]

Medicine versus engineering

Engineering is an awful field. You will likely get fired by age 45 or be moved from company to company.

Ok maybe I exaggerated engineering a little bit. This is because two of my family members got laid off. I am basing it on purely anecdotal evidence. All in all few engineers reach 100k. However I do have great respect for engineers, probably the hardest major in college.

i'm starting to second guess your reasoning ability

If there are other careers I missed please let me know. If you disagree with me about any of the careers please make your point and I will prove you wrong.

As much as we appreciate your years of service in the medical profession and the vast insight you have about being a physician, I think I'll pass.

 

[kia ora]

well, OP, it is a good thing you are not interested in becoming a lawyer, because your analysis and arguments are quite weak

also, you missed *thousands* of other careers...

 

[steelerfans888]

I don't mean to bash other fields. I understand people have different interests. I am definitely not saying that people go into other fields because they can't be doctors. I am also not advocating going into medicine for the money. I can see why people may think that from what I wrote earlier. The point in creating this thread was to argue that medicine financially is a good career. People on SDN make it seem like going into medicine is a stupid decision financially. They say there much easier ways to make money. My point is that there aren't easier ways to make money. Nothing in life is easy, in any of the fields I listed you have to be one of the best and be lucky to become wealthy. What I like about medicine is that it takes the luck factor out of the equation.

 

[steelerfans888]

that isn't really a great argument for why medicine > dentistry

I am comparing careers on a strictly financial basis. I know there is more to a career than just this I don't need a million people on SDN telling me this. My point is financially a pcp and a general dentist are roughly equivalent. However general dentists have greater start up costs. And PCP has less competition for patients. So if the PCP wanted to he can bump up his salary either by working more hours during the day, or picking up some ER shifts on the weekend. Dentists for the most part don't have this opportunity like doctors do. Hence making a pcp potentially a better choice when it comes to finances.

 

[anonymousername]

What I like about medicine is that it takes the luck factor out of the equation.

I guess I see your point, luck plays no factor in
-getting into med school
-getting good clinical rotations
-matching into a good residency
-getting a good call schedule
-working on holidays and weekends
-matching into a malignant residency
-working 70-80 hours a week (not including take home)
-being responsible for when someone screws up
-being sued
-having your residency spot terminated
.
.
.
it looks like once you decide to be "pre-med"...you're pretty much set for life

 

[Velocity]

I don't mean to bash other fields. I understand people have different interests. I am definitely not saying that people go into other fields because they can't be doctors. I am also not advocating going into medicine for the money. I can see why people may think that from what I wrote earlier. The point in creating this thread was to argue that medicine financially is a good career. People on SDN make it seem like going into medicine is a stupid decision financially. They say there much easier ways to make money. My point is that there aren't easier ways to make money. Nothing in life is easy, in any of the fields I listed you have to be one of the best and be lucky to become wealthy. What I like about medicine is that it takes the luck factor out of the equation.

No, medicine is a stupid career to go into for the money. Consider someone like a plumber vs. a doctor. The plumber can start work basically out of high school. They're always in demand, they make pretty good money. The salary numbers may not seem like much, but when you consider that they're actively working while you're paying for college and medical school, they're easily coming out with six-figure sums of money ahead of you before you've even started working. Even once you start working, your overall liability is much greater. Make one major screwup or anger the wrong patient badly enough and you could lose your license. Bye-bye income. What's the worst that can happen to a plumber? A lawsuit, I suppose; maybe some bad comments written on a website about them

That aside, unless you're interested in a lifestyle specialty, you're not going to be making as much as you think (after taxes, insurance, etc.) and you won't have the time to spend your money as you like. You will find that your time and focus for other areas of your life is largely robbed from you until you are well into your 40's or 50's.

There will always be a demand for your work, but because of the liability factor I'm not sure that it's fair to call it career stability.

Go into it because you like it, not because you think you'll be getting a cushy job. There are many sad sacrifices that will be made (perhaps unwillingly) by the people who become doctors. The money aspect will not make you happy. It is not what's important.

 

[JoshUNCW]

I'm pretty sure the majority of engineers will reach 100k. Not a few. But most, if they're half capable. At least that's how it is with computer scientists, I usually assume engineers make about the same. Which is a solid assumption since a some engineering fields make less, some make more, but we're all in the top money making range.

 

[steelerfans888]

I guess I see your point, luck plays no factor in
-getting into med school
-getting good clinical rotations
-matching into a good residency
-getting a good call schedule
-working on holidays and weekends
-matching into a malignant residency
-working 70-80 hours a week (not including take home)
-being responsible for when someone screws up
-being sued
-having your residency spot terminated
.
.
.
it looks like once you decide to be "pre-med"...you're pretty much set for life

You can get into medical school if you work hard enough and apply broadly. Getting good clinical rotations is not going to maake or break your career. Your call schedule is what you pick for yourself as an attending (its pretty standerized for residents). I don't know what you mean about working holidays and weekends. 70-80 hours a week goes in line with hard work. Being sued is very stressful from what I have heard. However unless you did something completely idiotic the consequences of being sued aren't all that great. If that was the case half of the doctors in the US would have their licenses suspended

 

[steelerfans888]

No, medicine is a stupid career to go into for the money. Consider someone like a plumber vs. a doctor. The plumber can start work basically out of high school. They're always in demand, they make pretty good money. The salary numbers may not seem like much, but when you consider that they're actively working while you're paying for college and medical school, they're easily coming out with six-figure sums of money ahead of you before you've even started working. Even once you start working, your overall liability is much greater. Make one major screwup or anger the wrong patient badly enough and you could lose your license. Bye-bye income. What's the worst that can happen to a plumber? A lawsuit, I suppose; maybe some bad comments written on a website about them

That aside, unless you're interested in a lifestyle specialty, you're not going to be making as much as you think (after taxes, insurance, etc.) and you won't have the time to spend your money as you like. You will find that your time and focus for other areas of your life is largely robbed from you until you are well into your 40's or 50's.

There will always be a demand for your work, but because of the liability factor I'm not sure that it's fair to call it career stability.

Go into it because you like it, not because you think you'll be getting a cushy job. There are many sad sacrifices that will be made (perhaps unwillingly) by the people who become doctors. The money aspect will not make you happy. It is not what's important.

I never said its a cushy job. Also like I said earlier liability factor is overrated. If you have malpractice insurance the financial consequences aren't that severe. Personally I am more worried about the emotional consequences I def. don't want to be directly responsible for someones death. Doctor vs. Plumber is not a good argument. Doctors are far wealthier than plumbers. Even if a doctor is making 150K (a low estimate), and a plumber 80K (a high estimate) the doctor will surpass him around 40 years of age and after that will crush him.

 

[JoshUNCW]

No, medicine is a stupid career to go into for the money. Consider someone like a plumber vs. a doctor. The plumber can start work basically out of high school. They're always in demand, they make pretty good money. The salary numbers may not seem like much, but when you consider that they're actively working while you're paying for college and medical school, they're easily coming out with six-figure sums of money ahead of you before you've even started working. Even once you start working, your overall liability is much greater. Make one major screwup or anger the wrong patient badly enough and you could lose your license. Bye-bye income. What's the worst that can happen to a plumber? A lawsuit, I suppose; maybe some bad comments written on a website about them

That aside, unless you're interested in a lifestyle specialty, you're not going to be making as much as you think (after taxes, insurance, etc.) and you won't have the time to spend your money as you like. You will find that your time and focus for other areas of your life is largely robbed from you until you are well into your 40's or 50's.

There will always be a demand for your work, but because of the liability factor I'm not sure that it's fair to call it career stability.

Go into it because you like it, not because you think you'll be getting a cushy job. There are many sad sacrifices that will be made (perhaps unwillingly) by the people who become doctors. The money aspect will not make you happy. It is not what's important.

I've never (and never will) met a plumber with a higher income/standard of living than a doctor.

 

[anonymousername]

My point is financially a pcp and a general dentist are roughly equivalent. However general dentists have greater start up costs. And PCP has less competition for patients. So if the PCP wanted to he can bump up his salary either by working more hours during the day, or picking up some ER shifts on the weekend. Dentists for the most part don't have this opportunity like doctors do. Hence making a pcp potentially a better choice when it comes to finances.

this analysis is strictly based on finances and lifestyle.

I think the logic of medicine being better than dentistry based on having lower start up costs and the opportunity for more hours faulty. If you're looking at finances, sure, medicine wins out 90% of the time. Lifestyle on the other hand is a different issue.

Dentists earn around the same amount as doctors but work a fraction of what doctors do. From the dentists and doctors I shadowed, the dentists had a better lifestyle every time. Dentists have no call, no emergencies at 3 in the morning, they're self employed, work Mon-Thrus from 8-5 and have the rest free.
Doctors are either answering to administration (in a hospital), other attendings, or their partners. Their head is always on the chopping block. They work call X weeks/month, often miss holidays and weekends, have higher malpractice insurance, higher chance of being sued, higher divorce rate (but not suicide )...

If finances were the only issue, then sure md/do > dds/dmd but when lifestyle comes into play, I would dentistry would make the better job.

 

[metallica81788]

Hmm medicine has its negatives too. There called 3rd and 4th year clinical and residency, after which you'll have likely aged by 10 years in half the time.
50 hours a week. I'd rather be a dentist and work 35 hour honestly then be a doctor and work 15 extra hours.
Bad home life, I know so many doctors who are just like Dr.Wilson from house.

I will agree, medicine has so many benefits in security and income. But for all the sacrifices you make only a fool would call it the best career.

But forever know, the best career is the one your sincerely interested in and will love doing for the rest of your life.

Anyway you don't go to school to become a CEO or industrialist. You have to be smart enough to abuse a niche in our society and profit from it. Bill gates for example flunked out of college and is top 2 in money?

Really? You might want to think about how many hours medicine will require at certain points in your life.

I couldn't do that, maybe it's just because I would never be a dentist, but I guess it's to each his/her own.

 

[JoshUNCW]

Really? You might want to think about how many hours medicine will require at certain points in your life.

I couldn't do that, maybe it's just because I would never be a dentist, but I guess it's to each his/her own.

Did your llama worm avatar always have text?

 

[steelerfans888]

I think the logic of medicine being better than dentistry based on having lower start up costs and the opportunity for more hours faulty. If you're looking at finances, sure, medicine wins out 90% of the time. Lifestyle on the other hand is a different issue.

Dentists earn around the same amount as doctors but work a fraction of what doctors do. From the dentists and doctors I shadowed, the dentists had a better lifestyle every time. Dentists have no call, no emergencies at 3 in the morning, they're self employed, work Mon-Thrus from 8-5 and have the rest free.
Doctors are either answering to administration (in a hospital), other attendings, or their partners. Their head is always on the chopping block. They work call X weeks/month, often miss holidays and weekends, have higher malpractice insurance, higher chance of being sued, higher divorce rate (but not suicide )...

If finances were the only issue, then sure md/do > dds/dmd but when lifestyle comes into play, I would dentistry would make the better job.

Finally something we agree on. Per hour pay is greater for dentists. However total income I would say medicine by the slightest amount

 

[Mackey]

You often hear on sdn a lot of negativity towards medicine these days. I really can't understand why. I am going to analyze medicine versus other careers to prove to you why medicine is on top. This analysis is strictly based on finances and lifestyle. I know that there are far more rewards in medicine that are better than money however I am leaving those out.

Medicine versus Law
-Severe shortage of MDs and extreme surplus of lawyers.
-These days even if your are from the top 15 law schools you still need to be near the top of your class to get a good job.
-As a lawyer you need to kiss a lot of ***, always keep an updated resume and constantly worry about impressing your clients or superiors, your skills can be easily replaced. Whereas in medicine after residency you can be a complete d*** for the rest of your life, you never have to worry about landing a job, forget about your resume as long as you have a MD after your name and you are board certified there will be work for you.
-Salary wise the average for medicine is higher. Most doctors do better than most lawyers. Some of the top lawyers make a lot of money but if you compare them to the top doctors (neurosurgeons, IC, plastic surgeons, orthopedics, gastroenterologists) it is roughly the same.

Medicine versus dentistry
- This is a close one but medicine still comes out on top. In dentistry people see the 35hr work weeks and the 180K salary and assume its better than medicine. What they don't realize is start up costs in dentistry are higher and there is a much greater competition between dentists for patients than for doctors. If a pcp wanted to he can see more patients at will and increase his salary to much higher than a general dentist. Dentistry doesn't give you this option.

Medicine versus finance/accounting/investment banking/mba

Sure CEO's, CFO's, investment bankers and top accountants earn millions of dollars. But going to school to become one of them is like me saying I am going to become an NBA player. Its probably not going to happen. Picture your average pre-med as an investment banker- it just wont happen he/she would get ripped off in a second and get taken advantage of. So many people major in accounting/finance in college hoping to make it to these ranks most don't even end up getting jobs.

Medicine versus engineering

Engineering is an awful field. You will likely get fired by age 45 or be moved from company to company.

Medicine versus nursing, pharmacy, optometry and other allied health careers

- Sure lifestyle and responsibility is much lower in these careers but financially medicine beats each one of these by a long shot. I don't know about you but I would not want to be taking orders from doctors especially when I know that I have the intelligence and drive to become one.

If there are other careers I missed please let me know. If you disagree with me about any of the careers please make your point and I will prove you wrong.

No.

 

[steelerfans888]

No.

Care to expand. I was under the expression that there is a huge shortage of physicians. And most hospitals and practices will hire you based solely on your degree (except academics).

 

[anonymousername]

You can get into medical school if you work hard enough and apply broadly.

which med school's have you gotten into again?

Getting good clinical rotations is not going to maake or break your career. Your call schedule is what you pick for yourself as an attending (its pretty standerized for residents).

Of course good clinical rotations will maake or break your career. How you perform in them determine what residencies you are competitive for. What do you mean by pretty standardized?

I don't know what you mean about working holidays and weekends.

Doctors work weekends and holidays, dentists don't.

70-80 hours a week goes in line with hard work.

As a resident, you will work 70-80 hrs and make less/hr than the kid who works at taco bell.

Being sued is very stressful from what I have heard. However unless you did something completely idiotic the consequences of being sued aren't all that great.

 

[ahowardmd]

Your attempt to reason why medicine is the best career is bull****.

Go into medicine if you want to be a doctor.
Go into medicine because you feel the call.
Go into medicine because you can't see yourself doing anything else.

Save the "why I want to go into medicine" bull**** for your personal statement/secondary applications (and god knows that most of the stuff you put in those will be a big stinking pile of BS). If you are trying to prove why medicine is better than those other professions, maybe you don't actually want to be a doctor, and you're trying to convince yourself otherwise? Soul-searching is what you need, not a detailed pro/con list!

 

[anonymousername]

Finally something we agree on. Per hour pay is greater for dentists. However total income I would say medicine by the slightest amount

I would happily give up that "slightest amount" for a round of golf or time with my family instead of being stuck at the hospital *again*, taking care of some drug addict so that I could get a few more bucks.

 

[Mackey]

Care to expand. I was under the expression that there is a huge shortage of physicians. And most hospitals and practices will hire you based solely on your degree (except academics).

House is only a TV show. MDs have CVs, resumes, and must interview like everyone else.

 

[JoshUNCW]

House is only a TV show. MDs have CVs, resumes, and must interview like everyone else.

In defense of House, a lot of characters (quite a few) have a hard time getting a job after they get fired. So it just proves doctors aren't an instant hire.

 

[anonymousername]

In defense of House, a lot of characters (quite a few) have a hard time getting a job after they get fired. So it just proves doctors aren't an instant hire.

 

[morning]

In defense of House, a lot of characters (quite a few) have a hard time getting a job after they get fired. So it just proves doctors aren't an instant hire.

And then there's ER, which taught me doctors never get fired, they die in horrible hospital-related accidents...like being stabbed by a schizophrenic, or having a helicopter fall on you.

 

[thesituationPhD]

What doctors do you know that are complete d***s and still have a job, aside from House?

Grow up Peter Pan.


There are more careers out there other than being a physician that allow you to make good money, in a shorter amount of time, with similar stability.


Focus on passing freshman chem rather than trying to defend your closeminded statements.

 

[Mackey]

And then there's ER, which taught me doctors never get fired, they die in horrible hospital-related accidents...like being stabbed by a schizophrenic, or having a helicopter fall on you.

Damn things just fall out of the sky. Lost a dog to one.

 

[Morsetlis]

The best career is one that sustains your lifestyle while making you happy.

Of course this makes being a hitman pretty nice...

 

[JoshUNCW]

Damn things just fall out of the sky. Lost a dog to one.

lol

 

[Slowpoke]

What doctors do you know that are complete d***s and still have a job, aside from House?

Grow up Peter Pan.


There are more careers out there other than being a physician that allow you to make good money, in a shorter amount of time, with similar stability.


Focus on passing freshman chem rather than trying to defend your closeminded statements.

, never thought "Peter Pan" could be used as an insult.

 

[MacBookMD]

according to the great Dr. Cox, everyone goes into medicine for 4 reasons: chicks, money, power, and chicks

 

[JoshUNCW]

according to the great Dr. Cox, everyone goes into medicine for 4 reasons: chicks, money, power, and chicks

There's a youtube video on this. It's awesome. And the exact reason I'm going into medicine .

 

[armorshell]

I would happily give up that "slightest amount" for a round of golf or time with my family instead of being stuck at the hospital *again*, taking care of some drug addict so that I could get a few more bucks.

You go mouser, OP needs to get a clue. For the combination of lifestyle, finances, practice style and autonomy, dentistry wins every time.

 

[metallica81788]

Did your llama worm avatar always have text?

No, but the one with text was the original llamaworm picture I found, so I replaced it.

 

[JoshUNCW]

No, but the one with text was the original llamaworm picture I found, so I replaced it.

Llama worm is baller.

 

[KoopaT89]

No, but the one with text was the original llamaworm picture I found, so I replaced it.

Another thread derailed by the llamaworm? I'm feeling it.