Current Events > Maybe I should just go for med school

(+) Yeah! (+)

Instead of going the DNP route

More money, respect, and a much broader scope of practice. Id really love to be a vascular neurologist or critical care physician

Maybe Ill be satisfied with that. I never wanted to be a nurse to begin with, fwiw.

Would probably be an extra 2 years of prerequisite courses but hey. Finances are another issue because idk if I can work and do med school unless I get a super high paying PRN position.
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Why'd you lock all your topics cleffa
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Always aim for more once you start to feel like you're getting complacent. Also more school = fun IMO.
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Doctor it up! Then you can knock women and small children down in crowds and say "It's ok I'M a DOCTOR!"
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if you really want it, you should do it tbh

How much does med school actually cost? I can't even imagine.
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Johnny_Nutcase posted...

Doctor it up! Then you can knock women and small children down in crowds and say "It's ok I'M a DOCTOR!"

Johnny, you truely are this boards greatest treasure.
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Reis posted...

if you really want it, you should do it tbh

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Im a resident and I can tell you its not worth it.
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Future_Ruins posted...

How much does med school actually cost? I can't even imagine.

Thats the thing. But its all I want :/
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Aeriis posted...

MrPeppers posted...

Im a resident and I can tell you its not worth it.

Why is that?

Its a huge commitment. I guess its somewhat hypocritical of me because given the option to do it all over again I probably would, even knowing what I know now.

- 4 years of medical school, now with saturation (rate of new med schools is increasing disproportionately to the rate of new residency programs) so there is no guarantee of even being a doctor if you make it all the way through school.

- 3 to 7 years of residency depending on the specialty. Residency is GRUELING. The amount of things demanded from you outside of your 80-100 hr work week is absolutely mind blowing and soul wrenching. There are tons of responsibilities thrown at you. Patient interactions are great, but the administrative stuff, along with insurances suffocating your ability to practice, takes away from your time with patients.

- Fellowships are even more competitive and are extensively research based. There is so much CV padding and pressure to fill all of your free time with research, which almost always has no contribution to the actual field unless youre fortunate enough to get a grant from a major academic center like Mayo, Hopkins, Harvard, etc.

- Reimbursements are constantly going down.

Its not the brightest picture out there.
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MrPeppers posted...

Aeriis posted...

MrPeppers posted...

Im a resident and I can tell you its not worth it.

Why is that?

Its a huge commitment. I guess its somewhat hypocritical of me because given the option to do it all over again I probably would, even knowing what I know now.

- 4 years of medical school, now with saturation (rate of new med schools is increasing disproportionately to the rate of new residency programs) so there is no guarantee of even being a doctor if you make it all the way through school.

- 3 to 7 years of residency depending on the specialty. Residency is GRUELING. The amount of things demanded from you outside of your 80-100 hr work week is absolutely mind blowing and soul wrenching. There are tons of responsibilities thrown at you. Patient interactions are great, but the administrative stuff, along with insurances suffocating your ability to practice, takes away from your time with patients.

- Fellowships are even more competitive and are extensively research based. There is so much CV padding and pressure to fill all of your free time with research, which almost always has no contribution to the actual field unless youre fortunate enough to get a grant from a major academic center like Mayo, Hopkins, Harvard, etc.

- Reimbursements are constantly going down.

Its not the brightest picture out there.

I know its a huge commitment and that residency and fellowships are grueling. I also love research so maybe thats a plus?
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Goats posted...

Why'd you lock all your topics cleffa

Totally not creepy and stalker-ish no siree

It used to not get to me until I went to residency. Its a 14 hour drive away from home, and I have a very tight knit group of friends who are very active. Given the longer work hours and distance, I get to see them maybe once every 3 months for just a weekend. We all keep up via GroupMe and snap, and they are out doing something 3-4 times a week and almost every weekend. Now 2 of them are about to have kids, the wildest one is getting ready to settle down and get engaged, and for the first time in my life I realized that the window of hanging out, partying and being stupid with friends, is more or less closed.

And I missed out on so much during medical school. And I will miss out on so much more in practice. But it is nice to be able to help people, treat them and be there in times of joy and need. Its truly a privilege but it has its costs well beyond med school tuition.
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_Matchabuu_ posted...

Instead of going the DNP route

More money, respect, and a much broader scope of practice. Id really love to be a vascular neurologist or critical care physician

Maybe Ill be satisfied with that. I never wanted to be a nurse to begin with, fwiw.

Would probably be an extra 2 years of prerequisite courses but hey. Finances are another issue because idk if I can work and do med school unless I get a super high paying PRN position.

Sorry, what does DNP stand for again?

I was also advised not to go into medical school. Originally, I wanted to be a surgeon. Now, Im having second thoughts.
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MrPeppers posted...

It used to not get to me until I went to residency. Its a 14 hour drive away from home, and I have a very tight knit group of friends who are very active. Given the longer work hours and distance, I get to see them maybe once every 3 months for just a weekend. We all keep up via GroupMe and snap, and they are out doing something 3-4 times a week and almost every weekend. Now 2 of them are about to have kids, the wildest one is getting ready to settle down and get engaged, and for the first time in my life I realized that the window of hanging out, partying and being stupid with friends, is more or less closed.

And I missed out on so much during medical school. And I will miss out on so much more in practice. But it is nice to be able to help people, treat them and be there in times of joy and need. Its truly a privilege but it has its costs well beyond med school tuition.

Thats the thing... I have things I want (car, my own place, lots of free time) and its a huge sacrifice. Plus like you said in practice isnt much better

MFstarboy posted...

_Matchabuu_ posted...

Instead of going the DNP route

More money, respect, and a much broader scope of practice. Id really love to be a vascular neurologist or critical care physician

Maybe Ill be satisfied with that. I never wanted to be a nurse to begin with, fwiw.

Would probably be an extra 2 years of prerequisite courses but hey. Finances are another issue because idk if I can work and do med school unless I get a super high paying PRN position.

Sorry, what does DNP stand for again?

Doctorate of nursing practice (to be a nurse practitioner)

The_Scarecrow posted...

I was also advised not to go into medical school. Originally, I wanted to be a surgeon. Now, Im having second thoughts.

Id love to be a neurosurgeon honestly
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_Matchabuu_ posted...

MrPeppers posted...

It used to not get to me until I went to residency. Its a 14 hour drive away from home, and I have a very tight knit group of friends who are very active. Given the longer work hours and distance, I get to see them maybe once every 3 months for just a weekend. We all keep up via GroupMe and snap, and they are out doing something 3-4 times a week and almost every weekend. Now 2 of them are about to have kids, the wildest one is getting ready to settle down and get engaged, and for the first time in my life I realized that the window of hanging out, partying and being stupid with friends, is more or less closed.

And I missed out on so much during medical school. And I will miss out on so much more in practice. But it is nice to be able to help people, treat them and be there in times of joy and need. Its truly a privilege but it has its costs well beyond med school tuition.

Thats the thing... I have things I want (car, my own place, lots of free time) and its a huge sacrifice. Plus like you said in practice isnt much better

MFstarboy posted...

_Matchabuu_ posted...

Instead of going the DNP route

More money, respect, and a much broader scope of practice. Id really love to be a vascular neurologist or critical care physician

Maybe Ill be satisfied with that. I never wanted to be a nurse to begin with, fwiw.

Would probably be an extra 2 years of prerequisite courses but hey. Finances are another issue because idk if I can work and do med school unless I get a super high paying PRN position.

Sorry, what does DNP stand for again?

Doctorate of nursing practice (to be a nurse practitioner)

The_Scarecrow posted...

I was also advised not to go into medical school. Originally, I wanted to be a surgeon. Now, Im having second thoughts.

Id love to be a neurosurgeon honestly

If you value your free time and life outside of a hospital, I highly, HIGHLY advise against neurosurgery. Its a 7 year residency on top of medical school (+1 year for fellowship if you want it) and you will literally never do anything outside of walking between the OR, the neuro ICU, and your clinic.

Theres a reason the running joke is How do you hide a $100 bill from a neurosurgeon? Tape it to his sons forehead
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Its weird. I like having free time but it would be so amazing to help people like that
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Also Id need another income to support such a lifestyle change which aint happening lol
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My tuition was $14k per semester, and that was one of the cheaper med schools. That didnt cover living expenses at all. My friends were between $250k to $500k in loan debt (most had low 300s)

Its impossible to have a job during medical school, and my assistant dean of student affairs highly, highly discouraged working. Medical school is your job. No one in my class worked because of the commitment. Residency pays $50k to $70k depending on the specialty and location.
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MrPeppers posted...

My tuition was $14k per semester, and that was one of the cheaper med schools. That didnt cover living expenses at all. My friends were between $250k to $500k in loan debt (most had low 300s)

Its impossible to have a job during medical school, and my assistant dean of student affairs highly, highly discouraged working. Medical school is your job. No one in my class worked because of the commitment. Residency pays $50k to $70k depending on the specialty and location.

So just take loans out for living expenses? How does that work? Sounds pretty unpleasant
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Yeah, pretty much. I dont really know all the specifics as far as loan procurement goes.
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_Matchabuu_ posted...

Also Id need another income to support such a lifestyle change which aint happening lol

The vast majority of medical students fully fund their lifestyle through loans.

Most GRAD Plus federal loans cover your tuition + cost of living, but you'll be living off of like 20k or less per year. And that interest capitalizes over all 4 years. I finished med school with a total principal of 400k.

The alternative are students who are from well off families who cover everything. Or someone who saved up from a prior career. But really, the answer is loans. You can't really work during medical school. The first 2 years are basically 4 years worth of some of the hardest science classes from undergrad all at the same time crammed into those 2 years. The latter two years are basically 1-2 full time jobs, not including the added time you will need to study when you're not at a clinical rotation. To put things in perspective, I was working 80 hours a week in the surgical ICU for one of my months in my 4th year and that didn't include study time at home.

Medicine was my calling, so I'd do it again, but damn. No one ever understands the sacrifice until you're in it. And by then it's too late to pull out. Read about it, hear about it all you want. Until you actually experience it, you won't understand the magnitude of the commitment. I lost my marriage because of it. And that was just from med school. In residency it gets worse.
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Med school and residency are easier than high school and undergrad.

Whatever decision you make, I hope that you won't regret it.

I say go for it, because I feel like that's what you really want to do, and I'm sure you're already aware of the sacrifices you'll have to make when you'll have to compound extra years of med-school but judging from the way that you're posting you don't sound that discouraged.
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BlameAnesthesia posted...

_Matchabuu_ posted...

Also Id need another income to support such a lifestyle change which aint happening lol

The vast majority of medical students fully fund their lifestyle through loans.

Most GRAD Plus federal loans cover your tuition + cost of living, but you'll be living off of like 20k or less per year. And that interest capitalizes over all 4 years. I finished med school with a total principal of 400k.

The alternative are students who are from well off families who cover everything. Or someone who saved up from a prior career. But really, the answer is loans. You can't really work during medical school. The first 2 years are basically 4 years worth of some of the hardest science classes from undergrad all at the same time crammed into those 2 years. The latter two years are basically 1-2 full time jobs, not including the added time you will need to study when you're not at a clinical rotation. To put things in perspective, I was working 80 hours a week in the surgical ICU for one of my months in my 4th year and that didn't include study time at home.

Medicine was my calling, so I'd do it again, but damn. No one ever understands the sacrifice until you're in it. And by then it's too late to pull out. Read about it, hear about it all you want. Until you actually experience it, you won't understand the magnitude of the commitment. I lost my marriage because of it. And that was just from med school. In residency it gets worse.

Thats really unfortunate... :(
I just really feel like Im meant for something more than I am now. But idk if I have the means to do it since Im supporting myself.
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_Matchabuu_ posted...

I just really feel like Im meant for something more than I am now. But idk if I have the means to do it since Im supporting myself.

If you're capable enough to get accepted to medical school, the attrition rate is like ~5%. Which means 95% of students will graduate. And loans will cover the means to support yourself, you just have to live like a college student again--on a budget.

The reason I'm being very critical of the path is because people dedicated to going through it pretty much ignore the doom and gloom and do it anyway. So if it's something you need to do with your life, go for it. Just know there will absolutely be an expectation vs reality mismatch when confronted with the realities of practicing modern medicine.

By the way, neurosurgery is one of the most competitive specialties. It's also often regarded as the most brutal residency. So be prepared to be one of the top students in your medical school if that's what you really want. Granted, you're in a peer group of rock star students. Everyone around you will be equivalently smart and driven. To be just *average* in medical school is a tremendous achievement.
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DezDroppedFreak posted...

Reis posted...

if you really want it, you should do it tbh

This

It's a big step to take for sure, what with finances and free time, but in my experience the universe rewards those who take the plunge
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Yeah maybe I could do that. Idk. Maybe its not a good idea
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What are the advantages of doing DNP over med school?

MFstarboy posted...

What are the advantages of doing DNP over med school?

Ill still be able to have the lifestyle I do and fewer responsibilities than a physician. Additionally, the program Im looking at is 5 years, so much shorter than med school and residency
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I'm an attending hospitalist.

Don't become a doctor.

Just don't.
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Being an attending sounds cool af though
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Im no doctor but from what I gather, if youre thoughts on the matter are well, maybe I should just be a doctor.. then you probably shouldnt attempt med school. Not yet anyway. Id shadow some docs first. I think its best to KNOW you wanna be a doc before going down that road.
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RescueBC posted...

Im no doctor but from what I gather, if youre thoughts on the matter are well, maybe I should just be a doctor.. then you probably shouldnt attempt med school. Not yet anyway. Id shadow some docs first. I think its best to KNOW you wanna be a doc before going down that road.

Yeah I might ask to shadow one of the docs at work to see. Idk if any of them would be willing to shadow me but its worth a shot
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