thanks guys for the advice...as of right now, i'm looking at wake forest, virginia, clemson, va. tech, unc-chapel hill, and tennessee. i'd love to go to some of those schools if the academic and athletic aid is enough. i def. love the campus life and the training atmosphere/coaches and teams at some of those schools. i only recently thought about medicine....for a long time i was considering biomedical engineering. i just feel like medicine is for me though, and i guess that's what's important.
jaguar1 wrote:
Close, but not quite. Take another guess!
hmmm, can't really think of anyone right now. the only gal's i really knew well were caroline, elena (was she leaning towards med school?), and lauren, knew erin only as an acquaintance (but get on with matt fairly well)....damn, other than tenforde, can't remember who's heading to med school. give some more hints and perhaps the ol' memory will reengage :).
Impala Racing Team....
hey docpj72
I'm looking at the same type of medical speciality. How do u like doing family practice w/ sports medecine. Can u give me any details about it (pay, call,etc) and how often do u get to work w/ athletes or do u work w/ mostly other patients? Thanks
I know med school is obviously very expensive, but what's the aid like (if any)?
I've gone through undergrad getting outstanding fiancial aid, just wondering how it works at the med school level.
There is very little financial aid for medical school. Students can graduate from med school often $300,000 in debt if they also did undergrad on loans.
Medicine is still a relatively lucrative career but the pay-off is NOT what it used to be and certainly is not as much as it now is for lawyers (who get through training in 3 years + clerkship).
Some training tracks are shorter than others, the shortest being to Primary Care, which is also the lowest paid gig. 4 years of med school + 3 years residency. If you subspecialize, you are looking at least at 3 years more of fellowship, if not four. You'll get paid a modest salary for residency and fellowship and so won't slip deeper into debt (much) for that training but you won't see any serious money until you are in your 30s.
For males, this deferred pay-off is often acceptable, particularly if they feel the calling to be a doctor and meet a nice woman along the way to start a family. For women, this is often a brutal compromise, as the nature of the training makes it very difficult to have children until it is almost too late. There are a lucky few who find good men to help shoulder the burden of family life and these few have kids in med school and residency.
The bottom line is that the bulk of the training requires and average of 80 hours a week of work (sometimes much more) for between 7 and 11 years of the rest of your youth. The rewards can be many but the reality of medical training is that it is not for the faint-hearted. You've got to believe in what you are doing; anyone who starts with the plan that they can also train to be an olympic level runner (simultaneously) will either have to be the most talented runner or is delusional. Even Eric Heiden postponed med school until after he was done with professional sports.
MD --> MD
jaguar1 wrote:
Impala Racing Team....
As a med school graduate of the class of 2005, I can tell you that the time and money was well worth it. I took 5 and a half years for undergrad and then took an additional year off in between undergrad and med school (so almost 7 years total), and actually think it was the best thing I could have done. It made me realize that this is truly where my passion lies. I also am definitely struggling in the financial department. Loans got me through undergrad and med school and let's just say the number is well into the 6-figure area....but I would not trade it for anything. I am happy with my decision, and if you are truly passionate, issues like an extra few classes or money will seem very small once you are done. Good luck!
I also want to add that I competed in many area races including marathons during medical school. Time is not an issue if you are efficient about your use of time and creative about how you train. I also maintained a very healthy social life (ie. did not in any way 'compromise my health' (???)). My non-medical friends did not feel they saw me any less after I started. It's the "work-hard, play hard" theory. We are not all geeks who are locked up studying all day long! You will realize that very fast after (if) you start med school.
so for dermatology or radiology...are you looking at 4 years undergrad, 4 years med school, and 3 to 4 years residency before you start getting regualr pay? and in these two areas, can you start your own practice or must you enter into an already est. practice in the city where you want to work?
vaguely cryptic wrote:
MD --> MD
jaguar1 wrote:Impala Racing Team....
Yep.:)
doh, totally forgot megan went to school there. actually didn't know her at all from running there (was she on the team?) but have been fortunate enough to get to know her on the pa circuit, she really cleans up (shouldn't be too hard to figure out who's behind this psuedonym now :).
What about dental school?
I know the status isn't as high as being a doctor, but I've heard the money is quite good, you can start making real money at a younger age and also work much better hours. The doctors I know all busted their ass in med school and in residencies. Except for a few medical specialties (where you will be working crazy hours) I believe the disparity in pay between doctors and dentists is smaller than it used to be. It seems like a good gig and you'll always have a job.
It seems to me that none of you were attending my speech that I gave to the Stanford graduating class. No matter. My advice to you is to make like that Kanye West fellow and drop out of college.