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Physician-Age: Calling all students and doctors

Buttchin

Member
MSIV, currently applying to Psychiatry residencies.... looking forward to interviews... not to the STep 2 CK or paying for transportation to said interviews
 

KingDizzi

Banned
In my second year of dentistry at King's and absolutely hate it. Am seriously considering a move into engineering, I find dentistry tremendously boring, medicine I just wont do as I hate hospitals and there is not much left after that. I got AAAAa in chemistry, biology, psychology, physics and maths AS so I need to push up my maths to a level which I will do in Jan. Going to let this year go and hopefully the course picks up however at present this is something I cannot see myself doing for the remainder of my life, really hate that I was pushed into the medical side by my mum and am paying the price now. I'm 19 now so it's not too late for me to change however really need to think about this. Leaving a course after 3 (will have to apply next September as I still need to do maths) years does not sound like the brightest idea especially since the course is 5 years overall, at the end I will have a solid career and then can always change after however I will be 23 by then.

Anyone else made a career change after their initial degree? I literally don't know a single person who has done that so have very little advice to fall on, my sisters are telling me to finish the course, work for a year and take it from there which I guess is a smart choice.
 

beast786

Member
KingDizzi said:
In my second year of dentistry at King's and absolutely hate it. Am seriously considering a move into engineering, I find dentistry tremendously boring, medicine I just wont do as I hate hospitals and there is not much left after that. I got AAAAa in chemistry, biology, psychology, physics and maths AS so I need to push up my maths to a level which I will do in Jan. Going to let this year go and hopefully the course picks up however at present this is something I cannot see myself doing for the remainder of my life, really hate that I was pushed into the medical side by my mum and am paying the price now. I'm 19 now so it's not too late for me to change however really need to think about this. Leaving a course after 3 (will have to apply next September as I still need to do maths) years does not sound like the brightest idea especially since the course is 5 years overall, at the end I will have a solid career and then can always change after however I will be 23 by then.

Anyone else made a career change after their initial degree? I literally don't know a single person who has done that so have very little advice to fall on, my sisters are telling me to finish the course, work for a year and take it from there which I guess is a smart choice.


I changed my career. Went the other way. Got really burn out with math. And wanted something totally different.

Are you in U.S dental school?
 

KingDizzi

Banned
No I'm in the UK studying at King's College, I worked in Ealing Hospital for a few months and just could not handle it, way too depressing a job for me. Thought about becoming a GP and again could not do it because it's just a nasty job, looking at peoples penises, infections etc. Due to the subjects I was forced to choose my options were medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and optometry. The latter three are all clean, 9-5 jobs which is what I liked so I chose dentistry because pharmacy is chemistry which I hate and did not get accepted into Cardiff to do optometry. The money is really good and as I mentioned it's much cleaner than say being a GP however I honestly could not think of a more tedious job.......looking into peoples mouths for the remainder of my life is not what I though I would be doing.
 

h3ro

Member
Pterion said:

I did a Neurosurg rotation during the tail end of 4th year (don't ask, I don't know what I was thinking) and I salute you.

4:30am rounding in the Neurosurg ICU was nearly the end of me. Had a great Chief Resident who let me do a Burr in a subdural evacuation though. Good times.
 

Bleepey

Member
I went to a medical school in London, did preclinical medicine for two years as part of my biomedical science degree, if i worked harder and actually wanted to do medicine i could probably be i medical school now. I however want to do public health and i am not entirely sure if i would have had an easier time applying for medicine. :(
 

droppedbear

Neo Member
Not sure if I'm sneaking into this thread but it's closely related and no other relevant threads.
At the moment I'm just finishing up an undergraduate science degree finishing with major in Zoology/Pharmacology and have applied for Vet Science and hoping to get into that here in Australia.
Now I have to play the waiting game and keep studying to hopefully get into Vet, but was just wondering if any Vet students or Vets out there with any advice for prospective person? (that is if they are reading this thread)
 

Emerson

May contain jokes =>
Seems like mostly doctors and med students in here but it does say other medical professionals in the OP so I thought I'd check in.

Third year PA student here. Duquesne University, 5 year program with 3 summers. Current courses are Anatomy I, Physiology I, Histology, Medical Science I, and a Professional Comm class.
 
Emerson said:
Seems like mostly doctors and med students in here but it does say other medical professionals in the OP so I thought I'd check in.

Third year PA student here. Duquesne University, 5 year program with 3 summers. Current courses are Anatomy I, Physiology I, Histology, Medical Science I, and a Professional Comm class.

Emerson
May contain jokes =>

Welcome!
:p

5 years huh... are all PA programs like that?
 

YagizY

Member
I'm working on getting my doctorate in the Adult Nurse Practitioner route. I like primary care type stuff because you never know what you are going to get. It's kind of like detective work :lol
 
Saw the grad school thread and decided to check in. Have one acceptance; gonna hear back from another school this week with a series of interviews coming up. Fingers crossed.
 

sadaiyappan

Member
Too many abuses in the medical field. I would hate to have to put up with sick and dying people all day then come home and try to be happy. :lol

Oh, my brother is a doctor and half the people in my extended family are doctors.
 
any ms4s? how are your residency interviews going (and what are you applying in)?

i'm applying in pathology, 6 interviews in, 3 more next week, then 5 in january (of which i am probably going to end up cancelling 2-3)

it sucks because my school has a lot of subspecialty required rotations, so i don't finish until a couple weeks before graduation (be done in mid april), when i hear of other people finishing in march or february :/...though someone in my school is managing to finish in early february, i have no idea how he managed that. at least the subspecialty rotations are pretty easy and hands on, the ENT people let me do pretty much any procedure i wanted (prob bc it was at a VA where there is pretty much no oversight)
 

woodchuck

Member
Anyone have some further advice for studying for Step 1? Just registered.

I'm planning to start in March for a June exam. Going to sign up for the Qbank and buy First Aid.

Anything else people recommend in terms of studying tips or organizing the material?
 

h3ro

Member
woodchuck said:
Anyone have some further advice for studying for Step 1? Just registered.

I'm planning to start in March for a June exam. Going to sign up for the Qbank and buy First Aid.

Anything else people recommend in terms of studying tips or organizing the material?

Questions, questions and more questions. Get used to test taking conditions, condition your self. It's like running a marathon, really. Make sure to take time off during the day to work out and relax. It'll keep you sharp.

Don't go too crazy with a dozens of review books. I used First Aid and did Qbanks.

You'll do find, just stick with it. :) Best of luck.
 

woodchuck

Member
h3ro said:
Questions, questions and more questions. Get used to test taking conditions, condition your self. It's like running a marathon, really. Make sure to take time off during the day to work out and relax. It'll keep you sharp.

Don't go too crazy with a dozens of review books. I used First Aid and did Qbanks.

You'll do find, just stick with it. :) Best of luck.

thanks for the advice!


right now, I'm in the renal block. Renal pathology sucks. everything looks the same :lol
 
eggandI said:
BTW, any pre-dents or d-school students up in here? Can't let the meds have all the fun.

Jirotrom said:
Found this thread,
Will be starting dental school this coming August :D

Any Dental students or dentists in here?

Year: DDS3
(Future or current) Specialty: None. Going to be a GP.
Random comment about dentistry: Dentists are the most anal people on the planet.
 

SRG01

Member
I hate the term pre-med. It's not an accurate term and it's like you're assuming that you're gonna get into med school for sure.

You're either a med student or you aren't. There's no such thing as pre-med.
 
Pretty sure this isn't the job for me. Orgo just raped me and I don't think I want it enough to go through the shit you have to do.

I mean, when that guy up there has a 3.8, been working in hospitals literally his entire adult life, has a ton of networking, and is still asking if he has a chance without a trace of false modesty bragging, it just makes me lose hope.

Eh, maybe I'd be ok with being the only dude in some bumfuck high school district's counselling department.
 

Jirotrom

Member
CurseoftheGods said:
Year: DDS3
(Future or current) Specialty: None. Going to be a GP.
Random comment about dentistry: Dentists are the most anal people on the planet.
what school do you go to?
 
SRG01 said:
I hate the term pre-med. It's not an accurate term and it's like you're assuming that you're gonna get into med school for sure.

You're either a med student or you aren't. There's no such thing as pre-med.
Not to mention that people see premeds as the scum of the earth!
 

Dooraven

Member
SRG01 said:
I hate the term pre-med. It's not an accurate term and it's like you're assuming that you're gonna get into med school for sure.

You're either a med student or you aren't. There's no such thing as pre-med.

Not quite true, Some Universities in Australia have a system where you get a guaranteed spot in med but you have to pass your bachelor's first.

Eg. UQ: BSc/MBBS program - so long as you pass the BSc part of the program ie you maintain a GPA of 4 (Australia uses a 7 point system) you are guaranteed to get into med school.
 

coopolon

Member
liposome said:
In my program there is no guarantee--the PhD is done when its done. The administrators just urge you to finish on time by threatening to cut your funding. I don't know of anyone that has finished the PhD portion in 2 years, and I consider those that finish the PhD within 4 years pretty fast. I'll be here for about a total of 8 years, but there are a good number of people here that take >10 years total depending on their research.

>10 years? Damn. Is it an MSTP funded program? I thought NIH really looked down on that. In my program there is HEAVY pressure to be done in 8. 9 is not unheard of though. nor is 7.
 
Dooraven said:
Not quite true, Some Universities in Australia have a system where you get a guaranteed spot in med but you have to pass your bachelor's first.

Eg. UQ: BSc/MBBS program - so long as you pass the BSc part of the program ie you maintain a GPA of 4 (Australia uses a 7 point system) you are guaranteed to get into med school.
there are US pre-med guaranteed admission programs too...most of them are 7 year programs (3 years undergrad, 4 years med school), that only require you to get a certain score on an mcat and a certain gpa. i think there's a couple 6 year programs too.
 

Pterion

Member
So I clipped my first brain aneurysm last week. Quite a milestone for most neurosurg residents. Felt like a boss! I really love this job. :D
 

coopolon

Member
bggrthnjsus said:
there are US pre-med guaranteed admission programs too...most of them are 7 year programs (3 years undergrad, 4 years med school), that only require you to get a certain score on an mcat and a certain gpa. i think there's a couple 6 year programs too.

I remember when applying to undergrad thinking this would be pretty awesome. But they tend to be pretty competitive, so if you're smart enough and work hard enough to get into one of the guaranteed admission programs, you probably won't have any difficulty getting into a # of medical schools farther down the line. I remember at my undergrad there were two guaranteed admission spots in the entire freshman class.
 

Shawn128

Member
Well, I tried really hard, but I couldn't help it. After a month of surgical oncology, I think surgery is just amazing. And quite a bit from the norm, the attendings and fellows I worked with (I'm an MS3) were some of the nicest people I've met in my life. I came into medical school wanting to do surgery, but fell out of it because of all the complaints and stories. But I think I might be falling back into it.

Anyone have any advice for residency applications and how to approach my 4th year? Anyone have any advice for the stress of the general surgery residency and how to handle it? I'm still trying to determine if I can handle the residency, but gen surg still remains at the top of my list so far. Thanks guys!
 
i matched yay (pathology)

now for an agonizing 2 more days of waiting to know where...i didn't apply or rank anywhere that i wouldn't be willing to live though
 

Windam

Scaley member
Not to derail the thread or anything, but I have a question for all you med students/residents/physicians:

How'd you guys do it?

What I mean is, how'd you guys make it there? This is coming from someone interested in pursuing a career in the medical field in the future (still only in high school). More specifically, I'm interested in Radiology and becoming a Diagnostic Radiologist. I've been looking into medical school requirements and admission rates, and really, getting into medical school is like winning the lottery (at least it is here in Ontario). Any advice?
 
oh yea forgot to post in this thread that i matched in pathology at NYU so now i have to pack up and move from chicago, which i'm really excited about (except for the physical process of moving, which i hate)
 

punkypine

Member
MS2

Taking step 1 june 15. Terrified right now

i think i want to do interventional radiology, but i change my mind like weekly


bggrthnjsus said:
oh yea forgot to post in this thread that i matched in pathology at NYU so now i have to pack up and move from chicago, which i'm really excited about (except for the physical process of moving, which i hate)

congrats
 

Maxim726X

Member
Hey all,

Just got accepted into a PA program... A 2 year.

I know this is a subjective question, but how do you guys study? What is your schedule like?

My year 1 is all didactic, so I'm going to be in class 6 days a week... Not looking forward to it, but I feel that I can retain my sanity if I come up with a somewhat regular studying schedule.

PS- Was formerly interested in dentistry- Decided I would be happier as a PA. Anyone want to weigh in on that decision?
 

dvolovets

Member
Nice to see this thread. I'm an undergraduate majoring in neuroscience hoping to get into med school (I dislike the term 'premed' because it doesn't really mean anything, haha). I am very interested in psychiatry and am currently volunteering as a medical transcriptionist at a local mental health clinic (I mostly do charting). I am doing well in my science classes so far, and honestly, the only thing I'm worried about is my speech impediment, of all things. I have a slight stutter/block and am worried the most about stuff like interviews, etc...

BTW, I was initially considering surgery, but after talking with a bunch of people and seeing what their work hours are like...yeah, no. :) As interesting as the field is, I also plan to pursue a career as a professional musician, and I think psychiatry will be flexible enough to allow for that.
 
punkypine said:
MS2

Taking step 1 june 15. Terrified right now

i think i want to do interventional radiology, but i change my mind like weekly

congrats
step 1 isn't so bad, just take a lot of practice tests. i took it on june 1st 2 years ago, i didn't really get into studying until april. i did the usmle world and kaplan qbanks.

IR though is tough competition, so step 1 would be big. i just spent a few days on IR, it was really interesting from a technical standpoint, but not that interesting from a theory view...most of what i did was just sticking tubes into other tubes
 

Kodiak690

Neo Member
Just curious, how do you guys pay for Med School? I was thinking of going into Physical Therapy, but I don't know how I would pay for it. Seems like student loans would be a fortune.
 
bggrthnjsus said:
oh yea forgot to post in this thread that i matched in pathology at NYU so now i have to pack up and move from chicago, which i'm really excited about (except for the physical process of moving, which i hate)


Congrats. Enjoy the rest of 4th year. Out of curiosity, which school do you go to?
 

Mully

Member
Not in med school, but going to school to become a Rad Tech. I should be out in the field in about two years. Any suggestions?

BTW, I'm thinking about going right back in to study my Masters in Radiology. Again, any suggestions?
 
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