I'm a pre-med student (finishing up my freshman year)right now at Texas A&M, and I have never really known anyone in the medical field as no one in my family is in it and I don't have any close friends who have family/friends in the field either. Anyhow, I was just wondering if there were any doctors on here who would be willing to lend me some advice and help as I embark down this road. Thanks!
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no doctor but have family with a long tradition of Drs and healthcare profession work. Do it because you love it, not because you can make a good living out of it. specialize specialize specialize kiss your personal life away for the next 10 years.
Volunteer at the hospital/ask to shadow a community doctor. If you know nothing about medicine, you will have a hard time getting into medical school.
He is a freshman in college, so he has 3 + yrs undergrad, 4 years medical school, 3 years residency at least, then fellowship years, that could max out at 14 years or so, depending on which specialty he decides on. Its a long road man. And what Donkey said, don't do it for the money/stability, make sure it is what you want to do.
@Donkey and arif: Thx guys and the fact that the next 10 years of my life is going to be pretty much entirely work something that has really creeped up into my mind recently. I can't say that the money isn't a factor in my decision to do this with my life, but it's not the main reason. My family's always had serious issues with health and that was the main reason at a young age that being a doctor really appealed to me. As for internships, I have started applying for volunteer activites over the summer and really hope that it will help. As for specializing, I want to get into surgery, but it's not set in stone.
I wanted to be a surgeon from the age of 6 to the age of 28, then during my 1st year of residency I changed my mind. Don't even worry about what specialty you want to do, it doesn't matter at this point. I do agree that getting to know the health care field, through volunteering in a hospital or working as an EMT (or even just doing ride alongs with EMTs), will really help you decide if medicine is the right thing for you. As for getting into medical school, just worry about your grades and the MCAT.
Concerning grades: If you don't mind me asking, what kind of grades did you make during your undergraduate years? And do you have any idea when being evaluated by medical schools how important the grade you receive on the MCAT is compared to the grades that you make in your classes such as Calc, Biol, Chem, etc etc etc? Thanks
I'm not a doctor, but I dealt with several doctors at a lakehouse this summer that adored me because I don't have a "filter."
Hey Delta, I'm a first year medical student at UTMB. Also graduated from Texas A&M (2010). Feel free to email me and I'll try to answer any questions you have! chestr@gmail.com
My girlfriend is studying like crazy for the STEP 1. I would greatly appreciate any tips and advice some of you could pass from your experience, thanks.
I don't know how high you're aiming for your education, but if your bar is not set at the highest, you can cut corners and skip the longer American education system by coming here to the Dominican Republic and be a graduated doctor in 5 years. Lots of Americans come to this school: http://www.unibe.edu.do/carreras/school_medicine/smed_default.asp as it is faster, more cheap and in English. The only downside is that you will probably have to prepare harder for tests than if you went to a top of the line school (and as you should know, grads from such schools are more well regarded when interviewing) Depending on your priorities, this could be a smart choice.
I'm a resident in a surgical subspecialty finishing up my intern year right now. I'd be glad to answer any questions you have. You still have a ways to go and I'd echo what a lot of the other replies have said. Medical school and residency is not an easy thing. Each step is exponentially harder than the previous. Do it out of love for the field, not for the financial gains. Also you won't be a normal person for at least the next decade of your life: 3 years of college left + 4 years medical school, 5-7 years for a surgical residency + 2-3 years for fellowship assuming you go the traditional route and don't take any time off between college and medical school. Anyways, I'm not sure what step you are at right now, but please feel free to ask.