The Medical Thread

[AKA_Monet]

Originally Posted by Zephyrus

What did you get your bachelors in? To be quite honest, it would be something I would pursue, because of the pay. With a BA degree, it's almost hit or miss. My plan is to try music, but if I can't make a career out of it, then I would like to know that I can make the switch to medicine...I wouldn't want to complete 4 years of college as a music major, just to see myself waiting tables. At least I know as a dr. I would have a decent well paid career. You mentioned some med schools would not accept someone who makes the switch, but my question is, are there some that would? ...But a music major? That's the question I have. I've heard of some of the biotech companies too. I could also see the above majors you mentioned getting a career started with a biotech company. I think I would be taking a chance. I just want to be able to try music, see how well I do, see where I end up and if it doesn't work out, I would like to know with hard work that I would be able to make the switch.

Originally Posted by BigRedBeta

As long as you've taken the required pre-med courses (1 year of bio, chem, organic chem, physics), take the MCAT, and are involved on campus and in the community, you can apply. Your major doesn't have be directly applicable, and many schools like variety in their students. You might actually find that your musical training gives you some sort of unique perspective towards the emotional side of medicine...

Please don't focus on the money that physicians make. Yes, it's a well paid career, but it's an extremely long time period that goes into reaching that salary. 4 years of college, 4 years of medical school, and 3-7 years of residency and fellowship working 80 hours a week while only earning about $48k a year (The highest salary I was offered for next year was $50000 even, with three weeks of vacation - if I were to work the maximum allowed of 80 hours a week that ends up being $12.75/hr...and none of my other programs pay that much). Add to the fact that the average medical student has more than $140,000 in debt upon graduating medical school. Financially, this is not the smartest option for a career.

To reiterate what Dr. BigRedBeta said... He would know since he is a physician and I am just a research scientist with Ph.D...

About the money, IMHO, the amount of money you make no way compares to the amount information you must know and retain, and the work that you must do rapidly...

When I had a passing fancy to switch my career to become a physician, I was told by the admissions director of the medical school, someone who DOES NOT speak to ANY APPLYING students, that I needed to read and know the front pages of the top journals in medicine, chiefly JAMA, NEJM and a few others, for the 3 years...

The reason is that these journals tell you the business of medicine...

What I also found is you really need to know anatomy, a course I NEVER took during college or in grad school. While I have done all kinds of rodent anatomy and partial surgical procedures, along with ultrasound imaging, MRI, NMR and other imaging techniques on mice, the fact is, I cannot tie knots, hands are too shaky... Go figure... So, yeah, while surgery might not be my thing, I also do not like "on the spot" differentials. And you kinna have to love that when you go on rounds and reasoning through it logically is not my strong suit, IMHO.

Music eh? Why music, just asking?

It is known in the Naturopathic Doctorates (ND), that music, holistically can destress some people. Typically, westernized medicine did not touch something that did "not have a drug" attached to it... As more patients flood the overwhelmed health care system without anything wrong with them than that the patient perceives, many mainstream health systems are referring patients to alternatives, such as "Mindfulness", that inherently activates certain areas in the brain to ease, pain, smoking cessation, hypnotherapy, etc. Certain types of music, namely that which activates the Delta waves in the brain, is very healing. Think Buddhist Monks.

I think in the next few years we will see an "amalgamation" of diverse healing fields. MD's are good because if the ailment is truly an infection or a physical accident, heart attack, stroke or cancer, ICU, palliative care, etc. they can come in there and stabilize the situation, get some stuff going into a routine, then transfer. The problem I have seen and experienced IMHO, is that most healthcare providers are tapped out, they have less than 7 minutes per patient, write up some many things in charts, it is difficult, so it MUST be something you'd love to do and it cannot be about money. Because like Dr. Big said, this is a 80 hrs+++++ job... There will be times you are awake for more than some odd hours...

The other fields as long as they are not "wack jobs" or "cooky" or "snake oil salesman", if they are more about rigorous standards that is required for various other clinical providers, can be very beneficial--i.e. like accupuncture, mindfulness meditation, some homeopathic and herbal remedies, etc.

Also, I know quite a few physicians flipping over to health and wellness coaching for medical treatment adherence. As many times, I have run health forums in my city, there is that frustration I have heard from physicians about how patients fail to follow the prescribed treatment for whatever reason. Hayle, with my experiences as a dental assistant, do I have stories of patient insanity...

But, it is about providing a humane amount of health, and a dignified death. And that is the mindset you need to have when you go medicine, IMHO.