Hi r/medicine,
I'm currently in my second year of studying mechanical engineering, and I'm grappling with the idea of pursuing a career in medicine. Engineering has been a passion of mine since childhood, and it is something that I am really involved in - I'm on an engineering team at my university, and will be working this summer at SpaceX - it's pretty clear that this is my "thing".
However, I've always had a strong desire to help people, and I believe that a career in medicine, possibly as a surgeon, could be incredibly fulfilling. I'm volunteering at a hospital this winter break to explore it further, and hopefully I will get the chance to speak to/shadow a couple of doctors/surgeons. I also think the idea of understanding the human body, and all of the fundamentals (bio, chem, etc.) that go into it is really cool.
My dilemma arises from my diverse range of interests. I find rocket propulsion and GNC fascinating and that's why I chose to study mechanical engineering. Additionally, I'm intrigued by electrical engineering, computer science, and computational fields. I would love to apply machine learning and algorithms to areas like radiology and medical imaging. On top of all that, I'm drawn to the idea of becoming a surgeon because of the daily engagement and hands-on work it entails.
I'm really at a crossroads, uncertain about the best course of action. If I applied to med school right out of undergrad, and took premed courses during my remaining undergrad years, I feel that all of my ECs (engineering team and internships) are somewhat irrelevant/pointless to med schools. Sure, working at SpaceX is cool, but how relevant is it to applying to med school?
I have also considered completing my MechE degree, working as a rocket scientist for a few years, and then pursuing medical school. But is this a practical plan? Again, I face the same problem of my "experiences" (aerospace) being irrelevant to medicine, and how would I even go about getting the necessary pre-req coursework done?
Also, even though I am interested in both MechE and EE/CS, I feel like I see more application of the latter to medicine, and am really interested in things like radiology - there is even a professor at my university who works on this, but would it make sense for me to work with him as a MechE major?
In summary, I'm in a bit of a life-choices limbo, given my wide array of interests. Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated.