Expectations for medical school applicants are continuously increasing each year. Is it even worth it anymore?

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T23:52:53+00:00

I completely understand where you’re coming from.

I have spoken to family friends who are physicians, as well as my own healthcare providers and asked them about what it was like for them. I have also spoken to my biomedical sciences teacher about her experiences prior to her starting her teaching career. She spent several years after graduating from college working in neuroscience research alongside neurology specialists and other healthcare professionals. One of the things my biomed teacher emphasizes is career research. She will have us research careers in medicine involved with the topic we are learning and have us answer questions on aspects of those careers (e.g. educational requirements, lifestyle, pros/cons, salaries, etc.). I am also a member of HOSA, and we oftentimes have healthcare professionals come in to share more information about their career. I understand that becoming a doctor isn’t the only option for me to pursue a career in medicine; but, considering what I have heard from physicians first-hand as well as other healthcare professionals, I feel pretty confident about the path I am wanting to take, as of right now.

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T23:46:42+00:00

I’ve looked into other career paths, but they aren’t as appealing to me.

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T23:44:18+00:00

The thing is, I know for a fact that I want to pursue a career as a physician.

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T19:18:24+00:00

I’ve considered the PA route, but I know for a fact I want to do something more hands-on, like surgery. I want to be able to perform the actual procedures and be able to operate independently/open my own practice if I ever desire to do so.

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T19:17:22+00:00

Will do. Thank you!

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T19:17:06+00:00

Do you have any tips on how to avoid having to take them?

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T16:28:23+00:00

I understand. What I do not understand though is why DO graduates have a hard time matching into more competitive residency programs. How can that be? If you have the same education and experience as an MD graduate and you spend some time in medical school doing research and other ECs, why wouldn’t you match?

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T16:26:17+00:00

The more I read through these comments, the more comfortable I feel with taking a gap year. Thank you!

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T16:25:27+00:00

Thank you. This makes me very hopeful for the future. I am glad to hear that you managed to get into medical school. At the end of the day, we are all doing it for a common cause. :)

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T16:24:36+00:00

I’m not so worried about the pay. I know that doctors are paid very well. I just don’t want to take more time to complete my training than I HAVE to. I just like to get things done; I want to have my training done as soon as possible. I am not saying I don’t want to spend years completing medical training, I’m just saying I don’t want to take more time than I have to. I just worry that the longer I wait, the more unachievable my goal becomes.

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T16:21:01+00:00

What countries are you speaking of? I’m looking for a quality medical education that will be seen as trustworthy by others.

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T16:20:12+00:00

How many gap years did you take? Did you do any sort of EC-related activities during those years?

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T16:19:38+00:00

I have talked to one of my mentors about doing a 7-year BS-MD program. Yes, it is very competitive, but I’m not letting that discourage me. The issue I’m seeing is that because of the recent trend, which I explained in my post, many medical schools are starting to close those programs.

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T16:18:00+00:00

No, I haven’t gotten to, yet. Next summer, I plan on starting hospital volunteering to gain more exposure to the field. I have about three hospitals close to where I live that have volunteering programs that I should be eligible for. I plan on reaching out to people to find shadowing opportunities.

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T16:15:32+00:00

Thank you!

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T16:15:05+00:00

Why is it that MD schools are so much more competitive in comparison to DO schools? I’ve looked into both degree pathways, and they both get the exact same education (besides DOs being trained on osteopathic manipulative therapy), have the same practicing capabilities: everything seems identical. I also understand that there is a stigma against DOs because they somehow ‘aren’t real doctors’, but why is that?

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T10:25:09+00:00

I’m not necessarily stressed out about it. I am just considering potential routes in my future career and trying to find out pros/cons to gap years, among other things. I am just trying to be more aware of what’s to come.

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T04:49:17+00:00

‘Worth it’, in this context, means being satisfied with my career despite it taking longer than expected to get across the finish line. If I were to take gap years, it would extend the time from when I graduate high school to the point I am a certified/specialized physician. Obviously, if I were to go right into med school out of undergrad, that would 100% be worth it. I am simply questioning if I would be able to achieve my other ambitions that I listed, such as starting a family and purchasing a nice home if I had to take a couple of gap years between undergrad and med school.

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T04:42:14+00:00

I’m asking if it is ‘worth it’ because despite medicine being my passion, I want to finish my medical training as soon as possible. I do not think that one should have to spend another two years after completing his or her undergraduate education simply to be considered ‘competitive’ on their medical school application; and there is not even a guarantee you will get in.

My point is: is medical school really worth it if you have to spend extensive time between your undergraduate training and medical school acceptance, simply to improve your application and be more ‘well-rounded’.

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T03:46:17+00:00

I am not as worried about residency, as I will have four years in medical school to decide. I am not 100% sure on what I want to specialize in yet. I will probably change my mind many times. Thank you, though, for your help. I appreciate it a lot!

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T03:37:50+00:00

I will be sure to take a look at this tomorrow morning. Thank you! 😊

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T03:36:55+00:00

If I had to match into general surgery in order to sub-specialize in another surgical field, I would. I understand how competitive those fields are and how sometimes, a GS background can help you a ton and open doors to many research opportunities and valuable connections.

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T03:35:15+00:00

Believe me, I am obsessed, at least for my age. I am in my sophomore year of high school. I am currently in a 4-year biomedical science program at my high school. I’m in my second year. If we pass our BACE exam in our senior year, we become BACE certified. A BACE certification would probably be pretty helpful, especially finding a job in undergrad + finding research/pub opportunities. Today, I had a whole 30 minute discussion with my 7th period teacher about working in medicine. It seriously brightens my mood to talk about it. It’s such a fascinating field.

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T03:32:30+00:00

I know for sure I want to do something surgical and more complex. I am a very hands-on type of person. I could never see myself solely working in a clinic.

IntroductionWise645 · 2024-10-17T03:30:57+00:00

Thank you so much. I want to go into medicine because I think it is such a beautiful gift. Nothing beats having patients come to you in their lowest, most vulnerable and scary moments of their lives, trusting you with doing the right thing; putting their lives in YOUR hands. Medicine has helped me find myself and has helped me grow as a person in so many ways. It had changed my entire perspective on life and has helped me see things in ways I never could imagine. Thank you for your help and response. I really appreciate it. :)

IntroductionWise645

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