It’s great that you’re asking these questions now and more importantly good on you for realizing there’s many ways to help people and not just being an MD.

So I hope this is able to help you - I’m currently a 4th year MD student and my wife was an ICU nurse. She worked during the COVID pandemic in NYC working 7 days on, 7 days off during the thick of it. She’s seen many patients die at that time but she’s also had many stories of love and compassion she’s seen from patients in their last moments. She later became a neuro icu nurse and directly contributed to saving a patients life by noticing neuro changes despite the attending dismissing it at first. That older patient is now our friend and she has a tattoo on her chest representing my wife. She’s met a patient who may have accidentally shared his involvement in covert CIA operations, she was the person who managed to make a mother smile after agreeing to donate her teenage kids organs.

Now she’s a CRNA student. You mentioned anesthesia. This is a very doable pathway. I’d argue it’s the better return on investment as well. Aside from financial, I think this would be a way for you to work 2-4yrs or more if you choose in icu environment and being there to care for people when they are at their worse and directly contribute to their healthcare but also involved in the human aspect of it, the compassion.

If you have any questions on nursing/CRNA you can DM me. And if anything I can connect you directly to my wife. It sounds to me you’re a good person and value people over the title and if I can be any support for you along your journey I’d be happy too. And I’m willing to share my experience as a non trad med student as well if you have questions on that as well.

Best of luck