Taking MCAT in mid-30s and starting a physician's career?

[Anonymous]

So what do you think, OP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another option is to do med school and then enlist in the military. My buddy did this and he said it's the best decision he ever made. He's a psychiatrist.

They paid for his med school, so he has zero student loans and I think he also got a monthly stipend while in med school (he went to UT Austin). You do 4 years residency and then 4 years of practicing medicine. After 8 years, your obligation to Uncle Sam is done you're free to go into private practice. He said his military residency was much easier and paid much more than a typical residency program at a private sector hospital. He usually worked 70 hours per week and made around $75K. He just finished residency and will start making low six figures next month. The raises in salary are fairly set standard as you accumulate years.

However, the best thing he said are the benefits. You get a housing allowance that's quite substantial. It's enough to cover his rent in a nice part of southern VA. Good free medical care at the VA for your family. A decent amount of paid leave and holidays. You're automatically in the officer class.

If you want to become a doctor without going ridiculously into debt, this is the way to go.

This is not a family friendly option at all.

It all really depends on what type of medicine the OP wants to practice.
The wars are winding down and odds are strong that the OP will never actually see a combat theater, unless she's doing trauma/surgery. If she was posted abroad - and that's a big IF based on her specialty - it would most likely be on-base in Germany, Japan or elsewhere where soldiers are recovering. The military is very family friendly and family can accompany to almost every US base abroad (excluding Iraq and Afghanistan).

My friend never went abroad, considering he's a psychiatrist and deals with soldiers returning from battle. His specialty is PTSD research and care. He's spent the last 4 years at a VA hospital in Virginia and will be moving to Southern California to continue as a staff doctor. He has a wife and she will be moving too. The fact that OP's husband is a doctor gives them unlimited flexibility, IMHO.

DH is a surgeon for the navy. Everyone in his hospital has been deployed to Afghanistan. You don't know what you are talking about.

Yes, your psychiatrist friend may not be deployed but if you are anesthesia, internist, surgery, ER, etc, you will get deployed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another option is to do med school and then enlist in the military. My buddy did this and he said it's the best decision he ever made. He's a psychiatrist.

They paid for his med school, so he has zero student loans and I think he also got a monthly stipend while in med school (he went to UT Austin). You do 4 years residency and then 4 years of practicing medicine. After 8 years, your obligation to Uncle Sam is done you're free to go into private practice. He said his military residency was much easier and paid much more than a typical residency program at a private sector hospital. He usually worked 70 hours per week and made around $75K. He just finished residency and will start making low six figures next month. The raises in salary are fairly set standard as you accumulate years.

However, the best thing he said are the benefits. You get a housing allowance that's quite substantial. It's enough to cover his rent in a nice part of southern VA. Good free medical care at the VA for your family. A decent amount of paid leave and holidays. You're automatically in the officer class.

If you want to become a doctor without going ridiculously into debt, this is the way to go.

This is not a family friendly option at all.

It all really depends on what type of medicine the OP wants to practice.
The wars are winding down and odds are strong that the OP will never actually see a combat theater, unless she's doing trauma/surgery. If she was posted abroad - and that's a big IF based on her specialty - it would most likely be on-base in Germany, Japan or elsewhere where soldiers are recovering. The military is very family friendly and family can accompany to almost every US base abroad (excluding Iraq and Afghanistan).

My friend never went abroad, considering he's a psychiatrist and deals with soldiers returning from battle. His specialty is PTSD research and care. He's spent the last 4 years at a VA hospital in Virginia and will be moving to Southern California to continue as a staff doctor. He has a wife and she will be moving too. The fact that OP's husband is a doctor gives them unlimited flexibility, IMHO.

DH is a surgeon for the navy. Everyone in his hospital has been deployed to Afghanistan. You don't know what you are talking about.

Yes, your psychiatrist friend may not be deployed but if you are anesthesia, internist, surgery, ER, etc, you will get deployed.

+1

Our friend is an Army doc and did 2 tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was 25 days away from retirement and they sent him on another 1 year tour in Iraq.

[Anonymous]

I'm an MD and currently looking for options at getting out. It's not all it's cracked up to be. It's all becoming paperwork, patient satisfaction surveys and reimbursement is steadily decreasing. Morale among physicians is at an all time low. You are looking at a minimum of 7 years of little to no income to be in practice. DONT DO IT!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm an MD and currently looking for options at getting out. It's not all it's cracked up to be. It's all becoming paperwork, patient satisfaction surveys and reimbursement is steadily decreasing. Morale among physicians is at an all time low. You are looking at a minimum of 7 years of little to no income to be in practice. DONT DO IT!

Interesting. My husband is an MD as well and is also trying to get out. He LOVES patient care but hates all the other crap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm an MD and currently looking for options at getting out. It's not all it's cracked up to be. It's all becoming paperwork, patient satisfaction surveys and reimbursement is steadily decreasing. Morale among physicians is at an all time low. You are looking at a minimum of 7 years of little to no income to be in practice. DONT DO IT!

DH is a specialized surgeon, earns $500k+ and has a lot of job satisfaction. His patient satisfaction surveys are always high. He also has full control of his schedule and relatively good hours.

[Anonymous]

Don't do it! Years of training, pay not that great (depends on field) and tons of paperwork. Thanks to EMR it has become more important to check boxes (literally) than to provide good clinical care.