Am I crazy to want to become a doctor?

[Anonymous]

Geez, you people are depressing! OP, you decided to ask some of the most risk averse people in the most risk averse town about taking a big chance in life and you got the expected answers. Of course finances are a consideration, but you just never know until you try what can be worked out in the long run. However, before you get to the financial considerations regarding medical school, why don't you start studying for the MCAT and see how that goes? If you do well, apply! What do you have to lose? It doesn't mean that you have to accept. And, if you do, perhaps the financial end can be worked out. When you graduate, you actually do get paid as a resident, not much, but you get paid. And, after that, you are likely to be making a good salary in most of the medical specialties, some of which have residencies that are only about four years. But, let's not get ahead of ourselves. If you take it all one step at a time, you can see for yourself what is possible and what if not given your individual circumstances. One thing is for sure, though, if you don't at least try, you will never know. You only get one life OP. Leave no regrets behind, and for the love of God, stop listening to the unhappy lawyers and office drones on this board!

Signed, an unhappy lawyer who is older than you, has taken all of the prereqs and is going to take the MCAT even though none of this makes sense financially (might as well put my hat in the ring, why the hell not?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PA!

It takes just two more years to become an actual doctor than it does to become a PA. Just saying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PA!

It takes just two more years to become an actual doctor than it does to become a PA. Just saying.

Surgeon here. Depends on which residency the MD chooses, training can be much longer. I thought I was interested in primary care but then took a different path. It was a long road and very hard on my spouse and kids. I had local family and was in a good financial spot to hire a nanny- it would have been hard to imagine doing so without both. Life is better now, but still have to take call for one or more hospitals and come home generally happy but exhausted each day. I do not regret my career choice, but unlike the OP did not already have a different job I loved when I decided to pursue medicine. (I knew I needed a career change no matter what.). Good luck, OP, my advice is to truly make this a family decision and think about what support you have to make it work if you choose to go forward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Geez, you people are depressing! OP, you decided to ask some of the most risk averse people in the most risk averse town about taking a big chance in life and you got the expected answers. Of course finances are a consideration, but you just never know until you try what can be worked out in the long run. However, before you get to the financial considerations regarding medical school, why don't you start studying for the MCAT and see how that goes? If you do well, apply! What do you have to lose? It doesn't mean that you have to accept. And, if you do, perhaps the financial end can be worked out. When you graduate, you actually do get paid as a resident, not much, but you get paid. And, after that, you are likely to be making a good salary in most of the medical specialties, some of which have residencies that are only about four years. But, let's not get ahead of ourselves. If you take it all one step at a time, you can see for yourself what is possible and what if not given your individual circumstances. One thing is for sure, though, if you don't at least try, you will never know. You only get one life OP. Leave no regrets behind, and for the love of God, stop listening to the unhappy lawyers and office drones on this board!

Signed, an unhappy lawyer who is older than you, has taken all of the prereqs and is going to take the MCAT even though none of this makes sense financially (might as well put my hat in the ring, why the hell not?)

i don't like the risk-averseness of this board either, but OP's motivation to pursue this daunting task just doesn't make any sense. she says she loves her job but wants to be a doctor to help poor relatives make better medical decisions. this wouldn't make any sense even if where were 10 years younger. when you add financial, logistical, family etc considerations, yeah this is not a good idea, to put it very mildly. if she hated her job and had a better founded interest in being a doctor, i would be more forgiving, even with all the difficulties. but to leave a job one loves for this total nonsense of a reason - no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Geez, you people are depressing! OP, you decided to ask some of the most risk averse people in the most risk averse town about taking a big chance in life and you got the expected answers. Of course finances are a consideration, but you just never know until you try what can be worked out in the long run. However, before you get to the financial considerations regarding medical school, why don't you start studying for the MCAT and see how that goes? If you do well, apply! What do you have to lose? It doesn't mean that you have to accept. And, if you do, perhaps the financial end can be worked out. When you graduate, you actually do get paid as a resident, not much, but you get paid. And, after that, you are likely to be making a good salary in most of the medical specialties, some of which have residencies that are only about four years. But, let's not get ahead of ourselves. If you take it all one step at a time, you can see for yourself what is possible and what if not given your individual circumstances. One thing is for sure, though, if you don't at least try, you will never know. You only get one life OP. Leave no regrets behind, and for the love of God, stop listening to the unhappy lawyers and office drones on this board!

Signed, an unhappy lawyer who is older than you, has taken all of the prereqs and is going to take the MCAT even though none of this makes sense financially (might as well put my hat in the ring, why the hell not?)

i don't like the risk-averseness of this board either, but OP's motivation to pursue this daunting task just doesn't make any sense. she says she loves her job but wants to be a doctor to help poor relatives make better medical decisions. this wouldn't make any sense even if where were 10 years younger. when you add financial, logistical, family etc considerations, yeah this is not a good idea, to put it very mildly. if she hated her job and had a better founded interest in being a doctor, i would be more forgiving, even with all the difficulties. but to leave a job one loves for this total nonsense of a reason - no.

You are absolutely right PP. OP needs to decide whether she really wants to do this out of a love of medicine and/or a desire to improve the lives of her fellow man. If this is the case, then she has what should be considered to be the "Right" motivation to pursue this, and that is more than you can say for a lot of the 21 year olds out there who may want to enter the profession for money, prestige, or to please their overbearing parents.

[Anonymous]

Op, doesn't "need to decide" anything. She hasn't been offered a choice. How about you get accepted to medical school.

[Anonymous]

Reviving this year old thread as I embark on my own path to becoming a doctor...I'm 45! I'm divorced with kids, although they aren't super young. I'm starting a DIY post bacc this fall and hoping to app by 47. If I complete med school and residency by 55 even I'll be happy (overjoyed really) spending 10-20 years practicing.

As for cost, I enrolled as a second degree seeking student, which opened federal student loans (there is a cap for undergrad students that I didn't reach with my first degree). Then I will likely apply for NHSC loan forgiveness as a primary care doc in a rural area. I've also considered the military option where they pay for school AND give you a stipend in exchange for a commitment of X years.

I've been fortunate to spend lots of time with my kids not working too much outside the home. I've volunteered, went on more field trips than I can count, helped with homework, cooked fresh, healthy meals, listened to and counseled on friend dramas and had many cool experiences with them....all things that are important to me as a parent. Now they are older and more academically independent I feel as though I can get back to me a little.

I'm not adding to this old thread for any sort of encouragement, but instead to offer some to anyone who asks themselves this very question. There is lots of support and advice at oldpremed.org. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Better to become a PA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you have a lot of cash lying around? It's a LOT of money. Like 300k.

No. I don't. We have a mortgage and some manageable student loans already. And of course, we need to be saving for college for our children, so no, i wouldn't think I could invest that much. Is aid very unlikely?

lol

Students who literally have nothing still get very little aid. You and your spouse (presumably) have decent incomes - you're getting $0 in financial aid - unless you consider student loans financial aid - in which case you will get TONS.

[Anonymous]

You are not eligible for military due to age.

-Military M.D.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you, everyone. I appreciate all the insights! I will look into becoming a PA.

Don't give up on your MD dream.

[Anonymous]

In the future, don't revive an old thread. I was about to write a post to the OP. You need your own thread.
Guess I will start looking at dates on the OP...wasted 3 minutes of my life.

[Anonymous]

PA is going to work better for your age OP. You are late to the ballgame as you know

[Anonymous]

Becoming a doctor is a 10 year process. If you have to re-take pre-med classes (which you will need to do) that tacks on even more time.

Every single person I know who did med school HATED IT. They all said that if they knew, they never would have done it. But by that point, they were already invested.

I'd look at nursing. Though becoming a PA or an NP is not super easy either. Shorter than a doctor, but it's not just a 2 or 3 year thing and you're done.

[Anonymous]

Um, we DESPERATELY need people who WANT to be doctors. We're importing too many who just want to cash in and get American money and then go back to where they came from.

What can I do to help you become a doctor? What do I need to say?

If you have a desire to do it, we need you to do it.