1:09 #1 Your undergraduate major is irrelevant 4:04 #2 The highest ranked schools and residences don't necessarily provide the best clinical training 5:11 #3 A bright, self-motivated person can succeed and thrive in any school or training program, but pedigree still matters for competitive specialties and academic positions. 5:53 #4 The value of an excellent mentor cannot be overstated (an no, your official pre-med advisor does not count) 7:59 #5 A strong commitment to 2-3 unique activities will be more valued and more personally rewarding than superficial involvement in a dozen conventional ones 10:15 #6 It's completely fine to do something between college and medical school, but make that time count. 11:12 #7 Primary care is exhausting, undervalued, and under-compensated, but desperately needed. 13:05 #8 A typical doctor spends only a fraction fo the day with patients 15:16 #9 Becoming a doctor is not a good way to become rich. 17:18 #10 Medical school should not be your career default pathway, irrespective of whether or not you see yourself doing anything else.
@john mainprize, I'm sorry TH-cam isn't letting me respond directly to your comment... for a high school student, many of my tips are obvious stuff: get good grades, and try to get yourself into a university with a strong reputation (though this is not critical, it is definitely helpful!). Just as important as getting good grades however, is developing strong study skills and work ethic. I went to an extremely easy high school, and although my grades were great, I didn't need to work hard to achieve them. Although, as a high school student, that may sound great right now - it was terrible in the long run. My first semester in college went very poorly, and if my school didn't have mandatory pass-fail classes for freshmen, I might have otherwise tanked my chances to get into med school. So even if you're cruising through school at this point, take the time (while you have it) to learn how to study (i..e. effective studying doesn't involve highlighting textbooks...) One last suggestion would be to shadow at least 2 physicians - 1 in an outpatient clinic, and 1 in the hospital. It's important to have some idea as early as possible what a doctor's day to day job is currently like; for many, it no longer comes close to what is shown in TV and film.
Hello Doc. I am a new viewer and I am also presently pursuing a diploma in electronic/electrical engineering with my end game being and degree in biomedical engineering. My initial focus before entering the engineering field was medicine due to my genuine love of helping people and seeing that smile after helping someone as well as my meticulous interest in understanding the mechanics and working of thing; i.e. the human body. Also within resent times I have rekindled an interest in the medical field via anaesthesiology, but alas I am in engineering. I noticed that in your first tip you mentioned that you would of preferred a different undergraduate course given what you now know such as engineering. I was wondering why that is and if I may still be able to pursue an actual medical course in anaesthesiology or given my young age; 19 years; I may still be able to pursue it later on?
+Dwyght Yorke I wish I had studied physics or engineering because I find those fields more interesting than biology, and because they encourage the development of more rigorous problem solving skills (apologies to the biologists of the world...). Regarding your own path, at 19, you're young enough to do pretty much anything. You could get a biomed engineering PhD, work for a few years, decide it wasn't satisfying, and still have time to pursue medicine.
Hey, the reason you can't enter the comment directly is that you have do it from your back office. Go to your Creator Studio, click on Community, and then you will be able to do it.
I'm still thinking about becoming a doctor. I cannot think of another career I would like and have had only medical careers in mind. I have researched the pros and cons of being a doctor and simply cannot decide. I am willing to give my all to become a doctor but I don't want it to break me. Personally I am a nerd but giving up all of my social skills is another thing (big exaggeration but you get the point) All I hear is that people rarely have time for family, friends, and fun because they must always be ready to go back to work. Can someone please explain whether this claim is true or not?
taka shindow getting into medical school isn't hard, it's maintaining your sanity working ridiculous hours in the hospital for the rest of your life.... that is the hard part
I had an interview with a surgeon a couple months back, and he basically confirmed your suspicions for me. We all share this feeling when aspiring to become a doctor. I don’t want to let go of all my hobbies and friends but sacrifices must be made when the time comes. I bet it’s hard, but I also bet that it’s rewarding to save lives.
This video was very informative and unbelievably helpful as I continue figuring out my goals for the future. Currently a rising junior in college, my dream career is to be an orthopedic surgeon (though I'm also considering general surgery). I can't see myself doing anything else besides becoming a doctor because of passion for biology, human anatomy and all/most of my other required courses as a Public Health Science and General Biology major, microbiology, genetics, etc. As of lately I've questioned how badly I want this career. I understand the many personal rewards that accompanies it, but I'm afraid it's too demanding for my other life goals, such as traveling, having a family at a considerable age or simply having a social life. None of that seems very plausible with the demands that come along with being a doctor. My issue is, I don't know if any other career can satisfy/stimulate me the way medicine would, which is why I'm contemplating sticking with it anyway. I know I could handle whatever is thrown at me...but would it be worth it? Eric, if you could please elaborate a bit more on your 10th point..your true thoughts on my situation would be greatly appreciated considering you've already given me so much insight in just a short 19 minute video.
+Catherine Grela I am in the same situation. I am also a junior in college, want to be a surgeon, but also want a family. I just wanted to let you know that I totally understand your stress and I hope you get the answers you need! Best wishes!
I am currently majoring in health information management for my undergraduate degree. I plan on getting my doctorate degree in public health within the concentration of epidemiology and bio statistics, but I feel like it is not enough, and I am taking the easy way out. I am afraid of the debt and misconceptions of being a doctor, I do not know to cope with always being compared to others. In the state of Florida, particularly the university that I am attending, you can only change your major about three times. I was recently a pre-pharmacy student, my first semester after high school, I was taking seven class with seventeen credit hours. Coming out of high school, I did not know how to really study for exams. I did not do well my first semester so I decided to leave the program because I felt as if I could not live up to the expectations of the pharmacy, which is the most prestigious program at the university and is known all over the country. If I was in the pharmacy program as of today I would be taking eight classes with eighteen credit hours. I am deal with a lot of self-esteem issues, not just in my personal life, but most of all in my college life. In the past and even now, I would always dream of becoming a doctor, especially to help cure cancer in bodies of adolescence. But, I am not sure if I can live up to the expectations and longevity, of specializing in hematology/oncology.
Catherine Grela I dont know shit I mainly worked 13 years in private security industry, I'm mexican, and want to become a rural physician. I'm currently a medical assistant and a phlebotomist now. best of luck to you achieving to become a orthopedist surgeon, I hope I can achieve my Rural physician goal
Thank you for being so honest. I think many people sugarcoat the process of becoming a doctor. Becoming a doctor is definitely not easy... and the amount of time and effort that is spent to become one doesn't always yield money. Honestly, that's my biggest concern. I want to have time for my family later in life but I also want to be in the healthcare field. Doctor seems so perfect when I'm working in the hospital but there's the struggle that I don't see under a white coat. I seriously respect doctors even when they are completely rude and "break" some rules to save lives. I always thought we should have a day dedicated to our physicians.
lol i know no one who sugar coats the process of becoming a doctor- in fact I got so turned off by stories that I wasn't premed for two years. :) However, I have heard positive stories too where there is a recognition of the rigors and dedication but also a lot of passion. I think that is key!
First, id like to give you my thanks. So many people are oblivious when it comes to medicine including myself before watching this video, I'm a second year med student (not studying in America) so I'm relatively young and I definitely had an incorrect image of what a doctor is (even though 70% of my family members are doctors) I really appreciate the effort you put in for making this video and I deem the information you presented in this video invaluable, please keep making videos to help people like me learn more about the profession, continue giving advice and making a difference, once again thank you.
I'm a 39 year old family medicine board certified osteopathic physician. I want to say that 99.99% of what this vlogger said is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! I had a very different experience than he on my path to becoming a physician, but though I've never met this doctor, I have discovered ALL the same truths that he shares here, independently. I do have 2 caveats to add. I personally would NEVER go into primary care again, nor would I advise anyone to do so - unless you have a very unique situation, like you are going to be a missionary your whole career or you have a parent who's going to hand over their fully established booming practice to you after your residency. Primary Care faces so much competition from PAs and NPs who can be hired to do ALMOST the same outpatient job that pcps do at a fraction of the cost, but they don't suffer nearly the time or financial investment that physicians do. Medical school, for me, was insanely challenging. Residency is grueling and incredibly frustrating. it's just not worth going through all that rigor -to me - to end up spending the lot of your time charting on a computer and a big portion of your patient care time arguing with people who have common colds about why they don't need antibiotics for a viral illness or drug seekers about why you won't refill their 10mg Norco again or why 4mg of xanax a day isn't healthy for them in the long run. I'll mention my other caveat in a separate comment later today.
This video was extremely helpful. I will be a freshman in college this year and I have had so many worries about whether I should change from business to bio as my major. Knowing that I still have the option to attend Medical School regardless of my undergraduate degree places a great amount of ease on my stress. I love the fact that you mentioned we should take classes in whatever interests us just in case we don't get into medical. Although it is a pessimistic thought to believe I won't be accepted, it is very calming to just accept the reality for what it is. Thanks so much for making this video :)
This was wicked helpful. Thank you so much sir. Can you please make a video on tips to prepare for the financial burden that comes during the collegiate years when choosing med school. If you could include ways to help reduce the stress thats comes with more years in academia that would be great.
Couldn't agree more! I stayed with physics got my masters and then got into med school. I feel like as a physicist I can see problems from a different angle and it helps tackle some concepts in medical school.
Wow, thank you for your wisdom. This video has helped me begin the process of eliminating many fears about becoming about training to become doctor, even when I truly feel called to do so.
Thank you for spending your valued time and share this important information. My daughter is going for Biological Sciences this year and wants to become a Neurologist. I am definitely going to share this video with her. She needs to take all these 10 points you mentioned into account before making a final decision.
Thank you so much for this. Your words at the end sagaciously identified the core of my desires to become a physician, answering the question "why medicine?" that I get from time to time. Thank you!
I've done so much research and watched many videos on this field since i am a high school student still unsure of whether i want to peruse a career in medicine; this was by far the most helpful. Thank you :)
Amazing video! It is very helpful for people who want to become a doctor. I just graduated from a high school, and I think that it is very necessary to watch, made my life easier in finding things about this field
what you said at the end is why I aspire to become a doctor. To influence others by showing them that there is a way to heal physically, emotionally, and spiritually. To sacrifice myself so that others can live better however hard it is.
I find it very interesting and fascinating in a way the fact that people who majored in the Humanities scored even better in the MCAT than Biology majors. Btw very informative video!
Thanks for the endorsement, but I think you may be confusing me with someone else! As a hospitalist who has never performed an orthopedic operation in my life, you probably want to look elsewhere for your knee and shoulder surgeries! ;)
I have to admit, as I was watching most of the video. I felt doubt again consume my thoughts and questions plague my mind. As a Biology student in the Philippines, there was a lot of surprising things in the video. Some I had an idea of, but ignored because I still wanted to do it the way they told me how. Until tip no. 9, I felt like I had made a mistake in pursuing a premed course. I felt discouraged, but your last tip was my salvation. The allure of academic pursuit dancing with the feeling of saving lives made me smile with excitement. Thank u for the video.
I hope it wasn't too discouraging! And hopefully this is obvious, but the video is most applicable to aspiring doctors in the US. I have absolutely no familiarity with medical schools in the Philippines, so can't comment on the importance there of things such as choice of major, how time is spent during the day, compensation, etc...
I’m merely on the brink of becoming 14 but being a doctor has been one of my dreams for a really long time, and I’m just glad to have some tips to better prepare me for my upcoming future
I'm a highschool student, JHS. I'm planning to proceed to medicine after studying nursing. I'm just scared because I'm just an average student. Yes, I do get A's in my grades especially those subjects that are easy. But Science and Math I only get like B. Actually I'm from the Philippines and my grade is like 87.
Ryan Robert Ventolero That's high for me. 😭😭 My grade in first grading is 83 in Math. 😭 And Science whis is really important is 84 only. I should do better these grading.
hey, I'm just a teenager, and over the past couple days I've been doubting becoming a doctor. Thank you for this video, it made me realize why I want to do this
An outstanding orthopaedic trauma surgeon who took care of me a while back ago majored in German. He is now one of the top guys of his group. I'm an English major, and I'm planning on going to med school or PA school. I thought I'd throw these tidbits in the discussion for some more supporting evidence to SM's thesis ;)
I am currently majoring in health information management for my undergraduate degree. I plan on getting my doctorate degree in public health within the concentration of epidemiology and bio statistics, but I feel like it is not enough, and I am taking the easy way out. Most of the doctors that do take their lives, are psychiatrists, if I am not mistaken. I've been inspired to hematology/oncology, due to the passing of six-year old Miyah Telemaque Nelson, who suffered from Burkitt's lymphoma. I am afraid of the debt and misconceptions of being a doctor, I do not know to cope with always being compared to others. In the state of Florida, particularly the university that I am attending, you can only change your major about three times. I was recently a pre-pharmacy student, my first semester after high school, I was taking seven class with seventeen credit hours. Coming out of high school, I did not know how to really study for exams. I did not do well my first semester so I decided to leave the program because I felt as if I could not live up to the expectations of the pharmacy, which is the most prestigious program at the university and is known all over the country. If I was in the pharmacy program as of today I would be taking eight classes with eighteen credit hours. I am deal with a lot of self-esteem issues, not just in my personal life, but most of all in my college life. In the past and even now, I would always dream of becoming a doctor, especially to help cure cancer in bodies of adolescence. But, I am not sure if I can live up to the expectations and longevity, of specializing in hematology/oncology.
Eric -- Another excellent and insightful video in your series. I would add that I think with the albeit slow, but inevitable changes that need to be made to our healthcare system, there is a real need for physician-innovators. For motivated individuals, there is significant opportunity to create value in the system and in doing so, achieve outsized financial reward. This is certainly not the norm of what a physician is, but I would want those considering this career path to know that healthcare is the largest sector of the economy and there is true need for physician leadership to implement the technology and processes that will allow for a more sustainable and accessible healthcare system.
Azim Munivar Thanks for the comment, and I totally agree. This is partly why schools no longer consider a background in biological science (beyond the minimal premed requirements) to be essential among their students - many of these innovations require a different type of background (e.g. engineering, coding, mathematics, etc...), and a different approach to problem-solving.
Eric's Medical Lectures I have a degree in Information Technology and I am currently pursuing a MA in Theology. I hope to later apply for med school in my country.
Thank you Dr Strong ! Definitely a good advise for anyone considering medical career. I think American Doctor can afford Ralph Lauren but not sure about the others. :) I know even one success to become faculty member in a prestigious like Stanford or so , yes life is not great all the time either. Everyone who want to be a doctor should listen to this video and the advise is just correct everyone of them. Thank you Dr Eric Strong.
Will being a Bud driver for the City of Los Angeles look good for a medical school interview? I believe that shows I work with the public face to face and test my ability to resolve issues by all walks of life.
One of my classmates was an engineer, another a mathematician and yet another was a music major. They all did very well. I had one of the highest MCAT scores in the country and didn't think the test emphasized any particular major area of concentrated study. Highly reputable schools usually have excellent faculties who are proud of their association with the schools. Talk with graduates of the schools you're considering. What did they think of the quality of instruction when they had to apply what they had learned in internship and residency? How did they feel they compared with graduates of other schools? I agree that choosing to practice in any area of primary care, especially in a non-hospital setting, may expose one to a variety of difficulties otherwise not so frequently encountered. I wouldn't do it. As to the list of compensation data, mine was 3-4x the indicated figure and I still treated many patients free of charge. It's true that most dermatologists I know are happy. Two are actually board certified internists, too. Another is a lawyer (Yale). Medical school can be one of the really great experiences in life. I really loved it.
Hey Eric, wonderful video. Everything you said was very insightful and the last part of this video really meant a lot to me. Thank you for the inspiration. -Nick
Science classes aren't my favorite. I'm a psych major but I'm starting to consider med school. I know that if I place the amount of discipline and work in, i should be able to get better grades in sciences courses required to get into med school. do you think science has to be one of your best of favorite courses to enter med school?
Become a doctor is not easy, but you need to put your mindset towards becoming one. Don’t let people down, telling you that you’re not smart enough to become one. Study hard, work hard, and I promise you, the right career path will come to you.
The Sooner You Learn That Nobody Ever Tells You Anything - Especially The Most Important Things - The Luckier You Will Be! .............THANK GOD FOR BOOKS! GET IN THEM!
@@RobinLundqvist More difficult. If you were a lazy high school student (like me), entering med school would be hell. Gaining study knowledge whilst in your undergrad is a great idea.
Wow!! Best video I have listened to in a while. Thanks for keeping it real. You pretty much gave a very useful insight. Do have information about DO programs too and how difficulty it is for a person to specialize been a DO.
+Jennifer dam Taylor I am not familiar enough with the experience of DOs to offer much advice about that path. I'd recommend checking out the channel of StudentDoctorThompson which (if I recall correctly) has some videos talking about DO school and subsequent experience in residency.
Thanks for taking the time, I'm really trying to figure out if i want to go back to school. Right now i've been a dietary aid for 7 years in the hospital but want a career i can be dependant on and unfortunately i am still part time after this long.
Thank you so much for this video. I just want to ask that should I really want Medicine to be a Doctor? Like can I be a doctor without like passion? How will I lnow if I really like it? Do I need to love it so much that I can't think of any work besides it? Can't I be a doctor if I'm thinking about something else? Please answer me. Thank you.
That thing about the major in college being irrelevant - it made me at ease. I'm a graduating student of BS Food Science and Technology, everytime somebody will know about my plan in medicine - they always ended up saying stuffs like I don't have the chance. Though I really want to be a doctor, I want to be a neurosurgeon.
You were talking about what interns do as if that were the same as what full doctors do. I have a feeling most full doctors use residents, assistants, medical coders, nurses, etc. for a lot of the paperwork stuff.
You are right that interns certainly do more "'paperwork" (including charting) than residents, who do more paperwork than attendings (i.e. full doctors) do, but I still do quite a bit. During times that I am "on service" (i.e. weeks when I have clinical duties), my breakdown of time is probably something like: 1/5 at the bedside, 2/5 on the EHR reviewing charts and writing notes, 1/5 responding to emails and attending mandatory meetings, and 1/5 on student/resident education. (That's an approximation - some activities get doubled up, such as teaching students while at the bedside examining patients). Documentation requirements are only less for attendings if they are at an academic center, where they can co-sign resident notes. But most full doctors don't work with residents. Scribes certainly help, but no nurse is going to be doing a doctor's paperwork, except maybe an NP in a specialty clinic. Bottom line, there are few docs who spend >50% of their day face-to-face with patients other than extreme concierge docs (www.nytimes.com/2017/06/03/business/economy/high-end-medical-care.html?_r=0), and of course surgeons/anesthesiologists (but their patients are out).
Hey Eric, what are your thoughts on becoming a PA as opposed to an MD? From the research I've done it seems that it's less schooling and you practically do the same patient care wise as an MD. You also have more freedom to change specialties. What do you think?
ghazwan573 That's a tough question. Yes, becoming a PA requires substantially less training, and you definitely have more flexibility in changing field of practice. However, there's a lot of differences between the job description for a PA vs. MD/DO. What can PAs do? See patients on their own, prescribe meds in all 50 states, assist with surgeries, perform minor procedures unsupervised, counsel patients, hold family meetings, etc... Now that sounds a lot like being a doctor, right? So what can't PAs do? Well, in the most general sense, a PA needs to be supervised, on some level, by a physician; the degree differs greatly depending upon the context (PA on a surgical service at a large academic center vs. a PA working in a small, rural primary care clinic). But a PA can't just rent office space, put his/her name on the door, and start seeing patients. To some people, that's not a big deal, but for others it is. In addition, PAs can't serve as the primary surgeon on any major OR cases. They certainly can scrub in, and assist with surgeries, but it's never them calling the shots in the OR. Again, not a big deal to some people. PAs can't work as independent hospitalists, though some do work closely with a hospitalist, performing similar type of care. Rightly or wrongly, when hospitals and large, multispecialty clinics look for clinicians to occupy important administrative roles, they turn to doctors and nurses, not PAs. If you think you might be interested in research once you're a practicing clinician, neither labs (for basic science) nor multicenter trials looking for a site PI (for clinical research) usually show much interest in PAs. So far, all of those disadvantages of being a PA may not apply to a lot of people. However, all those years of training to become an MD/DO (7 to become an internist, 9 for a general surgeon) are actually important in learning skills and factual information that can't be condensed into 2 years of PA school. That's not to say that PAs can't be amazing clinicians - they absolutely can be. But it will be more difficult to get yourself to the same level of clinical acumen going with the PA route as compared to the MD/DO route. Broadly speaking, the decision as to whether to pursue becoming an MD vs. PA, or vs. DO or vs. NP is a personal choice. There is no "right" answer that applies to everyone, and there is no "best" degree for taking care of patients. It's a matter of what type of role you see yourself performing; what type of medicine you'd like to practice; whether you're interested in hospital administration, medical education, or research; whether you need to feel like you are fully "in charge" of the care you are providing; and how much time you can and want to devote to training. For some people, MD is the obvious choice. For others, PA is the obvious one. (If any PAs come across this, please feel free to chime in!)
Eric's Medical Lectures I am a PA and, well, you covered all the bases Eric. At the end of the day, it depends on what your priorities in life are. A PA will function much like a resident; you will see patients on your own, diagnose on your own, discuss your patient cases with your attending and your team, and formulate treatment plans accordingly. You can help your supervising physician conduct research, occasionally present that research at conferences, and get your name on research articles. You can assist in surgery; how involved you will be will depend on your skill level. The main difference is the level of expertise. Medical school teaches pathophysiology more in-depth than in PA school, which is important for making treatment decisions with more complex diagnoses. Physicians also have the added benefit of 3+ years of residency, which makes a huge difference in ability to practice independently. So if you want to become a top expert and are willing to sacrifice more time, become a doctor. If time is more valuable to you and becoming the top expert less so, PA may be the better route. Either way, you will be well-trained, well-respected, well-compensated, and....most importantly....you get to take care of people in need.
Hi, I've just started college after being in the army for 3 years. At first I wanted to go to school for nursing, then my aspiration changed for a higher goal. I'm now pre-med, though I haven't decided my major yet since I'm doing two years at a community college then plan to transfer, My high school like yours, was fairly easy and not at all challenging, though I slacked my first two years my last two I worked very hard. I'm one who believes in the growth mindset, so I feel if I study and work hard enough I will do well academically. My questions are 1.) How hard is it to get into medical school even if your GPA is 3.5-4.0. 2.) Will I Struggle more because im just now deciding I want to become a doctor and didn't try hard in the beginning of high school.
+jessica jones Sorry to take a few weeks to reply - it's been getting incrementally harder to keep up with comments... 1. You'll hear different opinions about this, but no one really knows much more about the application process than what happens at their own school (and that's only if they are involved in the admissions process somehow). My impression about this question is that GPA and MCATs are primarily responsible for making sure your application doesn't automatically end up in the rejection pile without further consideration. Med schools can't read through every LOR, essay, list of ECs, etc... for every applicant - so whether or not they publicly admit it, all of them use some arbitrary cutoff of GPA and MCAT to decide which applications they actually look at. A GPA above 3.5 would generally be sufficient for that, depending upon how competitive your college is, and how competitive the med school is. (For example, a 3.5 from a random, small liberal arts school with no national name recognition might not be enough when applying to Harvard or Stanford to make that first cut). But while a great GPA and a good MCAT score may be necessary for consideration, obviously it's not sufficient - there's still LORs, ECs, and additional life experiences (e.g. serving in the military). People also have different opinions about this as well, but in my opinion, spending the first 2 years at a community college will put you at a slight disadvantage with applications, so I would work as hard academically as you can now, in order to transfer into the best possible college. Having said all of that, I don't think getting into medical school is the nearly impossible task that many premeds, premed advisers, and test prep companies make it out to be. The question you should ask yourself is "Do I want to become a doctor who takes care of patients?" or "Do I want to go to Harvard to become a world-famous medical researcher?" It's very common for premeds to conflate the two when discussing difficulties getting into med school. The latter is obviously super hard, but the former, not so much. If your goal is to take care of patients in a "non-competitive" field (e.g. primary care, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry), and you are completely fine with considering DO schools, or middle/bottom tier allopathic schools, then getting in is not that hard - relatively speaking. More often than not, when your fellow premeds are stressing over getting in, it's because they are only considering top tier programs. Just keep in mind that if you are an excellent, but not phenomenal student, there are other options for becoming a doctor. For example, when I applied, I didn't even consider DO schools, because I was given the completely incorrect impression that they are not "real doctors". The only major option that I would be hesitant about is a Caribbean school... 2. The only reason you might struggle now or in the future because of not working hard at the beginning of high school would be due to a possible lack of good study habits. None of the actual factual material you learned in early high school will make much of a different in your college courses or MCAT studying. But not knowing how to study will have an impact. Med schools don't care about high school GPA, so if it wasn't stellar, don't worry about it. If anything, a smart admissions officer might see a positive aspect of someone whose high school GPA was mediocre, and college GPA was great. Hope that helps!
wow #3 hurt! I completed the 90% of my college level sciences at a University, but completed an associates degree in Medical Lab at a community college. The end goal for me is a MD in Pathology.
Excellent advice and a great way to try to put old heads on young shoulders. Would old heads think that Medicine might have a few things to learn from our forebears and re evaluate the modern departmentalized way of treating ailments.
I want to go to med school, but I also want to major in engineering. I enjoy studying and learning physics and the applications of it through math. However, the learning is the only compelling part, and I don't want to be an engineer. I want to be a doctor, a practitioner, who isn't simply working for a company and is hands on with patients. My mind is set so, but I'm worried I will not maintain a good gpa in undergrad and suffer through the pre requisite classes.
I am an undergraduate Pre-Med major and I am in desperate need of a mentor. I haven't been able to shut up about becoming a doctor since I was 6 years old. I am 23 now and the fire in my heart is still burning hot. How much free time does a fully establised General Practitioner have in a week?
I Wanted To Be A Doctor Not Because They Say That It Is One Of The Jobs That Pay You Well, I Wanted To Become A Doctor So I Can Help People, Cure People, Provide People From Injuries, Diseases And Such Things A Doctor Can Help (And Of Course, Because Of The Money Aswell)
I agree for the most part with your assessment, but we should be honest and point out that some physicians do, in fact, become quite rich. Like in any endeavor, those whom are especially talented and charismatic attract heavy volumes. I have known orthopedists whom can perform 12 total knee replacements in 8 hours(great speed and skill), and have the volume to keep at it up for a decade. They don't make the 400k /yr average; they make 5x that much. The same is true for plastic surgeons. Successful ones in LA charge 20k for a tummy tuck/augmentation combo and do 2-3 per day. Yes, they have expenses, but getting to 10 million in net worth is not atypical by their late 40's. Many surgeons have built surgery centers whose profits greatly exceed the professional fees you quote. I have known a few physicians making 2-5 million per year from those ventures. My point is, remember that medians or averages are just that. The talented and business minded physicians, like anyone else, can get rich. And do. And of course there are the billionaire doctors: Frost, Stryker, Michelson, Frist, etc.
Yes, there are a small handful of ultrawealthy physicians, but anyone who is that money-minded and with that track record of financial success would probably have been equally if not more successful had they gone to business or law school. As you've indicated, most who make that much do so from either business ventures or from drug/device patents. In addition to plastic surgery and orthopedics, another potentially highly lucrative specialty is obstetricians specializing in infertility - there is a very high limit to how much some rich patients will pay to have children. One last point: There is a practical limit to how quickly knee replacement surgery can be safely performed. I would never trust my knee to an orthopedic surgeon who does 12 TKAs a day.
+joy fassler just work hard, trust me one day you will be doctor. although being a doctor just to help others isnt a strong argument, you can help other in many different ways, but you have to be interested in the human body as well. good luck
Why is it so hard to change the system of primary care? I don't understand how there are so many doctors that complain about this but nothing is changing...
@Strong Medicine Hi I'm a high school student, and I'm stuck with the decision between a doctor or pharmacist. The only things that scare me the most about being a doctor is the amount of debt or the cost of medical school I'm going to have, as well as other harships. I have some questions for you, Sir. I hope this one is not too personal; how long did it take for you to pay off your student loans or debt after you graduated and started working? Unless you had a full ride then please disregard this question. I always thought that medical school cost a lot and I might end up having like $300,000 debt or more after I graduate. My financial situation is not very good, and my parents are lower class, so I'm afraid I won't make it through med school without having like a hugh amount of money. I heard that doctors, usually the primary care ones, receives calls from patients asking about their situations during free times. I'm afraid doctors can't find free times for themselves. Is this rumors true? Another one is like let's say I want to major in physics but going to do pre-med, am I still required to take those anatomy and physiology and microbology classes or the physicians in med school will teach me? Lastly, you mentioned in the video that doctors spend most their times reading charts. What kind of charts are they? Like charts about patients and their cases?Thank you very much. Your video was mind-blowing and It deciphered some of my confusions.
"how long did it take for you to pay off your student loans or debt after you graduated and started working?" I graduated med school in 2003, and will probably be paying off my student loans for another 10+ years. That's not only because they were a lot, but also because the interest rate is extremely low on them, so it's actually not advantageous to pay them off as soon as possible, even though that would lead to some piece of mind. "I'm afraid doctors can't find free times for themselves. Is this rumors true?" It depends on your specialty and how you design your practice. If I didn't have any free time, I certainly wouldn't be able to make TH-cam videos! "Another one is like let's say I want to major in physics but going to do pre-med, am I still required to take those anatomy and physiology and microbology classes or the physicians in med school will teach me?" Requirements vary greatly between different countries, so this only applies to the US, but here you must complete a certain set of premed requirements in order to get into med school, irrespective of undergrad major. So people who major in bio or chem typically need 2-4 fewer courses in undergrad than those who major in engineering, physics, or humanities, but that's only because there is greater overlap between courses required for PreMed and for their major. "Lastly, you mentioned in the video that doctors spend most their times reading charts. What kind of charts are they? Like charts about patients and their cases?" I wouldn't say that they spend most of their time "reading charts" per se, since much of the time on the computer is also spent writing notes yourself, checking labs, placing orders, etc... But yes, "reading charts" refers to the charts of your own patients, seeing what's happened to them in the past, and reading about other doctors' opinions on their diagnoses and recommended treatments. Good luck!
+Strong Medicine on the 2nd question, do you know what kind of specialty would involved sacrificing free times? And another question, what exactly did you learn in med school? Please give me details to the best of your abilities. Thank you very much!
"Do you know what kind of specialty would involved sacrificing free times?"It depends what kind of free time you are looking for. If you want shift work, where you have a schedule in which you can bunch up many shift together, to give you long stretches off, then hospitalist medicine (i.e. inpatient internal medicine) and emergency medicine are your best bets. When I first started as a hospitalist, my schedule was approximately 7 days on, followed by 8-9 days off, all year long, which resulted in about 20 one week vacations that first year. (Now, as teaching faculty at an academic institution, my schedule is no longer than flexible). Radiology and anesthesiology can also look like this, depending on the institution.On the other hand, if you want a schedule in which you work hard during the days Monday-Friday, but have little responsibilities nights or weekends, then fields like ophthalmology and dermatology are good bets (but are extremely competitive). Fields in which free time is more limited? Primary care, interventional cardiology, GI, some surgical fields.But so much also depends upon your institution. GI might be incredibly busy at one hospital, but a relative cakewalk at another."what exactly did you learn in med school?"I recommend that you review a formal resource which discusses med school curricula, because it will be more detailed than I'm able to go into here. But very briefly, in my opinion, med school is comprised of 4 types of courses: - Foundational science courses (e.g. molecular biology, genetics, biochem) - These are subjects which are included as part of premed requirements, but most schools don't teach them from a medical perspective, so unfortunately they need to be repeated.- Medical science courses (e.g. physiology, pathophysiology, anatomy, histology, developmental biology/embryology, immunology) - "Doctoring" courses - These are courses that teach you the skills needed to be a doctor, which include interviewing skills, physical examination, clinical reasoning, biostatistics/epidemiology, bioethics, test interpretation, and documentation.- Clerkships - This is when students go into the hospital and clinic, interact with real patients in a real health care setting, and actually participate in care delivery under physician supervision.
LOL I was a bio major and scored a perfect score on the bio/biochem portion of the MCAT. I also found my M1 to be a breeze, because a vast majority of what I was learning was taught to me in my undergrad
i'm surely impresse about what i heard, they have to accept the challange to become a doctor and fight against deseases thus helping mankind to regain health fullfilling out earthling mission.thanks
in Russia education in med school lasts 6 years, no premed college needed. my school not on the list ( but itl,s federal university very prestige, but as medschool faculty itls only second year ) of world med,s schools. hope it will be on list or should transfer... because i cant passed usmle
Here is my 2c (I'm a final year med student in NZ). Medicine is highly algorithmic, making scientific understanding and problem solving pretty irrelevant for the most part. If you are like me and love science and creative problem solving then look into research or engineering. IMO the people who enjoy med the most are those who get a kick out of caring for others, are extroverted, love chaotic days, are workoholics and are driven be status and hierachy
Alex While I appreciate the sentiment that medicine is algorithmic, and problem solving is largely irrelevant, it doesn't need to be that way. It's true that some medical disciplines may be more prone to following flow charts and mindlessly adhering to prepared guidelines for each patient, but irrespective of which specialty you're going to do, there's no requirement that you do this. In other words, medicine is only as algorithmic as you allow it to be. Here's a real world example of what I mean: Suppose you're seeing a patient in the hospital who is diagnosed with some form of metastatic cancer involving the liver and biliary tree. The radiologist tells you that based on the radiographic appearance, there is a 90% chance that the tumor is hepatocellular carcinoma (treatable with chemo option A, which won't cure the disease but extends life expectancy, on average, from 6 months to 8 months), and a 10% chance that it's cholangiocarcinoma (has no good treatment options for this particular patient, and carries of life expectancy of 6 months). If the doctor is algorithmic, they will insist on a biopsy of the tumor. If the biopsy shows hepatocellular carcinoma, the patient gets chemo option A. If it shows cholangiocarcinoma, they are referred to hospice. And if the biopsy is non-diagnostic (i.e. the pathologist can't tell), the patient is biopsied again. This is the general approach many doctors would take. However, using a bit of clinical reasoning, reading of the primary literature, and biostats, one could consider the following: the imperfect specificity of the biopsy, the relatively high rate of non-diagnostic biopsies, the low rate of toxicity of chemo option A, the additional impact that the patient's history of chronic hepatitis B had on the radiologist's opinion of the probability of each disease, the limited life expectancy irrespective of diagnosis or treatment, and the rate of complications from the biopsy itself. And from that, we determined that the logical course of action was to prescribe chemo option A without a biopsy (i.e. without confirming the tumor was a type that is generally felt to be susceptible to our prescribed treatment) - which was also in line with the patient's strong desire to forego invasive testing. That was a highly non-algorithmic approach to a problem which could easily have been reduced to a 3 line flow chart. It certainly took much more time to figure that out, but was very satisfying, and the patient was better for it. The real difference between medicine and research when it comes to problem solving is that in research, the questions are relatively fewer, and much time and energy can be devoted to answering each one. In medicine, the questions fly at you so fast, that it's easy to just succumb to the temptation to follow guidelines or look up the "answer" as to what to do on UpToDate - but with deliberate practice, you can still incorporate problem solving skills, biostats, and logical reasoning on a regular basis. It just takes a little effort. I do agree that people who thrive in medicine are those who are extroverts and don't object to working hard, but at least in the US, they are not the type of individuals who are "driven by status and hierarchy" - our society has other fields more suited for them.
Eric's Medical Lectures Thanks for your reply. For me your response highlights one of the issues with modern medicine. You stress the time and energy required to make the non-algorithmic, more optimal and more satisfying solution to the patients problem. At the same time you mention the lack of time available to do this. It's no wonder that many of the clinicians I have seen struggle to fit in such reasoning into their practice. I completely agree with the question to time ratio factor that researchers have compared to doctors. Doctors are also limited by that fact that they can potentially have much worse consequences for being wrong, and following an algorithm/guideline/protocol is a safe way to practice.
Eric, did I hear you correctly that a residency program will consider where you went as an undergraduate? Doesn't it make more sense that they consider the ranking of your medical school education instead? I was a community college to UC transfer so you have me wondering.
Alexander Olson. Where you went to undergrad isn't a non-issue in that every residency program will notice it. But only the more competitive specialties (e.g. derm, ortho, ophtho, etc...) will place more than a trivial amount of weight on it. And even then, it's not like it factors objectively into some master equation. It's more like something on your CV that helps to color an interviewer or program director's overall impression of you. Regardless of specialty you apply in, the reputation of your med school definitely carries much more weight than the reputation of your undergrad institution. So if you spent 1-2 years at a community college, then transferred to a UC school, got great grades there, and ended up at a decent med school where you did well, the community college will probably have negligible impact on your residency application. I've talked to other physicians before about the impact of community colleges on CVs when applying to residency, and some actually argue that depending upon the person reviewing the application, it could even be a benefit - specifically, an example of the relatively new concept of "grit". In other words, they see a student who goes from community college to a good med school as likely having a stronger work ethic than the student who went to an Ivy as an undergrad and then on to the very same med school.
@Strong Medicine were you still able to have time for a family/social life with your career? I have very high aspirations of becoming a trauma surgeon, however I would still like to maintain a healthy life balance.
I'm happy to hear you ask about this. It's a very important consideration, and it's never too early to start thinking about it. I'd say that as a general rule, people who are young and single underestimate what the importance will be of a healthy work-life balance once they have a family. As a student, working 70-80 hrs a week while on q3 call, may seem totally doable and worth it in order to do what you love and in order to make excellent money. But after 10-15 years, once you have a spouse and kids, that schedule will not seem as good, and the great money won't seem as worth it. Obviously there will be exceptions, but most docs I know who now have kids prefer working less than they did before kids. I actually work part time now (technically, considered to be 82.5% of a full time doctor), which I did to have more time for creating online content and more time for my family. I make less money and even lost my office at the hospital, but I'm happier and I feel like my career is more sustainable. And I probably made that decision a few years later than I should have. Burnout is a serious problem in medicine . You want to develop a career that you will be happy with for the next 40 years, not one that will be amazing just for the first 5-10.
I'd like to know how they differentiated between time spent with a patient and time charting because most doctors chart while they are with a patient. Same thing with being logged into their chart... from the time my physician enters the room in clinic, he shakes my hand, and logs in, asks questions and takes notes then leaves the chart open while doing an exam so I'm not sure if the Stanford study is counting time with the patient or solely the time in office after the visit?
These were internal medicine interns working on the inpatient wards. There are no computers in the patient rooms, and all computers that they do used are in shared spaces where they can't leave them open while not present.
#11) Every physician will be served with a malpractice suit. Yes, if you think the first 10 are depressing, this one is, for many US doctors, the one which impacts the most. It is reality in this country, until/if significant tort reform is achieved in this country.
Thanks for comment! There's an interesting article here on malpractice risk by specialty (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3204310/), but the TL;DR is 75% of docs in low-risk specialties (e.g. primary care, psych) will get sued at some point, and 99% of docs in high-risk specialties (e.g. surgery, e-med). Only a minority of the lawsuits will actually result in payment to the patient, and in only a minority of those is the doctor found in court to be at fault (i.e. the majority of payments are settlements). But even if most suits don't end "badly" for the doc, it still is an unpleasant moment during one's career, and can make one second-guess their decisions in a way that adversely affects patient care. (e.g. a recently sued doctor might now order unnecessary tests "just to be sure" there's not a life-threatening diagnosis present). Unfortunately, while tort reform is a worthy goal, if our Congress can't even pass a debt ceiling increase without threatening to shut down the entire federal government, I'm not going to hold my breath.
I'm doing biomedical science at the moment with the intent to transfer to medicine next year. (I originally wanted to do medicine but I got the opportunity to do boimed for free so...) this is useful.
1:09 #1 Your undergraduate major is irrelevant
4:04 #2 The highest ranked schools and residences don't necessarily provide the best clinical training
5:11 #3 A bright, self-motivated person can succeed and thrive in any school or training program, but pedigree still matters for competitive specialties and academic positions.
5:53 #4 The value of an excellent mentor cannot be overstated (an no, your official pre-med advisor does not count)
7:59 #5 A strong commitment to 2-3 unique activities will be more valued and more personally rewarding than superficial involvement in a dozen conventional ones
10:15 #6 It's completely fine to do something between college and medical school, but make that time count.
11:12 #7 Primary care is exhausting, undervalued, and under-compensated, but desperately needed.
13:05 #8 A typical doctor spends only a fraction fo the day with patients
15:16 #9 Becoming a doctor is not a good way to become rich.
17:18 #10 Medical school should not be your career default pathway, irrespective of whether or not you see yourself doing anything else.
MrJijack thank you so much
MrJijack I don’t know what to do beside being a doctor. I’m a 16yrs old high school student, do you have any advice?
ARSH thanks that advice helped me as well cause I’m in the same boat :)
Why am I scared to become the only thing that I imagine myself doing my whole life
Gibbyyy Iieyyy same
Same
same here !! but im finally doing it !!
BritxBrat2Fashion which year?
Same
@john mainprize, I'm sorry TH-cam isn't letting me respond directly to your comment... for a high school student, many of my tips are obvious stuff: get good grades, and try to get yourself into a university with a strong reputation (though this is not critical, it is definitely helpful!). Just as important as getting good grades however, is developing strong study skills and work ethic. I went to an extremely easy high school, and although my grades were great, I didn't need to work hard to achieve them. Although, as a high school student, that may sound great right now - it was terrible in the long run. My first semester in college went very poorly, and if my school didn't have mandatory pass-fail classes for freshmen, I might have otherwise tanked my chances to get into med school. So even if you're cruising through school at this point, take the time (while you have it) to learn how to study (i..e. effective studying doesn't involve highlighting textbooks...)
One last suggestion would be to shadow at least 2 physicians - 1 in an outpatient clinic, and 1 in the hospital. It's important to have some idea as early as possible what a doctor's day to day job is currently like; for many, it no longer comes close to what is shown in TV and film.
what if you arent that good in your grade but you passed ? and what is the good course to get in pre-med sir?
Hello Doc. I am a new viewer and I am also presently pursuing a diploma in electronic/electrical engineering with my end game being and degree in biomedical engineering. My initial focus before entering the engineering field was medicine due to my genuine love of helping people and seeing that smile after helping someone as well as my meticulous interest in understanding the mechanics and working of thing; i.e. the human body. Also within resent times I have rekindled an interest in the medical field via anaesthesiology, but alas I am in engineering. I noticed that in your first tip you mentioned that you would of preferred a different undergraduate course given what you now know such as engineering. I was wondering why that is and if I may still be able to pursue an actual medical course in anaesthesiology or given my young age; 19 years; I may still be able to pursue it later on?
+Dwyght Yorke I wish I had studied physics or engineering because I find those fields more interesting than biology, and because they encourage the development of more rigorous problem solving skills (apologies to the biologists of the world...). Regarding your own path, at 19, you're young enough to do pretty much anything. You could get a biomed engineering PhD, work for a few years, decide it wasn't satisfying, and still have time to pursue medicine.
+Strong Medicine Thanks for the reply Doc your feedback is much appreciated
Hey, the reason you can't enter the comment directly is that you have do it from your back office. Go to your Creator Studio, click on Community, and then you will be able to do it.
i want to become a doctor even more... thank u sir...
I'm still thinking about becoming a doctor. I cannot think of another career I would like and have had only medical careers in mind. I have researched the pros and cons of being a doctor and simply cannot decide. I am willing to give my all to become a doctor but I don't want it to break me. Personally I am a nerd but giving up all of my social skills is another thing (big exaggeration but you get the point) All I hear is that people rarely have time for family, friends, and fun because they must always be ready to go back to work. Can someone please explain whether this claim is true or not?
Same!! I'm so confused because I can't imagine my self anything other than a doctor but I am afraid of the time and social life commitment!!
taka shindow
getting into medical school isn't hard, it's maintaining your sanity working ridiculous hours in the hospital for the rest of your life.... that is the hard part
I'm not gay. You summed it up !
I guess if we really want this profession we need to learn how to maintain that balance
I had an interview with a surgeon a couple months back, and he basically confirmed your suspicions for me. We all share this feeling when aspiring to become a doctor. I don’t want to let go of all my hobbies and friends but sacrifices must be made when the time comes. I bet it’s hard, but I also bet that it’s rewarding to save lives.
I honestly like how honest you were. Thank you for the video!
This video was very informative and unbelievably helpful as I continue figuring out my goals for the future. Currently a rising junior in college, my dream career is to be an orthopedic surgeon (though I'm also considering general surgery). I can't see myself doing anything else besides becoming a doctor because of passion for biology, human anatomy and all/most of my other required courses as a Public Health Science and General Biology major, microbiology, genetics, etc. As of lately I've questioned how badly I want this career. I understand the many personal rewards that accompanies it, but I'm afraid it's too demanding for my other life goals, such as traveling, having a family at a considerable age or simply having a social life. None of that seems very plausible with the demands that come along with being a doctor. My issue is, I don't know if any other career can satisfy/stimulate me the way medicine would, which is why I'm contemplating sticking with it anyway. I know I could handle whatever is thrown at me...but would it be worth it?
Eric, if you could please elaborate a bit more on your 10th point..your true thoughts on my situation would be greatly appreciated considering you've already given me so much insight in just a short 19 minute video.
+Catherine Grela I am in the same situation. I am also a junior in college, want to be a surgeon, but also want a family. I just wanted to let you know that I totally understand your stress and I hope you get the answers you need! Best wishes!
I am currently majoring in health information management for my undergraduate degree. I plan on getting my doctorate degree in public health within the concentration of epidemiology and bio statistics, but I feel like it is not enough, and I am taking the easy way out. I am afraid of the debt and misconceptions of being a doctor, I do not know to cope with always being compared to others. In the state of Florida, particularly the university that I am attending, you can only change your major about three times. I was recently a pre-pharmacy student, my first semester after high school, I was taking seven class with seventeen credit hours. Coming out of high school, I did not know how to really study for exams. I did not do well my first semester so I decided to leave the program because I felt as if I could not live up to the expectations of the pharmacy, which is the most prestigious program at the university and is known all over the country. If I was in the pharmacy program as of today I would be taking eight classes with eighteen credit hours. I am deal with a lot of self-esteem issues, not just in my personal life, but most of all in my college life. In the past and even now, I would always dream of becoming a doctor, especially to help cure cancer in bodies of adolescence. But, I am not sure if I can live up to the expectations and longevity, of specializing in hematology/oncology.
+Rachael P I'm in the same boat as you both except I'm a senior in high school. Let me know what you guys decide to do. Best luck to you guys!
Catherine Grela I dont know shit I mainly worked 13 years in private security industry, I'm mexican, and want to become a rural physician. I'm currently a medical assistant and a phlebotomist now. best of luck to you achieving to become a orthopedist surgeon, I hope I can achieve my Rural physician goal
Thank you for being so honest. I think many people sugarcoat the process of becoming a doctor. Becoming a doctor is definitely not easy... and the amount of time and effort that is spent to become one doesn't always yield money. Honestly, that's my biggest concern. I want to have time for my family later in life but I also want to be in the healthcare field. Doctor seems so perfect when I'm working in the hospital but there's the struggle that I don't see under a white coat. I seriously respect doctors even when they are completely rude and "break" some rules to save lives. I always thought we should have a day dedicated to our physicians.
I agree with you.
lol i know no one who sugar coats the process of becoming a doctor- in fact I got so turned off by stories that I wasn't premed for two years. :) However, I have heard positive stories too where there is a recognition of the rigors and dedication but also a lot of passion. I think that is key!
First, id like to give you my thanks. So many people are oblivious when it comes to medicine including myself before watching this video, I'm a second year med student (not studying in America) so I'm relatively young and I definitely had an incorrect image of what a doctor is (even though 70% of my family members are doctors) I really appreciate the effort you put in for making this video and I deem the information you presented in this video invaluable, please keep making videos to help people like me learn more about the profession, continue giving advice and making a difference, once again thank you.
I'm a 39 year old family medicine board certified osteopathic physician. I want to say that 99.99% of what this vlogger said is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! I had a very different experience than he on my path to becoming a physician, but though I've never met this doctor, I have discovered ALL the same truths that he shares here, independently. I do have 2 caveats to add. I personally would NEVER go into primary care again, nor would I advise anyone to do so - unless you have a very unique situation, like you are going to be a missionary your whole career or you have a parent who's going to hand over their fully established booming practice to you after your residency. Primary Care faces so much competition from PAs and NPs who can be hired to do ALMOST the same outpatient job that pcps do at a fraction of the cost, but they don't suffer nearly the time or financial investment that physicians do. Medical school, for me, was insanely challenging. Residency is grueling and incredibly frustrating. it's just not worth going through all that rigor -to me - to end up spending the lot of your time charting on a computer and a big portion of your patient care time arguing with people who have common colds about why they don't need antibiotics for a viral illness or drug seekers about why you won't refill their 10mg Norco again or why 4mg of xanax a day isn't healthy for them in the long run. I'll mention my other caveat in a separate comment later today.
This video was extremely helpful. I will be a freshman in college this year and I have had so many worries about whether I should change from business to bio as my major. Knowing that I still have the option to attend Medical School regardless of my undergraduate degree places a great amount of ease on my stress. I love the fact that you mentioned we should take classes in whatever interests us just in case we don't get into medical. Although it is a pessimistic thought to believe I won't be accepted, it is very calming to just accept the reality for what it is. Thanks so much for making this video :)
I really appreciate that you made this video. It has helped my daughter a lot to clear her mind about her pre-med worries.
I'm a freshman at a community school and I found this video so valuable. Thank you for your help and inspiration!
Same! 😁
This was wicked helpful. Thank you so much sir. Can you please make a video on tips to prepare for the financial burden that comes during the collegiate years when choosing med school. If you could include ways to help reduce the stress thats comes with more years in academia that would be great.
Couldn't agree more! I stayed with physics got my masters and then got into med school. I feel like as a physicist I can see problems from a different angle and it helps tackle some concepts in medical school.
Do you mind if I ask if you had to take any aditional pre-reqs to get into med school, as I am in a similar situation? Thanks!
Wow, thank you for your wisdom. This video has helped me begin the process of eliminating many fears about becoming about training to become doctor, even when I truly feel called to do so.
Thank-you for this, the short twenty minutes you committed to enlightening certain aspect of this upcoming odyssey means a lot.
Great final message, I feel better now with the choice I've made for my career.
Dominique Pordeus keep it going. You are on the right track. You've got to chase your dreams. Keep chasing those dreams, baby
exactly its true thank u
Thank you for spending your valued time and share this important information.
My daughter is going for Biological Sciences this year and wants to become a Neurologist.
I am definitely going to share this video with her.
She needs to take all these 10 points you mentioned into account before making a final decision.
+Mackandal1758 I hope she'll find it to be helpful!
It is wonderful topic for pre-medical students! Thanks!
Thank you so much for this. Your words at the end sagaciously identified the core of my desires to become a physician, answering the question "why medicine?" that I get from time to time. Thank you!
I've done so much research and watched many videos on this field since i am a high school student still unsure of whether i want to peruse a career in medicine; this was by far the most helpful. Thank you :)
Amazing video! It is very helpful for people who want to become a doctor. I just graduated from a high school, and I think that it is very necessary to watch, made my life easier in finding things about this field
THIS WAS EXTREMELY HELPFUL! Thank you so much!
what you said at the end is why I aspire to become a doctor. To influence others by showing them that there is a way to heal physically, emotionally, and spiritually. To sacrifice myself so that others can live better however hard it is.
I find it very interesting and fascinating in a way the fact that people who majored in the Humanities scored even better in the MCAT than Biology majors. Btw very informative video!
I highly recommend this doctor for any surgery of the knee of shoulder he is a amazing doctor and I simply adore all he has done for me....
Thanks for the endorsement, but I think you may be confusing me with someone else! As a hospitalist who has never performed an orthopedic operation in my life, you probably want to look elsewhere for your knee and shoulder surgeries! ;)
I have to admit, as I was watching most of the video. I felt doubt again consume my thoughts and questions plague my mind. As a Biology student in the Philippines, there was a lot of surprising things in the video. Some I had an idea of, but ignored because I still wanted to do it the way they told me how. Until tip no. 9, I felt like I had made a mistake in pursuing a premed course. I felt discouraged, but your last tip was my salvation. The allure of academic pursuit dancing with the feeling of saving lives made me smile with excitement. Thank u for the video.
I hope it wasn't too discouraging! And hopefully this is obvious, but the video is most applicable to aspiring doctors in the US. I have absolutely no familiarity with medical schools in the Philippines, so can't comment on the importance there of things such as choice of major, how time is spent during the day, compensation, etc...
I’m merely on the brink of becoming 14 but being a doctor has been one of my dreams for a really long time, and I’m just glad to have some tips to better prepare me for my upcoming future
I'm a highschool student, JHS. I'm planning to proceed to medicine after studying nursing. I'm just scared because I'm just an average student. Yes, I do get A's in my grades especially those subjects that are easy. But Science and Math I only get like B. Actually I'm from the Philippines and my grade is like 87.
Ryan Robert Ventolero That's high for me. 😭😭 My grade in first grading is 83 in Math. 😭 And Science whis is really important is 84 only. I should do better these grading.
+Danica Mac are u from the Philippines?
+Danica Mac My grades in Music, Arts, P.E., Health are all 95 above
Yep. And good for you. 😂😂
+Danica Mac natatakot kasi ako dahil ako yung like one of the student who go kow grades. mostly sa kanila may 95% na average.
Thank you i now know that what ever comes my way i need to be prepared for it and fight hard.
Thanks, I found this very encouraging! This hasn't deterred me at all! Wish us luck!
Thank you! This really helped me to see through the stereotyped views of what doctors do, and how one becomes such.
hey, I'm just a teenager, and over the past couple days I've been doubting becoming a doctor. Thank you for this video, it made me realize why I want to do this
You're very welcome!
Don't doubt yourself!! You got it!
An outstanding orthopaedic trauma surgeon who took care of me a while back ago majored in German. He is now one of the top guys of his group. I'm an English major, and I'm planning on going to med school or PA school. I thought I'd throw these tidbits in the discussion for some more supporting evidence to SM's thesis ;)
Nicholas S i wanted to be a English major too
Each and every one of these was very helpful, thank you!!
After seeing this I am confident I love medicine so much I still want to be a Doc.
This is some of the best advice I've heard by far. Thank you.
I am currently majoring in health information management for my undergraduate degree. I plan on getting my doctorate degree in public health within the concentration of epidemiology and bio statistics, but I feel like it is not enough, and I am taking the easy way out. Most of the doctors that do take their lives, are psychiatrists, if I am not mistaken. I've been inspired to hematology/oncology, due to the passing of six-year old Miyah Telemaque Nelson, who suffered from Burkitt's lymphoma. I am afraid of the debt and misconceptions of being a doctor, I do not know to cope with always being compared to others. In the state of Florida, particularly the university that I am attending, you can only change your major about three times. I was recently a pre-pharmacy student, my first semester after high school, I was taking seven class with seventeen credit hours. Coming out of high school, I did not know how to really study for exams. I did not do well my first semester so I decided to leave the program because I felt as if I could not live up to the expectations of the pharmacy, which is the most prestigious program at the university and is known all over the country. If I was in the pharmacy program as of today I would be taking eight classes with eighteen credit hours. I am deal with a lot of self-esteem issues, not just in my personal life, but most of all in my college life. In the past and even now, I would always dream of becoming a doctor, especially to help cure cancer in bodies of adolescence. But, I am not sure if I can live up to the expectations and longevity, of specializing in hematology/oncology.
Eric -- Another excellent and insightful video in your series. I would add that I think with the albeit slow, but inevitable changes that need to be made to our healthcare system, there is a real need for physician-innovators. For motivated individuals, there is significant opportunity to create value in the system and in doing so, achieve outsized financial reward. This is certainly not the norm of what a physician is, but I would want those considering this career path to know that healthcare is the largest sector of the economy and there is true need for physician leadership to implement the technology and processes that will allow for a more sustainable and accessible healthcare system.
Azim Munivar Thanks for the comment, and I totally agree. This is partly why schools no longer consider a background in biological science (beyond the minimal premed requirements) to be essential among their students - many of these innovations require a different type of background (e.g. engineering, coding, mathematics, etc...), and a different approach to problem-solving.
Eric's Medical Lectures I have a degree in Information Technology and I am currently pursuing a MA in Theology. I hope to later apply for med school in my country.
***** The combination of a background in IT and theology will certainly give you a unique perspective among your future classmates! Best of luck!
Thanks a lot Dr. Eric. I am encouraged.
Thank you, Dr Strong. The information is very thorough and helpful.
Thank you so much for this video. Happy New Year!
Thank you Dr Strong ! Definitely a good advise for anyone considering medical career. I think American Doctor can afford Ralph Lauren but not sure about the others. :) I know even one success to become faculty member in a prestigious like Stanford or so , yes life is not great all the time either. Everyone who want to be a doctor should listen to this video and the advise is just correct everyone of them. Thank you Dr Eric Strong.
Will being a Bud driver for the City of Los Angeles look good for a medical school interview? I believe that shows I work with the public face to face and test my ability to resolve issues by all walks of life.
*Bus
its all about how you present it and what you gained from it. You can make anything look good.
That is true and good thing too because I didn't pass the DOT physical test.
One of my classmates was an engineer, another a mathematician and yet another was a music major. They all did very well. I had one of the highest MCAT scores in the country and didn't think the test emphasized any particular major area of concentrated study.
Highly reputable schools usually have excellent faculties who are proud of their association with the schools. Talk with graduates of the schools you're considering. What did they think of the quality of instruction when they had to apply what they had learned in internship and residency? How did they feel they compared with graduates of other schools? I agree that choosing to practice in any area of primary care, especially in a non-hospital setting, may expose one to a variety of difficulties otherwise not so frequently encountered. I wouldn't do it. As to the list of compensation data, mine was 3-4x the indicated figure and I still treated many patients free of charge. It's true that most dermatologists I know are happy. Two are actually board certified internists, too. Another is a lawyer (Yale). Medical school can be one of the really great experiences in life. I really loved it.
I laughed at the number of physicians stating that they would have rather been dermatologists, very true ;P
Hey Eric, wonderful video. Everything you said was very insightful and the last part of this video really meant a lot to me. Thank you for the inspiration.
-Nick
nicholas abiuso You're very welcome!
Amazing, just as most of your other videos. Thank you from Colombia.
Science classes aren't my favorite. I'm a psych major but I'm starting to consider med school. I know that if I place the amount of discipline and work in, i should be able to get better grades in sciences courses required to get into med school. do you think science has to be one of your best of favorite courses to enter med school?
Become a doctor is not easy, but you need to put your mindset towards becoming one. Don’t let people down, telling you that you’re not smart enough to become one. Study hard, work hard, and I promise you, the right career path will come to you.
The Sooner You Learn That Nobody Ever Tells You Anything - Especially The Most Important Things - The Luckier You Will Be! .............THANK GOD FOR BOOKS! GET IN THEM!
In my country, we go straight from high school to med school
Nujood Alawwad does that make it more difficult or easier?
@@RobinLundqvist More difficult. If you were a lazy high school student (like me), entering med school would be hell. Gaining study knowledge whilst in your undergrad is a great idea.
I don't know what career to choose. Will I have time for my family and my hobbies if I am a doctor?
Depends on the specialty
Wow!! Best video I have listened to in a while. Thanks for keeping it real. You pretty much gave a very useful insight. Do have information about DO programs too and how difficulty it is for a person to specialize been a DO.
+Jennifer dam Taylor I am not familiar enough with the experience of DOs to offer much advice about that path. I'd recommend checking out the channel of StudentDoctorThompson which (if I recall correctly) has some videos talking about DO school and subsequent experience in residency.
This video just makes me want to be a doctor even more!!
Thanks for taking the time, I'm really trying to figure out if i want to go back to school. Right now i've been a dietary aid for 7 years in the hospital but want a career i can be dependant on and unfortunately i am still part time after this long.
Thank you for the information it really help me out alot since I'm in college now
Thank you so much for this video. I just want to ask that should I really want Medicine to be a Doctor? Like can I be a doctor without like passion? How will I lnow if I really like it? Do I need to love it so much that I can't think of any work besides it? Can't I be a doctor if I'm thinking about something else? Please answer me. Thank you.
I never knew that becoming a doctor is not something very difficult but a anyway thank you sir for your encouragement
Wow thank you so much! This video was very insightful
Thank you for the information. Very helpful.
That thing about the major in college being irrelevant - it made me at ease. I'm a graduating student of BS Food Science and Technology, everytime somebody will know about my plan in medicine - they always ended up saying stuffs like I don't have the chance. Though I really want to be a doctor, I want to be a neurosurgeon.
i wonder why the percentage of dermatologist who said they'd choose same specialty is so high compared to others. thats kind of ridiculous 77%
Thank you for the video, Dr.
I’m 13 and studying to get ready so when I grow up I will already know and I’m going to high school next year
You were talking about what interns do as if that were the same as what full doctors do. I have a feeling most full doctors use residents, assistants, medical coders, nurses, etc. for a lot of the paperwork stuff.
You are right that interns certainly do more "'paperwork" (including charting) than residents, who do more paperwork than attendings (i.e. full doctors) do, but I still do quite a bit. During times that I am "on service" (i.e. weeks when I have clinical duties), my breakdown of time is probably something like: 1/5 at the bedside, 2/5 on the EHR reviewing charts and writing notes, 1/5 responding to emails and attending mandatory meetings, and 1/5 on student/resident education. (That's an approximation - some activities get doubled up, such as teaching students while at the bedside examining patients).
Documentation requirements are only less for attendings if they are at an academic center, where they can co-sign resident notes. But most full doctors don't work with residents. Scribes certainly help, but no nurse is going to be doing a doctor's paperwork, except maybe an NP in a specialty clinic.
Bottom line, there are few docs who spend >50% of their day face-to-face with patients other than extreme concierge docs (www.nytimes.com/2017/06/03/business/economy/high-end-medical-care.html?_r=0), and of course surgeons/anesthesiologists (but their patients are out).
thanks for this encouraging video
Hey Eric, what are your thoughts on becoming a PA as opposed to an MD? From the research I've done it seems that it's less schooling and you practically do the same patient care wise as an MD. You also have more freedom to change specialties. What do you think?
ghazwan573 That's a tough question. Yes, becoming a PA requires substantially less training, and you definitely have more flexibility in changing field of practice. However, there's a lot of differences between the job description for a PA vs. MD/DO. What can PAs do? See patients on their own, prescribe meds in all 50 states, assist with surgeries, perform minor procedures unsupervised, counsel patients, hold family meetings, etc... Now that sounds a lot like being a doctor, right? So what can't PAs do?
Well, in the most general sense, a PA needs to be supervised, on some level, by a physician; the degree differs greatly depending upon the context (PA on a surgical service at a large academic center vs. a PA working in a small, rural primary care clinic). But a PA can't just rent office space, put his/her name on the door, and start seeing patients. To some people, that's not a big deal, but for others it is.
In addition, PAs can't serve as the primary surgeon on any major OR cases. They certainly can scrub in, and assist with surgeries, but it's never them calling the shots in the OR. Again, not a big deal to some people.
PAs can't work as independent hospitalists, though some do work closely with a hospitalist, performing similar type of care.
Rightly or wrongly, when hospitals and large, multispecialty clinics look for clinicians to occupy important administrative roles, they turn to doctors and nurses, not PAs.
If you think you might be interested in research once you're a practicing clinician, neither labs (for basic science) nor multicenter trials looking for a site PI (for clinical research) usually show much interest in PAs.
So far, all of those disadvantages of being a PA may not apply to a lot of people. However, all those years of training to become an MD/DO (7 to become an internist, 9 for a general surgeon) are actually important in learning skills and factual information that can't be condensed into 2 years of PA school. That's not to say that PAs can't be amazing clinicians - they absolutely can be. But it will be more difficult to get yourself to the same level of clinical acumen going with the PA route as compared to the MD/DO route.
Broadly speaking, the decision as to whether to pursue becoming an MD vs. PA, or vs. DO or vs. NP is a personal choice. There is no "right" answer that applies to everyone, and there is no "best" degree for taking care of patients. It's a matter of what type of role you see yourself performing; what type of medicine you'd like to practice; whether you're interested in hospital administration, medical education, or research; whether you need to feel like you are fully "in charge" of the care you are providing; and how much time you can and want to devote to training. For some people, MD is the obvious choice. For others, PA is the obvious one.
(If any PAs come across this, please feel free to chime in!)
Eric's Medical Lectures I am a PA and, well, you covered all the bases Eric. At the end of the day, it depends on what your priorities in life are. A PA will function much like a resident; you will see patients on your own, diagnose on your own, discuss your patient cases with your attending and your team, and formulate treatment plans accordingly. You can help your supervising physician conduct research, occasionally present that research at conferences, and get your name on research articles. You can assist in surgery; how involved you will be will depend on your skill level. The main difference is the level of expertise. Medical school teaches pathophysiology more in-depth than in PA school, which is important for making treatment decisions with more complex diagnoses. Physicians also have the added benefit of 3+ years of residency, which makes a huge difference in ability to practice independently. So if you want to become a top expert and are willing to sacrifice more time, become a doctor. If time is more valuable to you and becoming the top expert less so, PA may be the better route. Either way, you will be well-trained, well-respected, well-compensated, and....most importantly....you get to take care of people in need.
Andrew Zhu What a great description; thank you!
Hi, I've just started college after being in the army for 3 years. At first I wanted to go to school for nursing, then my aspiration changed for a higher goal. I'm now pre-med, though I haven't decided my major yet since I'm doing two years at a community college then plan to transfer, My high school like yours, was fairly easy and not at all challenging, though I slacked my first two years my last two I worked very hard. I'm one who believes in the growth mindset, so I feel if I study and work hard enough I will do well academically. My questions are 1.) How hard is it to get into medical school even if your GPA is 3.5-4.0. 2.) Will I Struggle more because im just now deciding I want to become a doctor and didn't try hard in the beginning of high school.
+jessica jones Sorry to take a few weeks to reply - it's been getting incrementally harder to keep up with comments...
1. You'll hear different opinions about this, but no one really knows much more about the application process than what happens at their own school (and that's only if they are involved in the admissions process somehow). My impression about this question is that GPA and MCATs are primarily responsible for making sure your application doesn't automatically end up in the rejection pile without further consideration. Med schools can't read through every LOR, essay, list of ECs, etc... for every applicant - so whether or not they publicly admit it, all of them use some arbitrary cutoff of GPA and MCAT to decide which applications they actually look at. A GPA above 3.5 would generally be sufficient for that, depending upon how competitive your college is, and how competitive the med school is. (For example, a 3.5 from a random, small liberal arts school with no national name recognition might not be enough when applying to Harvard or Stanford to make that first cut). But while a great GPA and a good MCAT score may be necessary for consideration, obviously it's not sufficient - there's still LORs, ECs, and additional life experiences (e.g. serving in the military).
People also have different opinions about this as well, but in my opinion, spending the first 2 years at a community college will put you at a slight disadvantage with applications, so I would work as hard academically as you can now, in order to transfer into the best possible college.
Having said all of that, I don't think getting into medical school is the nearly impossible task that many premeds, premed advisers, and test prep companies make it out to be. The question you should ask yourself is "Do I want to become a doctor who takes care of patients?" or "Do I want to go to Harvard to become a world-famous medical researcher?" It's very common for premeds to conflate the two when discussing difficulties getting into med school. The latter is obviously super hard, but the former, not so much. If your goal is to take care of patients in a "non-competitive" field (e.g. primary care, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry), and you are completely fine with considering DO schools, or middle/bottom tier allopathic schools, then getting in is not that hard - relatively speaking. More often than not, when your fellow premeds are stressing over getting in, it's because they are only considering top tier programs. Just keep in mind that if you are an excellent, but not phenomenal student, there are other options for becoming a doctor. For example, when I applied, I didn't even consider DO schools, because I was given the completely incorrect impression that they are not "real doctors". The only major option that I would be hesitant about is a Caribbean school...
2. The only reason you might struggle now or in the future because of not working hard at the beginning of high school would be due to a possible lack of good study habits. None of the actual factual material you learned in early high school will make much of a different in your college courses or MCAT studying. But not knowing how to study will have an impact. Med schools don't care about high school GPA, so if it wasn't stellar, don't worry about it. If anything, a smart admissions officer might see a positive aspect of someone whose high school GPA was mediocre, and college GPA was great.
Hope that helps!
Ok I'm about to watch the video. I've seen comments about it being discouraging but let's see how it affects me.
+cheeseball 47 ... can't wait to become a doctor after watching this vid... not discouraging at all.
Great message.
wow #3 hurt! I completed the 90% of my college level sciences at a University, but completed an associates degree in Medical Lab at a community college. The end goal for me is a MD in Pathology.
Would medical schools see a difference between a single or double major? In other words, would I have an advantage in double majoring?
OneHundredChickadees No advantage. Better to focus on one and do well.
Excellent advice and a great way to try to put old heads on young shoulders. Would old heads think that Medicine might have a few things to learn from our forebears and re evaluate the modern departmentalized way of treating ailments.
I want to go to med school, but I also want to major in engineering. I enjoy studying and learning physics and the applications of it through math. However, the learning is the only compelling part, and I don't want to be an engineer. I want to be a doctor, a practitioner, who isn't simply working for a company and is hands on with patients. My mind is set so, but I'm worried I will not maintain a good gpa in undergrad and suffer through the pre requisite classes.
I am an undergraduate Pre-Med major and I am in desperate need of a mentor. I haven't been able to shut up about becoming a doctor since I was 6 years old. I am 23 now and the fire in my heart is still burning hot. How much free time does a fully establised General Practitioner have in a week?
Super informative, thanks!
I Wanted To Be A Doctor Not Because They Say That It Is One Of The Jobs That Pay You Well,
I Wanted To Become A Doctor So I Can Help People, Cure People, Provide People From Injuries, Diseases And Such Things A Doctor Can Help (And Of Course, Because Of The Money Aswell)
I agree for the most part with your assessment, but we should be honest and point out that some physicians do, in fact, become quite rich.
Like in any endeavor, those whom are especially talented and charismatic attract heavy volumes. I have known orthopedists whom can perform 12 total knee replacements in 8 hours(great speed and skill), and have the volume to keep at it up for a decade. They don't make the 400k /yr average; they make 5x that much.
The same is true for plastic surgeons. Successful ones in LA charge 20k for a tummy tuck/augmentation combo and do 2-3 per day. Yes, they have expenses, but getting to 10 million in net worth is not atypical by their late 40's.
Many surgeons have built surgery centers whose profits greatly exceed the professional fees you quote. I have known a few physicians making 2-5 million per year from those ventures.
My point is, remember that medians or averages are just that. The talented and business minded physicians, like anyone else, can get rich. And do.
And of course there are the billionaire doctors: Frost, Stryker, Michelson, Frist, etc.
Yes, there are a small handful of ultrawealthy physicians, but anyone who is that money-minded and with that track record of financial success would probably have been equally if not more successful had they gone to business or law school. As you've indicated, most who make that much do so from either business ventures or from drug/device patents.
In addition to plastic surgery and orthopedics, another potentially highly lucrative specialty is obstetricians specializing in infertility - there is a very high limit to how much some rich patients will pay to have children.
One last point: There is a practical limit to how quickly knee replacement surgery can be safely performed. I would never trust my knee to an orthopedic surgeon who does 12 TKAs a day.
Excellent! Very objective!
im 14 and i have been wanting to be a docter for a long time i like helping people
+joy fassler just work hard, trust me one day you will be doctor. although being a doctor just to help others isnt a strong argument, you can help other in many different ways, but you have to be interested in the human body as well. good luck
Brianmax8HC Exactly.... Common, it's just spelling 101.
TacticalGavin I know.
Brianmax8HC Lol I was talking to the other guy.
Thanks you so much, this really helped me
just 0.84 from 20 made me away from med school :(
i'll repeat my exams next year to get in! please i need some motivations guys :(
Actually considering majoring for this now have been wanting a job where I can wear a nice suit and help people lol this just came to my mind
😍😍 I'm watching and enjoying every day
very very useful doctor thank you,
loved this. thanks!
I think I will do just fine :) thanks for the tips!
Why is it so hard to change the system of primary care? I don't understand how there are so many doctors that complain about this but nothing is changing...
@Strong Medicine Hi I'm a high school student, and I'm stuck with the decision between a doctor or pharmacist. The only things that scare me the most about being a doctor is the amount of debt or the cost of medical school I'm going to have, as well as other harships. I have some questions for you, Sir. I hope this one is not too personal; how long did it take for you to pay off your student loans or debt after you graduated and started working? Unless you had a full ride then please disregard this question. I always thought that medical school cost a lot and I might end up having like $300,000 debt or more after I graduate. My financial situation is not very good, and my parents are lower class, so I'm afraid I won't make it through med school without having like a hugh amount of money. I heard that doctors, usually the primary care ones, receives calls from patients asking about their situations during free times. I'm afraid doctors can't find free times for themselves. Is this rumors true? Another one is like let's say I want to major in physics but going to do pre-med, am I still required to take those anatomy and physiology and microbology classes or the physicians in med school will teach me? Lastly, you mentioned in the video that doctors spend most their times reading charts. What kind of charts are they? Like charts about patients and their cases?Thank you very much. Your video was mind-blowing and It deciphered some of my confusions.
"how long did it take for you to pay off your student loans or debt after you graduated and started working?"
I graduated med school in 2003, and will probably be paying off my student loans for another 10+ years. That's not only because they were a lot, but also because the interest rate is extremely low on them, so it's actually not advantageous to pay them off as soon as possible, even though that would lead to some piece of mind.
"I'm afraid doctors can't find free times for themselves. Is this rumors true?"
It depends on your specialty and how you design your practice. If I didn't have any free time, I certainly wouldn't be able to make TH-cam videos!
"Another one is like let's say I want to major in physics but going to do pre-med, am I still required to take those anatomy and physiology and microbology classes or the physicians in med school will teach me?"
Requirements vary greatly between different countries, so this only applies to the US, but here you must complete a certain set of premed requirements in order to get into med school, irrespective of undergrad major. So people who major in bio or chem typically need 2-4 fewer courses in undergrad than those who major in engineering, physics, or humanities, but that's only because there is greater overlap between courses required for PreMed and for their major.
"Lastly, you mentioned in the video that doctors spend most their times reading charts. What kind of charts are they? Like charts about patients and their cases?"
I wouldn't say that they spend most of their time "reading charts" per se, since much of the time on the computer is also spent writing notes yourself, checking labs, placing orders, etc... But yes, "reading charts" refers to the charts of your own patients, seeing what's happened to them in the past, and reading about other doctors' opinions on their diagnoses and recommended treatments.
Good luck!
+Strong Medicine on the 2nd question, do you know what kind of specialty would involved sacrificing free times? And another question, what exactly did you learn in med school? Please give me details to the best of your abilities. Thank you very much!
"Do you know what kind of specialty would involved sacrificing free times?"It depends what kind of free time you are looking for. If you want shift work, where you have a schedule in which you can bunch up many shift together, to give you long stretches off, then hospitalist medicine (i.e. inpatient internal medicine) and emergency medicine are your best bets. When I first started as a hospitalist, my schedule was approximately 7 days on, followed by 8-9 days off, all year long, which resulted in about 20 one week vacations that first year. (Now, as teaching faculty at an academic institution, my schedule is no longer than flexible). Radiology and anesthesiology can also look like this, depending on the institution.On the other hand, if you want a schedule in which you work hard during the days Monday-Friday, but have little responsibilities nights or weekends, then fields like ophthalmology and dermatology are good bets (but are extremely competitive). Fields in which free time is more limited? Primary care, interventional cardiology, GI, some surgical fields.But so much also depends upon your institution. GI might be incredibly busy at one hospital, but a relative cakewalk at another."what exactly did you learn in med school?"I recommend that you review a formal resource which discusses med school curricula, because it will be more detailed than I'm able to go into here. But very briefly, in my opinion, med school is comprised of 4 types of courses: - Foundational science courses (e.g. molecular biology, genetics, biochem) - These are subjects which are included as part of premed requirements, but most schools don't teach them from a medical perspective, so unfortunately they need to be repeated.- Medical science courses (e.g. physiology, pathophysiology, anatomy, histology, developmental biology/embryology, immunology) - "Doctoring" courses - These are courses that teach you the skills needed to be a doctor, which include interviewing skills, physical examination, clinical reasoning, biostatistics/epidemiology, bioethics, test interpretation, and documentation.- Clerkships - This is when students go into the hospital and clinic, interact with real patients in a real health care setting, and actually participate in care delivery under physician supervision.
LOL I was a bio major and scored a perfect score on the bio/biochem portion of the MCAT. I also found my M1 to be a breeze, because a vast majority of what I was learning was taught to me in my undergrad
i'm surely impresse about what i heard, they have to accept the challange to become a doctor and fight against deseases thus helping mankind to regain health fullfilling out earthling mission.thanks
in Russia education in med school lasts 6 years, no premed college needed. my school not on the list ( but itl,s federal university very prestige, but as medschool faculty itls only second year ) of world med,s schools. hope it will be on list or should transfer... because i cant passed usmle
Here is my 2c (I'm a final year med student in NZ). Medicine is highly algorithmic, making scientific understanding and problem solving pretty irrelevant for the most part. If you are like me and love science and creative problem solving then look into research or engineering. IMO the people who enjoy med the most are those who get a kick out of caring for others, are extroverted, love chaotic days, are workoholics and are driven be status and hierachy
Alex While I appreciate the sentiment that medicine is algorithmic, and problem solving is largely irrelevant, it doesn't need to be that way. It's true that some medical disciplines may be more prone to following flow charts and mindlessly adhering to prepared guidelines for each patient, but irrespective of which specialty you're going to do, there's no requirement that you do this. In other words, medicine is only as algorithmic as you allow it to be.
Here's a real world example of what I mean:
Suppose you're seeing a patient in the hospital who is diagnosed with some form of metastatic cancer involving the liver and biliary tree. The radiologist tells you that based on the radiographic appearance, there is a 90% chance that the tumor is hepatocellular carcinoma (treatable with chemo option A, which won't cure the disease but extends life expectancy, on average, from 6 months to 8 months), and a 10% chance that it's cholangiocarcinoma (has no good treatment options for this particular patient, and carries of life expectancy of 6 months).
If the doctor is algorithmic, they will insist on a biopsy of the tumor. If the biopsy shows hepatocellular carcinoma, the patient gets chemo option A. If it shows cholangiocarcinoma, they are referred to hospice. And if the biopsy is non-diagnostic (i.e. the pathologist can't tell), the patient is biopsied again. This is the general approach many doctors would take.
However, using a bit of clinical reasoning, reading of the primary literature, and biostats, one could consider the following: the imperfect specificity of the biopsy, the relatively high rate of non-diagnostic biopsies, the low rate of toxicity of chemo option A, the additional impact that the patient's history of chronic hepatitis B had on the radiologist's opinion of the probability of each disease, the limited life expectancy irrespective of diagnosis or treatment, and the rate of complications from the biopsy itself. And from that, we determined that the logical course of action was to prescribe chemo option A without a biopsy (i.e. without confirming the tumor was a type that is generally felt to be susceptible to our prescribed treatment) - which was also in line with the patient's strong desire to forego invasive testing.
That was a highly non-algorithmic approach to a problem which could easily have been reduced to a 3 line flow chart. It certainly took much more time to figure that out, but was very satisfying, and the patient was better for it.
The real difference between medicine and research when it comes to problem solving is that in research, the questions are relatively fewer, and much time and energy can be devoted to answering each one. In medicine, the questions fly at you so fast, that it's easy to just succumb to the temptation to follow guidelines or look up the "answer" as to what to do on UpToDate - but with deliberate practice, you can still incorporate problem solving skills, biostats, and logical reasoning on a regular basis. It just takes a little effort.
I do agree that people who thrive in medicine are those who are extroverts and don't object to working hard, but at least in the US, they are not the type of individuals who are "driven by status and hierarchy" - our society has other fields more suited for them.
Eric's Medical Lectures Thanks for your reply. For me your response highlights one of the issues with modern medicine. You stress the time and energy required to make the non-algorithmic, more optimal and more satisfying solution to the patients problem. At the same time you mention the lack of time available to do this. It's no wonder that many of the clinicians I have seen struggle to fit in such reasoning into their practice.
I completely agree with the question to time ratio factor that researchers have compared to doctors. Doctors are also limited by that fact that they can potentially have much worse consequences for being wrong, and following an algorithm/guideline/protocol is a safe way to practice.
Alex Yes, absolutely the relative lack of time and external incentives for thoughtful analysis is a huge problem in the modern practice of medicine.
Eric, did I hear you correctly that a residency program will consider where you went as an undergraduate? Doesn't it make more sense that they consider the ranking of your medical school education instead? I was a community college to UC transfer so you have me wondering.
Alexander Olson. Where you went to undergrad isn't a non-issue in that every residency program will notice it. But only the more competitive specialties (e.g. derm, ortho, ophtho, etc...) will place more than a trivial amount of weight on it. And even then, it's not like it factors objectively into some master equation. It's more like something on your CV that helps to color an interviewer or program director's overall impression of you. Regardless of specialty you apply in, the reputation of your med school definitely carries much more weight than the reputation of your undergrad institution. So if you spent 1-2 years at a community college, then transferred to a UC school, got great grades there, and ended up at a decent med school where you did well, the community college will probably have negligible impact on your residency application.
I've talked to other physicians before about the impact of community colleges on CVs when applying to residency, and some actually argue that depending upon the person reviewing the application, it could even be a benefit - specifically, an example of the relatively new concept of "grit". In other words, they see a student who goes from community college to a good med school as likely having a stronger work ethic than the student who went to an Ivy as an undergrad and then on to the very same med school.
@Strong Medicine were you still able to have time for a family/social life with your career? I have very high aspirations of becoming a trauma surgeon, however I would still like to maintain a healthy life balance.
I'm happy to hear you ask about this. It's a very important consideration, and it's never too early to start thinking about it. I'd say that as a general rule, people who are young and single underestimate what the importance will be of a healthy work-life balance once they have a family. As a student, working 70-80 hrs a week while on q3 call, may seem totally doable and worth it in order to do what you love and in order to make excellent money. But after 10-15 years, once you have a spouse and kids, that schedule will not seem as good, and the great money won't seem as worth it. Obviously there will be exceptions, but most docs I know who now have kids prefer working less than they did before kids. I actually work part time now (technically, considered to be 82.5% of a full time doctor), which I did to have more time for creating online content and more time for my family. I make less money and even lost my office at the hospital, but I'm happier and I feel like my career is more sustainable. And I probably made that decision a few years later than I should have.
Burnout is a serious problem in medicine . You want to develop a career that you will be happy with for the next 40 years, not one that will be amazing just for the first 5-10.
+Strong Medicine thank you so much sir, I appreciate you taking time out of your day and busy schedule to answer my question. It is much appreciated!
This is inspiring. Thank you ♥️
I'd like to know how they differentiated between time spent with a patient and time charting because most doctors chart while they are with a patient. Same thing with being logged into their chart... from the time my physician enters the room in clinic, he shakes my hand, and logs in, asks questions and takes notes then leaves the chart open while doing an exam so I'm not sure if the Stanford study is counting time with the patient or solely the time in office after the visit?
These were internal medicine interns working on the inpatient wards. There are no computers in the patient rooms, and all computers that they do used are in shared spaces where they can't leave them open while not present.
Awesome, thanks for clarifying.
#11) Every physician will be served with a malpractice suit. Yes, if you think the first 10 are depressing, this one is, for many US doctors, the one which impacts the most. It is reality in this country, until/if significant tort reform is achieved in this country.
Thanks for comment! There's an interesting article here on malpractice risk by specialty (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3204310/), but the TL;DR is 75% of docs in low-risk specialties (e.g. primary care, psych) will get sued at some point, and 99% of docs in high-risk specialties (e.g. surgery, e-med). Only a minority of the lawsuits will actually result in payment to the patient, and in only a minority of those is the doctor found in court to be at fault (i.e. the majority of payments are settlements). But even if most suits don't end "badly" for the doc, it still is an unpleasant moment during one's career, and can make one second-guess their decisions in a way that adversely affects patient care. (e.g. a recently sued doctor might now order unnecessary tests "just to be sure" there's not a life-threatening diagnosis present). Unfortunately, while tort reform is a worthy goal, if our Congress can't even pass a debt ceiling increase without threatening to shut down the entire federal government, I'm not going to hold my breath.
I'm doing biomedical science at the moment with the intent to transfer to medicine next year. (I originally wanted to do medicine but I got the opportunity to do boimed for free so...) this is useful.