Is it worth going to medical school?
It depends upon the parameters you use to define “worth.” There are many careers that offer significantly greater financial rewards at far less cost in terms of time and study, but few careers offer the opportunity to gain a vast body of useful knowledge, personal flexibility, and self-discipline, while providing endless opportunities to make a positive difference in the world with a fair guarantee of financial well-being and stability.Physicians enjoy far less autonomy than they did twenty or thirty years ago, many practices are now owned by corporate entities, and much of medical practice has been reduced to algorithms, institutional policies, and national guidelines to intended to increase efficiency and profit (although patient safety improvements dovetail with these goals.) The prevailing culture is often associated with conformity to a fairly narrow set of behaviors and norms that tend to stifle challenge or dissent in the workplace, even with respect to social, political, or cultural issues. That’s an important factor to consider.If you graduate from medical school and complete a residency, it’s hard not to find a job - compare this to law school or business school, where a degree is never a guarantee that the graduate will find work in their field. Lawyers graduate from private law schools with over $120,000 in debt on average compared to approximately $166,000 for the average medical student. There is a tremendous variation in income along the continuum in law or business, unlike medicine - medicine has some variation depending upon specialty and location, but there is a dependable need for services and a reasonable expectation of a decent income after graduation. Associates in law firms nationally average less than $70,000/yr. If they make partner, it can take 7–8 years or longer. Local prosecutors, depending on the area, make about the same. A doctor may have an expectation of earning more even when graduating at the bottom of the class, but a physician in any medical practice is extremely unlikely to make anywhere near the salary of a partner in a top law firm, which can easily reach millions of dollars annually.
Is it worth doing medicine just for the money?
it is one of the highest paid profession. However, there are other financial costs associated with it. One start earning at a much later age than people in most other professions. So, one must account for lost wages over the years. Also, the education loans would be higher as one spend more number of years studying. Doctors do make decent money. If you don't find it exciting, what would be the purpose of spending countless days and night to become a doctor and then realize it's not something you enjoy doing. Do remember that there is a high burn out rate among physicians.
Is studying medicine worth it?
If what you say is really true, then no, unless money and status are the most important things in the world to you and you can't think of any other way to achieve them, it's not worth it.Under the best of circumstances (no or low debt and totally passionate about the field as a career), medicine is still (what used to be called in sexist terms) a harsh mistress. Not only the study, but the actual practice of medicine demands an astonishing amount of time and energy merely to be good enough at it. In addition to mastering the content, unless you go into pathology or possibly radiology, you also have to deal with patients. That may sound like a “duh” kind of statement, but patients are demanding even when they don't mean to be. They are in pain, or depressed, or dangerously ill, or worried, or about to be informed that even though they think everything is fine, it isn't. Dealing with patients is not a five-minute a day kind of thing. It is an all-day, intellectually and emotionally simultaneously stimulating and taxing kind of thing. I can't fathom why or how someone could conceive of committing to so demanding a career that they found no intrinsic joy in. Not only are you likely to become cynical and bitter, but the likelihood of ending up being sued for malpractice as a result of not keeping up, inattention, or a poor doctor-patient relationship is significant. Choose something else, anything else, and leave medicine to someone who wants to do it regardless of the prestige, money, and family pressure, not because of it.
I want to go into medicine, but is it worth it? With the cost, hours and years of school? I love to help people, would physical therapy be better?
Everyone says that it's to help people, that's s bull! The only reason people go into medicine according to Dr. Cox from Scrubs it's because of chicks, money, power, and chicks!But honestly, it's the money, google doctor salary and it comes up good $200K+ but they fail to mention the rigorous learning, the crushing student loan payments plus interest rates on them, 4 years to med school, 3 years of residency, and then specialization, USMLE, and countless other things both (major and minor). Can't ignore the fact the home mortgage payments, car loans, and day to day expenses.I was too pre-med, but then seeing how many of my relatives are regretting ever stepping into medicine every single day and they're at a very good position plus 10+ years of experience. I decided to pursue something more different!People have no respect for doctor, engineer, CEO, accountants, unless you're super famous like Taylor Swift or Brad Pitt, but even then no one really cares about anything anymore!So, at the end of the day it comes to the fact, what makes you happy? Medicine, engineering, business, etc. Take some time, and think about what you want. I have seen 2.3 gpa software engineers who work at Facebook, Google and also have seen 4.0 gpa graduating from Northwestern, Uchicago (not sure about MCAT score) not getting into med school!So, it all comes down to you! No matter what field you go into you'll always have to climb mountains and hills! Hopefully, the one you choose has the view you're looking for at the top!Good luck, and see you on the top!(sorry about the English)
Is medical school worth it?
I'm not quick with math... and I got through medical school. Just don't go into anaesthetics as fast calculations are important, lol. Calculus is pretty useless in medicine... not even sure why it's part of pre-med. I'm vaguely aware of the squiggly line meaning integration, but don't ask me what integration is exactly. Yes, I passed advanced calculus in premed... did quite well if I remember correctly.... but never used it again so forgot it all. Medschool is worth it as long as it's your choice to do it and no one else's e.g. mum, dad. Once you're selected into medical school, the general consensus is that you have what it takes and you can do it. It's hard work, but in my opinion totally worth it.
What are the pros and cons of going into medicine at this moment? Is it worth it?
Going into any field for any reason other than self interest creates a world of problems in the future. Ask a dedicated clinician 3 - 5 yrs into his practice, he'd say it was the best decision he made in his life to join medicine. Ask a fresh graduate struggling to get into a postgraduate course, he'd say his engineering friends are earning while he is still sitting, toiling without pay.Going into medicine is a lifetime commitment with a lot of sacrifices and little gain in terms of money and life satisfaction. Its a matter of perspective really. Also given the fact that only those interested actually come out to the top, its a moot point discussing pros and cons of any field, if you are good and you like it, you will gain satisfaction in all the meanings of the word; if you don't like it and come out average, you'll spend your life cursing your profession. Pros and cons are a subjective topic, better to ask yourself why you want to enter this field.
Why is there anything wrong with going into medicine for the money?
I used to be a doctor but now work in management consulting.For an American, going into medicine is not the most efficient way to make money; you have to study hard for at least 8 years to become a family practitioner, and another 4 years to become a specialist. You also incur upwards of $50k of debt for the first 5 years (i.e. at least $250k) just for tuition and living costs would add another debt (i.e close to half a million in total debt before your start earning the modest wages of a resident). So, after 14 years of working upwards of 80 hours a week and huge amounts of debt, you face an increasingly bureaucratic healthcare system where sole practice is uneconomical as you would spend 1–2 days a week on insurance processing/paperwork.Unless you have a scholarship or are rich, and you are academically good, and get a good residency, you will not be rich anytime soon.That being said, if you do all that, you may be able to make it in some specialities where compensation is high.Do a financial analysis of working as a UPS driver as of age 18, putting aside 10% of your salary into a fund and see how your finances would stand at age 40 versus a doctor who had to pay his way. You would find that the UPS driver would be much wealthier than many doctors.
Is medical school worth it?
As with most things, the answer's going to be "it depends." Medical school is expensive as hell, and it takes an insane amount of time before you're legally able to actually practice medicine on your own due to residencies and fellowships being required after you graduate. Your success as a doctor will depend on how well you do academically, how well you perform in your rotations, residencies, and fellowships, and how well you understand the business of medicine and personal finance. A lot of doctors are, frankly, idiots. They get done with their training and as soon as they start getting a paycheck they run to the Mercedes dealership and lease/finance a $70,000 car, and then go and buy a huge house. As they make more, they buy sh*t like boats and $500 bottles of scotch. Yeah, those people are gonna have financial trouble. They won't pay their loans off, they won't manage their money well, they won't invest in their own futures. So they struggle despite having high incomes. My brother, on the other hand, left med school with about $400,000 in debt. When he finished his fellowship, he and his wife rented a small house and used the connections he made in his fellowships to open his own vein practice on a shoestring budget. They spent their evenings and weekends networking with doctors and explaining why he's the vein doctor they should send their patients to. Now he does enough business that he will probably have a net profit somewhere around $500,000, and he plans to have all his student loans paid off next year. But he and his wife spent a lot of time learning how to run a business and how to manage their finances. They're disciplined and work more hours in a week than most people would put in working two full-time jobs. But the fruit of all that work belongs to him, not a hospital, not a doctor group. He bears the risk of the business and reaps the commensurate rewards. That's how life works, kid. If you want to live like no one else, you have to live like no one else. When other kids get trashed and party, you study. When other kids d*ck around on the weekends, you network or run a side-hustle. When other kids buy luxury cars or bigger houses than they could possibly need, you pay off debt and invest in income-producing assets. That is how you win.
Is Medical School worth it?
Doctor: PRO: Health is a good business, I agree. There will be a job for the most of the times, yes. You gain a title that the most of people respect, check. Six digit income AFTER residency, check. CON: 8 years of education (that is if you go directly to med school after undergrad). 3-6 years of specialty practice (you don't want to be sued for malpractice). outrageous debt. 60+ hrs work per week. Physically mentally challenging for a life! One mistake can ruin your life and career. Nurse: relatively easier than doctor, check. earns less (RN earns around 60k, with MSN, that goes up to 80k), but less stressful (depends on where you are placed), check. no room for going up, unless you combine with other masters degree (MPH, MSN, etc). Alternative: Physician's assistance (PA). This is two years masters degree. This is NOT nurse, but directly assist doctors in terms of surgery preparation, or other complicated procedures that nurses don't do. For some states, PA can prescribe medications too. Earns six digit income. No absurdly long years of education. Less responsibility compare to doctor. More flexible schedule. If your goal is $$, then don't pursue nursing. You probably don't want to go to MD/DO if you don't want to invest 12+years of your life for the health of others. CONCLUSION: Consider PA program. It's not a nurse, has high income, it sounds the program you want to consider.