DS wants to go to med school. Advice please

[liz]

Looking to get advice on pre med/med schools.

DS is a junior in our town's public high school. DS has known for a few years now that he wants to be an MD. He's doing well in school, taking mostly AP and Honors classes. One thing we've noticed about our public schools is that there isn't extensive guidance or help for college planning. I say this, because I have friends whose kids receive much more detailed guidance in the private schools. DH and I also went to public schools, and we remember it being similar. The guidance counselors were helpful, but obviously stretched thin taking care of so many other students. We're really wondering what schools look for on transcripts/applications.

And then there are the school loans that DS will be facing. College prices are no joke and I feel kind of sick thinking about the amount of debt he is going to face since he's looking at least 8 years of expensive schooling. We've gotten some advice about going to a state school for pre med and then med school or the other option of applying to a dual BS/MD college with guaranteed admission to their med school. We're a bit overwhelmed on that one. Obviously we want DS to like his choices (money isn't the sole factor, but a realistic one), so we aren't ruling out any schools yet.

If you have any advice or thoughts I'd appreciate it!

[PunkyBoo]

Following, as we are in the same boat with DS1. I've let him lead in researching what good choices are in preparing for med school. He's applying for several health care related internships for this summer (which will be remote unfortunately) and if he doesn't get any, he plans to take a class at a college while working.

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[mommy111]

Definitely apply for a 8 year BS/MD, it will save him time and you can choose not to do the MD if you'd like. Many kids also decide to take a year or two off to make money to pay for part of school. My nephew is in med school and he worked for 2 years, lived with his parents and saved like crazy between college and med school to not inflate his debt. It will pay for 75% of his med school but of course it was not cool while his friends were living in apartments with girlfriends for him to live at home with mom and dad and siblings

[pharmjenn]

My niece knew from early on that she wanted to be a doctor and is graduating from Medical School next month. She went to a state school for undergrad (VA Tech) and applied to MD schools during her senior year. She was not accepted and took a year off, worked as a medical assistant at a friend's office and as a Scribe in a local ER.
She applied the next year to both MD and DO programs and was accepted to a DO program.
Definitely encourage your son to look at DO as well.
For undergrad, I don't think you need to be at an Ivy to get into Med School as long as you do well and have diverse interests

[klwa]

I think you might want to talk to some of the medical schools that he'd like. Some may have different "wants" from undergrad than others. (Back in the ancient days of the 90s, I know some people in my engineering school were planning to go on to med school and had been encouraged to do a non-med undergrad, while doing bio & chem as their elective type courses.) What type of medicine he's considering will affect what are the best schools (especially if you're considering both financially and employability) and that's going to affect the best mode forward.

[georgiegirl]

DD wants to go to med school too, and DH (physician) and I have started researching this. I agree with the advice to go to a state school to save money. Med school admission requires top grades and a high MCAT. He doesn’t need to major in biological sciences, and it seems that med school admissions are slightly higher for other majors. Having the opportunity to do research in undergrad will also help. Not sure which state you live in, but some universities reserve med school slots for their own undergrads, so I could be helpful to go to a state school for undergrad that has a medical school. Also, I don’t think the combined BS/MD programs are necessarily the best. I’ve read mixed reviews. Unless your state has one, I probably wouldn’t consider to too seriously. I’ve heard they can be very competitive to get into. DH lucked out and got into the med school in his state, so his loans weren’t super astronomical.


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[sariana]

Has he considered a military academy/career?

[Kindra178]

If you want to be a doctor, it probably doesn't matter where you goto college as long as you get great grades while there. This is probably not true if you want to be in research or teach.

[westwoodmom04]

DD wants to go to med school too, and DH (physician) and I have started researching this. I agree with the advice to go to a state school to save money. Med school admission requires top grades and a high MCAT. He doesn’t need to major in biological sciences, and it seems that med school admissions are slightly higher for other majors. Having the opportunity to do research in undergrad will also help. Not sure which state you live in, but some universities reserve med school slots for their own undergrads, so I could be helpful to go to a state school for undergrad that has a medical school. Also, I don’t think the combined BS/MD programs are necessarily the best. I’ve read mixed reviews. Unless your state has one, I probably wouldn’t consider to too seriously. I’ve heard they can be very competitive to get into. DH lucked out and got into the med school in his state, so his loans weren’t super astronomical.


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My dh is a doctor and not fan of the combined programs undergrad/medical school. Both my kids have some interest in medical school and it is not something we are considering for either of them.

One option to consider would be pursing a PhD/md if your son is interested in working at an academic medical center. The government paid for my husband’s entire program including a small stipend for living expenses. He then did less research than is typical during his surgical residency because he did three years during medical school for his PhD.

[westwoodmom04]

DD wants to go to med school too, and DH (physician) and I have started researching this. I agree with the advice to go to a state school to save money. Med school admission requires top grades and a high MCAT. He doesn’t need to major in biological sciences, and it seems that med school admissions are slightly higher for other majors. Having the opportunity to do research in undergrad will also help. Not sure which state you live in, but some universities reserve med school slots for their own undergrads, so I could be helpful to go to a state school for undergrad that has a medical school. Also, I don’t think the combined BS/MD programs are necessarily the best. I’ve read mixed reviews. Unless your state has one, I probably wouldn’t consider to too seriously. I’ve heard they can be very competitive to get into. DH lucked out and got into the med school in his state, so his loans weren’t super astronomical.


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My dh is a doctor and also not fan of the combined programs undergrad/medical school. Both my kids have some interest in medical school and it is not something we are considering for either of them.

One option to consider would be pursing a PhD/md if your son is interested in working at an academic medical center. The government paid for my husband’s entire program including a small stipend for living expenses. He then did less research than is typical during his surgical residency because he did three years during medical school for his PhD.

[AnnieW625]

Has he considered a military academy/career?


If you want to be a doctor, it probably doesn't matter where you goto college as long as you get great grades while there. This is probably not true if you want to be in research or teach.

Another potential medical field mom here as well as DD1 is definitely interested in something medical related. If she can qualify for the military we definitely want her to check out this route or at least an ROTC program for undergrad as well. Dd1 has flat feet though so she may not even qualify for military service. I have a cousin who did ROTC and has been active Air Force for 18 years and is a colonel as well (she isn’t in a medical field though) but I figure it might be a good option to talk about her military service as well. I think a lot of people forget about that option.

Kindra, I have heard the same thing. I have also heard that not having a science major doesn’t mean that you won’t get into medical school. A good friend of mine who is an oncologist was an English major in college. Granted he did go to Cal so it was a good school, but he didn’t need to major in science to go to med school.


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[squimp]

As Kindra mentioned, you want to go somewhere that you will get good grades. That is really important for med school these days. I would be looking at good merit or state schools so you can save some of your money for med school which is super expensive! Of course you think MDs get paid well but it's still a lot of money.

I would also suggest doing some interviews of young doctors or research in on what it takes to become an MD. I work with a lot of college kids, and many who wanted to go into medical school became really discouraged once they learned what it would take. I have several classmates who went to med school in the 1980s and it is a very different situation now.

[mom_hanna]

Kindra, I have heard the same thing. I have also heard that not having a science major doesn’t mean that you won’t get into medical school. A good friend of mine who is an oncologist was an English major in college. Granted he did go to Cal so it was a good school, but he didn’t need to major in science to go to med school.


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My brother had an English degree - in creative writing - and my sister had a Sociology degree. Both went to Ivys for medical school. You don't have to be pre-med to get into Med School.

[JBaxter]

My brother had an English degree - in creative writing - and my sister had a Sociology degree. Both went to Ivys for medical school. You don't have to be pre-med to get into Med School.

My sister was just telling me the best ER doctor she has ever worked with has an engineering undergrad

[JBaxter]

Double post

[KpbS]

Study hard in high school and take your science and math classes seriously.

You don’t have to have a science major for undergrad, but you probably should as there are prerequisite classes for med school that are science and math classes. Take undergrad seriously and study for the MCAT.

Med school is expensive! Apply to state schools in your state to minimize your loans and come out ahead in the game. It’s a LONG haul and if you can minimize your undergrad and med school debt, the low pay of residency will be much more tolerable and you will be in a much, much better position to buy a house in residency and beyond. I’ve met mds who have hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt now in their middle age and are so trapped by this debt. They haven’t been able to save much of any money or have any college funds for their kids. But a few friends followed the path of going to an undergrad they could attend very easily (state schools on scholarship) for both undergrad and med school and now are living very comfortably, have paid off their minimal loans, save aggressively, work in settings they enjoy, etc.

[MaiseyDog]

I also want to add, that if you are looking at state funded medical schools talk with folks there about their admissions process. My state has one state supported med school and they take a certain percentage of students from each of the public universities in the states. This means that your competition to get in may be less at a smaller school than one of the major state schools. I also highly recommend considering the military. We have 3 friends that have gone that route and have had good experiences and came out with very little debt.

[Liziz]

My DH is a military MD so I just wanted to throw out a couple comments related to that. I'm using a "you" here to refer to all your DCs that are considering this:

My DH did both ROTC (in undergrad) and had the military pay for med school - he graduated medical school with $0 debt, and then was paid much better than most civilian residents (training post-med school) are paid. It's a great option for those interested in avoiding debt for medical school. BUT - be aware, it's not just a trick to get free education. The military will then "own" you, and you will NOT get the same choices a civilian will get. Sometimes it's for the better, sometimes it's for the worse!

Be aware that if you look into ROTC for undergrad, you will have a commitment to the military. You will have to apply for and be granted an educational delay (of your required service) to be allowed to go to med school. If you don't get the ed delay, you won't be allowed to go to med school, even if you get it. If you get an ed delay, but DON'T get into med school, you don't just get to take a year off and go do your own thing and try again the next year. The military will assign you a different role you'll be expected to do. You can certainly apply again for an educational delay in the future, but the choice isn't exclusively yours. If you do ROTC then also have the military pay for medical school, you will owe the military 8+ years of service. That's 8+ years of being an officer in the US military, and all that comes with it (moving every few years, deployments, assignments for things you'd rather not do, etc.).

If the military pays for medical school -- you will be expected to do your residency at a military hospital, unless you get an exception (which were rare when DH did it, I hear they're even more rare now). If you want to specialize (do a fellowship) after residency, again, you're expected to do it at a military hospital, unless you get an exception (again, rare). The military has very limited fellowship spaces and specific needs for their medical corps. Just because you're interested in something doesn't mean you'll be able to do it. For example, the specialty my DH wanted has *1* spot each year -- and some years they've had *0* spots. Most of the doctors we know eventually were able to do what they wanted (fellowship-wise) but many had to spend several years doing something else first. Options and training sites are just much, much more limited, especially recently, as the military has started to really focus on a few key areas they want physicians (i.e. - they want specialties that are most needed on the battlefield, and by their young, mostly healthy active duty corps) -- and farming out the areas that don't fit that. For example - you'll have a much easier time studying something like primary care, emergency medicine, general surgery, trauma surgery, etc. But if you want something like dermatology, rheumatology, pediatrics, etc. -- there are going to be less opportunities.

My DH (and our family) have had an excellent experience with the military paying for DH's school. We (so far, lol!) have zero regrets, and there are many, many positive things our family has experienced because of DH's military service. It was absolutely the right choice for DH and it is an excellent choice for lots of people. So please be clear that although I have a lot of cautions listed above, I am not trying to talk anyone out of considering the military. However, I often hear people talking about using the military to pay for med school like it's just "free money" (not saying anyone here was doing that, just in general), and I always feel the need to correct that notion. There is absolutely commitments and sacrifices much beyond civilian life if you choose that route. It's an EXCELLENT way to pay for medical school....but only if you truly want to (or trust you can handle it) be in the military!

[Liziz]

double post

[NCGrandma]

My DH is a military MD so I just wanted to throw out a couple comments related to that. I'm using a "you" here to refer to all your DCs that are considering this:

My DH did both ROTC (in undergrad) and had the military pay for med school - he graduated medical school with $0 debt, and then was paid much better than most civilian residents (training post-med school) are paid. It's a great option for those interested in avoiding debt for medical school. BUT - be aware, it's not just a trick to get free education. The military will then "own" you, and you will NOT get the same choices a civilian will get. Sometimes it's for the better, sometimes it's for the worse!

Be aware that if you look into ROTC for undergrad, you will have a commitment to the military. You will have to apply for and be granted an educational delay (of your required service) to be allowed to go to med school. If you don't get the ed delay, you won't be allowed to go to med school, even if you get it. If you get an ed delay, but DON'T get into med school, you don't just get to take a year off and go do your own thing and try again the next year. The military will assign you a different role you'll be expected to do. You can certainly apply again for an educational delay in the future, but the choice isn't exclusively yours. If you do ROTC then also have the military pay for medical school, you will owe the military 8+ years of service. That's 8+ years of being an officer in the US military, and all that comes with it (moving every few years, deployments, assignments for things you'd rather not do, etc.).

If the military pays for medical school -- you will be expected to do your residency at a military hospital, unless you get an exception (which were rare when DH did it, I hear they're even more rare now). If you want to specialize (do a fellowship) after residency, again, you're expected to do it at a military hospital, unless you get an exception (again, rare). The military has very limited fellowship spaces and specific needs for their medical corps. Just because you're interested in something doesn't mean you'll be able to do it. For example, the specialty my DH wanted has *1* spot each year -- and some years they've had *0* spots. Most of the doctors we know eventually were able to do what they wanted (fellowship-wise) but many had to spend several years doing something else first. Options and training sites are just much, much more limited, especially recently, as the military has started to really focus on a few key areas they want physicians (i.e. - they want specialties that are most needed on the battlefield, and by their young, mostly healthy active duty corps) -- and farming out the areas that don't fit that. For example - you'll have a much easier time studying something like primary care, emergency medicine, general surgery, trauma surgery, etc. But if you want something like dermatology, rheumatology, pediatrics, etc. -- there are going to be less opportunities.

My DH (and our family) have had an excellent experience with the military paying for DH's school. We (so far, lol!) have zero regrets, and there are many, many positive things our family has experienced because of DH's military service. It was absolutely the right choice for DH and it is an excellent choice for lots of people. So please be clear that although I have a lot of cautions listed above, I am not trying to talk anyone out of considering the military. However, I often hear people talking about using the military to pay for med school like it's just "free money" (not saying anyone here was doing that, just in general), and I always feel the need to correct that notion. There is absolutely commitments and sacrifices much beyond civilian life if you choose that route. It's an EXCELLENT way to pay for medical school....but only if you truly want to (or trust you can handle it) be in the military!

Excellent summary! I was unfamiliar with military medicine until I started teaching in a (civilian) academic fellowship that attracted med school faculty from all types of residency programs including all branches of the military. Our fellowship used a part-time on-campus/at-home model which appealed particularly to military faculty and leadership. Because of the obligations that Liziz spelled out, most of them planned to stay in the military until retirement since that was not that much longer.

I met many impressive young faculty members that way, who taught me a lot about the advantages and drawbacks of their lives. Yet it was clear that they were participating in our fellowship as long as it worked with their primary obligations. (We had one fellow submit his final project by email from Afghanistan.)

In any case, while the military medicine route may be worth considering for some, it's definitely important to understand the full picture.


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[georgiegirl]

One of DH’s fellow residents during residency was in the military. He was older though and had already done one residency and fulfilled his commitment. So he was able to do a different (more lucrative) residency while getting paid at his higher military pay grade.


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[Zansu]

There's also the National Health Service Corps, which will wipe out $120,000 of debt in exchange for three years of service.

[heatherlynn]

Has he considered being a PA? My ex is a physician. It's a looong, expensive, exhausting process. My older daughter had planned to go to med school, but just couldn't wrap her head around the timeframe and expense of undergrad, med school, residency, possible fellowships, etc etc.

[StantonHyde]

Yes--DON'T!! Go to PA school or be an NP. Seriously. If someone wants flexibility, a decent work/life balance, and not to overloaded with debt--then that's the way to go. Talk to older and younger MDs. The older ones will tell you how much change they have seen and how tired they often are by 50-55. DH is an MD and I really don't know that he would recommend that our kids take that path. We both work with PAs and NPs who are bright and motivated. I would say it is a better lifestyle with so much more flexibility in schedules, places to work, etc.

[JBaxter]

Yes--DON'T!! Go to PA school or be an NP. Seriously. If someone wants flexibility, a decent work/life balance, and not to overloaded with debt--then that's the way to go. Talk to older and younger MDs. The older ones will tell you how much change they have seen and how tired they often are by 50-55. DH is an MD and I really don't know that he would recommend that our kids take that path. We both work with PAs and NPs who are bright and motivated. I would say it is a better lifestyle with so much more flexibility in schedules, places to work, etc.

This is the exact reason my older 2 went to PA school vs med school. They both also did a fellowship and Doctorate of Medical Science

[NCGrandma]

My DH is a military MD so I just wanted to throw out a couple comments related to that. I'm using a "you" here to refer to all your DCs that are considering this:

My DH did both ROTC (in undergrad) and had the military pay for med school - he graduated medical school with $0 debt, and then was paid much better than most civilian residents (training post-med school) are paid. It's a great option for those interested in avoiding debt for medical school. BUT - be aware, it's not just a trick to get free education. The military will then "own" you, and you will NOT get the same choices a civilian will get. Sometimes it's for the better, sometimes it's for the worse!

Be aware that if you look into ROTC for undergrad, you will have a commitment to the military. You will have to apply for and be granted an educational delay (of your required service) to be allowed to go to med school. If you don't get the ed delay, you won't be allowed to go to med school, even if you get it. If you get an ed delay, but DON'T get into med school, you don't just get to take a year off and go do your own thing and try again the next year. The military will assign you a different role you'll be expected to do. You can certainly apply again for an educational delay in the future, but the choice isn't exclusively yours. If you do ROTC then also have the military pay for medical school, you will owe the military 8+ years of service. That's 8+ years of being an officer in the US military, and all that comes with it (moving every few years, deployments, assignments for things you'd rather not do, etc.).

If the military pays for medical school -- you will be expected to do your residency at a military hospital, unless you get an exception (which were rare when DH did it, I hear they're even more rare now). If you want to specialize (do a fellowship) after residency, again, you're expected to do it at a military hospital, unless you get an exception (again, rare). The military has very limited fellowship spaces and specific needs for their medical corps. Just because you're interested in something doesn't mean you'll be able to do it. For example, the specialty my DH wanted has *1* spot each year -- and some years they've had *0* spots. Most of the doctors we know eventually were able to do what they wanted (fellowship-wise) but many had to spend several years doing something else first. Options and training sites are just much, much more limited, especially recently, as the military has started to really focus on a few key areas they want physicians (i.e. - they want specialties that are most needed on the battlefield, and by their young, mostly healthy active duty corps) -- and farming out the areas that don't fit that. For example - you'll have a much easier time studying something like primary care, emergency medicine, general surgery, trauma surgery, etc. But if you want something like dermatology, rheumatology, pediatrics, etc. -- there are going to be less opportunities.

My DH (and our family) have had an excellent experience with the military paying for DH's school. We (so far, lol!) have zero regrets, and there are many, many positive things our family has experienced because of DH's military service. It was absolutely the right choice for DH and it is an excellent choice for lots of people. So please be clear that although I have a lot of cautions listed above, I am not trying to talk anyone out of considering the military. However, I often hear people talking about using the military to pay for med school like it's just "free money" (not saying anyone here was doing that, just in general), and I always feel the need to correct that notion. There is absolutely commitments and sacrifices much beyond civilian life if you choose that route. It's an EXCELLENT way to pay for medical school....but only if you truly want to (or trust you can handle it) be in the military!

Excellent summary! I was unfamiliar with military medicine until I started teaching in a (civilian) academic fellowship that attracted med school faculty from all types of residency programs including all branches of the military. Our fellowship used a part-time on-campus/at-home model which appealed particularly to military faculty and leadership. Because of the obligations that Liziz spelled out, most of them planned to stay in the military until retirement since that was not that much longer.

I met many impressive young faculty members that way, who taught me a lot about the advantages and drawbacks of their lives. Yet it was clear that they were participating in our fellowship as long as it worked with their primary obligations. (We had one fellow submit his final project by email from Afghanistan.)

In any case, while the military medicine route may be worth considering for some, it's definitely important to understand the full picture.


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[NCGrandma]

There's also the National Health Service Corps, which will wipe out $120,000 of debt in exchange for three years of service.

A number of our family medicine residency graduates went into the NHSC and had a good experience (in addition to the loan repayment!). However, it is geared to primary care and to practicing for three years in specified types of medically underserved areas. Some of them were in quite isolated locations with limited resources. It was definitely easier for the younger single docs than for those with family responsibilities.

[Octobermommy]

Married to physician- my advice- don’t ! I would discourage my kids from going to medical school & most physicians I know wouldn’t choose the same path again. It’s sad but true. Hoping things change for the better but it’s gone downhill fast. Some kids are graduating with half a million dollars in debt , time value of money is huge for retirement & they won’t be able to save until likely their 30s.

My dh had doctors tell him not to go to medical school & we were so bright eyed & naive.

If they want to be in the medical field I would recommend being a pa

[hellokitty]

Married to physician- my advice- don’t ! I would discourage my kids from going to medical school & most physicians I know wouldn’t choose the same path again. It’s sad but true. Hoping things change for the better but it’s gone downhill fast. Some kids are graduating with half a million dollars in debt , time value of money is huge for retirement & they won’t be able to save until likely their 30s.

My dh had doctors tell him not to go to medical school & we were so bright eyed & naive.

If they want to be in the medical field I would recommend being a pa

I agree with this. I'm a daughter of a doctor and have a lot of family and friends who are doctors, plus lots if friends married to docs and do and I are also in the healthcare industryand work alongside docs. Medicine has changed so much in the past 10 years. It's gone corporate... gone is the independent doc because so much is network and insurance dependent now. Doctors don't have the same freedom that they may have had before, and I know many doctors whose contracts don't get renewed for a variety of reasons, some not their fault at all and they become somewhat nomadic, and these contracts are short contracts.

Going the NP or PA route at least guarantees a safety net. I have one teen who is interested, but we are pushing him more toward an allied med field and he can still double major in another interest (political science) as well.

[California]

Our state schools, once you count in room and board, are $25-$35K per year to attend. Are you in an area where the state schools are cheaper than that? If they are around the same price, you may find that private schools offer enough merit to match the public tuition. That would widen up your DS' choices.

Many colleges have net price calculators on their websites, some post their merit scholarship requirements, and you can also look on the CollegeConfidential website to get an idea of what past merit a college has offered.

DS researched the premed programs at all the schools he was most interested in. He asked about their premed advising programs, the number of students who start on the premed track vs the number who go on to a med school, and asked about premed opportunities for research and clinical work. This helped him get a good feel for what he wanted at a school. I think he also looked up schools on Reddit and found groups on there to get some insights from current students. This would be something your DS could look into once he identifies a few colleges that he's interested in.

I have two close family members who are doctors in their mid 30's, and they love their jobs. One works at a UC, and the other is at an innovate private practice. They've talked with my DS about their professions and he did adjust his plans a bit on their recommendations. He also has identified a backup career path and is not a biology major. So, we'll see what happens! It's hard that teenagers have to decide early on if they want to be on a premed track, to make sure they get in all the required courses.

[California]

Our state schools, once you count in room and board, are $25-$35K per year to attend. Are you in an area where the state schools are cheaper than that? If they are around the same price, you may find that private schools offer enough merit to match the public tuition. That would widen up your DS' choices.

Many colleges have net price calculators on their websites, some post their merit scholarship requirements, and you can also look on the CollegeConfidential website to get an idea of what past merit a college has offered.

DS researched the premed programs at all the schools he was most interested in. He asked about their premed advising programs, the number of students who start on the premed track vs the number who go on to a med school, and asked about premed opportunities for research and clinical work. This helped him get a good feel for what he wanted at a school. I think he also looked up schools on Reddit and found groups on there to get some insights from current students. This would be something your DS could look into once he identifies a few colleges that he's interested in.

I have two close family members who are doctors in their mid 30's, and they love their jobs. One works at a UC, and the other is at an innovate private practice. They've talked with my DS about their professions and he did adjust his plans a bit on their recommendations. He also has identified a backup career path and is not a biology major. So, we'll see what happens! It's hard that teenagers have to decide early on if they want to be on a premed track, to make sure they get in all the required courses.

[westwoodmom04]

Just following up to say that my husband and his colleagues love their jobs, they are specialized surgeons in an academic medical center. Being a pa/np is great for flexible schedule, there is lots of patient contact and opportunities for advancement on the administrative side — current president of his hospital system is a np. But if your child is interested in being the person being ultimately responsible for the really complicated cases, a md makes the most sense.

[westwoodmom04]

Just following up to say that my husband and his colleagues love their jobs, they are specialized surgeons in an academic medical center. Being a pa/np is great for flexible schedule, there is lots of patient contact and opportunities for advancement on the administrative side — current president of his hospital system is a np. But if your child is interested in being the person being ultimately responsible for the really complicated cases, a md makes the most sense.

[georgiegirl]

Just following up to say that my husband and his colleagues love their jobs, they are specialized surgeons in an academic medical center. Being a pa/np is great for flexible schedule, there is lots of patient contact and opportunities for advancement on the administrative side — current president of his hospital system is a np. But if your child is interested in being the person being ultimately responsible for the really complicated cases, a md makes the most sense.

Yes, my husband (specialty oncology field) loves his job. He is encouraging DD to be an MD over PA. We think DD might like orthopedics since she’s an athlete, very strong, and it’s a male dominated field and she’s the type who wants to break barriers.

[kdeunc]

DS1 is a high school senior who wants to go to med school. Recent advice from a few drs my DH works with, don't plan on getting in right out of undergrad, a major other than biology may set you apart in a good way, get excellent grades and patient care experience. He is attending a state school (UNC-Chapel Hill) and we will certainly encourage him to apply to in-state med schools as well.

[georgiegirl]

Just following up to say that my husband and his colleagues love their jobs, they are specialized surgeons in an academic medical center. Being a pa/np is great for flexible schedule, there is lots of patient contact and opportunities for advancement on the administrative side — current president of his hospital system is a np. But if your child is interested in being the person being ultimately responsible for the really complicated cases, a md makes the most sense.

Yes, my husband (specialty oncology field) loves his job. He is encouraging DD to be an MD over PA. We think DD might like orthopedics since she’s an athlete, very strong, and it’s a male dominated field and she’s the type who wants to break barriers.

[basil]

I'm an MD (academic surgical subspecialist), my DH is MD as well (internal med subspecialist). I advise med students frequently, though not often undergrads and never HS students.

Unfortunately I don't have a ton to say on the advising side (i.e. which colleges to go to, which majors to choose, etc.) cause I normally see kids once they are already in med school/residency. But if you want more info on what a medical career is like, what the future of medicine may hold, and MD/DO vs NP/PA, then PM me.

[Globetrotter]

When I was growing up, medical school was the big thing if you wanted to make a lot of money in a STEM field, but now I find engineering seems to be more lucrative almost immediately with less investment. Comp sci is all the rage!
Just an observation… we do need skilled doctors, esp with an aging population, so I hope talented and motivated kids will still decide to take the effort.