Hi, I'm new and would like to ask a few questions.

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
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<p>Hello Everyone. This is my first post, but I have been around the forum board for a little while now. Allow me to briefly introduce myself. Currently, I am a high school student attending a community college and I will be a upcoming college sophomore (senior in High School) this preceding year. So far, I had only considered 3 careers in my life: Physician, education instructor, or clinical psychologist. Nonetheless, I feel compelled to pursue a career in medicine in some sort of way. However, sometimes I feel like I'm interested in medicine for the wrong reasons, such as for the prestige, money, and perhaps even for the approval of family members (they have big expectations of me). Deep inside, I aknowledge that if it's anything other than passion and truth, I will regret pursuing medicine. For this reason, I'm planning to enroll in a two year Surgical Technology program after I finished my general education at my community college. After completing training, I wish to be able to acquire a part time position as a surgical technologist and finishing my bachelors and maybe with possibilities of pre-med. I hope this experience will help me gain an insight and evaluate to some degree on whether or not medicine is truly right for me. If not, I will definately be glad that I took this approach. </p>

<p>Lastly, I would appreciate if any of you could provide me with some answers to my concerns:</p>

<p>A) If I finish pre-med during a spring semester and take the MCAT in the spring, apply for med school, and if I get accepted, will I be able to start the following fall semester? Or does it work in another way?</p>

<p>B) In medical school, what are the hours like? Do we go to class 5 days a week for 8 hours (like high school), or is it much more than that? </p>

<p>C) Does anyone know somebody that holds a part time job while attending medical school?</p>

<p>D) Any advice you could give me on how to determine if medicine is right for oneself.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for any feedbacks.</p>

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<p>A.) No, you're thinking a year too far ahead. If you want to enter in August of 2006, your apps should be sent in June-August of 2005, and your MCAT should have your score back before then.</p>

<p>B.) Varies by school and by year. NW's medical school has class two hours a day during the first year (with some extra stuff here and there) and then amps it up considerably later on. UCSD is reputed to have 9 hours a day. UCLA tells me that LA traffic doesn't matter in the third year because "You go in before it starts and leave after it ends." If you know anything about LA, you know that this is describing a ~4 AM-9PM shift.</p>

<p>C.) BRM did/does.</p>

<p>D.) Spend time in a clinical setting! See if you can adapt to the world it involves. Talk to sick people. Watch doctors who can't help their patients, as well as those who can. Talk to doctors about the way medicine is changing.</p>

<p>I should also mention that you will almost certainly be expected to complete a BS or a BA - i.e. you will need to finish two more years in a four-year, degree-granting college.</p>

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<p>Working as a surgical tech is a great way to get clinical experience, to observe how doctors (at least surgeons and anesthesiologists) interact with nurses and to get valuable skills that will serve you well should you choose medical school. As a surgical tech you will also be privy to frank discussions about medicine, the practice of medicine and hospital function.</p>