High Pay but High Debt

<p>Okay, words of encouragement: nobody ever regrets coming out of school debt-free. That good feeling will only get more important in these difficult times.
Your only cost here, academically, is that you will have a somewhat smaller chance of getting a high level, fulltime faculty position in medicine.</p>

<p>greenspan says the economy is about to bounce back. and you know when greenspan makes a prophecy, its self-fulfilling.</p>

<p>could you define faculty position? woudln't that depend more on where i attend med school?</p>

<p>somewhat smaller chance of getting a high level, full-time faculty...
What I mean is that bypassing the Stanfords & Harvards, you have a somewhat smaller chance of becoming Dean of Medicine at Hopkins.
There are plenty of low level faculty positions (like mine, 'clinical assistant professor of medicine') open almost everywhere, but if one were to want to dedicate their professional life to climbing the academic vine, I would recommend going to one of to the schools you are passing up.</p>

<p>An0nym0u5: The economy may do well, but that really describes the overall economy. I think no matter what happens here now, the outlook for garment workers is bad. Likewise, I think a rosy economy will not reverse the shrinking fortunes of America's physicians.</p>

<p>This advice would be accurate if it applied to where you go to medical school. The universities you are passing up for premed have some of the top medical schools, and graduates of these medical schools go to top residencies, and then, many of them, onto faculty positions at prestigious medical schools. However, this applies much less to where you do premed. Many of the people described above went to state schools for premed, for exactly the same reason you are doing it. Everyone in medicine understands the costs of education, and that many people go to state schools because they are an unbelievable bargain. Many go to state medical schools for the same reasons. Overall, are there proportionately more Duke than UMD graduates on the faculty at places like Duke? Probably, but this is a minor effect. It may have more to do with Duke's admissions standards than with the prospects for getting into a top medical school, public or private, from Duke vs UMD.</p>

<p>One of the major concerns with the high level of debt is that students choose fields of practice based on income prospects, not their interests. So you have people who would rather practice general internal medicine who become surgeons instead because they feel they need the money to pay off their debt. After all the work you put in to get into and through medical school, and the work you will put into your practice, you do not want to be in this position. </p>

<p>BTW Edward Miller, Dean of Hopkins: Dr. Miller received his A.B. from Ohio Wesleyan University and his M.D. from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.</p>

<p>Joseph Martin, Dean of Harvard Med: Dr. Martin received his premedical and medical education at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, receiving the M.D. degree in 1962. He completed a residency in neurology in 1966 and fellowship in neuropathology in 1967 at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and earned his Ph.D. in anatomy from the University of Rochester in 1971.</p>

<p>"Full scholarship" is about the best deal there is in college education. Congratulations.</p>

<p>Random question here: do specialty physicians (like oncologists or cardiologists or plastic surgeons) make more than primary care doctors?</p>

<p>Generally, MUCH more. Training is longer and residencies are more competitive (particularly plastics)</p>

<p>Yes, most specialists make more money than primary care docs. A good (though general) rule is that the more procedures a specialty has, the more it will pay. That is the main reason why pediatricians make so little and cardiologists so much.</p>

<p>thankyou very much dr. sedrish and afan...very helpful and motivating information!</p>

<p>Thanks for the information, as well. I'm considering plastic surgery as field to go into, if I decide to do something medicine-related. I'm not too happy about the length of med school or residencies, though.</p>

<p>What does it matter how long it takes? Wouldn't you rather be on the road to a place you want to be than already in a place you don't like?</p>

<p>Well I had the discussion with my mother about medicine vs. law. She is very disappointed. In her words, she is "disgusted and in shock that I would take the easy way out". Since when was attempting to be a lawyer easy? Sure not as hard as medicine, but I mean come on cut me some slack.</p>

<p>I just graduated from the Math and Science Magnet Program with distinction, and she believes I am wasting my intelligence on "easy stuff". I can do the sciences, but it doesnt appeal to me. Why the heck should i spend 10-12 year i n med training as well as accumulate 200k worth of debt to be miserable just so she can say "My son is a doctor." Now she says if she had known this she would have reconsidered allowing me to go to Duke University. Also, she said "dont expect me to assist you with law school."</p>

<p>I think your mom will get over it. Do your best in law school and don't attack her motives on this and it should all fine. Before you know it she'll be beaming "my son is a lawyer!".</p>