I’m 21 going on 22 in August. I’ve been attending a community college for the last 2 years, pretty much taking various courses…putzing around trying to find what I really want to do. I became interested in psychology, and I found that I want to help people. I’ve also become interested in the spiritual side of healing… tai chi, yoga, accupuncture. Over the past two semesters i’ve taken 2 gen bio courses, and a Gen chem class. I really like the sciences and feel like I can really do well in them. Medicince has always interested me but i’ve always felt like it was inaccesible to me due to money and perhaps study habits. Helping people is what I want to do. I’ve become interested in physiology and some of the more philosophical sides of healing, and have started picturing the body as one big beaker of chemical reactions. I’m kind of a free spirit and have klutzed through school so far, and am wondering what i’m looking at for the future in attending a med school. How much time am I looking at from this point? Money? How can I turn my educational career around to pursue this? What’s it like as a med student, financially? Do they give you any grants to cover the gaps from loans? What about med programs mixing medicine/psychiatry/alternative “holistic” healing? So many questions and this is a little disjointed but I’m just curious what exactly i’m looking at for possibilities. I feel I can handle the scholarly pressure and I’m really enjoying the sciences. Also i’m interested in research especially in stem cells and spinal cord injury.
Any help is appreciated.
Hey Homespun,
To get into med school you generally need three things. First, you need a bachelors degree in something. Most schools will accept students with >90 hrs of undergrad credits but these are the very exceptional students. Second, you have to have taken 1 year each of general chem, organic chem, general biology, and physics, all with labs. Also, most will require some form of math ranging from colleg algebra to calculus. See the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) book for the specific requirements of schools that you may be interested in. Third, you have to take the MCAT. Unsaid (until now) is the fact that to be competitive you have to do as well as possible in all of these things. Additionally, some research and clinical experience seems to be viewed favorably by most admissions committees.
In response to some of your specific comments/questions:
Medicince has always interested me but i’ve always felt like it was inaccesible to me due to money and perhaps study habits. Do they give you any grants to cover the gaps from loans?
You can take up to $38,500 in subsidized and unsubsidized loans depending on assesed need (not including private lender sources). See the MSAR. This should pay for tuition and room and board just about anywhere. As for study habits, you can change them if it’s important to you. There are some grants out there. Some are need based and some merit based. Also, the government has programs for people who will practice in and underserved areas. Check out the NIH website.
Helping people is what I want to do. What about med programs mixing medicine/psychiatry/alternative “holistic” healing?
Medicine is a big commitment and is just one item in a long list of ways to help people. You have listed a lot of interests so just make shure that medicine is where you want to be. Clinical experiences mentioned before (eg shadowing a physician) may help you decide. Also, it looks good on the apps. If medicine is it, look at the DO philosophy of medicine which may fit you better than the allopathic route. Maybe go the osteopathic route and do a psych residency. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t be an MD and still practice the way you want. A couple of allopathic docs that are relatively famous for their “alternative and holistic” philosophies are Andrew Weil (out of Univ. of Arizona) and Dean Ornisch (somewhere in the bay area). Check it out.
How much time am I looking at from this point?
2-3 years do get a bachelors degree (depending on how many hours you have so far), 4 years med school (7-8 if you decide MD/PhD), 3-10 years residency/fellowship depending on what you want to do.
Also i’m interested in research especially in stem cells and spinal cord injury.
Maybe for a degree you can choose psych or neuroscience. Doing an undergrad research experience is a great way to decide if research is something you reall like. Also, as mentioned before, it looks good on med school apps.
Those are some of my thoughts. Hopefully other folks will chime in and add to or correct anything that I’ve said. Later
Damon
thank you so much for the info, I appreciate it.
No worries. Since I'm not actually even done with my pre-reqs, hopefully other folks further down the line will chime in.
Damon, that was a great and very thorough reply - without going on for pages ‘n’ pages like I’m famous for, too; I’m impressed!
One minor correction: $38500 is the limit for federal loans (subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans). Private lenders WILL loan you money beyond that. Unfortunately I’m at one of the most expensive schools in the US so I am way too familiar with this. At GWU, just tuition and fees for the class of 2007 is going to be around $40k, so anyone starting there this fall is going to be bumping up against the Stafford limit before they even think about the private loans for living expenses.
Obviously it is not the greatest idea to start your medical career $220,000 in debt but it is done occasionally. The caution I’ve always heard about digging yourself that big a hole financially is that it will affect your thinking about career choices. For example, I loooooooved family practice and it’s what I am going to do. If I had a $220K debt looming over my head (it’ll “only” be $120K, ha ha!), I would be feeling a lot of pressure to go into a medicine subspecialty, I think.
| QUOTE (Mary Renard @ Apr 18 2003, 09:25 PM) |
| One minor correction: $38500 is the limit for federal loans (subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans). Private lenders WILL loan you money beyond that. . |
Hey Mary,
That's what I meant by "not including private lender sources". Thanks for making it clear!
You can take up to $38,500 in subsidized and unsubsidized loans depending on assesed need (not including private lender sources).
$40K IN TUITION AND FEES????? Crap, that's a lot! Are they going to adjust the amount you are eligible to take out in federal loans? It seems like that would adversely affect their enrollment. I'm glad to read that you'll only be $120,000 in the hole!
What's the average age of people entering med school? Also, how much do you generally make as a resident… is it just enough to scrape by, or can you actually start paying down your loans, and if not, do you recieve a deferment on loan payment? Also, are there programs in psychiatry which have a heavy focus on behavorial therapy and 'talk-therapy' rather than just a medicine approach? I appreciate they help very much.
| QUOTE (homespun @ Apr 19 2003, 09:02 PM) |
| What's the average age of people entering med school? Also, how much do you generally make as a resident... is it just enough to scrape by, or can you actually start paying down your loans, and if not, do you recieve a deferment on loan payment? Also, are there programs in psychiatry which have a heavy focus on behavorial therapy and 'talk-therapy' rather than just a medicine approach? I appreciate they help very much. |
Hi there,
As a PGY-1 Surgery resident, I make $36,000 per year (about averge). I will get a small raise next year but it isn't much more than what I am making this year. I live in a fairly decent apartment and drive a car that is 13 years old but paid-for. I am not allowed by the rules of the University of Virginia to do any moonlighting to make any extra money. My loans from medical school are deferred as I go through residency (7 years). I have the option of paying off the interest but I generally have been saving money for a house.
As for places that allow you to moonlight, you need to have a permanent medical license which means that you have taken and passed USMLE Step 3. You also need to have a permanent DEA number. My DEA number cannot be used outside of my resident duties at UVa.
I will be taking USMLE Step 3 at the end of May and will be fully licensed and registered with the DEA after then. If you enter any specialty other than Internal Medicine or Family Practice, you need to take Step 3 as soon as you are eligible because you tend to forget your medicine skills as you move further into your specialty.
Most of the folks entering medical school are about 24-25 years old average. I was the second oldest person in my class entering at age 46 and graduating at age 49. I am by far, the oldest resident in General Surgery at the University of Virginia though there are some Internal Medicine and Psychiatry residents who are in their late 40s. I don't think that there are any other residents in their 50s at UVa so I may be the oldest resident here. Most of my medical students are in their early to mid 20s. The oldest medical student that I have had has been 38 years old. She is an MD-Ph.D candidate who just gave birth to twins late last year.
Go to the webpage for the American Psychiatric Association and look at the requirements for Psychiatric residency training. All accredited programs are required to provide standard training. Most folks entering Psych today are in Medicine-Psychiatry or Pediatrics-Psychiatry programs. There are a few Family Practice-Psychiatry Programs so investigate those too. The main reason for double-boarding is to prevent encroachment by non-MD practictioners.
Good luck and enjoy the journey!
Natalie