Advise desperately needed!

[Glamour1981]

I am a senior at a US university and will be graduating with a bachelors degree in studio art in June of 2004. A few months ago, I finally decided what I want to do with my life. I want to be a plastic surgeon. I haven't taken most of the pre reqs for med school. What should I do? Any advice would be greatly apprciated.

[Rwl22]

you have to take all the prereqs before you will be admitted to med school. They are pretty much the same wherever you look. U.S. school or carribean. After that, you have to take the MCAT and your G.P.A. will determine whether you will be able to gain acceptance to an American school or whether you will have to go the carribean route. Usually you need a 3.4 or 3.5 G.P.A. with a MCAT in the mid to upper 20's to compete for a spot in an American school.

[Habeed]

Also, the big thing : it isn't likely, unless you are VERY smart, and VERY lucky, that you can become a plastic surgeon. Ever. This is because there are only a handful of residency positions, and they usually go to top graduates from big name schools. (and even if you have a 4.0 now and do well on the mcat so you are admitted to a big name school, you might not be as smart as the people you are competing with who are among the brightest in the entire nation)

Due to this, you shouldn't spend the years to go into medicine unless you are sure you'll be happy doing other jobs doctors do as well. If you think you might be happy as an internist or family practitioner (the most common form of doctor), as most of us would be if we cannot get the top end residencies, then go for it. I want to go into medicine for the intensity of the experiences and to help other people. Even the 'lowest' jobs as a doctor involve both of these aspects.

Also, you should evaluate exactly what about plastic surgery appeals to you. The easier hours? Internists can get that. The high pay? Open your own clinic. The women? Any surgeon, or any doctor for that matter, can bag plenty of babes. Surgery? A general surgeon is a more attainable goal.

So, while if you are smart and lucky, you might get that plastic surgery job, but it isn't worth the investment of time if that's the only physician job you'd be happy with.

[FrenchFrie]

habbed, whats an internist?

[john sally]

dude, habbed, dont go telling people they have to be lucky to get into sugery and specialize in plastic....If you are determined, then you can get it.....I know people who just barely pased there boards with a 75 get into sugery and other top residencies.....If thats you goal. then there are spots that go untaken in areas down south or other unpopular states.......
You dont have to love every field in medicine to be a doctor, if you want a specific speciality, then trust me, if you try hard enough you'll get it.....
Peace

[Habeed]

French : internal medicine

John sally : look at this link :
http://www.nrmp.org/res_match/data_tables.html
There is ONE, I repeat, ONE!!!! seat for 2004 for PGY-2 plastics and ZERO PGY-1 seats listed. That's what I mean by luck : getting it could hinge on one or two questions on the boards or on an exam at a top medical school. Also, to be that smart requires a certain amount of luck...you had to luck out with the right genetics. Of course you can work to make yourself smarter with mental exercise, new techniques, even supplements and drugs, but your genes will always be a factor.

[john sally]

Hey Habbeed, dont forget about the number of residencies that went through the prematch ok......Its all about contacts and under the table dealings......you could get a 90 and if that person who got a 78 has contacts, then he's in......

[jaysun0373]

Habeed, when doing your research, did you considered that less than half of all plastic surgery programs currently participate in the NRMP? There are 86 plastic surgery programs according to the AMA, which each take 2 to 5 PGY1's with an average of 3 residents accepted each year. According to my math (3 times 86), that roughly equals 258 spots, give or take a few as I'm not going to count them. This is about 215 more spots than the IM/ER residency you spoke about earlier, making plastic surgery much easier to get into. Hope this helped, If anyone is interested, Here is a list of the programs from the AMA-ASSN website:

Plastic Surgery

Alabama


University of Alabama Medical Center Program
Birmingham, Alabama 360-01-21-121
California


Loma Linda University Program
Loma Linda, California 360-05-21-133
UCLA Medical Center Program
Los Angeles, California 360-05-21-009
University of Southern California/LAC+USC Medical Center Program
Los Angeles, California 360-05-21-118
University of California (Irvine) Program
Orange, California 360-05-21-008
University of California (Davis) Health System Program
Sacramento, California 360-05-21-113
University of California (San Diego) Program
San Diego, California 360-05-21-010
University of California (San Francisco) Program
San Francisco, California 360-05-22-012
Stanford University Program
Stanford, California 360-05-31-013
Colorado


University of Colorado Program
Denver, Colorado 360-07-21-122
Connecticut


Yale-New Haven Medical Center Program
New Haven, Connecticut 360-08-21-015
District of Columbia


Georgetown University Hospital Program
Washington, District of Columbia 360-10-21-017
Florida


University of Florida Program
Gainesville, Florida 360-11-21-019
Jackson Memorial Hospital/Jackson Health System Program
Miami, Florida 360-11-21-022
Georgia


Emory University Program
Atlanta, Georgia 360-12-21-024
Medical College of Georgia Program
Augusta, Georgia 360-12-21-111
Illinois


McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University Program
Chicago, Illinois 360-16-21-025
Rush-Presbyterian-St Luke's Medical Center Program
Chicago, Illinois 360-16-11-026
University of Chicago Program
Chicago, Illinois 360-16-11-027
University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago Program
Chicago, Illinois 360-16-21-028
Loyola University Program
Maywood, Illinois 360-16-21-029
Southern Illinois University Program
Springfield, Illinois 360-16-21-030
Indiana


Indiana University School of Medicine Program
Indianapolis, Indiana 360-17-11-031
Kansas


University of Kansas Medical Center Program
Kansas City, Kansas 360-19-11-032
Kentucky


University of Kentucky Medical Center Program
Lexington, Kentucky 360-20-21-033
University of Louisville Program
Louisville, Kentucky 360-20-21-034
Louisiana


Louisiana State University Program
New Orleans, Louisiana 360-21-11-035
Maryland


Johns Hopkins University/University of Maryland Program
Baltimore, Maryland 360-23-21-037
Massachusetts


Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School Program
Boston, Massachusetts 360-24-21-135
Lahey Clinic Program
Burlington, Massachusetts 360-24-21-125
University of Massachusetts Program
Worcester, Massachusetts 360-24-21-117
Michigan


University of Michigan Program
Ann Arbor, Michigan 360-25-21-042
Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center Program
Detroit, Michigan 360-25-21-043
Grand Rapids Medical Education and Research Center/Michigan State University Program
Grand Rapids, Michigan 360-25-22-044
Providence Hospital and Medical Centers Program
Southfield, Michigan 360-25-31-046
Minnesota


University of Minnesota Program
Minneapolis, Minnesota 360-26-21-131
Mayo Graduate School of Medicine (Rochester) Program
Rochester, Minnesota 360-26-21-047
Mississippi


University of Mississippi Medical Center Program
Jackson, Mississippi 360-27-21-126
Missouri


University of Missouri-Columbia Program
Columbia, Missouri 360-28-21-049
St Louis University School of Medicine Program
St Louis, Missouri 360-28-21-051
Washington University/B-JH/SLCH Consortium Program
St Louis, Missouri 360-28-21-052
Nebraska


University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine Program
Omaha, Nebraska 360-30-13-136
New Hampshire


Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Program
Lebanon, New Hampshire 360-32-21-129
New Jersey


UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (Camden) Program
Camden, New Jersey 360-33-21-132
UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School Program
Newark, New Jersey 360-33-21-119
New York


Albany Medical Center Program
Albany, New York 360-35-21-055
Albert Einstein College of Medicine Program
Bronx, New York 360-35-21-064
Nassau University Medical Center Program
East Meadow, New York 360-35-21-058
Harlem Hospital Center Program
New York, New York 360-35-21-120
Mount Sinai School of Medicine Program
New York, New York 360-35-21-065
New York Presbyterian Hospital (Cornell Campus) Program
New York, New York 360-35-21-060
New York University School of Medicine Program
New York, New York 360-35-21-066
University of Rochester Program
Rochester, New York 360-35-12-070
North Carolina


University of North Carolina Hospitals Program
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 360-36-11-072
Duke University Hospital Program
Durham, North Carolina 360-36-21-073
Wake Forest University School of Medicine Program
Winston-Salem, North Carolina 360-36-11-074
Ohio


Summa Health System/NEOUCOM Program
Akron, Ohio 360-38-21-075
University Hospital/University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Program
Cincinnati, Ohio 360-38-21-112
Cleveland Clinic Foundation Program
Cleveland, Ohio 360-38-21-079
Ohio State University Hospital Program
Columbus, Ohio 360-38-21-081
Medical College of Ohio Program
Toledo, Ohio 360-38-21-084
Oklahoma


University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Program
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 360-39-21-085
Oregon


Oregon Health & Science University Program
Portland, Oregon 360-40-21-116
Pennsylvania


Lehigh Valley Hospital Program
Allentown, Pennsylvania 360-41-22-086
Penn State University/Milton S Hershey Medical Center Program
Hershey, Pennsylvania 360-41-21-087
Temple University Program
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 360-41-21-088
University of Pennsylvania Program
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 360-41-21-089
University Health Center of Pittsburgh Program
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 360-41-21-090
Rhode Island


Brown University Program
Providence, Rhode Island 360-43-21-092
South Carolina


Medical University of South Carolina Program
Charleston, South Carolina 360-45-22-093
Tennessee


University of Tennessee College of Medicine at Chattanooga Program
Chattanooga, Tennessee 360-47-11-094
University of Tennessee Program
Memphis, Tennessee 360-47-31-095
Vanderbilt University Program
Nashville, Tennessee 360-47-21-096
Texas


University of Texas Southwestern Medical School Program
Dallas, Texas 360-48-21-097
University of Texas Medical Branch Hospitals Program
Galveston, Texas 360-48-11-098
Baylor College of Medicine Program
Houston, Texas 360-48-31-099
Christus St Joseph Hospital Program
Houston, Texas 360-48-12-100
University of Texas at Houston Program
Houston, Texas 360-48-31-101
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Program
San Antonio, Texas 360-48-31-134
Texas A&M College of Medicine-Scott and White Program
Temple, Texas 360-48-21-130
Utah


University of Utah Program
Salt Lake City, Utah 360-49-21-103
Virginia


University of Virginia Program
Charlottesville, Virginia 360-51-11-104
Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Program
Richmond, Virginia 360-51-21-108
Washington


University of Washington Program
Seattle, Washington 360-54-21-123
Wisconsin


University of Wisconsin Program
Madison, Wisconsin 360-56-21-109
Medical College of Wisconsin Program
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 360-56-21-110

[Habeed]

Thanks for filling the hole in my knowledge. It did occur to me that it seemed incredibly low (ONE new plastic for the entire country!!??). That still doesn't make it 'easy' to get in to...that's less than 300 seats. EM, which is also considered a moderately difficult residency to get has about 1200 seats according to the match page.

Alright, well, I suppose it is possible to get into plastic and reconstructive surgery without an IQ of 200.

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