Thread: Is it even worth becoming a doctor anymore?

I'm a freshman in college and I keep thinking about whether I should or shouldn't become a doctor. There there seems to be new articles all the time about how becoming a doctor isn't such a hot career anymore due to decreasing reimbursements, increasing practice costs, having to see more patients everyday, fighting with insurance companies, etc. For those of you who will argue and say that medicine is not the career for you if you are looking for money, I understand that and money is not my only incentive for becoming a doctor. I like the actual career itself and would enjoy doing it everyday. Many parents who doctors are telling their kids not to become doctors because they think its just not worth it. I don't clearly remember the statistics but I remember around 30%-40% of doctors are unsatisfied with their career decision and would change their mind if they had chance. Many of my family members who are doctors as well are saying that I should avoid doing medicine. My whole point to all this is that I don't mind enduring all the years of schooling and I like the profession but I don't want to regret it someday because of all the changes that are going on. Since many of you are doctors already or in the process of becoming one, I want to know what your input is about the situation. Are there any hopes that things will improve, stay the same, get worse or that nothing is certain just yet?

Originally Posted by Genossa maximillian

I am talking about traditional REAL medical schools not offshore outposts catering basically to everyone that was rejected in the USA, sorry to everyone, no offense intended. You can't use the Caribbean medical school market to validate your statement. If you don't believe me ask any US medical school dean of admissions or any TOP European med school, they will laugh at your comment.

i disagree...the sciences in undergrad for exception of mainly physics is just cramming and memorizing info...i don't think ANYONE in undergrad that decides to put 12 hours of studying a day everyday is unable to get a decent gpa..especially for in-state medschools that you can get in with 3.3 3.4 3.5 gpas that are in my opinion nothing special....I'm from Canada and over here you aren't getting into medschool unless you have an atleast 3.9 due to limited number of medical schools...so over here you have to be SMART to get in...average people cant get 4.0s...but average people can get 3.4 or 3.5 if they put enough hours into it which is enough to get you in alot of in-state medical schools in the u.s
ps. i never said stupid people can get in...my point as an average person putting enough hours in undergrad can manage to get a high enough gpa..now staying in medshcool is another story

Those getting in with 3.3 or 3.4 in US schools are EXCEPTIONS, not the rule. You are using the exceptions to validate your case.

Originally Posted by Wh0Kares

i disagree...the sciences in undergrad for exception of mainly physics is just cramming and memorizing info...i don't think ANYONE in undergrad that decides to put 12 hours of studying a day everyday is unable to get a decent gpa..especially for in-state medschools that you can get in with 3.3 3.4 3.5 gpas that are in my opinion nothing special....I'm from Canada and over here you aren't getting into medschool unless you have an atleast 3.9 due to limited number of medical schools...so over here you have to be SMART to get in...average people cant get 4.0s...but average people can get 3.4 or 3.5 if they put enough hours into it which is enough to get you in alot of in-state medical schools in the u.s
ps. i never said stupid people can get in...my point as an average person putting enough hours in undergrad can manage to get a high enough gpa..now staying in medshcool is another story

Originally Posted by Genossa maximillian

I am talking about traditional REAL medical schools not offshore outposts catering basically to everyone that was rejected in the USA, sorry to everyone, no offense intended. You can't use the Caribbean medical school market to validate your statement. If you don't believe me ask any US medical school dean of admissions or any TOP European med school, they will laugh at your comment.

haha, why can't we use caribbean medical schools to validate statements? it's what this entire forum is about...because it IS true...u DON'T have to be smart to get into offshore schools....which is where the majority of us go, who post on this board...

Originally Posted by Genossa maximillian

Those getting in with 3.3 or 3.4 in US schools are EXCEPTIONS, not the rule. You are using the exceptions to validate your case.

Average gpa for marticulants of 2007 was 3.65 and that includes the international students that usually have to have 3.8s or higher to have a chance at an American school due to their lower priority so if you exclude those the average gpa for americans getting in american school becomes lower...so 3.4 is not an 'exception' ...thats a lil fact to 'validate' my case for yah

maybe a 3.5-3.7 is a joke at some smaller colleges in the US but at major Universities (Iveys, UCs etc) its tough to even get that.

you might be right but in the scenario that i gave..studying 10-12 hours a day everyday in undergrad..3.5 is not hard to get..even from good schools

who has 10-12hrs/day to study in undergrad?! some people are athletes as well as students, some work jobs, some do research. some have kids.

when i was in undergrad i worked 24hrs/week for Kaplan teaching, was on the track team and took max load units every quarter (not semester where u have time to spread things out).

the typical carib student is not a typical student that can spend 10-12hrs/day studying because mommy and daddy are taking care of everything.

Well, good luck with that!

Originally Posted by IMG SURVIVOR

I will tell that to the Ophthalmology PD lets hope that do the trick

Originally Posted by AmericanIMG

who has 10-12hrs/day to study in undergrad?! some people are athletes as well as students, some work jobs, some do research. some have kids.

when i was in undergrad i worked 24hrs/week for Kaplan teaching, was on the track team and took max load units every quarter (not semester where u have time to spread things out).

the typical carib student is not a typical student that can spend 10-12hrs/day studying because mommy and daddy are taking care of everything.

you missed my point..point was an average guy putting in enough hours in undergrad can easily get the gpa required to get into the american med schools....you cant give being an athlete as a justification that u didnt have enough time to study...tho i completely absoloutly advocate for doing extraciricular acitivites , some decided to sacrificed sports for studying during undergrad and if that meant going to u.s for medschool instead of an volcanic island ..then i guess it was worth it now wasnt it