Stephanie
I want to be a Pediatrician but I don't know which would be better to just go to school to be a Pediatrician or to because a nurse practitioner first so I can make money while I continue to go to school?
#pediatrician #medicine #nurse
3 answers
Richard A.
Richard’s Answer
Working during medical school is all but impossible. Most students take out loans.
I only knew 2 students who worked. One was a tax accountant before medical school and worked in April of our 1st and 2nd year preparing taxes. The other worked in valet parking and combined his workout with his job by running between cars while parking.
A job would interfere with your education and lower your grades.
After medical school, the next step is residency. During my residency I was able to moonlight as a physician on my weekends off, but that was 20 years ago and I am not sure if that is still possible.
Clay Downing
Clay’s Answer
Great question. I will be honest with you. If you want to be a Pediatrician you need to dedicate your time full time to that. Just due to the course work and time requirements it will be very difficult to work and do medical school. There is nothing bad about just being a nurse practitioner either. You can own an urgent care with a Dr which is a nice business.
If you want to be a pediatrician, you need to go all in on that effort. Medical school is very time consuming. Again I will be honest with you. I would highly recommend that you specialize in a pediatric area. For doctors to make it these days, they really need to specialize. Healthcare is changing and doctors need to change with it. An area I would look at is pediatric neurology. You still deal with children but you are specialized.
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question it was especially helpful and I now have a better idea as to what path I want to take. You have given me insight into what specifically I go into. Do you any idea as to how exactly I can get more information as to what my life would be like as pediatric neurology. Should I ask someone in that field?
Stephanie
Rachel Moore
Rachel’s Answer
I’ll first say that working while going to med school is hard. You’ll need to give your full time to your studies to succeed. Working as an NP while attending medical school is not a realistic option. If you know for sure you want to be a doctor, then go for that directly.
I do encourage you to consider both career paths, especially if you want to be a primary care pediatrician. The NPs I work with do the same basic patient care as a doctor, only under supervision. NP's can work in a broad range of settings and subspecialties, and with shorter training, NPs are working sooner and have less student loan debt than doctors. As a doctor, you’ll have more expertise and independence. When considering the length of training, the earning potential of a NP and a pediatrician are not that different.
Rachel recommends the following next steps:
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question. It really gave me insight as to what exactly I want for my future. I was also wondering how I could really experience the day to day life of someone who works in the field I am interested in? Should I volunteer in a hospital? Should I ask my own pediatrician?
Stephanie
Start with your pediatrician. They could help you set up some shadowing experiences (a key part of the pre-med experience), either in their own practice or with people that they know. They might also be able to connect you with volunteer programs.
A tip for working with doctors- they are BUSY! So, if they don't get back to you right away don't let that discourage you. Any pediatrician would be excited to help one of their patients follow in their footsteps. Be persistent and follow up! Good luck!
Rachel Moore