rav
doctor or dentist, i m confused
Hey. I hope you're doing good! I am confused about my future. This summer i have to choose my colleges, and my conselour told me that if i have my goal in my mind it would be easier for me to decide which college is the right one for me. I always wanted to make my parents proud of me, so i decided to become a doctor( physician or pediatrician) and show them that whatever they did for me, all the struggle and everything they went thtough, was and is worth it. I want them to make them feel proud, and happy. So i decided to become a doctor. Last year, i went to my cousin wh is a dentist and she has a cousin that is studying to become a doctor and she can't pass her MCAT. Okay first of all, i like both jobs even though doctor is my dream i don t have dentistry. I am thiking about dentistry cause a pediatrician and a physician is always on emergency calls and also they don't have time for their families. A dentist has some hours to go to work and they have some days off to, at times. ALso, a denitst studies 8 years while a doctor have to do residency too. I want to live a simple future, a smile life. I want to come home from my job have fun with my family, my kids and everyone else. Would that be possible? Please help me out, i will read everything. Thank you so much for reading this. #doctor #medicine #students #dentist #denitistry
3 answers
Gary Petito (Veteran)
Gary’s Answer
Hi again,
Well, even with being Doctor you can choose what type of Doctor you want to be and where you work...it does not have to be an on call career with odd hours. It may help you to talk to someone that is actually a Doctor or in the medical field like a Nurse and get their input and advice.
Good luck! :)
Gary Petito (Veteran)
Gary’s Answer
Hi,
Excellent question and it seems like you have put a lot of thought into this already...honestly, if you re-read your own question I think you answered it already :)
I will add that this is a very personal choice that no one else should decide for you and should be something you are happy with for a long career and your life. Being a Doctor will require a lot more of your time, odd hours, being on call, etc and if you choose this career you have to be very passionate and happy about your choice. Being a Dentist is also a very noble and rewarding career choice.
Good luck in whatever you choose and decide to do, you will make the right choice for you and in this situation there really is no wrong choice...both are very good careers and professions in life.
Thank you so much Gary! but i m still confused cause doctor has always been my dream
rav
Omneya Nassar
Omneya’s Answer
Don't worry about family time. You can do so much with a MD degree. So if you can't work the hours of a pediatrician, you can always switch to something else.
So I understand that you are worried about taking the MCAT (or at least it seems so). The MCAT is a taste of what medical school will be like. You will take 4 hour long exams and you only get two exams per class: mid term and finals. The USMLE exam can take up to 9 hours of examination. That's tough! But it's definitely worth it if you have a passion for medicine.
Treat college like a training opportunity for medical school. Not only are you there to learn science and mathematics, but you are there to learn how to be a medical student. You have to condition yourself to study for about 8 hours a day, and at least six days a week.
If you struggle to accomplish this in college, don't worry about it. Get your bachelor degree and sign up for a Prep program at a medical school. You will take graduate level courses and be trained properly to become a successful medical student.
You can apply to almost any university and be pre-med. However, there are other degrees that are only provided at certain universities, like engineering. This is what your counselor is referring to. If you want to be a biomedical engineer and apply for medical school, then you will be limited to only the universities that offer engineering. In contrast, most schools offer a biology degree, so being a biologist and pre-med will be easier to accomplish.
Focus on what you want to major in college, then focus on getting into medical school.