Any surgeons out there?

Question

I am a junior in high school and am leaning toward medicine. I know that it is a difficult field, but it is even harder for women, since there are less women in the higher positions. I love challenges, but I am not sure if I will be able to be successful in medicine.
How did you know that medicine was right for you? How will I know?
What advice do you have for me?
What do I need to do to get accepted into medical school?
And what do I need to do to become a surgeon?

Do you recommend that I become a surgeon?

If you have any other information on the subject, I would truly appreciate your input!
Thank you!

Answer 1

Medical schools, at least in the USA, accept men and women in about equal numbers these days. It seemed to me that people in my class get in their own way far more than a person tries to keep themk down.

If you are good, you will be succesful. Period. You are the only determinor of your success or failure.

I knew it was right because I couldn't get enough of it. All of it was endlessly fascinating to me. It still is (I'm 27 and am in the middle of my residency). If you don't love it, don't do it. You must love medicine, you must be enchanted by it or you will never make it out of med school alive.

Advice? Get into a 5-year program if possible...my kingdom to have had an extra year to absorb all the information and to possibly conduct my own research or be published. That is, try to go to a five year school if you don't get into your own staqte school (see below).

What you need? You need to do tons of volunteer work. You don't need to deworm orphans in somalia, but you do need to demonstrate a commitment to your community.

You need excellent grades, I would say a GPA of no less than 3.3-3.6 and no lower than 3.4 for a science GPA, depending on where you live. You neeed minimum 30 on your MCAT's. Some people get in with less, but you want to be competitive, esp if you live in California or the East Coast. (They may have revamped the scoring on the MCAT's since I toook it so I could be way off base here).

You need lots of science course. Just go on ahead and major in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. But make sure to take well-rounded electives. Med schools like things like literature and philosophy classes, foreign languages, etc and there is a verbal reasoning portion of the MCAT's that you will want to do well on. I had a double-major in philosophy and biology with a minor in chemistry.

BTW, they absolutley do care how you scored on the writing portion of the MCAT's. The idea that they don't care is nonsense.

They say you can do well in any major. That is crap.

In addiiton to the standard courses that all med schools require, you will need at least one course in genetics and one course in biochem. You would be a fool not to take the full year of biochem with the labs if your college offers it. Many colleges also offer human anatomy and physiology at the undergrad level. Take these too. If you are lucky enough to go to a college that has it, histology and endocrinology were very helpful. Kinesology majors seemed to do well in medical school too, so if you can do that while fufilling the rest of your requirements, that might be a good thing for you.

You will need awesome recommendations, you will need awesome essays. Develop good relationships with professors early on, seek out their classes and do well in them. Try to get a job working in their lab or on their research teams. These, along with letters from volunteer supervisors whom you have had a lot of contact with over the years (yes, years you will need to show that you are dependable).

To be a surgeon or not to be a surgeon. Surgeons have long residencies and very stressful lives, way more stressful than the other residents. Their residency is nearly twice as long as most non-surgery residencies (psychiatrists have them beat, last I checked, it was a 7 year residency...yikes!). As for me, I wasn't willing to give up my husband (then boyfriend) or the hopes of having a family one day. I love medicine, but am not as intense as it takes to be a surgeon. I like doing other things too like hiking and skiing and museums and hanging out with my husband and dog and having dinner with friends.

Maybe that is the girl in me coming out, but there are plenty of awesome and intense women who are very successful and very good surgeons. There is no reason why you can't be one.

You should wait until 3rd year to decide. Many hospitals have programs where you (right now, prior to med school) would be able to shadow a surgeon for a day. It may help you see what it is really all about. Also, med school admission boards love that because it lets them know that you have some clue as to what you are getting yourself into and still want to pursue it.


BTW...try like hell to get into your state school...it will take a huge financial burden off your shoulders. I had several offers but eventually decided on my state school. It is a MD, not a DO program and although it isn't UCLA or Berkeley, I just couldn't pass up the 5000 per semester versus the 15000 per semester at other places. Seriously, that is like $80,000. And in these lean residency years, I have way more money than most of my classmates because I owe half of what they do so I don't have the added stress of $1000 per month loan payments (oh yes, it happens, it happens all the time).

Answer 2

ask yourself why you would want to become a surgeon. Im an undergrad and in the process of changing directions towards going to med school. I love anatomy and figuring out how the body works. All the talks of long residency and stuff doesnt really bother me. I want to devote my life to medicine. As a surgeon you can work with your hands and directly help someone. Medicine is a challenging field and you till never stop learning something new. I have never really wanted a job but a career that I love. So for me becoming a surgeon just fits my competitive side and my compassionate side. Also remember that if becoming a surgeon doesnt work for u there are soooo many specialities to get into.

Answer 3

Contrary to what you may have been told, but more medical students have been women, since I graduated Medical School in 1984. More women have been entering my field of OB/GYN than men sine 1988.
Being female is not a handicap in medicine or surgery.
Old Doc

Answer 4

While I am not a doctor, I have a dear friend who is. She actually started premed in college to become a dentist, but decided that she would rather be a doctor. She was a family practitioner.

You would need a BS in Pre Med. High grades to be accepted into medical school. Then you would do your hospital training.... then your internship in surgery.

Good Luck!

Answer 5

Brand new joke, brand new idea, and you deserve a star, I wish everyone will read this, nicely done =)

Answer 6

can you handle stress? like to help people? risk yourself from getting sued if a mistake is made?

Answer 7

My advice is to invest in a worthwhile aptitude test. You might be all wrong for the job.

Answer 8

not me