Has anyone ever studied medicine and worked at the same time?

[AlexDP]

Has anyone on this forum ever studied medicine and worked a halftime job at the same time? Or studied halftime and worked fulltime?

 

The reason I ask is that I'm thinking of doing this. It is incredibly tough, I know. And a lot of people might call me insane, because I already have a Bachelor's Degree in History and a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Law. If I wanted to, I could be a lawyer too.

 

But I don't want to. For three or four years now I have known that my true passion is medicine. It is odd, because I don't think it used to be. It's that I was so good at languages that I didn't really want to study math and science at school and therefore it didn't occur to me that perhaps I was more interested in a more direct study such as medicine.

 

Where I live you have to do an exam before being allowed to do med school. The exam is pretty tough, so for the past few years I thought I wouldn't stand a chance. Recently however I have started studying the subjects and I'm doing better than I thought I would. I realise I will never be great at math, but I just might be good enough to do medicine. Oddly once you're in, math is not really a big part of the curriculum anyway.

 

In any case, has someone on this forum ever done anything similar? What do you all think? Do you think that people should study till they're 25 and then just work till they're 80? Thoughts, please.

[GorillaTheater]

I worked through law school, and it's a grind I wouldn't want to repeat, and I can only imagine that medical school (if that's what we're talking about) is alot tougher than law school.

 

Some alternatives may be to sign up for a military obligation, or a rural public health type of program, which may pay tuition, fees and books. That'll lessen your need to work.

 

Not to be a buzzkill, but are you sure you have the prerequisites to get in? Don't med schools generally require a science-related undergrad degree?

[AlexDP]

I worked through law school, and it's a grind I wouldn't want to repeat, and I can only imagine that medical school (if that's what we're talking about) is alot tougher than law school.

 

Some alternatives may be to sign up for a military obligation, or a rural public health type of program, which may pay tuition, fees and books. That'll lessen your need to work.

 

Not to be a buzzkill, but are you sure you have the prerequisites to get in? Don't med schools generally require a science-related undergrad degree?

 

No, not where I live. Where I live you do the exam. If you succeed, you're in. The system in continental Europe is completely different.

 

As for medical school being tougher than law school: without a doubt. I don't remember studying in law school at all. This is why I think I might have a chance: I can process huge amounts of data in a very short amount of time.

 

Please note that I'm not boasting here, I don't think it really has anything to do with intelligence, I think I'm just more effective at studying.

[AlexDP]

GorillaTheater,

 

Why wouldn't you want to repeat the experience? Did the university help you in any way, shape or form? Did you do fulltime courses?

 

For instance my university would help me with my schedule and would enable me to do 1 year in 2 years time or even in 1,5 years time. They are pretty flexible.

[GorillaTheater]

GorillaTheater,

 

Why wouldn't you want to repeat the experience? Did the university help you in any way, shape or form? Did you do fulltime courses?

 

For instance my university would help me with my schedule and would enable me to do 1 year in 2 years time or even in 1,5 years time. They are pretty flexible.

 

Oh sure, I've been a practicing lawyer for a long time. Most of the time, I'm happy with the route I took. But the three years I was in law school? Yuck.

 

I was a full-time student, worked about 20-30 hours a week, and had a wife and toddler. It was a f*cking blur. Like three years of boot camp.

[AlexDP]

Oh sure, I've been a practicing lawyer for a long time. Most of the time, I'm happy with the route I took. But the three years I was in law school? Yuck.

 

I was a full-time student, worked about 20-30 hours a week, and had a wife and toddler. It was a f*cking blur. Like three years of boot camp.

 

I can see how being a full-time student and working 20-30 hours would be tough.

 

To make things clear: working 30 hours and being a full-time student in med school is impossible (or at least it is for me). It would probably be working 20 hours and being a part-time student. I would not earn as much and it would take me a while, but hey, you only live once.

[GorillaTheater]

Man, if this is what you want to do, then hell yes - go for it. And the very best of luck. It's probably safe to say that the world needs more doctors more than it needs more lawyers.

[AlexDP]

Man, if this is what you want to do, then hell yes - go for it. And the very best of luck. It's probably safe to say that the world needs more doctors more than it needs more lawyers.

 

I want do it. There is one thing that is holding me back though: my girlfriend. Now she is supportive in anything I do. It's not that she says I can't do it. But I do hear her dream about a house, about children and long trips.. And I love her to death, so I want to give her those things.

 

At the same time though I wonder if I won't end up bitter if I forget about my dream. And a bitter me isn't going to do her much good.

[CptObvious]

Dude, I've seen asians roll over and die in med school, even with their parents funding everything. You don't stand a chance in there, even if you spend every waking moment memorizing the textbooks. You gotta have talent and you gotta want it badly enough that you will sacrifice everything just to stay competitive.

 

EDIT: Honestly, if it was possible, I'd rather spend 10 years in federal prison in order to get my medical license than go to school for it.

Edited December 12, 2012 by CptObvious

[KathyM]

Well, I'm currently going to school full time to get my Master's Degree while working at an internship part-time and working for my own company part time to make some money. So that's a full time school curriculum and two part time jobs. It can be done, but I wouldn't advise it. If you're going to start med school, then give up the jobs if you can so that you can devote your full attention to your studies.

[Els]

The toughest part of med school, for many people, isn't the theory but the practical component. I'm not sure about the universities where you live, but my bf did med school and a large component of his grades consisted of either getting approval by his medical consultants, or logging a certain number of surgeries or childbirths attended, etc. That all takes time and there are no shortcuts. Some of your supervisors will expect you to be there during the hours a regular doctor is - and that can be 60-70 hours a week sometimes. My bf literally has a photographic memory, a MENSA-eligible IQ test score and is good at speed-reading, but there were a few components in med school that he came close to failing. Not because he wasn't smart enough or didn't know enough, but because his consultant had certain ideas of what he needed to do, and could fail anyone arbitrarily if they didn't satisfy it (such as turning up for ward rounds at 7am knowing every single patient on the roster by heart).

 

This is totally different from most other degrees where you generally have flexible schedules, even if you need to put in the hours for studying (engineering etc). Virtually every single medical student I know doesn't work part time. A rare few work during weekends, and many work during summer holidays. But a regular part-time job that involves weekdays, nobody does that.

[AlexDP]

The toughest part of med school, for many people, isn't the theory but the practical component. I'm not sure about the universities where you live, but my bf did med school and a large component of his grades consisted of either getting approval by his medical consultants, or logging a certain number of surgeries or childbirths attended, etc. That all takes time and there are no shortcuts. Some of your supervisors will expect you to be there during the hours a regular doctor is - and that can be 60-70 hours a week sometimes. My bf literally has a photographic memory, a MENSA-eligible IQ test score and is good at speed-reading, but there were a few components in med school that he came close to failing. Not because he wasn't smart enough or didn't know enough, but because his consultant had certain ideas of what he needed to do, and could fail anyone arbitrarily if they didn't satisfy it (such as turning up for ward rounds at 7am knowing every single patient on the roster by heart).

 

This is totally different from most other degrees where you generally have flexible schedules, even if you need to put in the hours for studying (engineering etc). Virtually every single medical student I know doesn't work part time. A rare few work during weekends, and many work during summer holidays. But a regular part-time job that involves weekdays, nobody does that.

 

Where I live the practical component only really starts in your Master's. Which means I can work and get my Bachelor's, but I would have to drop the job to do the Master's. The 70 hour workweek only happens towards the end of your education at which point I can bridge the two years of not working.

 

As for the Mensa-eligible IQ test score and speedreading.. I am not that impressed. Last time I checked you had to have an IQ of around 130 and a lot of university students (including me) has that. Now if you're saying he has an IQ of 150 that's a different story.

[AlexDP]

Dude, I've seen asians roll over and die in med school, even with their parents funding everything. You don't stand a chance in there, even if you spend every waking moment memorizing the textbooks. You gotta have talent and you gotta want it badly enough that you will sacrifice everything just to stay competitive.

 

EDIT: Honestly, if it was possible, I'd rather spend 10 years in federal prison in order to get my medical license than go to school for it.

 

And because they're Asians they're better than me? What is your point? Also, again: I do one year in two years. Which, logically, would mean I need only half as much time to study.

 

I agree about wanting it badly enough though. The chances of practising medicine after spending 10 years in federal prison are virtually zero by the way. Who would trust you?

[AlexDP]

Well, I'm currently going to school full time to get my Master's Degree while working at an internship part-time and working for my own company part time to make some money. So that's a full time school curriculum and two part time jobs. It can be done, but I wouldn't advise it. If you're going to start med school, then give up the jobs if you can so that you can devote your full attention to your studies.

 

I know a civil engineer who started her own company so that she could do med school. The company seems to be pretty successful too. But let's be honest here: if you're a civil engineer and you'd work 1/4, you'd still be making lots of money. It is probably the most difficult degree to obtain. So I'm in a completely different situation with my law degree.

[Emilia]

I worked full time while studying for 5 years at uni part-time. The degree wasn't as hard as medicine or law (I did 1 year Archaeology just for kicks and 4 years of Financial Economics) but I'd say the delay in starting my career because I started studying when I was 25 did make things more difficult.

 

I'm sure you can overcome the hours, etc but my former sister-in-law did a 7-year medicine course, she is very talented, discovered some bacteria or infection or whatever at university but it still took her ages to qualify and I'm not sure whether she has done all the practical yet.

 

I don't think it's the studying aspect but the years you will be behind your peers. It took me a while to catch up - though of course if you are intelligent you will progress faster than others. You will probably still peak in your mid 40s though. Need to bear that in mind.

[Els]

Where I live the practical component only really starts in your Master's. Which means I can work and get my Bachelor's, but I would have to drop the job to do the Master's. The 70 hour workweek only happens towards the end of your education at which point I can bridge the two years of not working.

 

As for the Mensa-eligible IQ test score and speedreading.. I am not that impressed. Last time I checked you had to have an IQ of around 130 and a lot of university students (including me) has that. Now if you're saying he has an IQ of 150 that's a different story.

 

Oh, if you are only intending to work part time during the first few years, I think that could be very feasible depending on your university. The first few years are pretty much like any other university course from what I've heard.

 

You needed a 148 score on the Stanford-Binet to get into MENSA last I checked, and you can't have 'many people' with a similar score because only the top 2 percentile of the population are eligible and the test scores are configured to account for that. So if 50% of the population have a score of 130, the eligibility criteria would have been much higher than that. But that isn't the point. The point is that this is a guy who is clearly not lacking in conventional intelligence or academia and he found the course difficult.

[AlexDP]

Oh, if you are only intending to work part time during the first few years, I think that could be very feasible depending on your university. The first few years are pretty much like any other university course from what I've heard.

 

You needed a 148 score on the Stanford-Binet to get into MENSA last I checked, and you can't have 'many people' with a similar score because only the top 2 percentile of the population are eligible and the test scores are configured to account for that. So if 50% of the population have a score of 130, the eligibility criteria would have been much higher than that. But that isn't the point. The point is that this is a guy who is clearly not lacking in conventional intelligence or academia and he found the course difficult.

 

You need 148? That's odd, my mother got an invite and she has something like 135. I know you don't have many people who are eligible. But a good deal of people who do university will score around 130. In any case I know I'm not that intelligent yet I have a fairly high IQ test score.

 

Thank you for your other remark. I do believe that doing the later years and working at the same time is an impossible combination. In our college system it would mean I need to bridge a two year gap in which I won't be working.

 

Another point to consider is that the tuition in Belgium is a lot lower than in the USA. I pay around 600€ tuition and I'd need another 400 for books. It's not nothing, but it's not as if I have to pay 15k and go into debt to do this.

[Els]

You need 148? That's odd, my mother got an invite and she has something like 135. I know you don't have many people who are eligible. But a good deal of people who do university will score around 130. In any case I know I'm not that intelligent yet I have a fairly high IQ test score.

 

It depends on the scoring system used, as MENSA allows individual participating countries to choose their own scoring system, as long as the cut-off mark is set at the top 2 percentile for that particular system. Lots of people will score close to it but not quite there, as I believe IQ scoring works on a bell curve. It doesn't mean anything other than academic intelligence, obviously, but I put it out there to forestall comments of, "Oh, maybe he's finding medicine hard because he isn't smart enough." Conventional intelligence actually has very little bearing, IMO, on what is needed to pass med school AND become a good doctor (which is odd because so many countries set a high initial prerequisite on entry).

 

Those who do best as doctors, from what I have observed, are those who are willing to put in the time and dedication and perseverance, to the extent of sacrificing their personal lives. It isn't like the other hard sciences where if you are exceptionally brilliant you can just skate through easily based on talent alone. I did a compsci degree in 1.5 years with no prior programming experience. That would not have been possible at all in medicine.

 

Thank you for your other remark. I do believe that doing the later years and working at the same time is an impossible combination. In our college system it would mean I need to bridge a two year gap in which I won't be working.

 

Another point to consider is that the tuition in Belgium is a lot lower than in the USA. I pay around 600€ tuition and I'd need another 400 for books. It's not nothing, but it's not as if I have to pay 15k and go into debt to do this.

 

If you are confident in your finances holding up during the 2 year gap, and confident that it is worth it, then I'll say go for it. You'll have summers to supplement your income, unless your university requires that you do medical electives or internships or somesuch during the summer.