Medicine FAQ / So You Want To Be A Doctor

[pi]

It's not all about the money lads Medicine isn't worth it for the money.

[thushan]

To get to that stage:

- 5-6 years of med school
- about 3-5 years of working as a junior resident doctor (unless you're amazing and can get into the radiology training program immediately, which is extremely difficult to get into)
- 5 years training as a radiologist (as a registrar)

=> 13-15 years until you get to that stage.

If you want to earn the big bucks fast, go into finance, get really good at betting on the stockmarket and earn a mint investing and advising others how to invest. Or try and get into management, working your way up by any means possible.

[excal]

It's not all about the money lads Medicine isn't worth it for the money.

This a million times.

[Russ]

I feel that the money is an extremely relevant and significant factor in deciding to work in the medical field

[excal]

I should clarify - I think it's important to be well compensated for the hard slog that medicine is. And indeed, the pay isn't bad.

The effort:money ratio is what I was commenting on.

[hongkong]

I know this is quite a delayed reply, but on the note of radiology is it possible to become one with a Bachelor of Radiography and Medical Imaging Degree at Monash? Or is Radiography different to Radiology? o.O

Thank you, just a little confused  

Spoiler

http://www.med.monash.edu.au/bradmedimag/

[pi]

Radiography is different to Radiology. The former is a degree in it's own right and you become a radiographer, the latter is a medical specialty requiring a medical degree to become a radiologist.

[Sense]

Radiography is different to Radiology. The former is a degree in it's own right and you become a radiographer, the latter is a medical specialty requiring a medical degree to become a radiologist.

I wonder if many radiologists or psychiatrists get annoyed when people think they have a radiography/psychology degree and they aren't doctors?

[pi]

I wonder if many radiologists or psychiatrists get annoyed when people think they have a radiography/psychology degree and they aren't doctors?

I'm sure they'd laugh it off and correct them if they want to

[TheAspiringDoc]

i actually found a person doing med that got a 70 percentile UMAT and an 89 ATAR... but he is rural and on the dean's rural list...

What is the deans list? how to get on it? also what is the definition of rural?
Thanks, TheAspiringDoc

[pi]

What is the deans list? how to get on it? also what is the definition of rural?
Thanks, TheAspiringDoc

You tell them you're rural and they'll put you on the list if you actually are. It's in the application somewhere, I didn't look into it as it didn't effect me.

[TheAspiringDoc]

You tell them you're rural and they'll put you on the list if you actually are. It's in the application somewhere, I didn't look into it as it didn't effect me.

Pi! so glad ur back, I missed you!!

[b00typizza]

What are some options if you are really bad with people, that are still somewhat within the medicine/biomed/maybe even research area? I've been told things such as pathology,  immunology etc, but I'm interested to hear what else there is.

[pi]

What are some options if you are really bad with people, that are still somewhat within the medicine/biomed/maybe even research area? I've been told things such as pathology,  immunology etc, but I'm interested to hear what else there is.

Some would argue many surgeons fit into that category too

(I kid... maybe)

But seriously, those are the sort of options you're looking at. Pathology is definitely one where you don't need to interact with live patients, but you still need to communicate with many colleagues (other pathologists, oncologists, etc etc). Another example would be radiology.

There are a lot of people in my cohort who I would say "weren't good with people" at the start: they were quiet, awkward, soft-spoken, etc. But they've really grown over the last 3 years, I wouldn't rule yourself out yet.

[hobbitle]

I've been reading about the relatively common MD-PhD program offered at most medical schools in the US. It's not really offered anywhere in Australia except I think ANU, and I'm aware that time-duration wise you can do the same thing in Australia in the same amount of time, just one after the other instead of combined.

I recently met an American who is finishing up one of these programs and had grand plans of becoming an oncologist who was going to revolutionise cancer treatments through his research as well, instead of just being an ordinary oncologist whose treatment recommendations are dictated by whatever the current list of clinically trialled treatments are most effective to cancer X.  To me this sounds totally wonderful but I'm also wondering how on earth you can be both a researcher and a medical specialist?

Does anyone out there know of anyone who actually does this? Or if this kind of thing is nurtured/encourages in Australia? Or is it just a US thing? 

Sorry, it's not entirely on topic, but I didn't want to start a new thread just for this weird question.