How to become a surgeon

[djcool563]

Hello. I am really intersted in becoming a surgeon when when i finish high school. i want to know how many years of college will i have to go and what would be an estimated price of schooling? Thanks
DJ

[djcool563]

Anyone?

[otolith]

Well, I went through 13 years of postsecondary education. Ran up about $125-150,000 in debt by the time all was said and done. I would expect that to be at least $250K by the time you get done.

Keep in mind, the time it takes and the debt racked up are some of the least important factors when it comes to deciding to become a physician.

[otolith]

Oh yeah. Patience would help (you only gave it an hour and some change before giving it the old "bump"). Most of us doctor types aren't around here that much (except for Joey).

[SaltFishMD]

I just looked up tuition for the 3 private medical schools here in California. Tuition alone ranges from $35-38k a year, and it goes up every year. There are a limited number of scholarships and grants out there, but the majority of my classmates ended up taking out loans for their education. Some even have to take out loans just for their living expenses, which pushes their yearly loan to over $50k/year. Throw in any loans from college and it's easy to owe over a quarter million at the time you graduate.


In terms of how long does it take:

College: 4 years for a BA/BS
Medical School: 4 years for your MD degree
Internship: 1 year (after which you get your license)
Residency: 2+ years (Primary care is another 2-3 years, specialize and you could do up to 7 or 8, maybe more)

[djcool563]

Thanks everyone for the help.

[beaniebeagle]

you really want to be a surgeon.... good for ya

ok, to start with. AFTER the 4 years of undergraduate study, then you can start med school

med school is 4 more years. if you can get your parents to pay for it, lucky you. otherwise expect at least $150,000 in debt from medical school. but the interest can put you over the 200k mark

surgical residency is anywhere from 5 years and up,it all depends on what kind of surgeon you want to be.

otolith is correct, the debt and time are some of the least important factors

otolith....gotta love that pic....baseball bat or dashboard vs face?

[djcool563]

I wasnt worried about the money or the years in school i just wanted to see what was instore for me when i graduate. Do i go for a Bachelor of Science degree? Would it be best to have Biology as a major in normal college or do they have a Med major? The only problem i see right now is i dont get the best of grades in some classes (Mainly just Spanish class) but in any type of science class i am great at. I am wondering will it really affect me in the long run if im not getting the best grades i in High School ( I get from C's up mostly B's and A's). Or will it really matter what grades i get in College?
Thanks Everyone
DJ

[joeychitwood]

Originally posted by otolith
Most of us doctor types aren't around here that much (except for Joey).

That's because the really smart docs become ER physicians and work only 30 hours a week. I hope I don't get bored on my current 13 day stretch off.

[oz]

Somehow the idea of being a plastic surgeon seems appealing.

[BethanyM]

I dont think I could deal with the beautiful people who think they have horrid defects the world stares at. Good money, but I wouldnt feel good about myself at the end of the day. Reconstructive plastic surgery for accident victims, birth defects, that would be more for me.

[oz]

Like that french woman who got a new face.

[Blindmelonbob]

Originally posted by djcool563
Or will it really matter what grades i get in College?
Thanks Everyone
DJ

Yes, grades are very important. So's your MCAT score. And so are your interviews. Whichever college you choose will have a pre-med advisor. You should get to know her/him, as that person will handle your questions and will also be fairly integral to the med. school application process.

[beaniebeagle]

your grades in high school really dont mean a thing except for helping you to get into the college you want

my high school grades really sucked. got a bunch of D's and F's one year because i just didnt want to do any work

wised up after i went to college and got mostly A's--->which DOES matter when attempting to get into med school

there isnt a med major. basically you need to take a certain number of prerequisite classes. Most of them are biology/science based. So basically a bachelors of science degreee

it sounds like your mind is oriented more towards the sciences, which makes it so much easier when studying for the MCATs

and going the emergency medicine route was so much nicer, IMO, only 3 years of residency.

But I do work harder than joeychitwood. mine averages to about 32 hours a week. hehe so you see that our life has time for other things. the night and late evening shifts can be a little painful, but its a trade off

i only had an eight day stretch of days off this month. but now i actually have to work 5 days in a row....what a hard-knocks life.

I just dont want to see another vag bleed for a while

if you do go to med school, I guarantee that the specialty that you want to go into will change several times

[Johnsteph10]

I guess all of us ER docs just hang out here, eh?

I agree as above. Even though we don't work as many hours, I would say that as a profession we work harder hour per hour than any other medical profession.

[surfy]

So are all you docs jerks to the nurses? Or are you kind and treat them with respect?...
Nah, none of you guys here would be that way towards them now would you? *raises eye brow*
I'm going to be an RN/nurse anesthetist and have heard many horror stories about you docs, lol.
I hope I don't regret it *crosses fingers*

Good luck with what ever path you choose dj. Hang in there and you'll make it.
Maybe become an EMT or LVN/LPN for a while to see if this line of work is really for you... just a suggestion.

Also like others have stated. Sit down and talk with a counselor/advisor at one of the local colleges. They will be able to help you with most of your questions.

[otolith]

Originally posted by beaniebeagle
otolith....gotta love that pic....baseball bat or dashboard vs face?

Thanks, it's some of my handiwork. 12 hours of handiwork. The guy was riding his bike down a hill and hit an overhanging tree branch. He had bilateral LeForte III fractures and a really bad frontal sinus fracture(s) (chicklets is what I was thinking as I'm using these tiny 1.0mm plates to put him back together. Those plates are going to suck when I hit my 40s and my accomodation starts to go.

[otolith]

Originally posted by joeychitwood
That's because the really smart docs become ER physicians and work only 30 hours a week. I hope I don't get bored on my current 13 day stretch off.

I don't know what I'd do with myself if I only worked 30 hrs a week. The only problem is that you have more variable hours. I don't really want to work during the middle of the night if I don't have to. Fortunately, I rarely have to (knocks on head, err, wood). haha

[otolith]

Originally posted by Johnsteph10
I guess all of us ER docs just hang out here, eh?

I agree as above. Even though we don't work as many hours, I would say that as a profession we work harder hour per hour than any other medical profession.

I agree with that. Your shifts can be fairly nonstop. And I THANK YOU for being able to practice the type of medicine you practice. Lord knows I couldn't do it. How often do you get thanked for your work? Just don't call me at 3am.

[Wolverine]

Look up some of our old threads about choosing a career in medicine. I know that Joey, Otolith, and I have written several pages on the topic here in the Lounge.

From the surgeons I know, don't expect to have the kind of life that the ER docs have. Life sucks as an intern, and then it gets progressively harder.

Dave

[otolith]

Originally posted by surfy
So are all you docs jerks to the nurses? Or are you kind and treat them with respect?...
Nah, none of you guys here would be that way towards them now would you? *raises eye brow*
I'm going to be an RN/nurse anesthetist and have heard many horror stories about you docs, lol.
I hope I don't regret it *crosses fingers*

You'll have a great lifestyle and a great job.

Just be nice to your local otolaryngologists. We dink around with the airway A LOT! Just get used to it, since we're the ones who will bail you out when you're in trouble, and we know where it goes.

About 3-4 times a year I get called in to an OR room to help "obtain" an airway. Fortunately, I've gotten the tube where it's supposed to go, not through the neck. *phew* Last week I earned a bottle of wine from one of the MDAs (doc of anesthesia), and today I got asked to be "on alert" for an airway on a 650# patient who the MDA was concerned about. And let me tell ya, a concerned MDA makes for a concerned otolaryngologist.

[joeychitwood]

Originally posted by otolith
How often do you get thanked for your work?

I've stopped being surprised by the fact that we rarely, if ever, get thanked.

[fred says]

Beaniebeagle, where is your practice? –simply out of curiosity. I too am in Baltimore although I am still a high school student.

[otolith]

Originally posted by joeychitwood
I've stopped being surprised by the fact that we rarely, if ever, get thanked.

Well, you do have a thankless job (no pun intended).

If it makes you feel any better, the next time you're in town, stop on by and I'll give you some frags to help ease the pain.

[beaniebeagle]

kinda dont want to say which hospital, you never know who you might offend and have them come back to stab you in the back

i actually get a fair amount of thank yous. kinda makes the shift easier to do.

making it hard on the nurses....you can't. if you treat them like dirt, they can make your job miserable. the nurses rather work with me because im nice to them