Any actual doctors in the house (especially med school docs)? | Page 5 | FerrariChat

Any actual doctors in the house (especially med school docs)?

Discussion in 'Health & Fitness' started by Huskymaniac, Aug 24, 2021.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. QtrItalian

    QtrItalian Karting

    Jan 22, 2021
    172
    No do it. I can attest to one patient of mine who had a normal Cologuard and now stage III colon cancer - of course everything has a failure rate. The colonoscopy is easy (had mine). They talk to you and the anesthesia kicks in and all of a sudden you are in the recovery room as if nothing happened. The modern prep recipe only makes you run to the bathroom for about a 4-6 hour period - manageable.
     
  2. QtrItalian

    QtrItalian Karting

    Jan 22, 2021
    172
    Remember the saying, "no finger, no gauiac"?
     
    IloveGT likes this.
  3. Huskymaniac

    Huskymaniac Formula Junior

    Jul 9, 2020
    271
    Finger Lakes, NY
    Full Name:
    Tony
    I wanted to bounce something off you guys. He is starting to think a lot more seriously about his gap year. After getting a good score on his MCAT he was thinking about tutoring other students who need help but can't afford a course or tutor. How does that sound? I was thinking pretty much any state college will have a fair number of kids from low income situations so that gives him flexibility in choosing a location.
     
  4. Xrayv8

    Xrayv8 Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 18, 2004
    897
    New Jersey
    Full Name:
    Xray
    Personally, since medical education is so long at the minimum of 7 years (4 yrs med school + 3 yrs for short residencies), I can't see the benefit of a gap year unless of course you don't get in the first time. My second daughter is Pre-med and when we were visiting schools, we noticed that many universities advocate a gap year but had no good explanation as to why except, that it's easier to get in after 1-2 years from graduating college. I assumed that it's to tout their med school acceptance rate.

    My thoughts are that if you can't get in at end of undergraduate studies then you are forced to do a gap year in which case do it but otherwise get in as soon as possible so you can complete your medical education by age 30 or shortly thereafter. The rest of your cohorts have already begun their lives, marriage, families etc.... While there is a great sense of accomplishment in becoming a physician, I won't lie that on occasion I wished I could have enjoyed my young adulthood like my friends did, but then again that is the sacrifice that I chose to make.
     
  5. Huskymaniac

    Huskymaniac Formula Junior

    Jul 9, 2020
    271
    Finger Lakes, NY
    Full Name:
    Tony
    He is already locked into a gap year as he is currently a senior. Lots of things led up to this. Not having enough of the right AP classes to finish the pre-reqs by the end of his sophomore year plus having a pretty severe case of mono his freshman year. I have always been ok with it because I remember how burned out I was when I finished undergrad.

    So now he has to start picking schools to apply to, start what he can on the application and do something productive in the gap year.
     
  6. italiafan

    italiafan F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Jul 19, 2006
    16,110
    Full Name:
    Stickbones Swagglesmith
    I think that is an admirable project.
     
    Huskymaniac likes this.
  7. Huskymaniac

    Huskymaniac Formula Junior

    Jul 9, 2020
    271
    Finger Lakes, NY
    Full Name:
    Tony
    Also, do you guys know of any research opportunities that he could do in his gap year? I know he is interested in cancer research after taking a course in cancer biology. But I think he is open to anything interesting and challenging.
     
  8. Huskymaniac

    Huskymaniac Formula Junior

    Jul 9, 2020
    271
    Finger Lakes, NY
    Full Name:
    Tony
    @IloveGT @italiafan @plastique999 @BMW.SauberF1Team @Xrayv8

    The semester is winding down and the winter break will be all about planning the gap year and starting on a list of schools. So I figured I would check in again to see if you guys have any suggestions on what to do in a gap year.

    On a side note, my son visited his brother out in the LA area in October and walked around a few of the med schools there. He liked UCLA, didn't like USC and really liked Kaiser Permanente. But area is not as important as the match and he is still thinking OB-GYN and Internal Medicine. On the later, he is still drawn toward the idea of working in a correctional facility.
     
  9. tonyswfla

    tonyswfla Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 2, 2007
    823
    Florida
    go to the NIH for a year
    try to get his name on as many papers as possible
     
  10. Huskymaniac

    Huskymaniac Formula Junior

    Jul 9, 2020
    271
    Finger Lakes, NY
    Full Name:
    Tony
    Thanks. I saw those and sent the links to my son. For some reason, he thinks he couldn't get one of those. I think he can and will keep encouraging him to check them out.
     
  11. IloveGT

    IloveGT Formula 3
    BANNED

    Oct 17, 2015
    2,419
    please find a premed counselor for your son.
     
  12. Xrayv8

    Xrayv8 Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 18, 2004
    897
    New Jersey
    Full Name:
    Xray
    Unless your son is a resident of California, he has zero to slim chance of getting in. Most medical schools try to take in state residents and the very best of the best will have a shot of getting in as an out of state student. I don't know you son's credentials so he may have a chance but his best shot will be in his own state.

    My second daughter is very bright and has what it takes to get through med school. She was extremely disappointed when she didn't get into Hopkins and Georgetown which devastated her but I was relieved. As smart as one thinks they are, there is always much smarter folks especially at these 2 schools which will make you feel stupid and also make it very hard for for her to do well and get a >3.5 GPA. I told her that if this is truly what you want than you need to go to a school where you are the big fish in the little pond rather than the little fish in the big pond. After doing a fair amount of research we found out that Univ of Delaware has no medical/nursing schools etc so they have a partnership with Jefferson University in Phila for Medical school as well as other health science fields. If a student is accepted into their Medical Scholars program, they have a conditional acceptance to Jefferson Kimmel Medical school and as long as they maintain their GPA >3.5 and get the mean MCAT score they get the official acceptance into the school in their senior year of college. I'm proud to say, while I was Corsa Pilota a few weeks ago in Miami, she called to tell us that she got accepted into the program. We're very excited and proud of her for this achievement. Now, she can continue to do well and take the MCATs and go onto Med school right after college. What's even better is that if you are a Delawarean there are 20 seats in their program just for state residents so even if you don't have a best of grades but your are one of the 20 applying than you've got a great chance of getting into their medical school.

    Personally, I don't understand the point of a gap year. Once someone has committed to a career in medicine which takes quite a number of year to achieve, why add another 1-2 years to the timeline? When we visited schools, many advocated the gap year but when questioned about it, there was no reasonable answer as to why except, "well, we think their chances are better if they take a year or two off." I think and this is my personal opinion, students should apply in their 4th of college and if not accepted than do the gap year and supplement it with research and additional courses to show them you have the academic aptitude and will to pursue medicine. If after the gap year, they are not successful than they should consider seeking alternate careers since it will only get harder to get in.
     
    Texas Forever and plastique999 like this.
  13. BMW.SauberF1Team

    BMW.SauberF1Team F1 World Champ

    Dec 4, 2004
    14,244
    I had a 3 year gap from undergrad to med school, but I had a career that was very unique and to this day I get asked about it a lot when people see my CV or ask about my path to med school.

    As far as the question of what to do during a gap year, I'm not quite sure. Is it one year or two? Sounds like he finished school already and will apply Fall 2022? So it's two years off? Other than research and volunteer work I'm not sure. A lot of other classmates of mine in med school were like me and non-traditional and had careers first. A good friend of mine from med school who ended up a radiologist as well was an engineer at Lockheed for a while before changing his mind and taking classes at night. Thankfully I did pre-med coursework in undergrad and didn't have to go back for those classes while having a full-time job...
     
  14. Huskymaniac

    Huskymaniac Formula Junior

    Jul 9, 2020
    271
    Finger Lakes, NY
    Full Name:
    Tony
    I did. I figured I would ask here to see if you guys had any input. No one knows everything so there is a chance one of you could suggest something the consultant wouldn't.
     
  15. Huskymaniac

    Huskymaniac Formula Junior

    Jul 9, 2020
    271
    Finger Lakes, NY
    Full Name:
    Tony
    He knows the chances are slim on the CA schools. He will probably apply to only 2 or 3 of them. Same with the Texas schools. He will be applying to a bunch of public and private schools in our state (NY).

    As for the gap year, it is just how it worked out for him. He didn't have a ton of AP credits and then he had a brutal first semester where he missed a bunch of class time due to a severe case of Mono. I am good with it because I remember how burned out I was after undergrad. I ended up working a few years and then going back to grad school. I think a 1-2 year break would have been optimal but I ended up getting a couple of patents and some conference papers out of it so it's all good. Things work out.

    Are you from Delaware? It sounds like your daughter is graduating high school this year. Is that correct? Congrats on the Kimmel acceptance. Is the med school near the Jefferson University main campus? It is a nice area.
     
  16. Xrayv8

    Xrayv8 Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 18, 2004
    897
    New Jersey
    Full Name:
    Xray
    I understand now. In speaking to my medical school Dean of admissions, they essentially said research is not what they'd like to see on the application but rather some form of direct patient interaction such as a nutritionist who worked with diabetic patients etc....if that helps.

    We're in southern NJ and she is currently at Univ of Delaware as a 3rd year student. Jefferson is in center city Phila which is only 20 min from home for us. The kimmel school is located directly next to the hispital so in the heart of the city but in the "good part" of the city thankfully.
     
    Texas Forever likes this.
  17. Huskymaniac

    Huskymaniac Formula Junior

    Jul 9, 2020
    271
    Finger Lakes, NY
    Full Name:
    Tony
    Ah, that's good because there are some pretty bad parts of that city. One of my favorite places is that indoor market. I can't remember the name. But I am Italian so food is a big thing.

    My son can relate to her experience applying to undergrad. Applying to the top undergrad schools is probably as competitive as applying to med school was 20-30 years ago. It has become nutty. And, of course, med school admissions has become even crazier. I like your med school dean of admissions. Which school is that?
     
  18. Xrayv8

    Xrayv8 Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 18, 2004
    897
    New Jersey
    Full Name:
    Xray
    You're probably thinking of Reading Market.

    Back in my day was called UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School now it's Rutgers Medical School -Robert Wood Johnson.
     
  19. Huskymaniac

    Huskymaniac Formula Junior

    Jul 9, 2020
    271
    Finger Lakes, NY
    Full Name:
    Tony
    Yeah, that's the place! Love that place. If I lived as close as you do I would be there all the time. Probably best I'm not.
     
    Xrayv8 likes this.
  20. Huskymaniac

    Huskymaniac Formula Junior

    Jul 9, 2020
    271
    Finger Lakes, NY
    Full Name:
    Tony
    He was planning on only one year. He is a senior now. Next year is the gap year and he will be applying to schools in June. There are some 2 year research programs but I don't think he will opt for that. But, who knows, he often surprises me.
     
  21. Huskymaniac

    Huskymaniac Formula Junior

    Jul 9, 2020
    271
    Finger Lakes, NY
    Full Name:
    Tony
    I am still confused by this response. What did I say this time that was wrong?
     
  22. Huskymaniac

    Huskymaniac Formula Junior

    Jul 9, 2020
    271
    Finger Lakes, NY
    Full Name:
    Tony
    @italiafan @plastique999 @BMW.SauberF1Team @Xrayv8

    Guys,

    Can you explain to me the exact distinctions between Primary Care, Internal Medicine and Family Medicine? When I think of Primary Care, I think of the doctor I go to for my sick visits and yearly physical. But, sometimes, that person is listed as "Internal Medicine". From my reading, it looks like Family Medicine is for treating adults and children as a primary care doctor versus, say, having a pediatrician for the children in the family.
     
  23. Xrayv8

    Xrayv8 Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 18, 2004
    897
    New Jersey
    Full Name:
    Xray
    You're correct, it's a category which also includes pediatricians as they are "primary" caregivers for children and all of these residencies are 3 years to complete. In internal medicine, the doc studies 3 years of general medicine, in pediatrics 3 years of pediatric medicine, and family medicine 1 year of peds, 1 year of general medicine, and 1 year which I believe includes a little bit of Ob-gyn and geriatric medicine (but don't quote me on that). They are also considered gate keepers since many insurance plans require the patient to get referrals for any specialist visits from their primary care doc.
     
  24. Jorligan

    Jorligan Formula Junior
    Rossa Subscribed

    Apr 23, 2007
    266
    Dexter, MI
    Full Name:
    Tim
    Medical school is medical school. Every step of the way determines the next step. There are a large number of well regarded and some true leaders in their field physicians who went to a lower ranked medical school (Chicago Medical School) with whom I did medical school rotations or were fellow residents. Interestingly, they always started behind but worked harder than many of the other trainees which ultimately led to their success. Son should take MCAT including taking prep courses and then apply to multiple tiers of medical schools-ultimately going to where he fees most comfortable. Advantage of high caliber schools is that in the future, he may get letters of reference from better known physicians.

    My experience was from 30 years ago. Top tier college, mediocre state med school and then top tier training thereafter. 2 separate med school acceptance committee, 2 residency acceptance committee and 2 separate fellowship commmittees
     
  25. Jorligan

    Jorligan Formula Junior
    Rossa Subscribed

    Apr 23, 2007
    266
    Dexter, MI
    Full Name:
    Tim
    Primary care is non specialized medicine. Usually family practice (all age groups), internal medicine (adults), pediatrics (children) and then Ob-Gyn (Women). Internal medicine, pediatrics, Ob-Gyn are all specialities and lead to subspeciality training. I would strongly advise against prison medicine. I see a fair number of convicts and he will develop rapid dissatisfaction and burnout.
     

Share This Page