3rd year Harvard Medical School student thinking about high finance transition- am I being realisitc?
Hello-
As the title states I am currently in medical school and have recently been seriously reconsidering my future as a doctor. I will make this as brief as possible as I know we both are very busy individuals.
Background- 24 y.o male
Biomedical engineer @ top 25 program
3.8 GPA, 95th percentile MCAT
Top 85th percentile med school class ranking
-
Went into med school strongly thinking neurosurg or orthopaedics. Just finished 3rd year clinical rotations and have not found a field of interest (seriously have looked into everything). I really do enjoy helping and connecting with patients, however I am heavily gravitated to learning the critical thinking and technical aspects of the profession, which I have learned are actually not what you spend the majority of your time doing as a doc. Much time is spent into rote memorization with little creative opportunities. I even looked into the more cerebral fields like radiology, which was very enjoyable from a academic standpoint, however I did not like the lack of human contact.
-
I started looking into high finance because of the strategic and technical aspect of the field that was combined with a highly social nature (Was in a fraternity and raged pretty hard back in the day). Money is not a major motive (give me ~100k and I'm good)! I am driven by intrinsic factors such as the need to succeed and compete to be the best.
*Investing and finance seem very interesting to me in that they remind me of my engineering days where lots of critical thinking and technical knowledge combined with creativity are need...much different and engaging than the stifling rote knowledge I learned in medical school.
-
If I make this transition into high finance I would want to do it right given my opportunity costs. First off, do you think I have the right motivations to make the switch and if so, what would be possible paths to break into high finance. I was thinking about ER in healthcare sector but am open to other options. I am currently getting a major in finance at HBX (Harvard business extension school) and am really enjoying the principles being taught.
-
Aside- I am very motivated, easy to work with, and eager to learn. My chops are well done and primed for some world class wso input.
Thanks everyone!
P.S. Planing to take a research year next year and will have time to network, then will finish degree afterwards.
I was in your shoes around 15 years ago. From just about the start of med school I knew I didn't want to spend 30+ years practicing medicine. But, due to family/friends peer pressure I went ahead and did it. "Medicine is the most noble degree" is what I was they said, and being young I drank it up. To best answer your question(s) I'm going to go line by line and give you my thoughts but take it with a grain of salt- after all I'm an anonymous poster on the internet.
Q: Went into med school strongly thinking neurosurg or orthopaedics. A: Think about it- med students are smart and highly driven. Very rarely do people say "I want to take care of a smelly, gangrenous diabetic foot". You would be surprised at some of the experiences that are not very flattering but needed to be done. This SNL skit below rings true unfortunately. And no, it usually isn't a can of axe body spray but usually a "toy". I'm a new user and can't post links so google:
APPALACHIAN EMERGENCY ROOM: FERRET ON A DING DONG
Just watch...
There are research articles floating around looking at how specialty decisions are made/changed through med school. The number I recall is around 2/3 of students change their mind throughout the process. Look it up. You have another year to figure it out.
Q: I am heavily gravitated to learning the critical thinking and technical aspects of the profession, which I have learned are actually not what you spend the majority of your time doing as a doc A: No Sht dip sht (sorry, tough love). You shouldn't have to be thinking about this stuff once you do it hundreds of times. That's what residencies are for. Only ~ 2-3% of my cases stump me and yes, I figure it out. Guess what- after you get out of residency you then learn how to do it "private practice style". Yes, there can be a big difference, especially in surgical fields. Also, you're going to have to deal with idiots regardless of what field you go into, and, dealing with insurance is a b*tch but other people in different fields can be just as difficult.
Q: Much time is spent into rote memorization with little creative opportunities A: I felt the same way when I was in your shoes. Listen, this is med school. You might have heard this before but a common expression about med school is "trying to catch all the water out of a fire hydrant in your mouth". Heard it multiple times from multiple people. They are there to expose you to as much science, information and experience as possible in the time allotted.
Q: Investing and finance seem very interesting to me in that they remind me of my engineering days where lots of critical thinking and technical knowledge combined with creativity are need...much different and engaging than the stifling rote knowledge I learned in medical school A: See above. BTW, if you stick it out a little longer you'll find there are "styles" or "schools of thought" on certain issues. Especially if you're interested in the surgical specialties. Your training can vary, dependant on what region of the country/residency you go to. If you do it long enough you'll develop your own style and you'll look like a rock star if you're any good.
Deep thoughts by Jack Handy: I won't make any comments on your finance thoughts/experience except this- "I am currently getting a major in finance at HBX (Harvard business extension school)". Are you out of your F*cking mind! Don't allow them to drag you into another year(s) of schooling. It's expensive. Talk about opportunity cost...
Final thoughts: Here's what I would suggest. 1) Finish school in 4 years- no research. You'll be doing what a monkey could do in a lab setting. 2) Complete an internship through the match- it doesn't matter if it's transitional or general surgery.Yes, this is a VERY important part of your training. You won't be able to start to put all the pieces of the puzzle together unless you do this step. 3) Pass your USMLE step 3. 4) Okay, now you're a "real" doctor that can be licensed (but not likely to get malpractice insurance without finishing a residency). Now you have some options: 1) Research, 2) Business (healthcare sector or something unrelated), 3) Go ape sh*t crazy- a trip around the word- heck, join doctors without borders for fun. Either way this buys you time to figure it out.
As for me, I'm now ready for the career transition over to commodities and starting the process. Did it take longer than expected? You bet your ass, but looking back I don't think I would have the wherewithal/experience/maturity to do it if I had done it years ago. I wouldn't trade my experiences looking back.
Hope this helps and good luck!
LOL at any of the clowns who seriously think the average person in IBD could've gone to med school.