FAQs

As a med family we get asked lots of questions.  Some are really good and others...not so much.  So I figured I'd answer some of my favorites here!

• Q: So how much do you make?
• A: Right now?  About negative $50,000 per year.  See the funny thing about med school is that no one gets paid to go.  Just like any other grad school the student pays a whole ton of money for the privilege of attending.  

• Q: But don't you get paid after med school is over?
• A: Sure do!  In residency there's an actual paycheck, but its no more than the average cost of living in the area of residency.  For instance, someone in California will get paid around $50,000 and someone in  North Dakota will get paid around $40,000.  Just remember that the resident now has to pay back those super big loans (upwards of $200,000) and live on that salary.  So, basically, until you're talking to a full on attending, all med people are pretty broke.  

• Q: How does the whole med thing actually work?
• A: Oh boy.  Pull up a seat, this is gonna take a while.  First they have to do a four year degree in undergrad.  From there they take the MCAT, and their scores kind of determine the schools they'll get into.  The better the score, the more schools will look at them.  Once they get accepted to med school they have four years of that.  Generally it breaks down to 2 years of didactic learning and 2 years of rotations.  Rotations are essentially 4 week apprenticeships   Every school does the timing and requirements of those differently.  Between the 2nd and 3rd year every student will take the Step 1 boards.  This test very literally determines what they can do.  No pressure or anything.  Low scores = fewer options, high scores = more options.  And then they take YET ANOTHER board test between 3rd and 4th year!  Actually, its two tests for D.O.'s, but whatever.  In the middle of the 4th year the match happens.  This is where the med student spend thousands of dollars on applications and interviews in the hopes that somewhere will like them.  Its not really applying for a job because instead of just getting an offer, a computer determines where they go.  Its complicated, but if you feel like giving yourself a headache you can read all about it here.  When they finally graduate they go into their internship year.  Think the first season of "Scrubs".  After that they get to do their residency.  Depending on the specialty residency can last anywhere from 2 to 8 years.  And then if they're really crazy they can apply for a fellowship!  This is where doctors specialize even more.  For instance, all those doctors that work for Shriners?  They started out as simple orthopedic surgeons and then did a fellowship in pediatric orthopedic surgery.  Ok, maybe not all but you get my drift.  Fellowships, like residencies, can be variable in length AND some doctors do multiple fellowships.  Thus after high school, your average family practice doc will have spent 12 MORE years in training to become the best doctor that he or she can be.  

• Q: How often is your husband gone?
• A: Pretty frequently actually.  Rotations can take med students across the country, and generally the spouses are kind of stuck at home during this.  DrH has been as far as Idaho and New York for some of his.  I joke that its a little like being a very temporary widow.  Residency is a little different I hear, but I'm not there yet.  I'll let you know what changes.

• Q: If it takes so long and is so hard, why do they do it?
• A: I have no frickin' idea!  Some misplaced notion about wanting to help?  A desire to do good in this world?  After 4 years of this little journey, this is a question that we ask ourselves every single day.  Most med students do.  The hours are hard, the stress is incredible, and overall its a big sacrifice for everyone.  Yes the money is good eventually but that just isn't a worthy enough goal for us.  You have to remember that when you go into labor on Christmas and your doc is there to make sure that everything goes as smoothly as it can, that doc is missing out on watching his/her own children open presents.  They're missing family dinners, dance recitals, soccer games, birthdays and anniversaries   When it comes down to it, money just isn't worth that.  What's kept us going is that people need help, and DrH is capable of helping.  More than that, he enjoys it.  I think that's why they do it