Expert: Christine Fader - 1/4/2010

Question
Hello Christine,

I've recently been giving a lot of thought into what I'm going to do with my life. I am currently a high school sophmore. I have always been a thinker and a planner, and I feel like I need to know where I am going right now. I have been considering a career in medicine. I think I have the grades and the determination to become a doctor, but I want to know if it is worth it. I have also considered becoming a nurse. Do you have any suggestions or advice on which career is more practical, the pros and cons of each, or if you were my age - with your whole future ahead of you - what you would do? I'm super lost and I'll take any advice I can get. I would really appreciate your help.

Thanks,
Elizabeth

Answer
Hi Elizabeth,

Congratulations on thinking ahead about your career!  There are actually some important things you can do while you're still in high school to help you prepare for a career in medicine (whether as a doctor, nurse or other medical specialist) so it's great that you're trying to sort some of this out as best you can now.

Certainly, as you mentioned, becoming a medical student and then doctor takes very good grades in high school and right from first-year university, excellent community service experience and stellar references.  Nursing programs also set high standards for their students but they are not nearly as competitive to get into as medical school programs.  That may be one thing to consider as you go forward.

Most importantly, I would suggest that you may want to talk to set up appointments with doctors and nurses and let them know that you're a student considering these careers.  Ask them questions about their day-to-day work.  See how it differs.  Ask them about work hours, pay, best things about the job, worst things about the job, what a typical day looks like etc.  The basic (very simplistic) difference between doctors and nurses is that nursing tends to allow you to work in a more care-giving role.  Physicians tend to be more in a diagnostic, problem-solving role.  Of course there are exceptions in both nursing and medicine but these tend to be big picture sorts of differences.  

The other thing to consider is the financial and time investment.  Physicians in Canada need a minimum of 3 years of university (and most have 4 or more before they get in to medical school), plus 3-4 years of medical school (depending on the school structure), then 2-9 years of residency training before they are licensed physicians.  Nurses tend to do 4 year undergraduate degrees and then can begin practicing (although many also continue on to master's degrees, nurse practitioner programs, clinical nurse specialist programs etc.)  Funding all that medical education, not to mention potentially delaying life stuff like having babies, can factor in to people's decisions.  Of course, physicians generally make more per year than nurses (on average), however, think about how many hours physicians work (the average hours/week is 70) whereas nurses tend to work less (so the hourly wage isn't as different as it may first look on paper).  There are other options though that buck the general trends.  For example, some physicians work outside of clinical work (e.g. in a pharmaceutical company) and make less, but work fewer hours.  Many nurses work in hospital administration in very interesting and well-paying jobs.  So there are always exceptions and you can be as busy and successful or balanced and happy as you choose in either profession.

I would highly suggest checking out the following books at the library:  Top 100 Healthcare Careers (it's American, but gives you lots of great ideas of other health care jobs in addition to doctor and nurse); Careers for Health Nuts; So You Want to be a Doctor, eh? (Canadian book); and also check out www.medhunters.com.  It's a job posting website but it's a great place to see all the different roles within healthcare settings (both clinical and non-clinical).  If you see yourself working with patients in the future in a hands-on way, stick to clinical programs at college or university (e.g. doctor, nurse, optometrist, chiropractor, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, child life specialist, x-ray technologist, perfusionist, etc)  If you take biology or chemistry or another science program, it can be great but it won't lead you directly to a clinical job at the end of your undergraduate degree.

One ideal option you could consider is entering a nursing undergraduate program and then applying to medical school!  Many nurses practice for a while after completing their degree and then apply to med school, or sometimes they don't practice nursing at all, they just finish their nursing degree and apply directly to medical school.  Then, you have the best of both worlds -- a licensed professional occupation when you graduate from your undergrad degree (nursing) so if med school doesn't happen right away (as if often doesn't for people), you still have a great, clinical designation AND the opportunity to continue on to be a doctor if you've decided that's what you'd love to do.  Medical schools in Canada don't require that you come from any specific undergraduate program (although some have a few pre-requisite courses they like you to have) so you can do any required pre-requisite courses in ANY program (even Film Studies, Philosophy, Geography....things that have nothing to do with science!)

I assume that you're taking sciences in high school?  Keep that up as it will keep doors open for you for many health-related programs, whether at college or university.

I hope this gives you some ideas.  If you want really detailed advice, check with your guidance counsellor or I have package that I work with students (locally and at a distance) on called "Thinking about Medical School?"  More info about it at my website.  

Good luck!

Christine
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Author, "Career Cupid: Your Guide to Landing and Loving Your Dream Job"