Expert: Dr. Kevin D. Kanz - 11/9/2006

Question
Hi I have a rather strange/complicated question, at least I think it is.  

Most people I know of that are applying or have already gotten into medical school always talked of wanting to become a doctor since they were very young.  For myself, I never really had much exposure to the field of medicine except for the basic science courses i had in high school.  And then in college, I was in the arts (specifically fine art and communication) because it was something I was good at.  But after much talking and interaction with these friends of mine and realizing the kind of work they get to do now, Ive started to feel perhaps Ive gone down the wrong path.

So my question is, what would be a good starting point for me right now?  In my parents eyes, I am wasting a lot of time by not knowing what I want to do right away.  But I have an interest in possibly becoming an MD in the future but I have absolutely no idea where I should start.  I've read about post-bacc programs but I'm not sure if that is where one begins because...what if halfway through it I decide I want to do something else in the field of medicine like optometry or sports medicine?  How can someone in the middle of medical school suddenly go to optometry? I kind of think you cant do that so I'm confused.  

To better prepare myself, is it a good stepping stone to train as an EMT-P to gain work experience before going on to medical school?  Or is it better to start sooner and apply for a post-bacc?

Answer
Dear Landis,
There are many facets to your question, so I'll try and address as many as I can in a short space of time.

First of all, if you want to be a doctor, what is a good starting point?

First, you must ask yourself, what kind of doctor you might want to be?  There are many types of doctors.  The word 'doctor' simply means teacher or one who applies a doctrine, method or discipline. Or, one who has mastered an art, doctrine, method or discipline. Naturally, in human health care and in mental health, there are many disciplines.  The first and best known is a Medical Doctor (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathy (DO).  Both of these are traditional medical programs that will generally take 4 to as many as 10 years to complete after obtaining baccalauriate pre-requisits.  In the field of medicine there are many sub specialties (General practice, pediatrics, opthomology, internal medicine, neurology, psychiatry, general surgery etc.)
The best place to start for a medical degree (MD) would be to go to your college career office, counseling center or local library and look up 'medical programs & medical schools'.  They will have extensive information on all prerequisits and qualifications needed for these programs.  You can also obtain this information on-line by simply typing in key words 'medical schools, medical programs, medical students and medical careers'...

Now, there are alternative career paths to becoming a doctor , and some of those include 'chiropractors (DC), podiatrists (DPM), dentists (DDS), optomitrists (OD), psychologists (PhD) etc...  Again, your best bet is to look up these resources at your college career counseling office or library, and again on-line.  There are many different tracks to take in becoming a doctor.  Sometimes it does help to work in the medical field before determining if this is the road you want to take.  Many people go on to medical school, or chiropractic school after having worked as a nurse, EMT, paramedic, or medical technician.  This is a great way to see up close and first hand if this is what you want to do for the rest of your life.  Regardless of what kind of doctor you would like to be, you must be aware that it is a lifelong commitment, and it is often a difficult and expensive proposition.  Research this well, speak to lots of people who are doing what you may like to be doing some day, and get their perspective on how they would do it if they had it to do all over again...
Hope this helps.
~Dr.K