Open Floor: A New Breed of Med Students

From TheChronicle.com

The floor is open for discussion, we like to know your opinions. This will be my first post of the kind and hope to follow up with many more. Most of the valuable substance of these type of posts will come from the comments area and social media discussions. The goal: get a convergent conclusion about the topics we discuss.

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The story:

Marky Jones is a 27 year-old charming young man who followed the advice from his parents and graduated from high school with honors, entered in a well-recognized college of engineering (a career well-suited for his smarts) and graduated top of his class. He was doing great on the path to work and develop a career in a prestigious company on the thriving healthcare industry. However, while being surrounded by the whole healthcare atmosphere, the “medicine bug” bit him and he felt the calling of becoming a physician…

He thought that most of the time and resources spent on engineering education would be wasted. To only consider going back to school and learn not only a completely different kind of knowledge but also very standard and strict attitudes and skills; make this decision the hardest one that he will take so far in his life. At this point, what would be your advice to Marky?

Considerations:

1. The process of applying to med school. The MCAT scores, countless applications and essays, amount of money spent, and the search for a “model” candidate by med schools having little or no tolerance for differences.
2. The pros/cons of having this “model” student. Is it worth changing your way of being in order to fit the mold just to get into/thrive in med school?
3. The costs of medical education and the long-term burdens of loans.
4. The prolonged nature of the medical career, is it worth starting to pursue it at his age?
5. The type of medical professional that we need: the medical professional of the future.
6. Please consider the opinions portrayed by two TEDMED 2012 speakers.
7. Also consider the opinion of this middle-aged med student.

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The Floor is Open: What would you advice Marky?

Marky Jones is a fictional character created by Alejandro Marcano. Any similarities to real people or situations are pure coincidences and unintended.