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I am almost done with the JD and getting a case of the "what the fuck is this?" going on.

I know that people with an additional MD (or other doctorate depending on taste) don't tend to make a ton more when compared to the extra years required to get it, but it is starting to look rather tempting.

Anyone else here looking into ideas like this?

Sure, why not become a professional student?

I considered an MD instead of a JD, I think that's actually a worse lifestyle... Then again I look better in a suit than a labcoat.

why would you say worse?

with the dual credentials you in theory could do both

like the futurama episode, just without the cats

cinephile wrote:Sure, why not become a professional student?

thats not entirely unappealing either................. that plus a dash of hubris I suspect are my main motivations right now.

I really don't know much what he does, something about running hospitals, but this family friend of my aunt's got both his law degree and medical degree. They met him in the Cayman's on vacation. The guy lives in PA with a house that has like 12 bathrooms, and he has a sick vacation condo in the Cayman's, basically hes balling. This is obviously anecdotal and idk what the usual career trajectory is for people getting both degrees.

lawhopeful10 wrote:I really don't know much what he does, something about running hospitals, but this family friend of my aunt's got both his law degree and medical degree. They met him in the Cayman's on vacation. The guy lives in PA with a house that has like 12 bathrooms, and he has a sick vacation condo in the Cayman's, basically hes balling. This is obviously anecdotal and idk what the usual career trajectory is for people getting both degrees.

Do you know if he did his dual degree joint or back to back?
I wish I had gone joint but didn't think about it until senioritis kicked in recently and the "oh shit what am I doing and how did I get here" moment of zen happened.

I think I was told he got them at the same time so it would seem like through a dual degree program however I am not positive.

This goes without saying, but the MD track has years of school then years of indentured servitude - I have doctor friends who went straight through from k-MD, and are still finishing up their fellowships and other shit and only just now finally being able to make bank, at 31.

If you start an MD now, it will be like 8 years before you make bank. It's not something you do for shits and giggles.

I was/am seriously considering this too, but as everyone else has said, it is extremely impractical and would result in dropping a few hundred grand (plus the opportunity cost of the years it takes to start banking as an MD).

It's also not something you do to "make bank." Seriously, if you're considering going to medical school because the lifestyle looks good, or you think you could be a "baller" with a 12-bathroom house, you obviously have a loose grasp on reality.

danielr wrote:It's also not something you do to "make bank." Seriously, if you're considering going to medical school because the lifestyle looks good, or you think you could be a "baller" with a 12-bathroom house, you obviously have a loose grasp on reality.

Their hours seem worse than the worse biglaw horror story, at least until they get into private practice a decade after they began.

Private Practice doctors make more than associates in biglaw (but less than equity partners) but have generally much better hours and holidays and benefits so it might be worth it, but maybe you can get the MD in 4 years and then use it as an accessory to the JD and go into hospital administration or med mal or something like that and avoid residency?

I was making the choice between Physicians Assistant, Dental, Med, and Law. I really did not feel like doing another huge set of schooling and wanted to do something different than what my background is, so I went the law route. I really don't regret it so far.

danielr wrote:It's also not something you do to "make bank." Seriously, if you're considering going to medical school because the lifestyle looks good, or you think you could be a "baller" with a 12-bathroom house, you obviously have a loose grasp on reality.

This is the correct response. Also who knows what physician compensation will be like by the time you finish your residency. Not to mention it is very difficult to get into med school. You need clinical experience in addition to excellent grades(including rigorous pre-requisite science classes) and MCAT. You also need to ace an interview. Not to mention that the lifestyle is pure hell for somebody who is just in it for the money.

That being said I am enrolling in a post-bacc to pursue this after dropping out after my first semester of law school. It was actually what I wanted to do from the start but my parents didnt like the idea of a 1-2 year post-bacc+4 years med school+4+ year residency and pushed me toward law school because it was easier. The way I am looking at it the salary at the end if it is even still there is something that makes the whole process possible for somebody spending 200k and 8 years in training. Doing for the purpose of that salary alone is misguided. That being said, it can be a great option for the right person.

If you are just looking for an alternative to law then I suggest a Masters in Accounting. Its a 1 year program and if you stick with accounting and grind it out there is a good chance that you will come out ahead financially compared to a doctor after factoring in the cost in time and money.

I know of somebody who went top-flight NYC firm for several years -> MD/PhD program. That right there is somebody who loves The Grind and hates everything - and everyone - else.

Anyone else here looking into ideas like this?

Take a Bio 1 class at your local four-year Uni, first. The cut-throat premeds, in dog-eat-dog curved courses, will make LS look collaborative by comparison. The fact is that few -- and I mean few -- LS could hack Organic Chem. Heck, few premeds can hack Organic Chem.

Big Dog wrote:

Anyone else here looking into ideas like this?

Take a Bio 1 class at your local four-year Uni, first. The cut-throat premeds, in dog-eat-dog curved courses, will make LS look collaborative by comparison. The fact is that few -- and I mean few -- LS could hack Organic Chem. Heck, few premeds can hack Organic Chem.

I actually thought o-chem was the closest thing to law school in a lot of ways. O-chem exams were all about learning tons of rules then applying them to weird situations, just with science instead of law.

OP, you frankly sound like a madman

No.

There are people who have done this both ways (MD->JD) and (JD->MD). Its a ton of debt and opportunity cost, and I think to do either you have to be 99+% sure it will be worth it and you will be happy, and honestly JD->MD is the bigger of the two risks because it is so much more time (at the point you are making the decision). I've seen various threads stating how much better quality of life is for an MD than a JD, and that may be true in some respects, but everyone I know who has done med school, residency, fellowship had been pretty beaten down by the process, and i think it is comparable or worse than big law but with no pay.

holmesboy wrote:I was/am seriously considering this too, but as everyone else has said, it is extremely impractical and would result in dropping a few hundred grand (plus the opportunity cost of the years it takes to start banking as an MD).

true, there are pros and cons.
If you don't mind my asking, what are the main reasons for your interest in it as well?

thomas7669 wrote:

danielr wrote:It's also not something you do to "make bank." Seriously, if you're considering going to medical school because the lifestyle looks good, or you think you could be a "baller" with a 12-bathroom house, you obviously have a loose grasp on reality.

This is the correct response. Also who knows what physician compensation will be like by the time you finish your residency. Not to mention it is very difficult to get into med school. You need clinical experience in addition to excellent grades(including rigorous pre-requisite science classes) and MCAT. You also need to ace an interview. Not to mention that the lifestyle is pure hell for somebody who is just in it for the money.

That being said I am enrolling in a post-bacc to pursue this after dropping out after my first semester of law school. It was actually what I wanted to do from the start but my parents didnt like the idea of a 1-2 year post-bacc+4 years med school+4+ year residency and pushed me toward law school because it was easier. The way I am looking at it the salary at the end if it is even still there is something that makes the whole process possible for somebody spending 200k and 8 years in training. Doing for the purpose of that salary alone is misguided. That being said, it can be a great option for the right person.

If you are just looking for an alternative to law then I suggest a Masters in Accounting. Its a 1 year program and if you stick with accounting and grind it out there is a good chance that you will come out ahead financially compared to a doctor after factoring in the cost in time and money.

Interesting backstory. I knew people in the JD who had family try to pressure them into the MD and were upset that they chose law. I never heard the other extreme. I wish you the best. Good for you man.

lawhopeful10 wrote:I really don't know much what he does, something about running hospitals, but this family friend of my aunt's got both his law degree and medical degree. They met him in the Cayman's on vacation. The guy lives in PA with a house that has like 12 bathrooms, and he has a sick vacation condo in the Cayman's, basically hes balling. This is obviously anecdotal and idk what the usual career trajectory is for people getting both degrees.

Maybe he got into healthcare administration and is a for-profit health system CEO, JD/MD is a combination that could possibly land you a career as a hospital or hospital system CEO/COO/President/VP. A high level hospital administrator can make anywhere from $150K-$500K a year at a not-for-profit hospital to several millions if you're an admin for a for-profit health system, especially in the corporate office because of bonuses and stock options that come with for-profit systems.

Healthcare administration is actually a good alternative for someone who wants to be in healthcare for the $$$, but doesn't want to be a physician, physicians assistant, or go to school for more than two years beyond law school. Just make sure you go to a top MHA program.

SouthernSoul wrote:

lawhopeful10 wrote:I really don't know much what he does, something about running hospitals, but this family friend of my aunt's got both his law degree and medical degree. They met him in the Cayman's on vacation. The guy lives in PA with a house that has like 12 bathrooms, and he has a sick vacation condo in the Cayman's, basically hes balling. This is obviously anecdotal and idk what the usual career trajectory is for people getting both degrees.

Maybe he got into healthcare administration and is a for-profit health system CEO, JD/MD is a combination that could possibly land you a career as a hospital or hospital system CEO/COO/President/VP. A high level hospital administrator can make anywhere from $150K-$500K a year at a not-for-profit hospital to several millions if you're an admin for a for-profit health system, especially in the corporate office because of bonuses and stock options that come with for-profit systems.

Healthcare administration is actually a good alternative for someone who wants to be in healthcare for the $$$, but doesn't want to be a physician, physicians assistant, or go to school for more than two years. Just make sure you go to a top MHA program.

So you'd suggest getting a doctor of health care admin instead?