Medicine/Engineering

College Search & Lists
1

<p>Hi, I am currently a senior deciding on which university to go to. I live in GA, so the schools that currently interest me are GA Tech and Mercer. I am fully aware these two schools diff greatly, as in how one primarily focuses on medicine and the other on engineering. So, this is where the question lies. I cannot, I mean I CANNOT decide on which field to go into. I am great in math, chemistry, and physics (mainly all of the sciences that lead to engineering). But I have a particular interest, if not passion, for psychiatry. I myself have dealt with OCD and depression myself in the past, and seeing as I have had experience, meaning I am strongly aware of how to cope and deal with these types of issues, I would love to go into a field that mainly focuses on these type of problems. But again, I have been attached to the sciences for awhile, and I believe I have a strong talent in them, but unfortunately, I do not have as much interest in them as i do in psychiatry. </p>

<p>So I guess the main question is, would I want to do what I am great at and love, or do I do something I have a strong connection/passion to. Overall, a Talent Vs Passion ordeal…</p>

<p>Additionally, is there any other good engineering school in GA rather than GA Tech? A one that’s slightly easier to get into? My grades are great (3.9 GPA), its just my SAT (1700) and extracurricular activities are weak. I just need a guaranteed engineering school to go to (in state) in case i do decide to go to the field of engineering. </p>

<p>Sorry if I posted this in the wrong section. I just registered to this site and pretty clueless as to where to go for this type of help. </p>

<p>P</p>

2

<p>So, if you’re strong in the sciences and have an interest in psychiatry, how are these mutually exclusive? Supposedly, psychiatry is a science-based field. Engineering is not the only pathway if you have an interest in science. So, what majors focus on your strengths in science and your interest in psychiatry? Try biology (e.g., neurobiology, genetics), neuroscience, or psychology. </p>

<p>BTW, you can go to medical school with an undergrad major in engineering as long as you complete the premed requirements. An engineering major will incorporate some of these requirements (general chem, general physics, calculus), but it would be harder to fit in some of the others (general biology, organic chemistry), unless you’re in an engineering major like biomedical or, perhaps, chemical engineering. An engineering major also does leave much room for courses in areas like psychology, but you could squeeze in a few electives.</p>

<p>If you choose to try for medical school, you may or may not go into psychiatric residency after med school. It’s too early now to pick a specialty when you haven’t been exposed to the various specialties in medical school.</p>

3

<p>Interesting that you mention this; just yesterday I was talking to an alumnus of my daughter’s math and science high school who went on to get a degree in engineering, worked as an engineer for five years, and then started med school this fall.</p>

4

<p>Well, when I say engineering, I meant a field that is more mathematics rather than solely science based. I have ruled psychology out because I have been told countlessly that psychology is a useless major, and well…I partially understand why. Also, becoming a psychologist isn’t as prestigious as a psychiatrist, and I rather incorporate medicine in treating mental illnesses rather than to just talk it out. I also understand that psychiatry is a flawed (if not a pseudo) field due to its notorious drugs. I would love to research in the field of psychiatry to actually discover a drug that simultaneously benefits the user and minimize the side effects associated with the drug. It seems quite unrealistic, but I want to actually change psychiatry from what is now. I know this sounds like wishful thinking, but I have a desire to do this…to change it into something great. I guess this is why I have this attachment to chemistry, the field of the incorporation of both math and science. I want to create genuine drugs that will strongly associate with psychiatry. Ugh, I wish I could somehow be a pharmacologist and a psychiatrist at the same time.</p>

<p>And regarding your suggestion about going to a medicine school but majoring in engineering and filling the prereqs for med school: What would be the cons of doing so? Would it not be more productive to only focus on one field?</p>

<p>-Thanks</p>

5

<p>Sorry, I forgot to press the reply button ><…Well the message below the third post is in regards to your post.</p>

6

<p>^^ Well, I wouldn’t have known from your original post that you were referring to the math-focus of engineering. </p>

<p>I wasn’t necessarily suggesting that you become va psychologist. Rather, I suggested psychology as a possible major because it can combine your interests in science and in psychiatric disorders. It also is a good major for pre-meds, especially if you want to go into psychiatry.</p>

<p>Yes, psychiatry is more prestigious than psychology in those settings in which both professions are found. In the house of medicine, however, psychiatry is not very prestigious.</p>

<p>Not all psychologists in clinical practice treat mental illnesses by “talking it out”. You might want to look at the work done by applied behavior analysts and behavior therapists.</p>

<p>You can combine your research and clinical interests. There are many joint MD/PhD programs for folks that want to be clinician-research scientists. You can even be a psychiatrist and a pharmacologist at the same time.</p>

<p>If math is an interest, there are certainly ways that math and statistics are relevant to medicine. Epidemiology is one such area. But also see this article: <a href=“http://www.the%5B/url%5D”>http://www.the</a> atlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/11/lies-damned-lies-and-medical-science/8269/</p>

<p>As for the cons of doing an engineering major as a premed:
-Admission to med school requires a high GPA and MCAT score. A high GPA is difficult to get in engineering majors. An engineering major is usually very structured and sequential and makes it harder to fit in some of the required and recommended courses for med school admission.
-Engineering isn’t as directly related to medical studies as some other fields. </p>

<p>On the other hand, there are some potential benefits of engineering as a premed major:
-If you don’t get into medical school, engineering might provide you with a marketable field.
-Engineering might be quite relevant to certain medical specialties, e,g., Orthopedics, Rehab Medicine, Radiology, possibly Ophthalmology, Otology. Think artificial tissues and organs, medical equipment, robotics in surgery, prosthetic devices, etc. So some engineering fields are more relevant than others, e.g., Biomedical Engineering, Computer Engineering, possibly Materials Science.</p>

<p>With your interests in chemistry and psychiatry, you should also consider neuroscience, either as a standalone major or as a subfield concentration either in biology or psychology. It depends, of course, what major or certicate options are available at the particular school you choose to attend.)</p>

<p>I’m not quite sure what you mean by focusing on one field at a time. You’re not going directly into medicine or psychiatry. You still have o complete an undergrad major and complete the premed requirements (typically, 2 semesters each of general biology, general and organic chemistry, English, general physics, calculus, and general physics). You can major in almost ay liberal arts (even art history or classics) or engineering field and still go to med school as long as you complete the premed requirements.</p>

7

<p>Psychyengineer- engineering is a hardcore major- if you major in that and keep up a high GPA, you will be a strong med school applicant. There are many areas of medicine that engineering interfaces with: radiology, pulmonology, orthopedics, other surgical specialties- to name a few. And yes, psychiatry as well: complex imaging studies are now being used in psych research- fMRI’s, PET scans, other forms of spectroscopy. Brain activity is run by transmission of electrical impulses via electrically charged ion channels on brain cells. I think electrical engineering would be an interesting major- it will give you a solid foundation in understanding both the imaging and the workings of brain cells. If you are interested in drug development, you most likely should major in chem engineering/molecular bio/biochem and go for a MD-PhD program (aka mud-phuds). You complete the first two years of med school and then spend3-4 years finishing the PhD, and then complete the final 2 years of med school(the clinical training). This sets you up to get an academic position in a research setting, where you can complete residency while doing research.</p>

<p>Zaphino- 99 % of psychiatrists are psychopharmacologists; mastery of psychopharmacology is the most heavily emphasized aspect of psychiatry in
residencies. A few old-timers, and perhaps some younger eccentrics, may choose to use talk therapy exclusively, but they are outliers.</p>

<p>Finally I am one of those art history majors who went to med school- I combined med school with a master in epidemiology (MPH)- another great degree for pursuing research in any medical field.</p>

8

<p>^ “Zaphino- 99 % of psychiatrists are psychopharmacologists; …”</p>

<p>Never said anything about whether or not most psychiatrists were psychopaharmacologists.</p>

9

<p>An engineer with a passion for studying psychiatry in his spare time may find himself too busy with work to even think about his hobby. Prestige and social value of being an engineer is comparatively pretty low. A psychiatrist with a passion for technology and engineering, especially given the rapid developments in brain science, could get very, very far in life, both personally and professionally.</p>

<p>OTOH, the push for profits in health care management has been harsh on many of the actual caregivers. I know an orthopedics office where the MDs see 60 patients/day.</p>