The Downsides to gap year before med school

Knowsstuff
Tue, 22 Jul 2025 23:19:21 +0000

Everything @blossom has said is spot on. One more year on my lease. We are not renewing. We are talking to large VC groups and small individuals. We are a small mom and pop medical office that actually talks to you and gets to know you. The current doctors want to make a small fortune. Not work for it. Work 9-5. Sure not everyone but there is a paradigm shift.

So we always had a two person (my wife and I) practice but working one person’s hour’s per se. We both wanted to be with our kids when they were growing up. We paid down over $350,000 students loans (thanks house equity ) many moons ago.

I didn’t read the article but read your comments. Sorry, taking a year off means nothing about future income. Kinda a stupid premise. We employ lots of premed student’s. They all seem to take a year off these day’s. It seems to be their normal.

There is also a push to retire early. That comes with good financial planning and not buying the newest Mercedes or living in the best area right away. I see some medical residents driving nicer car’s then their attendings.

My saving grace is I know how to use technology like Ambient listening to get my charts done pretty much by the time I leave the treatment room. (I lecture and a medical consultant for an AI company).

But older doctors aren’t going to want to adapt. I have known many doctor’s that couldn’t make it in medicine. They are doing something else now. Not all doctors are rich and will do well in retirement.

I just had this conversation with another doctor on my way home. I said “It’s hard enough being a good doctor. I can’t imagine how hard it is being a bad one?”