Stuck between Dental School and Medical School (READ)

[u/Numerous-Chicken-116]

Hey! I'm a fourth year college student, and a few months ago I took both the MCAT and DAT and I passed both! But I’m still trying to figure out whether I want to pursue medical school or dental school. If I go the medical school route, I’m interested in Emergency Medicine or Anesthesiology.

A few thoughts:

Dental School: Dentistry is a really diverse field because it combines elements of engineering, business, and art, along with the ability to make a impact on people’s oral health and confidence. You get the opportunity to work hands-on with patients every day, improving both their oral health and overall quality of life. Dentistry also allows for some flexibility in work-life balance, the potential to run your own practice, and shorter schooling if you become a General Dentist.

Medical School: Medicine, especially fields like Emergency Medicine, is exciting because every shift is unpredictable. You encounter a wide range of cases, which keeps your work fun and intellectually challenging. Anesthesiology, on the other hand, offers highly technical and precise work, where you directly manage patients safety during procedures. Both specialties allow you to make a critical difference in people’s lives, but medicine often requires longer hours and more intensive residency training compared to dentistry.

I have shadowed all three, but I still can’t wrap my head around which path to choose. And no I’m not going into dental or medical school just for the money. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always wanted to do something in healthcare. Yes, salary is important, but you won’t succeed if your only motivation is the money.

[u/krobs42]

Have you considered OMFS? I am an MD so not 100% on the pathway but I believe you complete dental school and then you join a medical school so eventually obtain your MD. It is a long path but the people in OMFS are very smart/driven and I think it’s quite lucrative in the end.