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Should I go into bussiness or medicine

I change my mind a lot and want to do something that is I enjoy every day. I feel that business is broad and it is so much you can do with a business major, however, being a doctor is so straightforward because having a medical degree is just being a doctor. I have always wanted to be a doctor but don't know if I have what it takes.
#medical #doctor #medicine #healthcare #premed #business #marketing

business marketing premed
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Rebecca’s Answer

Hi Catherine,

I majored in Business Strategy. Various people within my major were planning on attending medical school after graduating with their bachelors degree. My brother-in-law is currently finishing up his residency in emergency medicine. He told me that medical schools accept people with various types of majors as long as they qualify (the MCAT score is more important than your major). I would recommend looking into extracurricular organizations, internships, and minors that will help you build the skill set you want. Minors or double majors can really help tailor your education to your future career path.

Edit: additional response included below on what profession a strategy major can perform after graduating.

“Strategists help a company achieve competitive advantage by developing plans that allow the company to offer unique value to their customers. Strategists collect and analyze information about competitors, customers, and the resources and capabilities of the company. Strategists use this analysis to make recommendations about where to invest and what actions to take, over time, in order to achieve superior firm performance. Recommendations may address revenue growth, competitive positioning, acquisitions, building internal processes and capabilities, structuring existing assets or resources, entering new markets, product launches, or any other aspects that can result in higher performance” - this is an overview I took from my program’s strategy major overview.


A Strategic Management major can find jobs as a data or business analyst, consultant, a corporate strategist or various other roles. Various people in my major have gone on to accept roles at different corporations, start their own business, become consultants, financial advisors, marketing analysts etc. Since strategy is more about critical thinking if you pair it with a hard skill minor / emphasis / double major you can increase your skill set / value to recruiters. Other good business major options include Finance, Global Supply Chain & Operations, Human Resources, Information Systems, Marketing, and Accounting. These may be more interesting to you and what you want to go into in the future.
Thank you comment icon Thank you very much, if you wouldn't mind do you think you could tell me more about what you do with a major in Bussiness Strategy Catherine
Thank you comment icon Hi Catherine, I added my response to this comment to my original post (it wouldn’t fit as a comment). If you have more questions please let me know! Rebecca Crandall
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Doc’s Answer

YOU CAN HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO

Catherine can I suggest MD + MBA, With increasing complexities of health care delivery put a premium on professionals who understand and meet the demands required to deliver innovative, collaborative, and compassionate care rolls needed to take leadership roles in the healthcare industries. With multiple courses of study, the program is designed to meet your varied interests. As a MD + MBA you'll have the ability to acquire skills needed for:

• Excel in areas of healthcare entrepreneurship;
• Develop new therapy paradigms and pharmaceuticals;
• Manage healthcare teams and organizations;
• Become key advisors in healthcare policy for government and private organizations; and/or
• Develop pioneering teaching methods leading the future of clinical care.

There are many different pre-health professions and pre-med undergraduate degrees available. Some schools allow these pre-med programs to be paired with any major, while others typically require students in the program to major in a science-related field, such as biology, chemistry, psychology, etc. your goal for one of these pre-med degree is to help prepare for Masters in Business Administration. As a Pre-Med Graduate you can either go on to pursue graduate, professional, or medical school, or they may begin an entry-level career in the field of their major, such as a career in biology or chemistry.

As discussed, graduates with pre-med degrees may jump right into entry-level positions, usually as various kinds of scientists, and/or may go on to pursue graduate school in a particular subject or medical school. As a suggestion for you you can go onto receive your Masters in Business Administration, the best of both worlds. An MBA degree program incorporates topics of business and finance as they relate to management. Some programs provide integrative real-world workshops that help students develop their skills in international business, negotiations, networking and decision-making.

Hope this was Helpful Catherine
Thank you comment icon Thank You Ben. “Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation’s compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain loving one another.” – Erma Bombeck Doc Frick
Thank you comment icon Thank you very much for your help and insight Catherine
Thank you comment icon You are welcome Catherine, it was my pleasure. Nothing is impossible, the word itself says “I’m possible.” Doc Frick
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Natalie’s Answer

This is really about knowing yourself, your values, and what will keep you passionate and committed every day. (short and long term).

I have both a Business degree (Marketing/Int'l) and an MBA. However, I never really felt like owning it as a Capitalist until I started working in the MedTech Field. MedTech allowed me to find my personal sweet spot which I call "compassionate capitalism". And I dig TECH and B2B instead of B2C. I knew I did NOT want to be in Consumer/Retail. Zero interest.

I work for a High Tech company that does Tech for the sole reason of improving human health (our Mission is to "alleviate pain, restore health, extend life"). Without that humane aspect, in industries before MedTech, I felt like I couldn't be authentic. Knowing that what we do every day is helping to save or improve a life is personally, very motivating. I feel very lucky that I was able to blend Business with Medicine in this way. I get to work with super-amazing colleagues and even more amazing doctors and nurses and administrators. Humbling.

Good luck with your decision. It's really hard, so don't try to get it "perfect" on your first go. You need to "dabble" to see if it's something that grabs you by your heart and your mind.
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Margaret’s Answer

Life has an interesting way of unfolding. Keep your mind and heart open to all opportunities and pursue what GENUINELY makes you happy.
Thank you comment icon Thank you very much I will keep this in mind, your words are deeply appreciated Catherine
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Danyel’s Answer

Hello Catherine,

I too have been in your shoes. My background is engineering and I was set on going to medical school. However, I decided to work for 1-2 years before going to medical school. During this time I worked in start-up which opened my eyes to the many opportunities in business. I would suggest that you allow yourself time to explore and figure things out. For me, the time I spent working in industry changed my direction as I decided to go to business school. Having that time of reflection allow me to realize my passion is the intersection of health and technology.

I wish you the best of luck and encourage you to seek out mentors. Don't be afraid to seek advice and follow your passion. You do not need to have all of the answers while you are in college. Utilize internships and projects as a method to help find your areas of interest. Remember when you graduate you not tied to finding a job within your major.
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Lolita’s Answer

I definitely understand your challenge. A Medical Doctor takes care of the patients well being and business is organizational, financial, and global.
Healthcare is a business. The career positions in Healthcare Management, Accounting, Medical Billing and coding, Human Resources etc are all in the medical field and requires business knowledge.
You could try a Myers Briggs test. This is a personality test. This may help you see which option is best for you. I hope this helps. Good Luck on your journey.
Thank you comment icon Thank you so much for your time and answering, I will definitely look into the Myers Briggs test. Catherine
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Jemima A.’s Answer

Dear Catherine,

You've got to be sure of what you want. Take time to understand what you truly want to do and how you can be of immense help in your country and the world at large.

You can study medicine and still go into buisness..
You can study medicine and leave out buisness
You can do buisness and leave out medicine.

It all depends on you.
Weigh your advantage and disadvantages...
Understand the kind of buisness you also want to go into so that you don't waste your time doing nothing.
Thank you comment icon Thank you very much, I will start a pros and cons list, your advice is very helpful Catherine
Thank you comment icon Great.All the best Jemima A. Chukwu
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Aniruddha’s Answer

listen to yourself. If the life of a doctor excites you. Go for it..don't think twice

You can always do an MBA at any stage of your life..
Thank you comment icon Thank you very much, you bring up a valid point Catherine
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Helen’s Answer

Hi Catherine,

Both options are very different. My husband's family is all related to medicine. I advise you to take a deep look inside what you enjoy. Do you enjoy helping people? Do you enjoy changing lives? Is not that through Business you can't do that, but through medicine you are able to touch lives instantly.
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Gloria’s Answer

Hello Catherine,

I think that you should not feel like you have to go with one or the other at this point. As Lolita indicated, there are ways that both of your choices actually can work together. If you are headed to college, your challenge will be to have both subjects that you are passionate about in the classes that you took. Are there schools that offer healthcare administration as a major? What is the type of medicine that you would like to practice? Just like business, medicine has a wide variety of options to choose from. Not knowing what you want to do, I still might do something like this going into college. I would choose some sort of medical major (like Biology) and then make sure that your elective credits include business classes. Or do the reverse. You will see during these classes where your heart really lies, which one would you like to do more. In my job as an Instructional Designer, there are several majors that could help me - English and Computer Science that sometimes feel like a contradiction to each other.

I wish you luck on your journey to find your career. It may take a while. Enjoy the journey of finding out what you are really passionate about.
Thank you comment icon Thank you this is really helpful for me as it gives me a taste in both worlds in following this path, however in doing this will I be wasting money in taking classes that aren't necessary. Catherine
Thank you comment icon It does not need to be a waste of money. You can make some of the classes fit into your electives, so you would still be working on your degree. I am someone who didn't know what I wanted to do and did take classes that didn't always apply to my final diploma. Unless you are ready to commit to one major over another, you may have to pay more to learn what you want to do. Gloria Ortiz
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Rachel’s Answer

You can certainly practice medicine and own your own business. My husband practices orthopedics and runs his own practice. I know that he would have been incredibly grateful for a business background had he taken any of those classes in college. Unfortunately, his engineering degree did not help with budgeting or pay roll.
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Lauren’s Answer

Hi Catherine, there are ways to have the best of both worlds both impacting and improving the populations health while advancing your career in the business sector. Surgical device sales is one example, where you get to educate surgeons and OR staff on new technologies that help improve patient outcomes, and walk the room through operation instructions and troubleshooting instructions in real time during surgery. Medical Device companies have positions in sales, marketing, product development, engineering, R&D and more.
Thank you comment icon Catherine, I work with Lauren and cannot agree more! Great industry, and always feels great making an impact on someones life! Mike McGuire
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Caroline’s Answer

Hi Catherine,

I think you should look out for internships or volunteer opportunities in both fields to get a bit of first hand-experience and to meet others in those fields. The experience and the people you meet would be unbelievably valuable to you as you learn more about what you'd like to pursue as a career.

Also, if you decide to change careers later in life, that is not the worst thing in the world! Just remember that you do not have to be stuck in one profession for the rest of your life if you don't want to be.

Hope this helps!

Caroline
Thank you comment icon Thank you this helps a lot, I am in clubs such as Red Cross and have been trying to get a hold of doctors so I can try shadowing, however it has been difficult because of the virus, however after I will follow your advice Catherine
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Kevin’s Answer

my younger brother always wanted to become a doctor, however while going to school he realized that he loved the medical research aspect more and decided to follow that path (still in medicine but not as a doctor)

being a doctor is going to require a great deal of schooling, my sister is a nurse (now has her masters in teaching nursing) and she has continually been taking classes all her life … staying up to date on the latest procedures

the world needs good doctors but before you start down that path make sure it is what you are truly passionate about (Good Luck)
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Jason’s Answer

Hi Catherine,

Being a doctor is a kind of professional career, it needs a lot of study and internship to support. On the other hand, Business is a kind of experience, although studying theory does matter, practicing in a business and learning on the flight can makes you learn more.

In my opinion, if I am a doctor, I can also start by business if I am available, but it is very hard to take some time and learn medicine if I am a businessman.
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