...just found this site, and very thankful for it!

New here so I thought I'd introduce myself:

I am a 25 year old undergraduate student considering medicine as a career. I waited to go to college after high school, perhaps for a little too long, but I now feel confident to singleheartedly follow a career path. I also got married during that time, and have had sufficient time to cultivate a wonderful relationship with my loving husband.

I have spent time in India, Sri Lanka and South Africa doing missions work. Loved it immensely, and desperately want to go back to India.

While in these countries I felt that if I only had a developed skill, something to offer the poor, that my stay would have been more beneficial to the people there. I knew I needed to go back to school, but for what???

After contemplating and researching possibilites for months, the notion of medicine surfaced
recently. Since, I have been reading (devouring) all I can find about it.

From where I am right now, I am beginning to feel that this is something I could see as a part of my life work. My goal would be to integrate medicine with my love of culture and "underserved" people groups.

I am a little intimidated about being 25 and feeling so far behind...I have to finish my undergrad...med school is a long way off. I am enrolled in pre-med reqs beginning in the fall, and taking math this summer. We'll see how it goes. No one in my family has ever gone to college, (other than my brother) so I feel this is a very big step for me. I am very motivated, have a 3.9 gpa and feel ready to take on devoted educational path.

Right now the most interesting specialty to me by far is surgery. I am immensely attracted to the problem-solving, the risk and the idea of working with my hands. If anyone can recommend a good book or two about being a surgeon, esp. a mission/rural surgeon, I would be very thankful. Also, if there are any woman surgeons out there...I welcome your comments.
I am curious as to what it "takes" to be a good surgeon. Am I starting too late to be considering such a profession? I know the residencies are 5-6 years long...this means I would be 38-39 when I finished...I am almost embarrassed to be admitting such a fantasy, but I need to start somewhere.

Anyway, happy to have found all of you here, thanks for your input!

Angel

Hi Angel,

Check out the website oldpremeds.net.

I'm finishing my surgery residency and I've posted both here (see Mentoring, and Premeds - subcategory Single moms) and on OPM.net (under GED2MD) quite a bit. There you can click on my user name and get a list of my postings. Also, njbmd is a new intern in surgery who has a fantastic thread going on that site as well.

Actually, you sound like an ideal surgery resident.

I'm happy to answer any questions you have.

womansurgeon,

hello and thank you for your reply...

I looked into some of your postings and your personal story as told on OPMs was very inspiring to me. Thank you so much for sharing it and being open to questions.

When you have the time perhaps you can respond to these:

1. what do you think it takes to be a good, well rounded surgeon? (character, intellect, people skills, stamina...)

2. what advice do you have for a young woman my age (25) considering this profession?

thank you for your time....looking forward to what you have to share

Angel

Good luck!
I have a med school classmate who is a transplant surgeon and published a book on her experience. It's called, "Never Question a Miracle" by Rose-Marie Toussaint, MD. She doesn't have any children, but being a transplant surgeon is a very stressful and sometimes cut-throat specialty. Check out her book.