Quote:
Originally Posted by LarThaL
And for those of us who have saved a human life, what greater thing is there in this world that one could possibly do?
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LarThal, I have seen your posts on the boards for a few years now, had no idea you were an anesthesiologist. I agree with you one hundred percent about what we do...
Quote:
Originally Posted by phecht
I appreciate your generosity everyone. I with no means was anticipating to buy a brand new M3 worth upwards of $60K-$70K. If anything it was to be a used e46. Although from the sounds of it, thats not even plausible. I don't want to do medicine for the money or toys (if thats even a possibility anymore with todays healthcare) although I thought that if I came here to listen to some first hand experiences I could get an idea of what the auto side of finances cost while in med school. I figured it would be best to just ask here first
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So phecht, add on my two cents. If you want to be a doctor, become one. I don't care what the rest of these guys/gals are saying, if that is your dream then do it. It is a great job when you compare it to what 95% of people do on a daily basis. I love what I do.
I went in-state tuition (with some scholarship money) and had a paid off Nissan Pathfinder when I was in medical school, ended up with 130k in government backed debt (luckily interest rates were ridiculously low and I have consolidated all my loans to a 2% interest rate). With the loans I had more than enough to live, comfortably as a student. I kept my Pathfinder all the way through residency (8 years, still have it now actually) and resisted the urge to buy or lease a new car. As soon as I paid off all my high interest debt I bought my M3. From a financial standpoint, I would say get a reliable car (preferably paid off) when going through medschool/residency. Money is tight. An e46 will be expensive to maintain, I would rather have money to burn on leisure time (what little you have) instead of fixing my car.
There is some good advice here, one person, I think heartdoc mentioned getting yourself financially secure for the future. That is the best thing you can do. As a single, and pretty young attending I allowed myself a few years of financial (and a few personal) indiscretions (chased a few nurses in my time, not a good idea when they are 7 years younger and work on your unit
). But now I've buckled down, maximized all my retirement contributions and am saving for long term. My M3 will be paid off in a year and a half. And my bank account is pretty healthy.
I guess my advice is to try and keep it simple through the lean years, stay away from high interest debt (credit cards especially) and chase after your dream. Sometimes it's best to sacrifice a little now so you can enjoy it later.
FYI - I am an academic hospitalist, I am 2/3 clinical and 1/3 academic/administrative (I direct a med school course and I do some administrative stuff in the hospital). And my lifestyle is great... I'm currently on an 8 day break, and I am not even digging into my vacation. I have a couple of meetings I will have to go in for, but no clinical shifts. I don't make huge bank (like the private guys do) but I make more than my parents combined (ICU Nurse and airline manager). I feel like I live very comfortable. And I feel very fortunate to do what I do.
Quick rant, how soft are interns now? Soft I tell you... with their 16 hours limits and 10 hours off between shifts.