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Can an engineer become a doctor?
By - Kaustubh • 2 months ago • 24k views
Can an engineer become a doctor? If you got forced into studying engineering and want to go back to your first love - medicine (MBBS), what are your options? Let's discuss.
Yes, an engineer can become a doctor. But it won't be easy. Engineering degrees worldwide are mostly 4-year degree courses and medicine too requires an average of 4-5 years followed by mandatory internship. Not everyone has the patience, money and time to dedicate a decade only to learning.
If you are an engineer or engineering student who wants to opt for medicine; you'll have to plan your moves.
- First, look for the entrance exam and take mock test to check your score.
- Your score decides the medical college you'll get admission to.
- Also check for the tuition fees and other expenses that you'll incur during your medical studies to become a doctor.
In general, medical studies are costlier than engineering studies. There are several people who first got their Bachelor of Engineering (BE or B.Tech) degree and then decided to go for MBBS.
Can you study both engineering and medicine at the same time?
It's possible, but not in India; for all practical reasons. Almost every engineering and medical college in India will require you to have good attendance in class and also crack exams; which will most likely overlap.
I'd strongly advise not to think about doing engineering and medicine at the same time. The better way is to first become a doctor and then opt for engineering.
When an engineer becomes a doctor - what are job opportunities?
You'll be surprised. If you are an engineer who became a doctor, you'll be the ideal candidate for biomedical companies who're looking for a mix of technical skills with medical knowledge.
Let me know if you have questions on this topic. I'll be happy to answer.
Replies
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Ramani Aswath
I had a classmate in Chemical Engineering at Andhra University back in the late 1950s. He passed out , went to USA and became a good cardiac surgeon. The curious thing is that cardiac surgery does involve a host of chemical engineering operations and processes. Heat transfer, mass transfer, gas absortion/desorption, non-Newtonian fluid flow, pumping of gases and liquids are a few such.
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Kaustubh
An engineer can definitely become a doctor. If you are looking for an inspiration, you've to know the story of Janhavi Ajit Rao - an engineer who became a doctor at the age of 47; and when she was at the height of her successful IT career!
Here's her story in short -
Janhavi decided to let go of her successful career spanning over 18 years as an IT engineer to get the MBBS degree, and then the MD.
In 2003, Janhavi was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease - while she was running her own IT company in Bengaluru. She's had done her BE (Electronics) and then MS in the same field from University of California Santa Barbara.
She even worked with top US firms before moving to Bengaluru in 2002. The founded her own startup in electronics engineering domain.
After delivering her child, she began experiencing pain in her joints. She was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. At that point, she began thinking about switching to a profession with deeper and meaningful human impact.
Janhavi enrolled for MBBS course at Ramaiah Medical College in 2013 at the age of 40. She says she enjoyed her conversations with patients.
Janhavi - if you are reading this, we'd love to know from you about your inspiring story.
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Steve Gracia
I wish to add a few famous examples of engineers who became successful doctors. They made a successful switch and it required lot of dedication and hard work.
Dr. Robert Gallo
Dr. Gallo, a prominent biomedical researcher, initially studied engineering at Providence College before switching to medicine. He later co-discovered the HIV virus and played a significant role in the development of the HIV blood test.
Dr. Mehmet Oz Before becoming a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon (who performs surgery on organs in chest) and TV personality, Dr. Oz earned an undergraduate degree in biological sciences, with a focus on bioengineering, from Harvard University.
Dr. Peter Agre
Dr. Agre, a Nobel Prize-winning physician and molecular biologist, started his academic journey as a chemical engineering major before changing his focus to medicine. His groundbreaking work in aquaporins (AQP) has made a lasting impact in the medical field.
So yeah - engineers can become doctors! :-)
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