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Dentistry or medicine? Pros and cons?

I'm currently doing my GCSE's and have narrowed down what I want to study at university to dentistry or medicine but I don't know which one to do. Apparently dentistry has less work hours and more pay and there are a couple areas in which you can specialise, but with medicine you have many areas which you can go into. I'm a girl (if that makes a difference haha) and I do feel that when I have children, I want a job that is flexible/secure enough to let me spend time with them. Does any one know any pros or cons for dentistry vs medicine?any help would be greatly appreciated xx

Reply 1

78Saab

Original post by wonderstrucked

Well medicine and dentistry are pretty much on the same wavelength - firstly to even do either degree we're looking at quite a few A*s at GCSE and then A*AA-AAA for a level. Both jobs give you the flexibility to work abroad.
I would say Dentistry provides you with a more life to work balance whilst Medicine requires you to give up more of your time (longer hours, night shifts, being on-call, shift work in general) - I believe at the end of it Doctors do get paid more, it may not seem like that at first but after training at consultant level you're looking at a minimum of 75k all before the age of 35!
I would say a major con between the two is the large amount of money you have to pay back - probably for the rest of your life from student loans.
Added pressure on doctors, especially since many AE's in hospitals are being shutdown.
High competition for jobs.