Medicine or dentistry

I want to become a doctor, no matter what. I understand that being a doctor requires a lot of dedication and sacrifice in my personal life, but I still want to have a good quality of life with my family and friends. Dentistry is a good option as it offers weekends off, whereas if you are a specialized doctor, you can be called anytime and work the entire week. Should I become a GP, which only has weekday work from 9-5, or should I consider dentistry? I know the days worked may not be important to some, but they are important to me. I think I like medicine more than dentistry.But please advice

Dentistry is more technical. There's a reason their degree is dental surgery. Consider if you're good with your hands and like the idea of working more as a surgeon in a very small area vs doing much less surgical things and looking after the whole body and come to some conclusion? Personally I think dentistry in the UK is a better option if only because you won't have to work in a failing NHS where they pay you peanuts whilst you're in training.

what do you mean as "no matter what", you sound like you have a romanticised idea of medicine in your head, please let me be the first to tell you that it is not anything like that. You need to first ask yourself are you going into medicine for good reasons or the idea of being a Dr. just appeals to you. There are many careers where you can have a much better quality of life and time to spend with family and friends medicine (due to night shifts, on-calls etc), if the days worked matter to you more than the care I suggest you find a more lucrative career that allows you to be more flexible with your working schedule...

"No matter what" means that I am willing to study for hours to pass exams and achieve my dream job. Why do I want to be a doctor instead of pursuing a business job for money or time? The reason is that no other job will give me the same satisfaction as being a doctor. There is a special charm to this profession that sets it apart from others. I am willing to face sleepless nights to gain more knowledge and experience, i just wanted to know more from people who are in medicine or have experience , I thought someone who is willing would help me . However, it takes years of hard work to qualify as a doctor, so it's a bittersweet feeling. I apologize for not wording my question better. Thanks.

oooh you have the passion i'll give it to you. I'll be very honest not many roles after being a dr, are "flexible" unless you go private and yes being a GP fits your criteria best. But you should probs do some work experienc e to see if being a Gp will give you the same satisfaction, as surgeons, etc.... it's all about finding the right balance
Good luck 🙂

Thank you. I was interested in becoming a GP because, according to my research, it requires only 3 years of training and you get some time off for self-study in a week?. However, I plan to study medicine first so that I can explore my interests, such as surgery. I am currently in year 9 and have a few more years until I can even apply. Thank you again and good luck on your journey as well!

oh wow yes you have time, i want to become a dr to become a pathologist so there are many pathways you can take Good luck you can always pm if you need help w/ gcse 🙂

Work life balance: Dentistry 100%

The scope of impact you can have on people’s lives and the numerous specialties you can do: Medicine. I personally believe it far exceeds dentistry in this area

I’m currently a medical applicant and I don’t regret my choice to pursue medicine.

Btw with GP’s, they are kind of being out competed by physician associates (there is a fair negative sentiment towards PA’s by doctors in general). Furthermore if you’ve ever seen surgery, it’s a rush of adrenaline and amazing to see near instant results.

Hello,

As a medical student, all I can say is, it depends on what you love most.

Dentistry:

Medicine:

At the end of the day, it depends on what makes your heart beat ❤️ .

Best of luck,
Haya - MBBS V
Haya