Quote:
Originally Posted by Adam Welch
My question is, since I'm not in a rush to make money, well, do you think I could deal with med school for an inordinate amount of years, in order to become a better trainer later down the road? I'd love to get an MD in orthopedics,
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adam, I am an MD. there are others that post here too. being a trainer and being an MD are two very different career paths. people go to med school to become physicians. orthopedic surgeons operate. they are sometimes part of cool practices that have a sports medicine/athlete focus. and so they might employ physical therapists (PT's), certified personal trainers in their practices. but they aren't the ones who train people. they make their living operating on people-knee replacements, rotator cuff surgery, hip replacements, repairing fractured bones. even the ones who are athlete focused operate for a living.
and unlike many degrees, you don't get an MD "in" something. you go to medical school for 4 years, you graduate with your MD. and then you do your residency in your specialty. so it is different than getting your BS "in" chemistry, for example. and once you have your MD, you can't practice as a physician until you do your residency, which for orthopedic surgery is 5 years.
so if your passion and goal is to be a trainer, doing 4 years of medical school and 5 years of residency would not be the path to take in order to become a better trainer. it is the path to take if your passion is to operate and to help athletes be better athletes by fixing their broken parts!
one of my friends is a licensed physical therapist and also a personal trainer. I think having her degree in physical therapy has really made her a better trainer in many ways. but I also know many amazing trainers that don't have degrees in PT.
the first step is to really decide what you are passionate about. I LOVE being an MD. it is exactly what I should be doing. but the road to being a physician is really arduous, time-intensive, life-consuming. it isn't one of those degrees that you can do online or in addition to working a full-time job, for example. for the time that you are in medical school and doing your residency, it IS your life. although many of us find ways to have families, hobbies, train, etc.