The Government Has Incentives to Get You Into Medicine!
The U.S. Government has loads and loads of money lying around just waiting to be used by someone like you who wants to get into a medical profession but needs a little "nudge".
Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius announced a $200 million plan to fund training in medical professions that will go to all the loans, grants, repayment programs and fellowships I mentioned. Plus, she's got another $300 million that she earmarked for people who want to work in underserved or underprivileged areas. Because those are the areas of greatest need then the bulk of the money is going to those areas.
So, if you're from a small town and you wanted to "go home" you could get training to do that and serve your hometown without having to "drop everything" and go home with nothing.
You know you could join a branch of the Armed Forces and receive training and financial assistance for training in a medical field. Some Doctors even worked through the Armed Services to get their M.D.'s and received vital training (internships, fellowships, residencies) in the military and then were able to take those experiences out into the regular workforce. Not a bad deal. The Doctor I know who did this worked in a Military hospital, achieved the rank of Major and then left the Service to start a family practice. Like I said...not a bad deal.
You are also able to claim some exemptions on your taxes in relation to paying for your education. If you're paying of a loan you may be able to write-off the interest payments and you may get other Federal or State tax breaks in relation to your loan repayment. If you're not exactly sure how all of that works then visit the IRS (everybody's best friend, right? No...) at irs.gov.
Any way you slice it you can take a smaller hit in the wallet (or no hit at all) and still fulfill your dreams of starting a career in medicine. With a little looking, a little time, and some sacrifices you can turn your dreams into the career you always wanted.
