I've been trying to decide, of the two, which one I want to do for a living. There are pros and cons of each...AA pros:
-- Good salary
-- Flexibility in choosing work environment
-- Many opportunities to travel the country pro-bono through locum tenens work
-- If you have a problem, you can call in the anesthesiologist
AA cons:
-- Will always be working under somebody else
-- Doctors can/will work to death
-- Socialized medicine could pummel salaries
-- Growth is stunted after a certain year of work
Now, for dentistry...
Dentistry pros:
-- Opportunity to own business and make great income
-- Earnings ability is sky-high
-- Can work whenever (4 days/week, 2 days/week, etc.)
-- Can work as an associate if you don't wish to own a business (and still make 120k-140k/year).
Dentistry cons:
-- The possible headaches of owning a business
-- No (or severely limited) opportunities for locum tenens work
-- Future back problems
-- The threat of socialized medicine
So, there you have it. I've detailed a fairly thorough list of the pros and cons of being both a dentist and an AA; does anyone have any advice on how I can make my decision? I think I'm leaning more towards dental school, but the option of AA school is definitely open...
