Can I be an MD/DO, or should I be an NP/PA?

[chazell]

Hey everyone, I've been around the forums before as I considered leaving my career as a police officer to pursue medicine. Initially, I decided to try to make my police officer career work; however, I've decided to leave my career, so I'm back to the forums. I'm wondering if given my background, you could tell me if it'd be worth it to consider the MD/DO route, or if I'd be better suited to go NP/PA. I know they're different, but I'm mainly considering my chances of an MD/DO acceptance.

• United States Army Veteran, Honorably Discharged (Military Police)
• 6 Years as a Police Officer, 1.5 years of that was as a volunteer (750 hours)
• 3 Months Hospital ER Volunteer (60 hours)
• Currently work as a Patient Care Technician (with EMT license) on a Med/Tele unit at a local trauma hospital
• Associates Degree from a local community college
• Bachelors Degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix (on campus, not online)
• Pre-reqs are currently being taken at a community college, all science classes in my sGPA will be done at the CC
• cGPA now is 3.29, could be around 3.49 after prereq courses
• sGPA now is 3.43, could be around 3.67 after prereq courses

I'd ultimately prefer to be a Physician, but I don't know if that's feasible. I think I would be happiest with MD/DO in the long run, but my GPA isn't the greatest, and my undergrad is from the University of Phoenix. It is accredited, I did it because it was local and worked with my ever changing police officer schedule, wasn't too worried about reputation at the time, but I know it's not really respected, especially amongst adcoms. I don't know how much they weigh undergrad reputation or if they just look at numbers.

I looked into PA/NP, and although I think I'd still be happy doing either of these positions (plus it'd be a little easier for me to get into and easier on family life), I'm not sure if I'll regret not going MD/DO.

Based on this, do you think I'd even stand a chance at MD/DO, or would it be in my best interest to look into PA/NP? I'm taking prereqs now at a CC because it's the difference between $2,000 and $20,000 at a state school. I do have some life experience (military, police officer, EMT/PCT) that would make me different from a traditional student, but I don't know if these things really matter. My other concern is what effects of the extra year of prereqs + 4 years medical school + residency would have on my new marriage (wife is an RN/BSN). I'd also probably be fairly limited to the CA/AZ/NV area for medical schools and residencies, as my wife would not want to relocate much further than that.

Thanks for the help, and I'm all ears to your opinions and suggestions. If I don't really have a shot at an MD/DO route (because of my GPA, undergrad institution, restrictions, etc.) then I'd rather just focus on PA/NP acceptance, if you know what I mean.

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[DrMikeP]

Hey everyone, I've been around the forums before as I considered leaving my career as a police officer to pursue medicine. Initially, I decided to try to make my police officer career work; however, I've decided to leave my career, so I'm back to the forums. I'm wondering if given my background, you could tell me if it'd be worth it to consider the MD/DO route, or if I'd be better suited to go NP/PA. I know they're different, but I'm mainly considering my chances of an MD/DO acceptance.

• United States Army Veteran, Honorably Discharged (Military Police)
• 6 Years as a Police Officer, 1.5 years of that was as a volunteer (750 hours)
• 3 Months Hospital ER Volunteer (60 hours)
• Currently work as a Patient Care Technician (with EMT license) on a Med/Tele unit at a local trauma hospital
• Associates Degree from a local community college
• Bachelors Degree from the University of Phoenix (on campus, not online)
• Pre-reqs are currently being taken at a community college, all science classes in my sGPA will be done at the CC
• cGPA now is 3.29, could be around 3.49 after prereq courses
• sGPA now is 3.43, could be around 3.67 after prereq courses

I'd ultimately prefer to be a Physician, but I don't know if that's feasible. I think I would be happiest with MD/DO in the long run, but my GPA isn't the greatest, and my undergrad is from the University of Phoenix. It is accredited, I did it because it was local and worked with my ever changing police officer schedule, wasn't too worried about reputation at the time, but I know it's not really respected, especially amongst adcoms. I don't know how much they weigh undergrad reputation or if they just look at numbers.

I looked into PA/NP, and although I think I'd still be happy doing either of these positions (plus it'd be a little easier for me to get into and easier on family life), I'm not sure if I'll regret not going MD/DO.

Based on this, do you think I'd even stand a chance at MD/DO, or would it be in my best interest to look into PA/NP? I'm taking prereqs now at a CC because it's the difference between $2,000 and $20,000 at a state school. I do have some life experience (military, police officer, EMT/PCT) that would make me different from a traditional student, but I don't know if these things really matter. My other concern is what effects of the extra year of prereqs + 4 years medical school + residency would have on my new marriage (wife is an RN/BSN). I'd also probably be fairly limited to the CA/AZ/NV area for medical schools and residencies, as my wife would not want to relocate much further than that.

Thanks for the help, and I'm all ears to your opinions and suggestions. If I don't really have a shot at an MD/DO route (because of my GPA, undergrad institution, restrictions, etc.) then I'd rather just focus on PA/NP acceptance, if you know what I mean.

Get the pre-reqs taken and see how you actually do. I've often noticed that people assume straight A's but that doesn't necessarily occur. DO offers grade replacement, so that can help your gpa. Then get the MCAT out the way and see how you do. If you get over a ~3.25 sgpa and do ok on the MCAT ~504+ then you might have a shot at DO, the higher the much better but there are cutoffs. If you get a ~3.67 BCPM gpa and ~515+ MCAT you might be able to go MD. Many MD programs still have some bias against CC and U of Phoenix doesn't have the best rep, so DO is more likely to be your best shot BUT until you get your numbers it's hard to say. DO's and some MD's will definitely like your experience, but you will also need to do MD/DO shadowing and get rec letters. So to say the least just getting ready to apply is a long road, but you definitely have a shot and it's mostly in your hands.

Med school is a marathon on its own, so family will suffer on some levels but it can be rewarding on others. Shadowing can help for you to make up your mind. PA/NP programs take less time and $$, so you and your family have to decide what is best for you all. Relocating is a likelihood to increase your chances and CA is tough, but never know until you try.

Best of Luck!

 

[W19]

Hey everyone, I've been around the forums before as I considered leaving my career as a police officer to pursue medicine. Initially, I decided to try to make my police officer career work; however, I've decided to leave my career, so I'm back to the forums. I'm wondering if given my background, you could tell me if it'd be worth it to consider the MD/DO route, or if I'd be better suited to go NP/PA. I know they're different, but I'm mainly considering my chances of an MD/DO acceptance.

• United States Army Veteran, Honorably Discharged (Military Police)
• 6 Years as a Police Officer, 1.5 years of that was as a volunteer (750 hours)
• 3 Months Hospital ER Volunteer (60 hours)
• Currently work as a Patient Care Technician (with EMT license) on a Med/Tele unit at a local trauma hospital
• Associates Degree from a local community college
• Bachelors Degree from the University of Phoenix (on campus, not online)
• Pre-reqs are currently being taken at a community college, all science classes in my sGPA will be done at the CC
• cGPA now is 3.29, could be around 3.49 after prereq courses
• sGPA now is 3.43, could be around 3.67 after prereq courses

I'd ultimately prefer to be a Physician, but I don't know if that's feasible. I think I would be happiest with MD/DO in the long run, but my GPA isn't the greatest, and my undergrad is from the University of Phoenix. It is accredited, I did it because it was local and worked with my ever changing police officer schedule, wasn't too worried about reputation at the time, but I know it's not really respected, especially amongst adcoms. I don't know how much they weigh undergrad reputation or if they just look at numbers.

I looked into PA/NP, and although I think I'd still be happy doing either of these positions (plus it'd be a little easier for me to get into and easier on family life), I'm not sure if I'll regret not going MD/DO.

Based on this, do you think I'd even stand a chance at MD/DO, or would it be in my best interest to look into PA/NP? I'm taking prereqs now at a CC because it's the difference between $2,000 and $20,000 at a state school. I do have some life experience (military, police officer, EMT/PCT) that would make me different from a traditional student, but I don't know if these things really matter. My other concern is what effects of the extra year of prereqs + 4 years medical school + residency would have on my new marriage (wife is an RN/BSN). I'd also probably be fairly limited to the CA/AZ/NV area for medical schools and residencies, as my wife would not want to relocate much further than that.

Thanks for the help, and I'm all ears to your opinions and suggestions. If I don't really have a shot at an MD/DO route (because of my GPA, undergrad institution, restrictions, etc.) then I'd rather just focus on PA/NP acceptance, if you know what I mean.

If you prefer to be a physician, go to med school... You will be an attractive candidate for both MD/DO assuming your GPAs are what you stated they will be by the time you finish your prereqs... 24-27 MCAT will be good enough for DO and 28+ will keep you in the running for some low-to-mid tier MD due to your unique background.

 

[Promethean]

An online degree doesn't knock you out of the running. Mine is cobbled together from several sources, including Western Governor's University.

Do MD/DO. You want to be a physician. I don't see anything about your application that says you can't do it. Don't settle for something other than what you want. Especially because going the midlevel route doesn't actually save you very much in time or money, and it doesn't make good sense in the long run.

Your life experience will make you stand out as an applicant and will be highly valued at many schools. I know that mine would scoop you up with the quickness if you also have a decent MCAT to round out the profile you describe above.

 

[chazell]

Thank you very much for the replies, I greatly appreciate it!

 

[chazell]

I've been looking at the programs in the west/southwest region, both DO/MD. I bought updated access to the MSAR and the University of Arizona is lower on the GPA/MCAT for MD schools and is in the area that I want to focus my efforts in. I'm thinking I might have a shot getting in somewhere like that? Range for cGPA was 3.2-4.0, sGPA 3.1-4.0, averages being cGPA 3.7, sGPA 3.6, and 29 MCAT. I'm a little outside the averages but hoping my experiences would make up for it.

 

[W19]

You should also look at how many out of state applicants they accept...

 

[chazell]

You should also look at how many out of state applicants they accept...

Good point, I didn't look at that...University of Arizona had 27% of those accepted from out of state...was only 0.6% of out of state that applied.

I don't know if that's high or low compared to most schools. I also checked UC Davis (I live in CA currently) and they only accepted 1 out of state and 119 in state.

 

[KP2AZ]

go MD/DO, apply broadly.

 

[deleted480308]

Take the basic 8-10 science reqs then start a new thread with your gpa at that point...that's when it will be easier to give advice

Do not do not do not take the real mcat before your practice tests are showing you in a good range

 

[VegasPreMed]

I'd also probably be fairly limited to the CA/AZ/NV area for medical schools and residencies, as my wife would not want to relocate much further than that.

CA will be very difficult to get into. However, Nevada is opening two more medical schools this upcoming cycle. So there will be four (3 MD, 1 DO) by the time you apply. I'm not too sure about AZ schools and OOS acceptances.