considering medicine but not sure...

[ChicaLinda]

Hi everyone,

I've been reading the forums for awhile now but decided to post today to see if I could get some feedback about my situation. I am really confused right now and would appreciate any kind of advice. I have been out of college for two years and working a bunch of admin jobs while trying to figure out exactly what I want to do for a career while taking some random classes at night in all different subjects. At first I considered going into psychology but after taking a lot of psych classes I realized it wasn't really very scientific and also that master's level clinicians really don't make more than 40-50k.

I've been thinking about medicine because I enjoy working with people and love biology and clinical stuff. I also want a job which will provide a comfortable life style. However, I am not that great in subjects like math and physics. I am also turning 26 and don't know if I am too old now to do this. I still have to take most of the pre-med courses like general chem, organic chem and physics. This will take me at least a year and a half or two years, so by the time I apply I will be 28. I also have to do a lot of extracirriculars. I don't do anything right now except go to work and take classes. I suppose I would to at least do some volunteering. I'd like to do family practice so I would have a shorter residency, but still, this is a long time before I start making any money.

My boyfriend, who is a doctor, tells me not to go to med school because I will waste a lot of time doing the pre-reqs and as a family practice doc I will not make very much money. He regrets going to med school because he thinks it is too much work for too little money. He is a pediatrician. He wants for us to get married, have kids and for me to stay at home and not worry about a career. I know I want to have some kind of career, but not sure if medicine is a good choice. It would be very hard with kids I think, but it is tempting to just continue working my admin job and get married. It would be a very low stress life but I worry I would not be challenging myself or living up to my potential, but I am still conflicted about being a doc.

Sorry for the long post but I appreciate anyone's comments.
People are very helpful on here I think. I have learned a lot by reading the forums.

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[ODhopeful]

Hi everyone,

I've been reading the forums for awhile now but decided to post today to see if I could get some feedback about my situation. I am really confused right now and would appreciate any kind of advice. I have been out of college for two years and working a bunch of admin jobs while trying to figure out exactly what I want to do for a career while taking some random classes at night in all different subjects. At first I considered going into psychology but after taking a lot of psych classes I realized it wasn't really very scientific and also that master's level clinicians really don't make more than 40-50k.

I've been thinking about medicine because I enjoy working with people and love biology and clinical stuff. I also want a job which will provide a comfortable life style. However, I am not that great in subjects like math and physics. I am also turning 26 and don't know if I am too old now to do this. I still have to take most of the pre-med courses like general chem, organic chem and physics. This will take me at least a year and a half or two years, so by the time I apply I will be 28. I also have to do a lot of extracirriculars. I don't do anything right now except go to work and take classes. I suppose I would to at least do some volunteering. I'd like to do family practice so I would have a shorter residency, but still, this is a long time before I start making any money.

My boyfriend, who is a doctor, tells me not to go to med school because I will waste a lot of time doing the pre-reqs and as a family practice doc I will not make very much money. He regrets going to med school because he thinks it is too much work for too little money. He is a pediatrician. He wants for us to get married, have kids and for me to stay at home and not worry about a career. I know I want to have some kind of career, but not sure if medicine is a good choice. It would be very hard with kids I think, but it is tempting to just continue working my admin job and get married. It would be a very low stress life but I worry I would not be challenging myself or living up to my potential, but I am still conflicted about being a doc.

Sorry for the long post but I appreciate anyone's comments.
People are very helpful on here I think. I have learned a lot by reading the forums.

First of all, your age should not be a major issue since that a lot of people are in the same situation where they work after they graduate and become dissatisfied with their jobs or feel they did not reach their full potential. I think if your intentions are noble and you like to work with people, the choice is pretty clear. Perhaps you can look into optometry since it is less rigorous and time consuming. Good luck to you.

 

[frany584]

Hi there. Well i dont think that your age will be a factor, there are plenty of people who want to enter the medical field a little later than may be expected, but that definitely shouldnt stop you if its really what you want to do!!! If you really feel medicine is what you love and something you can see yourself doing for the rest of your life, then i would go for it, but keep in mind it does take a lot of hard work and dedication (like your boyfriend has said). And your boyfriend might regret his decision, but who says you will too?? Thats the decision YOU have to make. I've heard sooo many doctors tell me they regret it, or "why would you ever want to do medicine", or "you do not get paid as much as you should", but that shouldn't stop you either. Also as far as being a female in the medical field, it will definitely be tough (ppl tell me this all the time too) if i do plan on having a family. But there are tons of women out there pursuing medicine AND having time for a family, its difficult, but many things in life are and you work through it. just make sure the decision to enter medicine is YOUR decision and no one elses, b/c if you do it and dont want to you will b miserable, and if you dont, you might always wish you had. good luck!

 

[FutureOrthoDoc]

Medicine has to be something you REALLY want to do. The coursework and the competition, will weed you out if you even slip just a little bit. Medicine is a career that cannot be decided lightly. As for your age, do not let that stop you. I am 33 and, I am just starting on my pre-reqs now. If anything the age will give you an advantage as a non-trad student. Considr all of your options, then make an informed decision.

 

[newguy357]

As seems to be the consensus, you are certainly not too old. Are you, however, interested enough? If you can't decide one way or the other, why don't you begin by taking a couple pre-reqs? If you hate the coursework and are unable or unwilling to do it then you'll know right then to quit before you've wasted too much of your time.

 

[Law2Doc]

As seems to be the consensus, you are certainly not too old. Are you, however, interested enough? If you can't decide one way or the other, why don't you begin by taking a couple pre-reqs? If you hate the coursework and are unable or unwilling to do it then you'll know right then to quit before you've wasted too much of your time.

I agree with this post.
To the OP: you have somewhat hemmed and hawed as to what you want to do with your life in your original post, indicating mostly things you don't like (psychology and some of the sciences), and hinted at concerns involving possible starting of a family, and a need for a certain level of finances. I mean, you haven't even gotten into med school and you are already figuring ways to shorten your residency years (by doing FP, which you may decide you don't even like). Sounds like you really need to iron out in your own mind what you want out of your life. Medicine is a pretty significant committment -- counting your postbac, you will be needing to singularly commit yourself to this career goal full time for at least the next nine+ years of your life (2 years postbac and applying, 4 years med school, 3+ years residency), with a relatively low income not even coming until the residency years and likely you will be carrying significant debt. Your age is not a problem. But being sure this is really, really, really what you want, and you are ready to do what it takes to get there, is what it sounds like you need to resolve.

 

[DrBuro]

Even before you waste money starting a post-bacc, I suggest you volunteer in a clinical setting as much as possible. I am not your age, however I was on the fence about whether or not I actually wanted to make such a HUGE commitment to medicine. After I volunteered at a major hospital shadowing docs and transporting patients, I realized that it was the perfect place for me, no matter what the time commitment or salary would be in the future. Do not go down this road until you know as much as possible about the field. It is a VERY VERY long road and, as another poster said, you will be miserable if you just go into it for the money. It is not for everyone, for example your boyfriend, but many find the path to be very lucrative. Don't base your future on someone else's opinion.

 

[aliendroid]

Hi Linda,

I did the same thing. I was 25 when I decided to back to school for medicine. Medicine is an amazing career and I couldn’t think of anything else I would rather do. Your bf is just trying to manipulate you, but it is very hard work. It’s going to be difficult but it will be worth it. Your only issue is that you are a 26 y.o. female. Med school might get in the way of you having a family while you are young. My mom had me when she was 34 and my brother when she was 39 and we turned out ok, I think (My sisters came earlier and they turned out bad. Joking.). Lol.

My advise:
You want to do this right, not half-assed. First of all go ahead and put the next three years of your life aside up to matriculation date. Some say two years, I say three. You want to do it right. Spread out your premed classes that help you for the MCAT over three semesters starting after this summer. They are: Biology I,II, General physiology, basic/intro to genetics, microbiology, chem. I,II, org I,II and physics I,II, precal (for MCAT only if you need math), biochemistry. Have all these done by your third semester, then take an easy load and study like a monkey for your MCAT. Then any other pre-med requirements you need take them in your fourth semester which is your MCAT semester. Don’t listen to any stupid nerd “take 35 hours per semester and take the MCAT your first year;I did and made a 42” bullsh*t. 12 year olds can register and talk smack on here. I have a 169 IQ and I still busted my butt taking 20 hours per semester, volunteering and bending over for the MCAT (but I liked it). I scored a 37Q which is below what I should have—Don’t get arrogant or cocky (esp in interview) and the MCAT is a fuzzy IQ test so don’t let it get you down if you don’t make a stellar score. The smarter you are the easier everything will be and you will suffer less depression, however your classmates will hate you more (don’t announce your grades to friends). When I took classes I took them to learn, the grades were just the rewards. If you overload on classes you will not learn everything you should. Always brown-nose a little to the profs. Talk to ALL your profs after class and visit their office hours often; get to know them but don’t waste too much time. Make friends with classmates that know the prof well, that way you can have the friend ask the prof what that prof thinks of you. Young 30 year old profs will get along with you better. Get your LOR's after your prof knows you well, keep visiting and being friendly even way after you take the class. Take the same prof for several classes etc.

The last year you should take more upper level bio classes, so that you help prepare yourself for med school and more importantly you continue to build your application in case you don’t get in on your first try.
For extracurricular: Go tomorrow if you can and start volunteering in a hospital and just do 4 hours a week. Don’t worry, no one really loves volunteering in the hospital because you can’t do much and they don’t pay you and the docs sometimes ignore you or yell at you. Put yourself in the docs shoes sometimes and consider if you want to do this. That’s how I realized I wanted to stay out of the ED and go into cardiology or radiology, but I also like general practice. If you can go from one department to the next and get about 100 hours each, that will give you something to add to your personal statement. I have experience here, here, and here and I liked this and that. Meanwhile you should become involved with service organizations on campus. Just do one or two. Try to become an officer. I became and officer for the American Red Cross Campus Club at my university and I was able to fill in a lot of the space on the application with that stuff. Don’t overdo the extracurriculars. They will not make up for bad grades. Keep volunteering even after you take the MCAT just in case you don’t get in the first time.

This might seem hardcore. But at 26 if you are not willing to do this, then you shouldn’t even start and waste your time.

Plan everything out in advance and be reassured that most people even on here only go about this at half-throttle.

 

[gujuDoc]

Hi Linda,

I did the same thing. I was 25 when I decided to back to school for medicine. Medicine is an amazing career and I couldn’t think of anything else I would rather do. Your bf is just trying to manipulate you, but it is very hard work. It’s going to be difficult but it will be worth it. Your only issue is that you are a 26 y.o. female. Med school might get in the way of you having a family while you are young. My mom had me when she was 34 and my brother when she was 39 and we turned out ok, I think (My sisters came earlier and they turned out bad. Joking.). Lol.

My advise:
You want to do this right, not half-assed. First of all go ahead and put the next three years of your life aside up to matriculation date. Some say two years, I say three. You want to do it right. Spread out your premed classes that help you for the MCAT over three semesters starting after this summer. They are: Biology I,II, General physiology, basic/intro to genetics, microbiology, chem. I,II, org I,II and physics I,II, precal (for MCAT only if you need math), biochemistry. Have all these done by your third semester, then take an easy load and study like a monkey for your MCAT. Then any other pre-med requirements you need take them in your fourth semester which is your MCAT semester. Don’t listen to any stupid nerd “take 35 hours per semester and take the MCAT your first year;I did and made a 42” bullsh*t. 12 year olds can register and talk smack on here. I have a 169 IQ and I still busted my butt taking 20 hours per semester, volunteering and bending over for the MCAT (but I liked it). I scored a 37Q which is below what I should have—Don’t get arrogant or cocky (esp in interview) and the MCAT is a fuzzy IQ test so don’t let it get you down if you don’t make a stellar score. The smarter you are the easier everything will be and you will suffer less depression, however your classmates will hate you more (don’t announce your grades to friends). When I took classes I took them to learn, the grades were just the rewards. If you overload on classes you will not learn everything you should. Always brown-nose a little to the profs. Talk to ALL your profs after class and visit their office hours often; get to know them but don’t waste too much time. Make friends with classmates that know the prof well, that way you can have the friend ask the prof what that prof thinks of you. Young 30 year old profs will get along with you better. Get your LOR's after your prof knows you well, keep visiting and being friendly even way after you take the class. Take the same prof for several classes etc.

The last year you should take more upper level bio classes, so that you help prepare yourself for med school and more importantly you continue to build your application in case you don’t get in on your first try.
For extracurricular: Go tomorrow if you can and start volunteering in a hospital and just do 4 hours a week. Don’t worry, no one really loves volunteering in the hospital because you can’t do much and they don’t pay you and the docs sometimes ignore you or yell at you. Put yourself in the docs shoes sometimes and consider if you want to do this. That’s how I realized I wanted to stay out of the ED and go into cardiology or radiology, but I also like general practice. If you can go from one department to the next and get about 100 hours each, that will give you something to add to your personal statement. I have experience here, here, and here and I liked this and that. Meanwhile you should become involved with service organizations on campus. Just do one or two. Try to become an officer. I became and officer for the American Red Cross Campus Club at my university and I was able to fill in a lot of the space on the application with that stuff. Don’t overdo the extracurriculars. They will not make up for bad grades. Keep volunteering even after you take the MCAT just in case you don’t get in the first time.

This might seem hardcore. But at 26 if you are not willing to do this, then you shouldn’t even start and waste your time.

Plan everything out in advance and be reassured that most people even on here only go about this at half-throttle.

Great advice and laughing at your comments about your sister.

 

[Ross434]

Hi Linda,

This might seem hardcore. But at 26 if you are not willing to do this, then you shouldn’t even start and waste your time.

Um yeah, but realize that nobody actually thinks it all out and plans on *doing* all of that. They just sort of do it as the time comes. Just think about it one step at a time. You shouldnt waste your time if you're not committed, -- but -- , dont stress over the "plan" . Just get your feet wet and the rest will come.

 

[ChicaLinda]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the awesome advice. I think I will do what someone suggested and take some of the pre-reqs, maybe chem and physics this coming fall and start volunteering at the hospital. I suppose it is still a little too early to decide for sure if I haven't even finished most of the pre-reqs.

Again, awesome, awesome advice here.

Thanks much,

Linda

 

[MJB]

Thought about nursing?

 

[Law2Doc]

... study like a monkey for your MCAT.

I totally agreed with your post, aliendroid, great advice. But I actually never heard this expression before -- it cracked me up -- do monkeys have a reputation for being studious that I don't know about? (or perhaps just for doing well on MCATs?)

 

[45408]

Thought about nursing?

I was going to suggest that she look at some of the other medical fields.

Given the OP's ambivalence about being a physician, I think she should look into things like being a physician's assistant, a nurse practitioner, a pharmacist, etc. Maybe she'll want to go the MD route, but it doesn't really sound like that's where her heart is.

 

[MJB]

Only reason I suggested Nursing is because the OP said they liked clinical stuff, but wasn't all that strong in Math and Physics..

My wife did the same thing and is about to finish up...and is starting to wish she would have done Med, but that's more personality than anything...

Plenty of money to be made as a nurse, especially if you specialize and get a Master's...(CRNA).