Engineering to Medicine Career Shift - Canada

[sharif94]

Hi everyone!

I am an Electrical engineer (McGill Grad - 2017) with a 3.65 CGPA, and have been working in the industry for 4 years. I have recently decided to switch to Medicine and I have a couple of questions regarding that.

1- I have not taken the full prereqs (2 bio, 2 Organic Chem, Humanities courses) which are required by Med schools in Canada. I've only taken the courses in my Engineering Bachelors (2 Physics, 2 Chem). Can I apply to schools in Canada w/o the additional prereqs?

2- It has been since high school that I havent taken a health sciences course, so I would like to ask:

a) Approximately how much time would it take study for the MCAT, and would it be possible to do that with my Full time job if I study ~3-4 hours a day?

b) From the research I made, I understood that my engineering experience would be considered as Extra Circular activities. Is that sufficient for the application?

3- From what I read, Med schools application deadlines for admission to a specific year (Fall 2023 in my case) are 1 year prior to that year (Aug/Sep 2022 in my case). Does this plan make sense while I continue work full-time, to keep my other option alive, in case I couldn't get into medschool?

a- Study for the MCAT (Sep 2021 - Jun 2021 ~ 9 months) and take the test in July

b- Volunteer in hospitals or clinics during weekends starting Sep / Oct 2021, if possible.

c- Submit Med School application Aug/Sep 2022

Appreciate your thoughts here.

Regards,

Sharif

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[Dave1980]

Hi everyone!

I am an Electrical engineer (McGill Grad - 2017) with a 3.65 CGPA, and have been working in the industry for 4 years. I have recently decided to switch to Medicine and I have a couple of questions regarding that.

1- I have not taken the full prereqs (2 bio, 2 Organic Chem, Humanities courses) which are required by Med schools in Canada. I've only taken the courses in my Engineering Bachelors (2 Physics, 2 Chem). Can I apply to schools in Canada w/o the additional prereqs?

2- It has been since high school that I havent taken a health sciences course, so I would like to ask:

a) Approximately how much time would it take study for the MCAT, and would it be possible to do that with my Full time job if I study ~3-4 hours a day?

b) From the research I made, I understood that my engineering experience would be considered as Extra Circular activities. Is that sufficient for the application?

3- From what I read, Med schools application deadlines for admission to a specific year (Fall 2023 in my case) are 1 year prior to that year (Aug/Sep 2022 in my case). Does this plan make sense while I continue work full-time, to keep my other option alive, in case I couldn't get into medschool?

a- Study for the MCAT (Sep 2021 - Jun 2021 ~ 9 months) and take the test in July

b- Volunteer in hospitals or clinics during weekends starting Sep / Oct 2021, if possible.

c- Submit Med School application Aug/Sep 2022

Appreciate your thoughts here.

Regards,

Sharif

That's a tight timeline. You don't need 9 months to study for the MCAT. If need 2-3 months of intense studying.

You definitely need shadowing ASAP to show that you know what you are getting into and demonstrate interest.

 

[sharif94]

@Dave1980 and @ChemEtoMD23, thank you both very much. Your response is greatly appreciated!

If anyone else has other advice(s) / thoughts, I would appreciate if they can reply to this thread!

 

[lanzhou_lamian]

1. You should take the pre-reqs. While there are a few schools that don't explicitly require them, many schools do, and you would be limiting your school choice. Not to mention, even at schools that don't "require" the pre-reqs, most students applying will have them, so you would be decreasing your competitiveness.

2a. You can study for the MCAT with a full-time job but it will be challenging. When preparing for my MCAT, I worked full time, then studied ~4 hours in the evenings plus all day on weekends for about 3 months and did well. Having the pre-reqs completed will make this process easier since they cover information that is present on the exam.

3. If you plan to take the pre-reqs, you'll need to push your timeline back, likely aiming to apply in 2023. If you apply without them, what you've laid out is possible but challenging. I'd try to take the MCAT a bit earlier so that you can apply a bit earlier (no later than August.)

 

[sharif94]

1. You should take the pre-reqs. While there are a few schools that don't explicitly require them, many schools do, and you would be limiting your school choice. Not to mention, even at schools that don't "require" the pre-reqs, most students applying will have them, so you would be decreasing your competitiveness.

2a. You can study for the MCAT with a full-time job but it will be challenging. When preparing for my MCAT, I worked full time, then studied ~4 hours in the evenings plus all day on weekends for about 3 months and did well. Having the pre-reqs completed will make this process easier since they cover information that is present on the exam.

3. If you plan to take the pre-reqs, you'll need to push your timeline back, likely aiming to apply in 2023. If you apply without them, what you've laid out is possible but challenging. I'd try to take the MCAT a bit earlier so that you can apply a bit earlier (no later than August.)

 

[sharif94]

Thanks, Lanzhou!

Do you have an idea if its fine to take the prereqs online?

Appreciate your thoughts!

 

[MyOdyssey]

Thanks, Lanzhou!

Do you have an idea if its fine to take the prereqs online?

Appreciate your thoughts!

Oftentimes, online courses are discouraged but check your target school’s admissions website to be sure.