NAVY VETERAN AND NURSE TO PRE-MED: ADVICE NEEDED PLEASE (USUHS)

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RN2MD4ME

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Hello everyone.... thank you for taking the time to read this. I am a nurse with over 13 years of clinical experience and a Navy Veteran. I became a nurse although my dream has always been to become a physician... it just took me A LOT longer to get to the place where I am ready to "get going". I currently work as a civilian nurse in a military hospital and I also teach nursing.

#1 So what do I want to do? I want to go to med school through USUHS, in Bethesda, Maryland. The potential problem? While I have a BSN and plenty of clinical experience, I am 40 years old. I have read of age limit waivers and there is a lot of conflicting information out there. What are my chances of getting into this program considering my age. By the time I am done with my pre-reqs and I take my MCAT, I will be 42 years old. I am also a mother of two school-aged children, but I have a very supportive family who is willing to take this journey with me.

#2: I do not have any of the core pre-reqs I need to apply. I am going to take them at my local CC (verified as acceptable at USUHS). Because I work full-time, I am going to give myself one year to complete the core curriculum. I plan to take the MCAT in early 2016. BUT... I am freaking out about these classes. I have never taken Physics, or those other heavy courses and I am very, very scared. Can anyone out there give me some input on how you survived those classes? I am no science/math genius. I know it will take a lot of hard work to do well in these classes.

I would love to hear from anyone out there who is returning to school as a non-traditional student. Were you nervous about these classes? Was there any self-doubt going on in your mind? How did you manage your time?

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For the specific answer you're looking for regarding waivers for age, I'd say look at the Military Medicine forum on here. They give out a lot of military-specific advice for all different programs related to medical school and the military.

As for completing your pre-reqs . . . that's a VERY heavy courseload for 1 year, even if you were not working and had no kids. It's also an unreasonable deadline as you can't take your one year of O-Chem until you've taken your 1 year of Gen Chem. Unless you've already started your chemistry series, it's going to take you longer than you're anticipating.

I, myself am heading back to school after joining the Army then pursuing contracting. I think the thing to remember is that if your ultimate goal is to be a doctor, don't pin all your hopes on USUHS and get let down if the waiver or something else doesn't come through. There are plenty of MD and DO schools out there, and depending on your stats, you may have a wide selection to choose from.

Long story short, check out the military med forum for the waiver and USUHS info, and get ready for all the math that will be thrown at you via physics and chemistry.
 
give yourself more time to complete your prerequisites, 1 year seems a bit short. before diving into those classes you might want to attend intro classes first, they're designed for those with very little science background, you'll be better prepared when you start your actual prereqs. I'm taking an "Introduction to Chemistry" class at a CC in spring 2015 before I start Gen. Chemistry at my state U in the summer.
 
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1 year at a CC while you work full time? What do you mean by "core prereqs"? I think you have an underdeveloped picture of what will be required of you.

This is straight from USUHS website (5 second google search)
  • Biology with Lab (1 year)
  • Inorganic Chemistry with Lab (1 year)
  • Organic Chemistry with Lab (1 year)
  • Physics with Lab (1 year)
  • English (1 year)
  • Calculus (1 semester) *You'll probably need to take trig, too
  • Biochemistry and Statistics are highly recommended, though not required
  • MCAT results (January 2012-September 2014)
  • Applicants who have reached their 36th birthday by 30 June 2015 will have to request an age waiver prior to an offer. At this time, it is not necessary to submit a request. We will inform you at the appropriate time.
At the very least, if the stars align and you can schedule everything just right, you will need 4 semesters to finish the chemistry requirements. Also, gen chem and organic aren't the kinds of classes offered during summer or winter semesters. It would also be rare for a CC to offer organic chemistry... We are most likely talking 2.5 years of full time course work, in addition to summer and winter classes.

It's okay to have things a little backwards and to be unorganized at this point. I've been there, trust me; I went to the head of the Chem department and told her I wanted to take Organic 1 and 2 at the same time. She almost had an aneurysm...
 
Hello everyone.... thank you for taking the time to read this. I am a nurse with over 13 years of clinical experience and a Navy Veteran. I became a nurse although my dream has always been to become a physician... it just took me A LOT longer to get to the place where I am ready to "get going". I currently work as a civilian nurse in a military hospital and I also teach nursing.

#1 So what do I want to do? I want to go to med school through USUHS, in Bethesda, Maryland. The potential problem? While I have a BSN and plenty of clinical experience, I am 40 years old. I have read of age limit waivers and there is a lot of conflicting information out there. What are my chances of getting into this program considering my age. By the time I am done with my pre-reqs and I take my MCAT, I will be 42 years old. I am also a mother of two school-aged children, but I have a very supportive family who is willing to take this journey with me.

#2: I do not have any of the core pre-reqs I need to apply. I am going to take them at my local CC (verified as acceptable at USUHS). Because I work full-time, I am going to give myself one year to complete the core curriculum. I plan to take the MCAT in early 2016. BUT... I am freaking out about these classes. I have never taken Physics, or those other heavy courses and I am very, very scared. Can anyone out there give me some input on how you survived those classes? I am no science/math genius. I know it will take a lot of hard work to do well in these classes.

I would love to hear from anyone out there who is returning to school as a non-traditional student. Were you nervous about these classes? Was there any self-doubt going on in your mind? How did you manage your time?

Hey, just give USUHS a call. You may also want to give the HPSP guys a call as well. While it may seem less generous, it's actually similar compensation to USUHS when combined with the GI Bill.

Another word of advice: don't put all of your med school eggs in the USUHS basket. I'm former military, and received three interview offers this year... and none from USUHS. I was surprised by that. If you're not willing to get denied by both HPSP and USUHS, then you may want to consider other career options. At this point you still have no idea how well you'll do on your MCAT, so you need to cast as wide a net as possible.
 
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