Practicing Health Law Attorney Considering Medical School

[HealthJD]

Hello -

I am starting to nurture a life long dream to become a doctor. I currently am a practicing healthcare attorney at a very large law firm. I am in the late 20s - early 30-ish age range. As a healthcare attorney, I've seen the good (amazing docs who place patient care above all else, the ability to truly help people), the bad (declining reimbursements, obscene regulatory burdens, increasing pressure to reduce cost in any way possible), and the ugly (literally criminal levels of greed, egos which come before patient care and colleagues, etc) that a career in medicine offers. I like my current job, but it's not something I have a true passion for. This forum has been very helpful in considering the financial and emotional toll of going to med school with a family.

As an undergrad, I took about 12 credit hours of science classes (o-chem, bio, calc) as a freshman (18 y/o), but didn't do very well, primarily from a lack of focus, with grades in the B to C+ range (I did very well on AP/Int'l Baccalaureate Math/Science exams in high school and these grades were not due to the subject matter). I transferred to a top-10 undergrad business school and did very well there, majoring in math-heavy finance and landing a competitive job at an automaker as a financial analyst in Detroit before going back to law school. In law school and with some real-life experience under my belt, I did even better than in undergrad and graduated at the top of my class.

I have a few questions. Has anyone done similar, and how would an admissions committee look at my past science GPA and experience? I'm concerned about my low science grades, but I don't think grades received 10+ years ago as an idiot 18 year old freshman are a fair reflection of my ability. I would not do any post-bacc program, as I have a wife and family to support and need to work full time. I'm assuming I'd start with the sciences all over again, so if I do well in those, would that make up for a poor initial showing?

As far as extracurricular activities and volunteering, my job is very demanding and I don't have much time outside the office. If I start taking pre-reqs, I'll have even less, making volunteering very difficult (I'm not planning on doing any research). However, while an undergrad, I was a volunteer EMT-B and an ER technician for 3 years while in school, so I've had practical experience in the field. How important are ECs and volunteering, and would my past EMT experience still be a plus on an application?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

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[Catalystik]

I have a few questions.
1) Has anyone done similar
2) how would an admissions committee look at my past science GPA and experience? I'm concerned about my low science grades, but I don't think grades received 10+ years ago as an idiot 18 year old freshman are a fair reflection of my ability.
3) I would not do any post-bacc program, as I have a wife and family to support and need to work full time. I'm assuming I'd start with the sciences all over again, so if I do well in those, would that make up for a poor initial showing?
4) However, while an undergrad, I was a volunteer EMT-B and an ER technician for 3 years while in school, so I've had practical experience in the field. How important are ECs and volunteering, and would my past EMT experience still be a plus on an application?

1) A Search will find you a number of SDN members who've initiated or suceeded in the Law-to-Physician transition.

2) All past undergrad grades are included in the MD application GPA calculation. Fortunately, upward grade trends and strong postbac grades are also appreciated. DO schools only include the most recent grade if your retake for the same credits or greater.

3) I assume you meant you would not engage in a formal postbac program, but instead would take appropriate coursework at your own speed at a local 4-year school. Near straight-As in 35-45+ hours of science and math coursework plus a strong MCAT score has a decent chance of trumping your 18-year-old mediocrity. If your grades are not suitably impressive, an SMP (Special Masters Program) with a 3.5-3.7+ could still bale you out.

4) Very, and Yes, but you would be expected to have some recent clinical experience, too, as well as physician shadowing. Nonmedical community service is also a good idea. Have you ever done pro bono work? Do you help out your kid's daycare, soccer team, or scout troop? That counts.

 

[Law2Doc]

Hello -

I am starting to nurture a life long dream to become a doctor. I currently am a practicing healthcare attorney at a very large law firm. I am in the late 20s - early 30-ish age range. As a healthcare attorney, I've seen the good (amazing docs who place patient care above all else, the ability to truly help people), the bad (declining reimbursements, obscene regulatory burdens, increasing pressure to reduce cost in any way possible), and the ugly (literally criminal levels of greed, egos which come before patient care and colleagues, etc) that a career in medicine offers. I like my current job, but it's not something I have a true passion for. This forum has been very helpful in considering the financial and emotional toll of going to med school with a family.

As an undergrad, I took about 12 credit hours of science classes (o-chem, bio, calc) as a freshman (18 y/o), but didn't do very well, primarily from a lack of focus, with grades in the B to C+ range (I did very well on AP/Int'l Baccalaureate Math/Science exams in high school and these grades were not due to the subject matter). I transferred to a top-10 undergrad business school and did very well there, majoring in math-heavy finance and landing a competitive job at an automaker as a financial analyst in Detroit before going back to law school. In law school and with some real-life experience under my belt, I did even better than in undergrad and graduated at the top of my class.

I have a few questions. Has anyone done similar, and how would an admissions committee look at my past science GPA and experience? I'm concerned about my low science grades, but I don't think grades received 10+ years ago as an idiot 18 year old freshman are a fair reflection of my ability. I would not do any post-bacc program, as I have a wife and family to support and need to work full time. I'm assuming I'd start with the sciences all over again, so if I do well in those, would that make up for a poor initial showing?

As far as extracurricular activities and volunteering, my job is very demanding and I don't have much time outside the office. If I start taking pre-reqs, I'll have even less, making volunteering very difficult (I'm not planning on doing any research). However, while an undergrad, I was a volunteer EMT-B and an ER technician for 3 years while in school, so I've had practical experience in the field. How important are ECs and volunteering, and would my past EMT experience still be a plus on an application?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Your undergrad grades will matter, and taking more sciences for As will help. Your business and law grades won't really count for much. Yes you will need to do current volunteering or other clinical exposure. A lot of the application is about jumping through the applicable hoops. There are very few exceptions or bending of the rules. While I think law is a great background for medicine, be aware that recent success in the sciences and a recent track record of good clinical exposure are still going to be the cores of your application.