What options does a post-bacc in pre-med give you if you don't get into Med School?

[JourneyUpstream]

Hey, so my first post here. I've been getting a lot of helpful information from these boards and have a quick question I haven't found through searching (surprisingly), but that's probably because it would be known to people in health sciences but not someone who is changing careers.

I am still in the early stages of making a decision to change careers and go back to school for medicine, starting with a post-bacc program. The idea excites me emotionally, but realistically, is it right for me... Well I hope so.

Anyways, my question is, let's say I do spend the resources to go into a pre-med post-bacc program--and my understanding is that admission to med school is extremely competitive even (or especially?) for those completing post-bacc's--and if I do not get admitted to med school, what fallback options would I have? To be realistic about considering my options, it appears many (more?) don't make the cut, and so what do those people do (assuming they otherwise performed well, just not exceptionally enough)? Do they go into PA programs, or become nurses? Are those reasonable and/or easy transitions at that point, as fall-back options?

I am 29, have a 3.8 GPA from a top 50 university in a social sciences field, and work experience that is to be quite honest, mediocre. I have currently quit my job to spend some time working and travelling abroad for a year. I plan to attend Summer or Fall 2016. When I return I also plan to start volunteering in a clinical setting and/or as an EMS responder to start things off. Does this sound reasonable?

Thanks for reading.

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[maccu5000]

MPH if you have research experience

 

[JourneyUpstream]

Thanks for your reply. That looks interesting.

Based on some quick searches for what kind of career opportunities an MPH offers, it appears a lot of the opportunities are in management, administration, consulting/advisement, which sounds great but I see myself wanting to work with patients, in a more personal, hands-on role where I would get to see and help people directly. Maybe I should just plan to be a PA or a nurse directly...

 

[HinduHammer]

Yes research seems to me to be the most common as you will gain a strong background in bench sciences particularly bio. PA or NP also seems reasonable

 

[Bru]

Regardless of whether you go the MD or PA/Nursing route, you should still determine if this is something you'd actually like to do. Start lining up clinical experience sooner rather than later. Figure out if you want to be working in healthcare and then move on to the next step.

Interestingly, if you go the either path you'd still have to take a lot of the same classes so in some ways, it's not a immediate decision to be made.

 

[JPA178]

Formal post-bac premed programs for career changers provide great advising resources and a lot of support. These programs are for students who haven't taken any prerequisite science courses yet. Yes, you will have to work very hard, but if you do well in the program, you have a very good chance of getting into med school. Med school admissions is still competitive, but the support you get from your program will really prepare you well and will help you craft the best possible application. It's a path I highly recommend. Some people who start a post-bac program decide it's not for them and go on to do other things like an MPH, PhD, etc. But if medicine is your passion, then a post-bac program will give you the tools to get you there.

Programs you should definitely check out: Johns Hopkins, Bryn Mawr, Goucher, UVA, UVM, Scripps College. There are others, but these are the big name programs that offer the best resources to their students. Your GPA is awesome, so you definitely have a shot. To start in summer 2016 you will want to submit your application this fall. For some of the programs, you may still even be able to apply if you want to start this summer/fall.

Any other post-bac/nontrad questions, feel free to PM me

 

[Goro]

Not much, actually, as most post-back programs are auditions for med school and/or for GPA repair.

Hey, so my first post here. I've been getting a lot of helpful information from these boards and have a quick question I haven't found through searching (surprisingly), but that's probably because it would be known to people in health sciences but not someone who is changing careers.

I am still in the early stages of making a decision to change careers and go back to school for medicine, starting with a post-bacc program. The idea excites me emotionally, but realistically, is it right for me... Well I hope so.

Anyways, my question is, let's say I do spend the resources to go into a pre-med post-bacc program--and my understanding is that admission to med school is extremely competitive even (or especially?) for those completing post-bacc's--and if I do not get admitted to med school, what fallback options would I have? To be realistic about considering my options, it appears many (more?) don't make the cut, and so what do those people do (assuming they otherwise performed well, just not exceptionally enough)? Do they go into PA programs, or become nurses? Are those reasonable and/or easy transitions at that point, as fall-back options?

I am 29, have a 3.8 GPA from a top 50 university in a social sciences field, and work experience that is to be quite honest, mediocre. I have currently quit my job to spend some time working and travelling abroad for a year. I plan to attend Summer or Fall 2016. When I return I also plan to start volunteering in a clinical setting and/or as an EMS responder to start things off. Does this sound reasonable?

Thanks for reading.

 

[maccu5000]

FYI, PA and NP have way more requirements if you want to go that route... at least one additional year if you have prev sciences. Plus you need at least 1000 meaningful clinical experience hours (which you can get w/ 1/2 a year of full time EMS or CNA work.

 

[JourneyUpstream]

Thanks everyone for the helpful replies, I appreciate it. Sounds like the definite first thing to do is to start volunteering at a hospital or as an EMT to build up medical experience before anything else.

But if I can attach a follow-up question, how do other life/work experiences affect your chances? I ask because I am really looking forward to traveling abroad for a year doing a working holiday. I know in the US and in finance and consulting, this type of thing is (from a professional perspective) looked down on, if even laughed at by some of the more stiff and haughty types. Seems to me that expending a year to be extraordinarily happy sounds like a good idea, but I do have plans to make a career switch when I get back, whether that means becoming a nurse or buckling down for med school, or maybe something in-between, I've yet to decide. But question is -- would this type of thing affect my chances if I do want to go to med school, other than the fact that it delays the whole thing by a year?

 

[MedicineMan99]

If you want to go to med school, you need to be in it to win it.

If you plan on a Plan B, do yourself a favor and stick with it.

 

[Gurby]

Regarding taking a year off, it would help if you could elaborate on what you mean by a "working holiday"?

I would refer you to Mimelim's posts on these threads:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/doing-nothing-during-a-gap-year.1103211/
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/should-i-take-next-year-after-junior-year-off.1113782/

The main question to ask is, "what did you produce in this time period?" Spending a year doing something productive would be a good thing. Spending a year goofing off with nothing to show for it would likely be seen negatively.

 

[petyr_baelish]

If you get a Masters out of it, then you get a higher minimum salary if you decide to teach high school science (in California and NYC, at least). The MSc pays for itself after some years of teaching high school.

If you go the teaching route, the UK and Australia would consider you as a "highly qualified" teacher as well. This designation helps you get visas and legitimate teaching jobs anywhere in the world, including Asia (you will never have to compete with the English BA native English speakers because you'll be above them).

 

[JourneyUpstream]

Regarding taking a year off, it would help if you could elaborate on what you mean by a "working holiday"?

Thanks for your reply and for the links. To elaborate, a Working Holiday is more common outside the US, and it gives young adults the opportunity to travel abroad while working part-time in some local (usually service) industry. The US has famously few agreements with foreign countries, but there are still some options, and for those with dual citizenship I think it seems like a fantastic life opportunity. You can read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_holiday_visa

 

[Gurby]

Thanks for your reply and for the links. To elaborate, a Working Holiday is more common outside the US, and it gives young adults the opportunity to travel abroad while working part-time in some local (usually service) industry. The US has famously few agreements with foreign countries, but there are still some options, and for those with dual citizenship I think it seems like a fantastic life opportunity. You can read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_holiday_visa

Wow, that's cool! As for whether or not it would hurt your chances, I'm not the best person to answer that... My instinct is that it wouldn't look good. I imagine it would depend largely on where you go, what you do, what you "produce".

Med school-wise, it seems like it would be better to do habitat for humanity or something like that. You want to think about the story your background tells. This looks pretty much like what it is - you want to take some time for yourself to have fun and experience the world. Nothing wrong with that, but know that AdComs are looking for people who spend a lot of their time on altruistic things. I think a humanitarian thing (that happens to also be in some country you want to visit) could be played off better: "I never studied abroad in school, really wanted to deeply experience another culture and wasn't sure if I'd get another chance once starting down the medicine path. Part of why I plan to go into medicine is that I want to make more of a difference in people's lives. Spending a year doing X seemed like a perfect way to fulfill both of those desires."

That's my opinion but again I'm not the best person to answer this. Personally, if I was in your shoes, I would just dive headlong into the pre-med stuff. Start shadowing, volunteering, getting your EMT cert or whatever, signing up for summer classes. If you put together a strong app and get an early acceptance, you'll end up with a pretty good amount of time off which you can use to travel if you want.

 

[QuentinT88]

If not MD or DO, consider NP, PA, OD (Optometry), DPM (Podiatry), or Pharmacy. It's helpful to get some clinical exposure to ensure this is a path for you. And you shouldn't be discouraged by age. If medicine is what you decide on, go for it. 29 is still young. But if time is a factor, there are shorter alternatives.