When did you decide on Med School?

[QuentinT88]

It's been almost a year since I finally made the firm decision to pursue being a physician. It is kind of surreal thinking about it. To be honest, the past year has been a whirlwind, with ups and downs. However, I would not have it any other way.

When did the rest of you fellow non-trads decide to pursue Medical School?

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[2Pints]

About 2 weeks into orientation as a nurse. Took me a year and a half at the bedside to admit it to myself.

 

[LingoLaine]

March 14, 2006, around 3am. I'm not kidding. I woke up with this feeling that I have to become an ob/gyn. I couldn't get back to sleep that night and I haven't been able to shake the feeling.

 

[QofQuimica]

During my PhD. That would be over ten years ago now. I was working part time on a clinical research project being done by a guy who basically did what I did: PhD in pharm, then med school. He told me that if I wanted to do this kind of work, I'd either need to work with an MD or get my own. So I decided to take the MCAT and see how I did. I got my score back on 10/12/04. That was the same day I joined SDN and committed to doing this medicine thing full-bore.

 

[familyaerospace]

Like Q, I was told I had to become an MD during my MS because of new rules at NASA. I previously had MDs working for me.

I wasn't really committed to the idea until I was a technology transfer consultant and doing NIH/CDC consulting. Then I was like 80% or so committed. When my friend died 9 months after I stopped consulting, I was so ticked that I poured my energy into medicine. I joined SDN two months later.

 

[FutureDrB]

March 14, 2006, around 3am. I'm not kidding. I woke up with this feeling that I have to become an ob/gyn. I couldn't get back to sleep that night and I haven't been able to shake the feeling.

I was 16. I read a book on orthopedic surgery and decided that's what I was going to do.

Five years later as I cut my daughter's umbilical cord, I decided OB/GYN was for me.

I'm now 36 and applying next year. I'm between FM w/Obstetrics or Peds.

 

[sazerac]

I was 40 years old and decided to become a PA. My mom kept introducing me as "my son, who is about to become a doctor". After correcting her a couple dozen times, I finally decided it would be easier to just go to medical school than to keep explaining to her what the hell a PA does.

I'm a little into third year of med school now, and it's been pretty cool so far.

 

[Fedaykin]

First during undergraduate. Read a magazine article on my lunchbreak about a group similar to MSF whose focus was going into war-torn parts of Africa and performing reconstructive surgery on rape victims so they could have sex and bear children again.

Decided against it was clear my undergrad GPA would end up in the 2.5ish range (which it ended up being).

Re-decided on medicine when settling for less brought nothing but soul-crushing regret.

 

[Fedaykin]

So I decided to take the MCAT and see how I did. I got my score back on 10/12/04.

I spent about a minute thinking 10/12/04 was your distributed MCAT score. Holy hell that's all over the place.

 

[QofQuimica]

I spent about a minute thinking 10/12/04 was your distributed MCAT score. Holy hell that's all over the place.

No, it was 14/14/15. Very balanced.

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

I was working on the hospital ship Africa Mercy as a carpenter. One day I got a work order to go fix a Purell dispenser or something down in one of the ORs. When I got there, they had these lovely stainless steel trays on wheels that were just the right hight to set my tools on while I was working. It occurred to me that if I went ahead and became a surgeon like I was thinking of, I'd never have to bend down to the floor to reach my toolbag again. So, that's why I'm in medical school now-because I'm too lazy to squat!

 

[heartsink]

I heard there was money

 

[lovelybones]

In Europe they make fun of Americans because there you need to KNOW what you're going to be in like...high school haha. So for years I assumed it's too late for me to be a doctor then I was randomly researching stuff and found out it's not late at all and they're all just pessimists who made me think that way!

 

[lovelybones]

March 14, 2006, around 3am. I'm not kidding. I woke up with this feeling that I have to become an ob/gyn. I couldn't get back to sleep that night and I haven't been able to shake the feeling.

hahahaha

 

[QofQuimica]

hahahaha

I know. I have not, at *any* time, ever felt the slightest urge to be an OB/gyn.

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

March 14, 2006, around 3am. I'm not kidding. I woke up with this feeling that I have to become an ob/gyn. I couldn't get back to sleep that night and I haven't been able to shake the feeling.

Well, if you like waking up at 3AM and not getting back to sleep, I'd say OB is the perfect career for you.

 

[wholeheartedly]

No, it was 14/14/15. Very balanced.

can I rub your head or something for good luck before I take it? lol

 

[QofQuimica]

can I rub your head or something for good luck before I take it? lol

I'll send you my lucky #2 pencils.

 

[wholeheartedly]

I was like 10 or 11 when I decided. I'd read some book on level 4 viruses like the ebola virus and decided I wanted to become an infectious disease epidemiologist and physician to research these awful diseases and help patients. My mom said no way in hell was she letting her only child go die over in some other country. She told me if I contracted the bugs they'd throw my body in a mass grave and burn it and she'd never see me again.

So.... then I decided I wanted to be a storm chaser. This didn't go over well either for some strange reason

Anyway, got older, decided I should put my insatiable curiosity to good use and thought I'd be a scientist and do research and help people behind the scenes, but still thought about being a doctor quite often. Tracked for a neuroscience PhD, while talking myself out of medicine on the grounds that it was too expensive and that I probably wasn't smart enough.

Wound up leaving my grad program and studying clinical lab sciences, fell in love with everything I studied from hematology to immunology to parasitology. Realized I was stupid to keep talking myself out of medicine. Also fell in love with micro all over again.

Decided to get a job for a few years first, then while working decided to do an MPH in epidemiology as the employer would kick in for it. Focusing on infectious diseases.

So 20 years later.... I'm back to planning on becoming an infectious disease physician and epidemiologist.

Sorry Mom


edit* and as you can see from my profile pic, I didn't listen too well about the storms either

 

[achieve1]

Last year around April, stood in the middle of my room around midnight and said to myself "Screw it, I'm gonna do this". After 1-2 years of constantly debating with myself about whether I should actually pursue Medicine or not, it took a visit to the ER to give me the confirmation that I needed. I was able to see first-hand what physicians are able to do and how they are able to help, and I thought to myself that this was incredibly cool.

 

[lovelybones]

That's such a cool story, Wholeheartedly! I used to be (still am really) interested in epidemiology I think it's really fascinating. As a child those movies influenced me a lot where villages were wiped out or something but obviously I know there's more to it... Anyway, I used to love science but then I also sidetracked for a while and told myself bio/chem isn't for me unfortunately (but why??), and so I majored in psychology. It was fun and interesting whatever but I feel it's just so wishy washy, and I yearn for something, like real haha. So that's why I'm here now, with plans to apply to medical school after my post bac! Hopefully I can do some epidemiology work in the future too.

It's funny how we put our original dreams away only to dig them up much later because nothing else works out quite as well

 

[tkuhug]

I was 40 years old and decided to become a PA. My mom kept introducing me as "my son, who is about to become a doctor". After correcting her a couple dozen times, I finally decided it would be easier to just go to medical school than to keep explaining to her what the hell a PA does.

I'm a little into third year of med school now, and it's been pretty cool so far.

Gotta hand it to moms, they're great at making you feel good and ****ty at the same time. But look where you are now!

 

[DrDreams]

I was 7. I had this awesome doctor kit that worked and used to take it everywhere with me. But most of all I idealized my parents doc. I solidified that decision at the age of 20.