Advice on How to Go About a Career Change

[vilraj]

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So I am strongly considering going to medical school. I have thought about it a lot and it is something that I have wanted to do since I was a kid. I have worked in the hospital since 2004 and so I do know what physicians have to deal with and it's definitely not about the money for me.

Anyways, I went to a small Southern school for undergrad and stuff happened and I was kind of forced by my parents into going to Pharmacy School - which is not what I wanted to do. I ended up being academically dismissed from Pharmacy School, which really was the only way I could leave since I was depressed (I was diagnosed after I left school) and my parents were really gung ho on me graduating. I know the faculty were aware of this and so they were looking out for my overall interest in dismissing me.

Well that was in 2007 and so since I did not have an undergrad degree, I ended up going to The University of Memphis and received two degrees in Accounting and in Management Information Systems and minors in Biology and Chemistry. I then received a fellowship and scholarship through the Department of Defense and ended up going to Johns Hopkins for my Masters, having graduated in May. I currently work with the DoD as an IT Analyst but I am definitely not happy with my job, but I have an obligation for 3 years to stay with them.

So with all of that - my questions are:
1) Should I retake my science classes - I haven't had one since 2003
2) What about the issue with Pharmacy School?? I can write about it - I would prefer going for a MD, not a DO and that is my goal.
3) With 3 years to go - should I take the MCAT first and see what happens?
4) Are there any other programs that would benefit me? I will have to work full-time so I am looking for part-time programs.
5) Since I live and work in the Virignia Beach area, we do have EVMS so that is one of my top choices.

Also, I am currently 28 (29 in a few months) and I will not be able to attend until I am 31 - 32.

Any help would be appreciated - those with snide comments, please keep them to yourself.

 

[DrMidlife]

What's your cumulative undergrad GPA, including everything except pharm school? GPA is fate, mostly.

Do you have the med school prereqs done? EVMS, in particular, is old school with prereqs: one year each, with labs, of genchem, ochem, bio & physics. The pharm prereqs aren't necessarily what you need.

Do you have a variety of clinical experience, or just pharm-related stuff? ER? Public health? Peds? Geriatrics?

What you should do next depends on the above.

Best of luck to you,.

 

[vilraj]

My cumulative undergraduate GPA was a 3.35.

I do have all the pre-reqs done, except I took them a while back (9+ years ago). I am wondering if I should retake them? Also, since I already graduated, if I retook them would they count towards the undergraduate GPA or not??

I have pharm-related stuff and I did research at a Level I Trauma Center, but that was mostly critical care/nutrition support type research. I worked in the pharmacy for the last 8 years so I need to get more healthcare exposure on the other side.

 

[DrMidlife]

Prereq expiration, in my experience, doesn't exist if you're responsible about the content and about showing fresh classroom success. Schools rarely post a statute of limitations, and even when they do, they'll take fresh upper div classes and a good MCAT in lieu of repeated prereqs. That said, I wouldn't mess around with a stated expiration policy (like at UMass) without explicit permission from the school.

My physics grades were over 20 years old when I got in. Nobody cared, and I had learned the content well enough that MCAT review didn't suck. Chem & bio, on the other hand, I didn't have a good handle on, and I had to do retakes and some upper div to get to where I needed to be.

Generally a C in a prereq says you need to be paranoid. Generally not having a long, consistent record of academic success says you need to be paranoid. Getting into med school is no gift if you're not ready to do the work. Don't be the immature fool who thinks A's are something you can start getting simply by wanting them.

So your situation is that you need fresh coursework to show you can still handle the classroom, to address a low GPA, and to learn/relearn the content on the MCAT. Any new undergrad coursework you take gets added into your cumulative undergrad GPA.

People get coursework done in a variety of ways. Online and community college are not recommended. Doing evening/extension is usually feasible with a day job. You have to get A's: this is the only interesting metric.

There's an expectation in med school admissions that you'll demonstrate you can handle a heavy load of science, by going back to school full time, but this tends not to come up when people have a strong MCAT and fresh A's in upper div science.

If you're able to get some fresh coursework with fresh A's, and you're able to get an above average MCAT (average is 31+), you are in the game. You can also look into SMPs (like the EVMS med masters and the VCU postbacs) to speed things up, after you kill the MCAT.

Definitely mix up your clinical exposure.

Best of luck to you.

 

[vilraj]

DrMidLife-

Thanks for your input!

So do you even suggest taking over some of my pre-reqs that I got Cs in? Orgo 2 and Physics?

Also, I was looking at the EVMS program for a post-bacc and I am sure I can swing that with work(if I get in) but I was thinking about taking courses at ODU in the evening - I am meeting with the pre-health advisor there next week so I am hoping she can shed more light also.

Yea, I had a 3.75 in my Masters but I did not take any "science" courses - they were all Comp. Sci courses

 

[DrMidlife]

So do you even suggest taking over some of my pre-reqs that I got Cs in? Orgo 2 and Physics?

C's in prereqs from 10 years ago I would retake because you don't have the material down, and that'll show on the MCAT.

Also, I was looking at the EVMS program for a post-bacc and I am sure I can swing that with work(if I get in)

Absolutely false. The EVMS medical masters program is full time, during the day. In this program and other SMPs, you compete directly with the med students in a nearly full load of med school classes. If it doesn't work out, it's $50k+ down the toilet and you don't go to med school. (Edit: If it does work out, you get straight into EVMS for med school, boom. Out of staters get into their home state MD schools from the EVMS SMP fairly often.) You aren't eligible to apply until you're ready for med school (done with undergrad, done with MCAT before you apply). The EVMS med masters is an SMP; SMPs are an audition for med school for those with the sole app deficiency of low undergrad GPA.

This is why I hate the term "postbac". It is completely nondescriptive except to say there's a bachelors degree on board. People should say what they need, to describe what they're looking for (undergrad GPA improvement, prereqs, etc).

Also: minimums and deadlines don't apply. Don't even look at them. Apply with maximal stats as early as possible.

but I was thinking about taking courses at ODU in the evening - I am meeting with the pre-health advisor there next week so I am hoping she can shed more light also.

Sure. Pre-health advisers tend to suck, so don't take anything as gospel.

Yea, I had a 3.75 in my Masters but I did not take any "science" courses - they were all Comp. Sci courses

Grad GPA has no effect at all on undergrad GPA. Subjectively, a non-SMP non-biosci grad GPA has little impact unless it's bad.

Best of luck to you.

 

[vilraj]

Thanks!

Yea I will let you know what I hear after I talk to the pre-med advisor.

Oh ok - yea I wouldn't want to do the EVMS program if I am working - that would probably end really bad