I know this has been asked, but...

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BacktoSchoolBob

BacktoSchoolBob

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Are there ANY U.S. medical schools that accept online prerequisite courses? I see it has been asked, but I see no clear answers.

I know many will scoff at that, but I'm not trying to take any easy outs. I'm just trying to work and do what I want to do - get into medical school and be a doctor. I am even one of the few who still would want to do primary care since I think FP, with my limited knowledge and experience is the path for me being the generalist that I am.

When I say "online" I'm of course referring to your real colleges that offer online courses and not those like Capella, Phoenix, blah blah blah.

I am your typical nontrad, liberal arts, run of the mill guy. I'm young enough still to go and have a life afterwards but old enough to know now this is what I truly want to be doing with myself. I have healthcare experience, volunteer experience, public service experience, good grades, and all that good stuff. I just have none of the "hard science" other than say basic chemistry and zoology (A in that sweet class). My ecology, environmental sci., geology, and paleontology electives won't apply here. I would absolutely take these courses if I could even drive an hour or maybe even a little more to do so, but I just do not have that option. 🙁

If you fine people could help me out I would be very appreciative. Good luck to all of you in your doctor'ing pursuits.
 
If the university is accredited, they should not care or more precicely, they won't know. On your application there is no detail on online vs. in person classes. Seriously on the accreditation though....there are a lot of dodgy programs out there.
 
I don't know about the standard year of gen chem, organic, bio, and physics with lab. Texas state schools require an additional 6 hours of biology, which can be fulfilled with distance learning classes. For example the University of New England School of Osteopathic Medicine offers a distance learning Bio chem course that is accepted by UT SOM at San Antonio. I would guess that there are more courses and schools that will accept them out there, I'm just not sure.
 
I don't know about allopathic schools, but many of the osteopathic schools I called said its okay as long as the program is regionally accredited and all your labs were done in an actual classroom. I'm not an expert on what pre-req's are available on-line, but unfortunatly most schools have the classes set up so that the lab and lecture are taken together, which means you will need to take them at a brick and mortar school, though there are exceptions to this.
 
Yes, I was concerned with that. By searching around on this website I see that some schools may accept the classroom portion of a class taken online fashion, but some say the labs will not be accepted in that fashion. If I could take a lab in an actual school setting then I would probably be able to take the lecture component too, but that just simply isn't the case.

I know there are classes out there that can be taken entirely online, even with the lab included, but it's not easy to skirt around saying that I was working full-time in State A while taking courses clear across the country at State B. I didn't think there'd be any differentiation on the transcript, but how else would you explain the 2,000 mile discrepancy other than admitting that your courses were in fact online courses. 😕

I just can't afford to accumulate a lot of debt by quitting work and then NOT get into medical school. I'm limited. 🙁
 
there are loans and financial aid available.

also, it's not entirely correct that transcripts don't show that a class was taken online. at my local cc, distant learning classes and traditional classes aren't distinguished on transcripts, but my state college's transcripts does make that distinction.

this might be unethical, but you COULD not include your work experience on your app. this way, adcoms won't see that you were working and going to school in 2 different states at the same time.

i'm not saying you should do this, i'm speaking hypothetically of course.
 
BacktoSchoolBob said:
Are there ANY U.S. medical schools that accept online prerequisite courses? I see it has been asked, but I see no clear answers.
Click to expand...

For allopathic programs your prereqs need to include a lab. As far as the lecture portion being online, I would talk to the schools you are interested in to see their opinions on that.
 
Anthony Hartsoc said:
For allopathic programs your prereqs need to include a lab.
Click to expand...

This requirement is the same for osteopathic programs. I did a hybrid course for G-Chem A that was online lecture and in-class lab. On my transcript/ application it just showed as G-chem A. However, these courses are kinda rare. I think mine was a test program.
 
Thanks guys. The bigger question then is "who accepts online labs?" The fact that I need to do the entire course of study online, via correspondence, or simply registering for it somewhere and never showing up for class but still managing to do well somehow... ??

I know those loans and such are out there, but when you've got a good job it's hard to pass up. Quitting everything, going back to school, applying to med school, NOT getting accepted, and then having to re-enter the workforce isn't something I want to do nor is it fair to some others in my family.
 
BacktoSchoolBob said:
"who accepts online labs?"
Click to expand...

I don't know of any accredited schools that offer the core with online labs, and for good reason. You can't do Chemistry labs online and have the same experience or learning. The same is true of bio labs. My physics labs could have been on-line....they were silly.
 
They're out there. I've encountered them in a variety of classes. I just don't want to waste my time with them and have them yield no gains for me. Perhaps I should just throw up my hands and quit. 🙁
 
BacktoSchoolBob said:
They're out there. I've encountered them in a variety of classes. I just don't want to waste my time with them and have them yield no gains for me. Perhaps I should just throw up my hands and quit. 🙁
Click to expand...

You need to talk to the people in admissions at the med school you want to attend, they will tell you what classes will articulate, then get it in writing from them.

As far as quitting....this is pretty low on the scale of s#it you will have to endure to make it happen in medicine. If you're thinking about quitting over this it may be time to asses how committed you are to this path. It is only going to get harder for a LONG time.
 
Bob,

this is what I recommend that you do. Compile a list of med schools you want to go too. Contact those schools to find out if they care how you took your courses. Eg. I'm going to apply to the University of Arizona because they have specifically said they do not care if the courses were done online, hybrid, distance learning - so long as I did them and did them well. Look for non traditional friendly schools. Also, my chem teacher said Oregon State is offering O-chem online this summer. I will be doing Gen chem II this summer - hybrid. This means my lecture is online but I have to buy an expensive lab kit where I'll conduct my experiments at home (the lab is noted as hybrid because I'm still doing it - not online but not in proctored classroom. Two things to note, some schools disclose how the courses were taken ,some do not. My school does not. They have also told me, they have never (in the past few years) received a phone call regarding how a class was taken. However, they did tell me that if they were to receive such a phone call that they would tell them my class was hybrid. I'm also doing my class through Maricopa Community Colleges. Some people will look down on my prereqs but those will be schools I won't apply too. I hope this helps. Do not give up. Try your best to live without regrets.
 
EricH said:
You need to talk to the people in admissions at the med school you want to attend, they will tell you what classes will articulate, then get it in writing from them.

As far as quitting....this is pretty low on the scale of s#it you will have to endure to make it happen in medicine. If you're thinking about quitting over this it may be time to asses how committed you are to this path. It is only going to get harder for a LONG time.
Click to expand...


I'm sorry, but that wasn't in the literal of senses, but if I can't get in then there really is no reason to go on eh? haha. Medical school and residency I can endure because I want to. As long as I can get in I'm good to go. 👍
 
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