30, about to be 31 this year.

[JamylT]

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30 and starting from scratch. Once upon a time I was getting a Masters in Theology. 4 year, 121 credit program that I have a little bit more than half completed; life circumstance changed all of that. The pipe dream is med school for medical missions: the freedom that gives vs NP, PA, or anything like that is alluring. The leadership, difficulty, responsibility, and help that the education brings is also something I find extremely attractive.

Essentially I'll be taking community college courses for 2 years to get my sciences caught up, go to a post-bacc 1 year Masters in Medical Science, and then apply from there. Shadow/volunteer/mission trips throughout this 3 year process. I plan on continuing working full time for the pre-reqs and then during the post-bacc guage what workload I can handle from there.

Is that too ambitious? Am I being insane? Is it better to just go back for a 2nd bachelors? Is it nuts to thing this far out and not have a specialty in mind? Out of the light researching I've done, most orgs that do work overseas really only want to talk to you AFTER you're out of med school.

 

[Bonne Nuit]

30 and starting from scratch. Once upon a time I was getting a Masters in Theology. 4 year, 121 credit program that I have a little bit more than half completed; life circumstance changed all of that. The pipe dream is med school for medical missions: the freedom that gives vs NP, PA, or anything like that is alluring. The leadership, difficulty, responsibility, and help that the education brings is also something I find extremely attractive.

Essentially I'll be taking community college courses for 2 years to get my sciences caught up, go to a post-bacc 1 year Masters in Medical Science, and then apply from there. Shadow/volunteer/mission trips throughout this 3 year process. I plan on continuing working full time for the pre-reqs and then during the post-bacc guage what workload I can handle from there.

Is that too ambitious? Am I being insane? Is it better to just go back for a 2nd bachelors? Is it nuts to thing this far out and not have a specialty in mind? Out of the light researching I've done, most orgs that do work overseas really only want to talk to you AFTER you're out of med school.

A few thoughts:

It sounds like you don't have any of the premedical prerequisites completed yet. You will likely be better served doing a DIY post-bac/second bachelor's degree at a local 4 year university. I do not recommend taking your prerequisites at a community college - many medical schools will not accept CC prerequisites at all. Master's programs like the one you described are often for people who have completed all the prerequisites but need GPA repair (they're also usually really expensive). You can go back to school as a second bachelor's degree-seeking student and take all your chem, physics, etc., but you don't actually have to finish a second bachelor's degree. You just stop enrolling once you have completed all your prerequisites.

IMO, you can work full time or pursue post-bac studies full time, but not both. I took ~18-20 credits per semester during my DIY post-bac, and I was often spending ~60 hours per week on my studies to maintain a 4.0 GPA. I could only work 10-15 hours per week at a very flexible part-time job before my schoolwork started to suffer. If you must remain employed full time, start by taking one course and see how you fare before enrolling in additional classes. I cannot recommend taking more than 2 science courses if you're working full time.

It's not crazy to plan your life this far out - in fact, as a nontraditional post-bac premed, you really need to be thinking several years ahead throughout this entire process. Before you commit any money to schoolwork, though, I recommend shadowing (domestically, not abroad) a primary care physician for at least 40 hours. You need to see the day-to-day experience of medicine to ensure this path is right for you, and shadowing a US physician is required for medical school admission anyway.

 

[Goro]

30 and starting from scratch. Once upon a time I was getting a Masters in Theology. 4 year, 121 credit program that I have a little bit more than half completed; life circumstance changed all of that. The pipe dream is med school for medical missions: the freedom that gives vs NP, PA, or anything like that is alluring. The leadership, difficulty, responsibility, and help that the education brings is also something I find extremely attractive.

Essentially I'll be taking community college courses for 2 years to get my sciences caught up, go to a post-bacc 1 year Masters in Medical Science, and then apply from there. Shadow/volunteer/mission trips throughout this 3 year process. I plan on continuing working full time for the pre-reqs and then during the post-bacc guage what workload I can handle from there.

Is that too ambitious? Am I being insane? Is it better to just go back for a 2nd bachelors? Is it nuts to thing this far out and not have a specialty in mind? Out of the light researching I've done, most orgs that do work overseas really only want to talk to you AFTER you're out of med school.

As an EC, we Adcoms consider medical missions to be medical tourism. Do your missions in the US.

I suggest getting your pre-reqs in at a 4 year school, or at a post-bac program for career changers. Invest in MSAR Online to see how MD schools view pre-reqs ate CCs.

It's not worth getting a 2nd UG degree to do this.

Your timeline sounds good..but figure anywhere from 2-5 years.

I understand your zeal to go overseas, but save that for after getting into med school.

 

[JamylT]

Much appreciated insight and input. Will definitely take this in account.

 

[Damson]

As an EC, we Adcoms consider medical missions to be medical tourism. Do your missions in the US.

I suggest getting your pre-reqs in at a 4 year school, or at a post-bac program for career changers. Invest in MSAR Online to see how MD schools view pre-reqs ate CCs.

It's not worth getting a 2nd UG degree to do this.

Your timeline sounds good..but figure anywhere from 2-5 years.

I understand your zeal to go overseas, but save that for after getting into med school.

What is the committee's general view on pre-medical prerequisites taken at community colleges?

 

[Goro]

What is the committee's general view on pre-medical prerequisites taken at community colleges?

My own committee is fine with it, but we do have individual members who have concerns. They tend to be not taken seriously. LizzyM likes to point out that to her, it appears that one is avoiding the more rigorous weeding courses.

 

[twospadz]

Much appreciated insight and input. Will definitely take this in account.

I would highly consider PA given your age. PAs make good money only take 2-3 years to finish and have less stringent admission requirements.

 

[JamylT]

My own committee is fine with it, but we do have individual members who have concerns. They tend to be not taken seriously. LizzyM likes to point out that to her, it appears that one is avoiding the more rigorous weeding courses.

Would the planned MS program not be a sign of being able to handle courses, or I suppose it would be up to each specific committee? Honestly, the only reason I'm considering community college is due to cost and flexibility.(I have no idea if the academic advisor over at the school I went to spoke truth: Richland College in Dallas; she said they were generally taken a bit more seriously than other CC's). I have planned shadowing in the near future and as of the moment, pre-reqs are for the entire gamut of the medical profession and not solely for an MD or DO program. I would desire to stay in state if at all possible if I do end up pursuing med school.

I would highly consider PA given your age. PAs make good money only take 2-3 years to finish and have less stringent admission requirements.

Giving this route a serious thought as well, though it has been an interesting split in opinion from people I've spoken to. Every MD I've spoken to has said to just go for it. Every RN/NP has said to go a PA or NP route. I am a bit leery of the supposed trend of PAs being main providers of care and the associated risk with that.

 

[Goro]

Would the planned MS program not be a sign of being able to handle courses, or I suppose it would be up to each specific committee? Honestly, the only reason I'm considering community college is due to cost and flexibility.(I have no idea if the academic advisor over at the school I went to spoke truth: Richland College in Dallas; she said they were generally taken a bit more seriously than other CC's). I have planned shadowing in the near future and as of the moment, pre-reqs are for the entire gamut of the medical profession and not solely for an MD or DO program. I would desire to stay in state if at all possible if I do end up pursuing med school.


Giving this route a serious thought as well, though it has been an interesting split in opinion from people I've spoken to. Every MD I've spoken to has said to just go for it. Every RN/NP has said to go a PA or NP route. I am a bit leery of the supposed trend of PAs being main providers of care and the associated risk with that.

The MS program would be the final proof that you could handle med school. But just to clarify, this needs to be a SMP that mimics med school, not a research MS. You also need to consider which will better prepare you for MCAT: CC pre-reqs, or those at a 4 year school?

 

[JamylT]

The MS program would be the final proof that you could handle med school. But just to clarify, this needs to be a SMP that mimics med school, not a research MS. You also need to consider which will better prepare you for MCAT: CC pre-reqs, or those at a 4 year school?

That is my worry. The MS program I'm looking at seems to show good proof of being able to handle that academic burden, but it requires an MCAT score prior to application.