Accepted to OT school, but considering M.D. with psychiatry focus

[atroposlachesis]

I certainly have an odd trajectory. I was a history major/psych minor in college. Being immature at the time, I didn't focus as hard as I should have, came out with a 3.25 GPA. I took up a job at a children's residential facility.

Four years later, I received a Master's in Counseling and my therapist license. I strongly enjoy working with children and teenagers. One of my specialties is differential diagnosis of psychosis, which I greatly enjoy. I'm trained in early assessment of psychotic disorders and neurologically atypical "soft signs" by Yale Medicine.

However, after some time counseling, I've always felt as if I was limited by talk therapy and couldn't do enough. I also felt somewhat limited by the constraints of the mental health system. This ignited my interest in occupational therapy.

In order to get into OT school, I took General Biology, A&P I, and A&P II. I never had a science background, but am learning how much I love and am fascinated by the material. I have a 4.0 in these courses, plus a 3.9 from my Master's. I was recently accepted to the top-rated OT school in the country.

Now, as I consider going $200,000 into debt and spending three and half years in school, I wonder if med school with a focus on psychiatry is a better investment. I understand that I would have to focus on years of more study to get my foundations in chemistry and physics. I've also heard that medicine is a difficult field to get into right now and managed care is placing a lot of stress on doctors. I've heard that occupational therapists generally get to enjoy their jobs a lot more and don't have to deal with the same amount of stress (liability, insurance restrictions, etc.). However, I have heard the pressures are less immense for psychiatry residents. I've heard a few people say that M.D. schools may consider my mental health background an asset and overlook my low undergrad GPA...if my MCAT scores are great.

So, long post. But what route do you think I should take? Is there anything else I should consider?

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[atroposlachesis]

Also, I'm friggin' terrible at math. As in, I haven't taken a single math class since high school, and I know many schools require calc. This is all presuming I could actually get into med school.

 

[xffan624]

I certainly have an odd trajectory. I was a history major/psych minor in college. Being immature at the time, I didn't focus as hard as I should have, came out with a 3.25 GPA. I took up a job at a children's residential facility.

Four years later, I received a Master's in Counseling and my therapist license. I strongly enjoy working with children and teenagers. One of my specialties is differential diagnosis of psychosis, which I greatly enjoy. I'm trained in early assessment of psychotic disorders and neurologically atypical "soft signs" by Yale Medicine.

However, after some time counseling, I've always felt as if I was limited by talk therapy and couldn't do enough. I also felt somewhat limited by the constraints of the mental health system. This ignited my interest in occupational therapy.

In order to get into OT school, I took General Biology, A&P I, and A&P II. I never had a science background, but am learning how much I love and am fascinated by the material. I have a 4.0 in these courses, plus a 3.9 from my Master's. I was recently accepted to the top-rated OT school in the country.

Now, as I consider going $200,000 into debt and spending three and half years in school, I wonder if med school with a focus on psychiatry is a better investment. I understand that I would have to focus on years of more study to get my foundations in chemistry and physics. I've also heard that medicine is a difficult field to get into right now and managed care is placing a lot of stress on doctors. I've heard that occupational therapists generally get to enjoy their jobs a lot more and don't have to deal with the same amount of stress (liability, insurance restrictions, etc.). However, I have heard the pressures are less immense for psychiatry residents. I've heard a few people say that M.D. schools may consider my mental health background an asset and overlook my low undergrad GPA...if my MCAT scores are great.

So, long post. But what route do you think I should take? Is there anything else I should consider?

Your debt and time investment will be much higher in medicine (counting pre-med course, MCAT prep, 4 years of medical school, and residency). Also going into medical school with such a specific focus seems like a risky endeavor. There's a lot a non-psych stuff you will have learn and pretend to care about before even touching on the subject you are clearly passionate about.

You also need to check some pre-med boxes to make your application stronger (non medical volunteering, some shadowing of non psych doctors, probably ok on clinical experience etc.). Medicine is not an alternative to spending lots of time and money. It is the ultimate time and money commitment. Unless you are completely on board with the field you should probably consider something else.

 

[atroposlachesis]

Thank you, xxffan 624, I really appreciate your input! I absolutely do not mean to state that medical school would be a cheaper/less time intensive alternative!!! I see how much it has beat up my most hard-working friends who are dead-set on becoming doctors. You bring up excellent points. At this time, I have very little passion for areas of medicine outside of psychiatry and neurology. That means I likely lack the steam to get through close to 15 years of prep and study. Besides, going the OT route is a chance to work alongside many health professionals and different populations. If I fall in love with medicine, then doing OT first would give me a foundation without nearly the same level of risk.

Thank you again so much.

 

[atroposlachesis]

Any chance that post-bacc experience in an allied field like PT or OT, plus high post-bacc grades, would weigh in at all? I understand that most of the AMCAS criteria is based on the pure math and undergrad GPA trumps post-bacc, but it seems odd that there would be no flexibility whatsoever for nontrads. Then again, I understand how much competition there is. Best of luck to you!

 

[atroposlachesis]

Ooooh good to know! Unfortunate, but good to know. I'm under 30, but not by much. Your assessment of the AAMC is depressing but not surprising. I've done so many off-the-record mental health interventions for MDs that I would be tempted to create a program designed to specifically support medical professionals' psychological well-being. Thanks for re-affirming my original OT path. Maybe DO someday...someday. And best wishes to you navigating the brutality.