Advice for wannabe pediatrician

[jlittlej]

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I'll be short: I'm a journalist who's thinking about doing the post-bac and then med school thing. I have a mediocre college record but expect high MCAT scores - I'm open to DO and FMG if not accepted to an allopathic in the US. Since college, I've learned (some) Arabic and have been reporting out of the Middle East for a couple years. So I have an interesting post-college resume but so does everyone else that seems to get into decent med-schools.

I love kids and am very interested in pediatrics. Any advice for a guy who has two years of postbac and med school to go?

 

[GeneGoddess]

You should check out the non-trad forums! I'm not sure which schools tend to like non-trads (I think that more of them should), but you should have something "medical" on your record as well (volunteer at a hospital, become an EMT, etc).

 

[kas23]

And if you want to go into peds, you can go to ANY school you want to. You don't have to think you must go to a top ten school. So, be smart and pick the cheapest one because as a pediatrician, you won't be making much.

 

[doc05]

peds can be a very fulfilling job for the right personality. In any event, be realistic and keep in mind that pay is among the lowest of any medical specialty. An unfortunate consideration, but with your advanced age and the ever-rising cost of medical education, an important one.

 

[doc05]

also be open to other specialty choices. the question isn't "will I match," because peds isn't that competitive; but more importantly, will you enjoy the work, and does the reality of the job meet your expectations?