Advice from one non-trad to other non-trads

[Law2Doc]

10. Preparation
-Regardless of whether your post-bac program requires it, take anatomy and physiology. This will help you considerably as most of the other students in the class will have had this and it is much easier to learn the second time around. Biochem is also useful.

I strongly agree with 1-9, but respectfully disagree with 10. Med school teaches you all you need to know, and then some. There is no expectation in med school for you to show up having taken other than the prereqs (which for some schools includes biochem and for others not), and no reason you can't get up to speed without having taken the first year courses already. Most med students (traditional or not) actually will not have already taken anatomy and physiology. Some portion of the bio majors may have. While it might be helpful to have had a college course as an overview before taking the med school level course, it probably isn't worth an extra semester of postbac to do so. Just plan to hit the ground running and work hard. This will help set the pace for the rest of med school anyhow.

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[Cade]

Since Jr. High it had been my intention to practice medicine. I am now 53. I took pre-med biology, inorganic and organic, and a couple quarters of physics some 20 hears ago. For some reason, possibly ADD (wasn't heard of back then) or other personal issues, I wrapped up a B.S. in Physical Education, went back and completed an M.S. in Exercise Physiology. During the summers of the masters program I took crash courses (one year in the summer semester) in inorganic and organic. Then I veered off for a Ph.D. in Instructional Technology - Interactive Courseware. In 1987, age 34, I took a position as a civilian with the Air Force as an Instructional Systems Specialist.

The urge to go to medical school constantly nagged at me. I signed up for MCAT prep courses a couple of times. But, realized that I had lost too much of the basics to perform well on the MCAT.

I just completed my twentieth year with the Air Force. It has not been at all fulfilling. The urge to practice medicine is as compelling as ever. But, I had concluded that, because of my age, the opportunity had passed me by.

Then I read a few "American Dream" type articles. People such as Barbara Sher of the book Wishcraft fame. "Its never too late. . . etc." So, I have revisited the idea. I stumbled across the Post Bacc programs, and received renewed energy in the hope of taking the required pre-med courses and being ready in one year to sit for the MCAT. I have contacted ten of the twelve which seem to match my situation. Most responded with a dead-end message, saying that they only accept those with absolutely no previous pre-med courses. (Bryn Mawr, Johns Hopkins, Goucher, to name a few)

Ideally, it would be nice to find a medical school willing to work outside the box, make an exception to conventional acceptance criteria, offer some sort of provisional matriculation, and off we go, as late as Fall 2008. But, the greater the fantasy the lower the probability of it becoming reality. Even though, yeah "It could happen."

All that said, in searching within myself with regard to my true motivation and dealing with the reality of age and place in life, I have reached the point of analysis to paralysis. I'm seeking rational input to what many would consider an irrational dream.

Thank you.

 

[Meatwad]

Unfortunately, I've never heard of anything like a "offer some sort of provisional matriculation," as you put it; I'm fairly certain this doesn't exist.

Your pre-reqs are 20+ years old, so it'd be wise to retake those. This means maybe you'd take the MCAT in a year or two, depending on the course load and when you being (next semester would be ideal). If you do well on the MCAT and all your classes, and you UG GPA is fine, you'll be matriculating around age 56 (maybe 55, but I don't know when your birthday is).

You'd graduate med school at 60, and finish residency at age 63-65, depending on what you choose (63 for IM, 65 for radiology, for example). At this point, you will have hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt, which in all likelihood, will never be paid off. You will also be working around 80 hours a week during residency, maybe more, maybe less, depending on the specialty you choose (it seems to be common wisdom with residents that the 80-hour work week is not completely upheld many places, and they often end up working more). To begin practicing at age 63, you won't have many years to practice (this differs for everyone, of course, but it would be nice to retire at a certain age and relax in your later years, no?).

With that said, it can be done; and it has been. I believe MSU's osteopathic medical school had a 63 year old PhD-turned-DO graduate a year or so ago. Is it worth it? Many would say no, me being one of them. Does that mean you shouldn't do it? Not at all, that is something wholly up to you. However, it is an awfully long and hard road for someone of any age, and to go through all of it just to practice for a few years is not worth it to me, personally. Obviously you are not doing it for financial gain, rather to help people. There are many ways to get involved and help those in need of medical help. If you are comfortable financially, you could retire and do volunteer work with missionaries. This is, of course, assuming you have a very supportive spouse/family. If you don't, than I wouldn't expect them to be accepting of you going to medical school, either.

 

[Law2Doc]

Ideally, it would be nice to find a medical school willing to work outside the box, make an exception to conventional acceptance criteria, offer some sort of provisional matriculation, and off we go, as late as Fall 2008. But, the greater the fantasy the lower the probability of it becoming reality. Even though, yeah "It could happen."

US Med schools don't work outside the box. They don't have to -- there are many more qualified applicants than spots these days. So as a nontrad, you have to find a way to put yourself into the box. The point of prereqs, MCAT, ECs is both because they are hurdles that schools deem useful to separate those who will thrive in med school and those who won't, as well as a measure to compare applicants. If you want to attend med school, you need to go through the same motions as everyone else. That makes matriculation in 2008 pretty unrealistic for you, I think.