Age starting medical school

Started by MzzMisty
BU Medical Sciences
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Helen Wheels said:
I would never want to say to someone, "you're to old to go to med school" because it really would depend on the individual, their personal health and stamina. I have to admit, though, from a purely physical standpoint, I am mighty glad I am doing this at 40 and not 58!

I do think, from a purely financial point of view, it doesn't make sense to go to medical school after you get much above 40. I am saying this from a purely numbers point of view because you would never be able to pay off your student loans before you die. You'd be saddled with those payments until you went into the grave.
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Yea, I didn't want to say anything about debt because at the age of 58 an individual might have a nice bit saved up and be able to finance med school and then some.

I just can't see starting an 8+ year process at the age of 58.
 
MedPR said:
Yea, I didn't want to say anything about debt because at the age of 58 an individual might have a nice bit saved up and be able to finance med school and then some.

I just can't see starting an 8+ year process at the age of 58.
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At 23, I couldn't imagine BEING 58, let alone what I would be doing then 😉
 
There are some other options I am looking into besides medical school. Wishing I would of paid more attention when I first went to college LOL but we all know how that is first time away from home.

One thing I absolutely know is I want to work in some aspect of the medical field. The program I am checking out is Anesthesia Assistant, it's a Master program and I would have to take all the same prerequisites as medical school and a most of the schools want you to take the MCAT. That's is scary for me. There are some drawbacks however first there are only about 5 schools that offer this and after I am finished only 18 states that license an Anesthesia Assistant. Most are in the south and back east. I think the furthest western state is Colorado. I am fine with relocating I am really tired of the rain and so far summer has sucked.

I am also thinking of Physicians Assistant but still doing research. Research is also a possibility which is why I am going to go ahead and get a biology degree. I just can't see getting a bachelors in anything else because I want to be able to use my degree. My plan now is to go back to school in the fall and declare my major. I do some college which will help get those general education requirements out of the way.

I have the utmost respect for everyone who has managed or are going through medical school.
 
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Oldermom said:
One thing I absolutely know is I want to work in some aspect of the medical field. The program I am checking out is Anesthesia Assistant, it's a Master program and I would have to take all the same prerequisites as medical school and a most of the schools want you to take the MCAT. That's is scary for me. There are some drawbacks however first there are only about 5 schools that offer this and after I am finished only 18 states that license an Anesthesia Assistant. Most are in the south and back east. I think the furthest western state is Colorado. I am fine with relocating I am really tired of the rain and so far summer has sucked.
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Oldermom, while it is true that not all states recognize anesthesiology assistants, keep in mind that the federal VA system does. So you could work as an anesthesiology assistant in a VA hospital in any state.
 
I'll be 24 when I start med school, if all goes well this cycle... I'm a non-trad because I've got 2 kids, not because I've been out of school for a decade or worked a job for however long. It's definitely helped me mature as a person, I view things MUCH differently than I would've had I been a typical 23 year old! 🙂
 
Helen thanks for that information, I had no idea that the VA did that.

The more I think about it the more it seems like the Masters in Anesthesia Assistants might be more doable for me.

I wonder if there are AA at the VA hospital here. If there is maybe I could shadow one for a couple days and see what they do exactly. It's one thing to see a written description of a job but to be there and see it being done is something else entirely.

I'll have to check into that.
 
jl lin said:
If you are stuck in this kind of bias and ageism, do the right thing and avoid being a part of adcom committees or having some influence over them in some way. Your bias is highly problematic and far from objective, or even fair or beneficial for that matter.

I wish you well. This is just one lowly person's two cents.
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My opinion is based on the objective fact that it is costly to train physicians. In my opinion, ~10 years of service does not justify that cost when there are literally thousands of other qualified applicants. Perhaps some physicians practice into their mid 70s, but I doubt many do.
 
MedPR said:
My opinion is based on the objective fact that it is costly to train physicians. In my opinion, ~10 years of service does not justify that cost when there are literally thousands of other qualified applicants. Perhaps some physicians practice into their mid 70s, but I doubt many do.
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Do you really think that there aren't plenty of people that pull their weight and then some after 70 or so? Really. Boy I have some people for you to meet.

I hear ya. I just don't agree, and if you are a healthy person that takes good care of yourself--not borrowing, God forbid, anything terrible or some horrific accident, you will likely change your tune on this.

Yes people have productive lives after 70, and they even have sex. lol
 
To give a brief I am a Computer Engineer with MBA in Marketing and Human Resource and have 7 years of IT industry work experience. At this point of time in my career, I am looking at starting a career into Medicine in USA. At 32 years of age, my keen interest in human biology and current state of intense job dissatisfaction has propelled me to thinking of changing my career.
I was looking out for some guidance to get started into this.
any comments on this shall be welcomed.
 
hetalsharad said:
To give a brief I am a Computer Engineer with MBA in Marketing and Human Resource and have 7 years of IT industry work experience. At this point of time in my career, I am looking at starting a career into Medicine in USA. At 32 years of age, my keen interest in human biology and current state of intense job dissatisfaction has propelled me to thinking of changing my career.
I was looking out for some guidance to get started into this.
any comments on this shall be welcomed.
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1. Green card is everything. Get yours if you don't have it yet.
2. Volunteer in a US clinical setting, immediately, to vet your ambition.
3. Do all med school prereqs in the US - this is 1-2 years of undergrad schooling.
4. Search this forum for "Scottish Chap".
5. Age doesn't matter much.

Best of luck to you.
 
I thought I would weigh in here. I will be graduating in 2014 with my first bachelors degree at the age of 41. I'm looking into joint degree programs for med school so it's possible I will start my second career at the age of 50 or 51. I have no problem starting a career at that age and, in fact, being older has given me some advantages so far (less personal drama, etc.) While I can see the practical concern of debt, I figure it's worth it. And the fact is, I can be 50 with a medical degree, or 50 without a medical degree. I'll be 50 either way.
 
drmidlife hi, i am 34 y/o and is a practicing PT for the last 12 yrs. i am contemplating of going to med school possibly in 2-3 yrs from now since i know i have to take pre-req's. i told 2 of my friends and i know im crazy if i push through w/ it. i think i have a well paying job but finances will still be a problem since my saving would not be enough for the next 4 yrs plus i have a mortgage. its always been a dream of mine to be a dr but when i was younger i have no means to do it and now that i may be able to im not sure. sorry for the long rant, i think what im trying to hear is a different perspective from me and my friends. thank you 🙂
 
dearme12 said:
drmidlife hi, i am 34 y/o and is a practicing PT for the last 12 yrs. i am contemplating of going to med school possibly in 2-3 yrs from now since i know i have to take pre-req's. i told 2 of my friends and i know im crazy if i push through w/ it. i think i have a well paying job but finances will still be a problem since my saving would not be enough for the next 4 yrs plus i have a mortgage. its always been a dream of mine to be a dr but when i was younger i have no means to do it and now that i may be able to im not sure. sorry for the long rant, i think what im trying to hear is a different perspective from me and my friends. thank you 🙂
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My suggestion: invest a bunch of hours reading relevant posts on SDN. Start in the "FAQ" thread that is at the top of nontrad. Don't ask any more questions until you have a bunch of hours invested. 20 hours would be a good start.

Why not ask questions to gather info? The answers to questions here are sparse and random. You never know what you're gonna get. You never know if the strong response to your question, that sounds perfectly fine, is coming from a 16 year old in Latvia or an actual US med student / resident / practicing physician. So asking questions to gather info here is foolish, in planning a career change, compared to studying the conversations that have come before, where seasoned & reasoned opinions have stabilized the info.

Best of luck to you.
 
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Oldermom said:
There are some other options I am looking into besides medical school. Wishing I would of paid more attention when I first went to college LOL but we all know how that is first time away from home.

One thing I absolutely know is I want to work in some aspect of the medical field. The program I am checking out is Anesthesia Assistant, it's a Master program and I would have to take all the same prerequisites as medical school and a most of the schools want you to take the MCAT. That's is scary for me. There are some drawbacks however first there are only about 5 schools that offer this and after I am finished only 18 states that license an Anesthesia Assistant. Most are in the south and back east. I think the furthest western state is Colorado. I am fine with relocating I am really tired of the rain and so far summer has sucked.

I am also thinking of Physicians Assistant but still doing research. Research is also a possibility which is why I am going to go ahead and get a biology degree. I just can't see getting a bachelors in anything else because I want to be able to use my degree. My plan now is to go back to school in the fall and declare my major. I do some college which will help get those general education requirements out of the way.

I have the utmost respect for everyone who has managed or are going through medical school.
Click to expand...

There was someone in their late 50s that graduated pharmacy school with me. The said person is one of the smartest and most dedicated individuals that I've had the pleasure to become friends with. It just goes to show anything is possible. :laugh:
 
Mindscrew said:
Hmmm..i'm almost 38 and am starting 2nd year. Never too old
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if you don't mind me asking, during interviews were there any questions regarding age? or what took so long. and if you dont mind posting your stats when applying.

thanks, I'm still pre med but would be in similar age during 2nd year
 
i'll be 42 when i start next year.

age never came up during my interview, its illegal unless you bring it up first pretty much.
 
I am a little worried about this as well, but it seems that there are plenty of second career med school aspirants like me.

I am over 40 and am applying this June with a 3.85 gpa and a 34 MCAT. I hope to join the ranks of the non-trad med students/soon-to-be physicians.
 
All this age talk drives me crazy. It's never too late...anyone can walk out of the house and get hit by a bus, young or older. I think if the drive and passion are there an older physician can contribute more than many younger (I read Women in Osteopathic Medicine and in fact there was one older grandmother who contributed to medicine, advocacy, and research more than many do in their whole career). I know an 80 year old who's in better physical shape than most average Americans (she still plays soccer), there are mountaineers in their 70's who do very challenging technical climbs...possibilities are endless, and its never too late!
 
kayak30 said:
All this age talk drives me crazy. It's never too late...anyone can walk out of the house and get hit by a bus, young or older. I think if the drive and passion are there an older physician can contribute more than many younger (I read Women in Osteopathic Medicine and in fact there was one older grandmother who contributed to medicine, advocacy, and research more than many do in their whole career). I know an 80 year old who's in better physical shape than most average Americans (she still plays soccer), there are mountaineers in their 70's who do very challenging technical climbs...possibilities are endless, and its never too late!
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The result of society's ageistic programming. People end up not valuing life at all it's stages. This is both sad and wasteful.
 
For you football fans, here is further proof that age should not be a limiting factor in your career.
Dick LeBeau - 75 years old - Steelers defensive coordinator
Monte Kiffin - 72 years - Cowboys defensive coordinator (just hired!)

If you think you are too old and you are only in your mid-20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, etc...then you are selling yourself short.
 
If all goes as planned, I'll be 29 when I matriculate. When I was 20 I would have said that was old. Now, it really doesn't seem that old at all, especially when you consider that I'll love what I am doing.
 
Honestly. I would say that you are not too old. The problem could be that because you will be around fifty with no experience once you graduate no-one would want to hire you. But if you can overcome that problem then you could practice effectively for twenty years after that, hopefully. Good luck
 
Reading this makes me feel better since I'm a non-traditional students. Only 22 right now 🙂 Taking MCAT this May 30th in Singapore.
 
I'll be 39 when I start school this fall.
I know a woman who is 101; she didn't learn to drive until she was 54.
You are never too old to expand your horizons.
 
I'll be starting the rest of my pre-reqs this summer. I'm 26. I don't care how old I am when I get out, I just want to pursue this dream. Come on everyone, have a little faith in yourselves.
 
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squat said:
I don't see where 22 and non-trad fit in the same sentence, but carry on. :laugh:
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We need some kind of a rule to define being Non-Trad. I know it's not just the age, but it's mainly the age, and all the things that come along with it (careers, families, life experience).
If you are 22, how is it you are a Non-Trad? 🙄
Same goes to all the 23's and the 24's. I think minimum age should be something like 25, or being out of school for at least 5 years (that makes you about 27).
I know a lot of you guys will disagree with me. But a 22 yrs old non-Trad? 🙄
Come on!
 
Let this be a lesson to all of you future doctors that one of the big things they want to TRY to teach you in med school is cultural awareness.

In a lot of Asia, the grade levels are different. I know in the Philippines, my parents didn't go to what we have in the US - 7th and 8th grade and as far as I know that's still how it is.

If it's like that in Singapore, 22 is like our 24-25.

Anyways, posting up to say I started med school at 33. And one of the funny things is that the attendings are my age or younger!!! And everyone thinks I'm 26 (from my youthful appearance).

Then we'd get into conversations about music, and I'd talk about how I owned the vinyl to a group, and they'd ask me if I'm into buying "retro". And I'd have to say, "NO, my sister and I used to buy records...how old do you think I am??"
 
Shjanzey said:
I don't see where 22 and non-trad fit in the same sentence, but carry on.
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Um must agree there. Exception would be if say you had a kid or two, couldn't depend on mommy or daddy, had to work and care for the kids--all while going to school. In such a case, it wouldn't matter that much to me if you were 22; however, even then, 22 is young and shinny new. Even if you took your sweet time, you still have a lot of living. But the other issues would definitely mean non-trad kind of challenging, as your priorities would be in serious competition.
 
Wow! I'm so happy to have found this thread; I have plans to be a Non-trad medical student. It's a little unusual, but I want to enter either Neurology or PM&R after working in PT until my early 40's (I'm 29 and entering PT school now). I love rehabilitation! I just figure I will need a job that's less physical as I near retirement but that will still satisfy my curiosity and allow me to work with people. Even though I won't be able to practice on my own until my early 50's, they way I see it, I will work with patients much sooner than that and I still get paid. In terms of PT, part of me feels "wrong" about only contributing 10 years to my profession, but at the very least, I'll still be working with the same population of patients!

So.....I'll be in med school and going through menopause (most likely anyway) with a couple of teenagers in the house.....but hey that's life....I can't deny myself (or my patients) doing the thing I absolutely love!!! Hopefully I can contribute something and be useful....that's my main concern, but it seems from what others say on here that it's still a realistic possibility!

Anyone know of other relevant threads I should read from this site? There's so many of them....I understand I will have to dedicate time and do some searching around....but still.....if anyone knows of good ones to read, feel free to share😍
 
doctorold said:
We need some kind of a rule to define being Non-Trad. I know it's not just the age, but it's mainly the age, and all the things that come along with it (careers, families, life experience).
If you are 22, how is it you are a Non-Trad? 🙄
Same goes to all the 23's and the 24's. I think minimum age should be something like 25, or being out of school for at least 5 years (that makes you about 27).
I know a lot of you guys will disagree with me. But a 22 yrs old non-Trad? 🙄
Come on!
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Some people are parents at 22 - which automatically defines them as non-trad for financial aid.

Well, on the topic. Here's my story: I graduated high school in 1995, and had a great job working with the US Ski Team. I traveled, made decent money, etc., etc. I opted not to go to college right away. I had my oldest son at 20 and shortly after left my job w/ the US Ski Team as I couldn't travel as much as was required for this position. At 26, I had my second (and youngest) son.

When my youngest was 2, I got divorced. I decided at this time, to go to undergrad. I graduated undergrad at almost 33, and started medical school in 2010.

I am now a 35 year old 3rd year medical student who is a single parent of 2 boys (15 & 9). I am also not the oldest in my class.

There is no such thing as "too old" for medical school.
 
All of these ages listed on this thread make me laugh. Oh, to be so young again. Please post more stories on how medical school is treating all of you young pups!

I am a first year student and well above any of the ages posted here.
 
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cabinbuilder said:
Graduated college at 25
Post-bacc year age 29
Matriculated age 32
Graduated age 37
Graduated residency age 40
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I'll be 30 next month and ready to apply next summer, so this is around about my time frame. The doctors I work with always tell me, "You can be 40 and a doctor, or you can just be 40." Glad to see someone else out there has done it before me. Thanks!
 
doctorold said:
We need some kind of a rule to define being Non-Trad. I know it's not just the age, but it's mainly the age, and all the things that come along with it (careers, families, life experience).
If you are 22, how is it you are a Non-Trad? 🙄
Same goes to all the 23's and the 24's. I think minimum age should be something like 25, or being out of school for at least 5 years (that makes you about 27).
I know a lot of you guys will disagree with me. But a 22 yrs old non-Trad? 🙄
Come on!
Click to expand...

So you mean I'm not a non-trad for at least another month? Shucks.
 
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If everything goes according to plan, I'll be 35-36 starting M1. So I'll have my loans repaid about the time I'm ready to retire...
 
27 now if everything works out MS1 at 29, this is also my first time posting in non-trad, its nice to see a general supportive attitude around here.
 
I am almost 33 and will be finishing up my Junior year of my undergrad. So no its not too late If accepted I will going into med school at 35.

Where there's a will there's a way 🙂
 
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