am I too old - part 2.

[Lurdes777]

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Hello all,

glad that I found this forum.

The same question I am battling myself - am I too old? , and I am 30 year old female with Business Administraton degree. Situation is like that - I always admired doctors for what they do, but never considered myself to become a doctor, until recently. I spent lots of time in the hospital with my friend battling cancer, I even volunteered in ER to gain some knowledge of med environment.

My boyfriend encourages me to go to med school and will support my and our son while (if) I am in school. But I am so in doubt if it is a good idea - I am afraid of being too old (40s?) when I enter a workf roce. I am afraid I will not be ae to spend any time with my 9 yo son, afraind that I wil not be able to have any more kids, due to the schedule in school, residency and all that good stuff....

Are there any good examples of female students who have functional families and more over, have kids while in school?

Hoping for some reassurance, but any advice/thought will be appreciated.

 

[CrazyPremed]

I don't think that you are too old. Although they aren't the majority, there are many folks older than you embarking on this journey. Another site - MomMD.com - is a community full of people who share your experience. In addition to this site, you can find support there.

As an older premed myself, I'm beginning to realize that it truly comes down to two questions. The first is, "Do I really want to become a physician?" and the second, "Am I willing to go through the process necessary to become a physician?"

Only you can answer those questions for yourself. Good luck in your journey.

CrazyPremed

As an endnote, the midlevel practitioners PA and NP, can be attractive alternatives. I'm in a 1.5 year RN program, and - initially - signed up as a fast means of supporting myself part-time while finishing the premed requirements. Now that I am working in the field (an LPN on a hospital cardiac floor), I have re-evaluated my stand on the midlevels. For those that have families and may want to take a different route in medicine, it could be a dream come true.

 

[Perrotfish]

Definitely not to old, you'd probably be starting at medical school at 32 or 33 and that's not really that old for many Medical schools. The kid thing is a whole other issue that you need to answer for yourself. Make sure you know what's involved in M3 year and residency, and that you can make arangements for your kid during that time.

 

[OncoCaP]

Hello all,

glad that I found this forum.

The same question I am battling myself - am I too old? , and I am 30 year old female with Business Administraton degree. Situation is like that - I always admired doctors for what they do, but never considered myself to become a doctor, until recently. I spent lots of time in the hospital with my friend battling cancer, I even volunteered in ER to gain some knowledge of med environment.

My boyfriend encourages me to go to med school and will support my and our son while (if) I am in school. But I am so in doubt if it is a good idea - I am afraid of being too old (40s?) when I enter a workf roce. I am afraid I will not be ae to spend any time with my 9 yo son, afraind that I wil not be able to have any more kids, due to the schedule in school, residency and all that good stuff....

Are there any good examples of female students who have functional families and more over, have kids while in school?

Hoping for some reassurance, but any advice/thought will be appreciated.

I'm a male parent and a med student who is several years older than you, but I also know several mothers who are in med school. As best as I can tell, many mothers go through the process successfully at my school and many other schools (some schools might be more supportive in this regard ... you should check the specifics of where you are applying).

In terms of your case, I would give it a year to think over. Take some post-bacc classes (biochem, bio, physiology, etc.), and check this idea out more. It's not a crazy idea at all. It could work out very well for you. Talk to practicing physicians who are parents. Talk to residents and med students who are parents (this is actually a good forum for that). You could study for the MCAT as well. Consider alternatives, such as RN, PA, NP, pharmacy, and dental school. Make sure you have considered other options. You will need to be able to answer such questions in your interviews anyway. Age could actually be an advantage in some situations. The parenting thing is really the most serious issue because medicine will take you away from your family at times and depending on what specialty you go into and the specifics of your clinical rotations, you could be spending signficant amounts of time away from home.

 

[Lurdes777]

THank you everyone for your replies! I read all other threads in the same theme and I feel much better now. Here is what I think will be my plan and let me you if you think it is a good one :

I will enroll in to post-bacc classes either in the summer or Fall of this year. Untill that will pay off all my current debts so I will not have anything esle to pay off when I start school ( since my BF will support me while I am in school).

After finishing post bacc will try to take MCAT and se how I do. If I don't do that good, and after evaluating my chances for another take - I will enroll into NP program for post-bacc, which should take no more than 3-4 years in total.

Would you reccommend to take post-bacc classes in the community college or is it better to take them in on of the local universities ? (I am in NYC). Prices are significantly different and I will be taking loans. Does this matter in the eyes of admission committee?

Should I make an appointment with advisor at one of the Med schools and get theri opinion on what are my best options or is it too early at this point?

Many thanks guys!

 

[onefish]

Hey Lurdes, I'm 31 and starting this process, so worst case, we can flop together...

The collective word that I have heard around this forum is that university is preferred, but CC can work.

Sadly for me, that means a 60 minute commute. My city is slightly smaller than NYC. 🙂

This is just an aside as a parent though, but with your timing, maybe there could be some positives--if your child is say 12-17 as you are going to school, well, yes, there's the time problems on the one hand, but on the other, you'll be there to actively demonstrate some serious educational devotion. I think that could rub your child the right way.

 

[Beast11]

Hey Lurdes, I'm 31 and starting this process, so worst case, we can flop together...

Sadly for me, that means a 60 minute commute. My city is slightly smaller than NYC. 🙂

.

ummmm. What major metroplex does not have dozens of colleges in throwing distance?