Any advice would help!

[thebluestate]

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Hi there! I'm totally new to the forums. Here is a little background on me- I'm a 26 year old female and am still at community college- I am two classes away from my associates in psychology and just changed my major to biological sciences in hopes of getting into my school of choice to complete my BA. I have a 3.3 now and should have it raised to 3.4 at the end of this semester/summer and will be filing a transfer agreement to go to UCI fall 2016. I have chosen to major in public health sciences there, not only because it has many of the science requirements of bio and chem, but it seems more diverse and interesting to me. I also want to minor in psychology. My ultimate goal is to become a psychiatrist. I have been a drug and alcohol counselor for three years and find that talk therapy is something that I am naturally great at and am extremely passionate about. The concentration of psychiatry is the ultimate goal to me because I find it so rare to come across great talk therapy and proper medication together. Usually it's a psychiatrist dispensing the medication and referring to a therapist. Anyways, I know I am older and behind the curve on things, but I know that this is what I want. I didn't start college until I was 23 and am focused and determined. (It is a little hard to do full time school and I'll time work though) I guess my questions are 1.) Does a public health science major look good to med schools?
2.) Is my goal even attainable?
3.) Will my clinical experience help me get into Med school?

I have had a hard time finding a school counselor to give me good advice so I am looking to you guys for help. Thank you in advance! Any ideas help!

 

[Old&InTheWay]

Dont worry about your age, you're gonna get older no matter what you do so just focus on doing well.

I had this exact same realization when I finally decided (at age 30) to embark on the process of going to med school after years of thinking I was too old. I am now 35 and will be starting this August.

 

[Old&InTheWay]

Ah, the power of older women!

I am a man, but can attest to this sentiment as my wife is 4 years my senior.

 

[thebluestate]

Thank you for all of the encouraging responses! I am so ignorant to this whole process and have not found a capable school counselor to answer all of my questions so I am appreciative! I have been looking around at schools and such and was wondering if the DO path would be more suitable to my desired outcome. I am 100% positive that I want to be a psychiatrist and find that the holistic approach aligns with my ideals and values more than just a clear cut medical (pharmaceutical) side. With this in mind, I want to be a psychiatrist that actually does the full fifty minute sessions with talk therapy so I do not have to refer my patients to a therapist. I know how beneficial good talk therapy is in correlation with proper medication and am wondering if there are any tried and true routes people have gone in order to be successful on this path.

 

[thebluestate]

Also, what steps would I need to take in order to get my shadowing/clinical experience? I work closely with a psychiatrist at my work and have for the last two years, acting as a pseudo assistant to him. Is there specific paperwork he could sign saying I shadowed him? Is there a proper etiquette to asking another medical professional if you can shadow? I have another psychiatrist in mind that I know personally and my friend's husband is an orthopedic surgeon and I know he would be a great asset in shadowing as well so I have a more rounded resume of experience.