Been a long time...

[JoeJoe2482]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hey fellow SDN'ers!!
It's been a super long time since I posted and don't expect to get much of a response.
Here I am AGAIN considering med school but I'm a few years wiser.
Right now I'm undergoing a nasty divorce and am a father to a 4 year old. I'm 38.
I've been considering medicine since I started community college 20 years ago.
Currently, I'm finishing my last semester for my MBA and then considering a second Masters degree in IT.
I work as an IT manager for a large healthcare provider client, more specifically, managed print services. I manage all the print systems for the company.
I mean it pays well and I have experience as a project manager but cannot seem to be able to pass the PMP exam but that's for a different story.
I'm thinking to go back to CC for a few science courses to get my feet wet again but just so afraid of failing, money and the time it will take to become a doctor.
And hear all the time of people going to med school at the age of 40 or 50 plus which gives some hope.
I don't have any science pre-reqs or MCAT as a background and my Grad GPA is like a 3.79. My UGPA is more like a 2.3 in a social science discipline.
It's either I resolve to not go to med school or I go all in. I mean technically, I'm trying to get more experience and more cemented in PM but I'm not quite sure that's what I want. I've thought of going back to law enforcement, counseling, education, and law. I've even thought of just doing really well on the LSAT and trying to get into law school. But there's something about the customer experience/patient aspect coupled with the science behind medicine that really intrigues me.
It just feels right, if you know what I mean by that. But I also don't want to make a huge career change that could affect my daughter negatively on a "feeling."
Mostly this post is for me to vent but feel free to comment if the need arises. And good luck to you all!

 

[ohnoitsalinguist]

Hey fellow SDN'ers!!
It's been a super long time since I posted and don't expect to get much of a response.
Here I am AGAIN considering med school but I'm a few years wiser.
Right now I'm undergoing a nasty divorce and am a father to a 4 year old. I'm 38.
I've been considering medicine since I started community college 20 years ago.
Currently, I'm finishing my last semester for my MBA and then considering a second MBA in IT.
I work as an IT manager for a large healthcare provider client, more specifically, managed print services. I manage all the print systems for the company.
I mean it pays well and I have experience as a project manager but cannot seem to be able to pass the PMP exam but that's for a different story.
I'm thinking to go back to CC for a few science courses to get my feet wet again but just so afraid of failing, money and the time it will take to become a doctor.
And hear all the time of people going to med school at the age of 40 or 50 plus which gives some hope.
I don't have any science pre-reqs or MCAT as a background and my Grad GPA is like a 3.79. My UGPA is more like a 2.3 in a social science discipline.
It's either I resolve to not go to med school or I go all in. I mean technically, I'm trying to get more experience and more cemented in PM but I'm not quite sure that's what I want. I've thought of going back to law enforcement, counseling, education, and law. I've even thought of just doing really well on the LSAT and trying to get into law school. But there's something about the customer experience/patient aspect coupled with the science behind medicine that really intrigues me.
It just feels right, if you know what I mean by that. But I also don't want to make a huge career change that could affect my daughter negatively on a "feeling."
Mostly this post is for me to vent but feel free to comment if the need arises. And good luck to you all!

Hello! No advice, I just wanted to let you know you're not alone. I'm not divorced, but 38 with a 4 year old and taking a big leap doing a post-bacc. I've been a paramedic forever but have been away from the field a couple years and it feels like forever. I decided to take my math courses at community college and in a few weeks begin an unstructured post-bacc at a local small university. The good thing is that daycare is less expensive at this age and in a couple years we've got public school to look forward to. My thinking regarding upending things with my daughter/financial issues- I want my daughter to be strong and persistent. When she sees her mom working towards a big goal even though I'm 'older' she learns about not giving up. And when she's 40, if she doesn't like where she's at, hopefully she'll also be willing to make a leap.

 

[JoeJoe2482]

Hello! No advice, I just wanted to let you know you're not alone. I'm not divorced, but 38 with a 4 year old and taking a big leap doing a post-bacc. I've been a paramedic forever but have been away from the field a couple years and it feels like forever. I decided to take my math courses at community college and in a few weeks begin an unstructured post-bacc at a local small university. The good thing is that daycare is less expensive at this age and in a couple years we've got public school to look forward to. My thinking regarding upending things with my daughter/financial issues- I want my daughter to be strong and persistent. When she sees her mom working towards a big goal even though I'm 'older' she learns about not giving up. And when she's 40, if she doesn't like where she's at, hopefully she'll also be willing to make a leap.

Hmmm.. I'm not a paramedic so I lack that experience. Thank you for posting a reply though. It's always encouraging to hear from others in similar situations. "Daycare is cheaper at this age"? I would love to know which one you're using because mine cost around 1100 a month full-time. More than likely, I will enroll at my local CC for the core pre-reqs after I finish my MBA this semester but I'm torn on whether or not to start a MSIS, that is if I stay in IT. I give you props for the courage to start. It's something that I have yet to truly do. Although, like I said, I fantasize and daydream quite a bit but until I sit the first day in those CC chairs in class - it will still be fear that dictates my future! I think I'm leaning more towards a DIY post-bacc than a structured one. Even though the local university near me has a medical school and a formal, structured post-bacc. Would love to continue to follow you on SDN, if I don't take the bullet and end up staying in IT. =)

 

[Dral]

This may just be a technicality, but what is the PMP? Is there a reason why you can’t seem to pass it? If it is a standardized exam in a field you are familiar with, just know (you probably already do) that you will have many standardized exams ahead of you if you go into medicine.

mcat
step I
step II CK
step II CS
step III
shelf exams during 3rd year of med school
in service exams every year during residency/fellowship
Board exam (plus board exam in specialty if you go that route)
MOC (not for every field)

Just something to consider before taking this big step in your life.

 

[JoeJoe2482]

This may just be a technicality, but what is the PMP? Is there a reason why you can’t seem to pass it? If it is a standardized exam in a field you are familiar with, just know (you probably already do) that you will have many standardized exams ahead of you if you go into medicine.

mcat
step I
step II CK
step II CS
step III
shelf exams during 3rd year of med school
in service exams every year during residency/fellowship
Board exam (plus board exam in specialty if you go that route)
MOC (not for every field)

Just something to consider before taking this big step in your life.

The PMP stands for Project Management Professional it is an intermediate to advanced level certification in the PM field. Everyone should know what PM is about since it is applicable in every profession. PMs own the world and cover all kinds of fields IT, Service, Sales, SCM, Healthcare, and etc among them. The easier credentials being Project + and, of course, the CAPM certification unless you count the Prince2 or Agile certs which I am not. Obviously I come from an IT background so that is where most of my knowledge lies. However, with that being said, as an MBA practitioner, I have a better idea about different areas of business because of the breadth of study. This cert has just been a hurdle for me to pass. I almost passed on my last attempt. I do not do well with standardized tests and have testing anxiety among other things.

 

[JoeJoe2482]

The PMP stands for Project Management Professional it is an intermediate to advanced level certification in the PM field. Everyone should know what PM is about since it is applicable in every profession. PMs own the world and cover all kinds of fields IT, Service, Sales, SCM, Healthcare, and etc among them. The easier credentials being Project + and, of course, the CAPM certification unless you count the Prince2 or Agile certs which I am not. Obviously I come from an IT background so that is where most of my knowledge lies. However, with that being said, as an MBA practitioner, I have a better idea about different areas of business because of the breadth of study. This cert has just been a hurdle for me to pass. I almost passed on my last attempt. I do not do well with standardized tests and have testing anxiety among other things. I appreciate your advice and might do well to heed it as it would probably require extra effort on my part because of my circumstances.

 

[Goro]

Hey fellow SDN'ers!!
It's been a super long time since I posted and don't expect to get much of a response.
Here I am AGAIN considering med school but I'm a few years wiser.
Right now I'm undergoing a nasty divorce and am a father to a 4 year old. I'm 38.
I've been considering medicine since I started community college 20 years ago.
Currently, I'm finishing my last semester for my MBA and then considering a second MBA in IT.
I work as an IT manager for a large healthcare provider client, more specifically, managed print services. I manage all the print systems for the company.
I mean it pays well and I have experience as a project manager but cannot seem to be able to pass the PMP exam but that's for a different story.
I'm thinking to go back to CC for a few science courses to get my feet wet again but just so afraid of failing, money and the time it will take to become a doctor.
And hear all the time of people going to med school at the age of 40 or 50 plus which gives some hope.
I don't have any science pre-reqs or MCAT as a background and my Grad GPA is like a 3.79. My UGPA is more like a 2.3 in a social science discipline.
It's either I resolve to not go to med school or I go all in. I mean technically, I'm trying to get more experience and more cemented in PM but I'm not quite sure that's what I want. I've thought of going back to law enforcement, counseling, education, and law. I've even thought of just doing really well on the LSAT and trying to get into law school. But there's something about the customer experience/patient aspect coupled with the science behind medicine that really intrigues me.
It just feels right, if you know what I mean by that. But I also don't want to make a huge career change that could affect my daughter negatively on a "feeling."
Mostly this post is for me to vent but feel free to comment if the need arises. And good luck to you all!

I suggest that once COVID is past us that you shadow doctors and start volunteering with patients. Nothing in your post is telling me that you're really interested in Medicine other than it's a different career.

 

[GreenDuck12]

You’re looking at years of coursework to rehab your GPA before being in a position to apply to medical school. You’ll need the prereqs plus getting your cGPA and sGPA hopefully above a 3.0 for DO schools. An SMP May be required if this is not feasible. Once in medical school you’re looking at 4 years till residency then an additional 3 years minimum for residency with a lot of debt. Optimistically you could start practicing between 48-50. There are folks in my class in their late 30s so it can be done. As for how it will affect you and your family is hard to predict. The financial cost is high with limited years to pay off debt, save for retirement, etc. during your clinical years in medical school and residency you should expect to work long hours. Location for medical school and residency may complicate being connected to your daughter as folks often have to apply to many programs for an acceptance.

To be clear, I’m not advocating going one way or the other. You have a lot of factors to weigh and multiple steps just to start the long process of medical training. Best of luck to you.

 

[JoeJoe2482]

I suggest that once COVID is past us that you shadow doctors and start volunteering with patients. Nothing in your post is telling me that you're really interested in Medicine other than it's a different career.

Of course. I would not make such a decision without first exploring the career.

 

[sylvanthus]

Id recommend PA or NP school.

 

[JoeJoe2482]

Id recommend PA or NP school.

Thank you for your suggestion. I am seriously considering PA school. It would require me to go back to school for a second masters but is certainly do-able. Trust me, I will keep you all posted on my progress. Regardless of which school I choose (MD, DO or PA) it will require me to take some of the same pre-reqs. Once I take those required pre-reqs, it will put me in more of a position to see clearly.

 

[Dral]

I'm not going to attempt to persuade you not to apply to MD schools, but that undergrad GPA is going to take a lot of work to overcome for most of those schools (unless things have changed recently in how they evaluate candidates).

Maybe a linked SMP would work out. Hopefully someone with more knowledge about those can chime in.

Again, you probably already know this, but don't underestimate the difficulty of getting in to MD schools. While I was weak on clinical shadowing hours, I had a 3.89 and a really good MCAT score and I kinda struggled during my cycle...but it does only takes one.

 

[Osminog]

Just stick with your current career, or pick something besides medicine. You’re 38, your undergrad GPA is very low, you’re not good at taking standardized tests, and you’re clearly undecided about what you want to do. You also wouldn’t be competitive for PA school, since you would need a much higher GPA and thousands of hours of clinical experience. If you are set on pursuing a healthcare career, you can probably become a registered nurse or CNA.

If I’m being honest, I get the sense that you’re just coming up with escapist fantasies to take your mind off of your family situation and the monotony of your current professional life. Be careful about climbing into the escape hatch, because it might lead directly into the sewer.

 

[ohnoitsalinguist]

Hmmm.. I'm not a paramedic so I lack that experience. Thank you for posting a reply though. It's always encouraging to hear from others in similar situations. "Daycare is cheaper at this age"? I would love to know which one you're using because mine cost around 1100 a month full-time. More than likely, I will enroll at my local CC for the core pre-reqs after I finish my MBA this semester but I'm torn on whether or not to start a MSIS, that is if I stay in IT. I give you props for the courage to start. It's something that I have yet to truly do. Although, like I said, I fantasize and daydream quite a bit but until I sit the first day in those CC chairs in class - it will still be fear that dictates my future! I think I'm leaning more towards a DIY post-bacc than a structured one. Even though the local university near me has a medical school and a formal, structured post-bacc. Would love to continue to follow you on SDN, if I don't take the bullet and end up staying in IT. =)

I should have specified, daycare is cheaper than when they're infants! It is a crazy expense though...but staying home with my kid during COVID sometimes I don't blame them, she can behave like a caffeinated possum.

 

[JoeJoe2482]

I should have specified, daycare is cheaper than when they're infants! It is a crazy expense though...but staying home with my kid during COVID sometimes I don't blame them, she can behave like a caffeinated possum.

Ah, gotcha. Yeah, definitely that is an important distinction.

 

[jhmmd]

Hey fellow SDN'ers!!
It's been a super long time since I posted and don't expect to get much of a response.
Here I am AGAIN considering med school but I'm a few years wiser.
Right now I'm undergoing a nasty divorce and am a father to a 4 year old. I'm 38.
I've been considering medicine since I started community college 20 years ago.
Currently, I'm finishing my last semester for my MBA and then considering a second Masters degree in IT.
I work as an IT manager for a large healthcare provider client, more specifically, managed print services. I manage all the print systems for the company.
I mean it pays well and I have experience as a project manager but cannot seem to be able to pass the PMP exam but that's for a different story.
I'm thinking to go back to CC for a few science courses to get my feet wet again but just so afraid of failing, money and the time it will take to become a doctor.
And hear all the time of people going to med school at the age of 40 or 50 plus which gives some hope.
I don't have any science pre-reqs or MCAT as a background and my Grad GPA is like a 3.79. My UGPA is more like a 2.3 in a social science discipline.
It's either I resolve to not go to med school or I go all in. I mean technically, I'm trying to get more experience and more cemented in PM but I'm not quite sure that's what I want. I've thought of going back to law enforcement, counseling, education, and law. I've even thought of just doing really well on the LSAT and trying to get into law school. But there's something about the customer experience/patient aspect coupled with the science behind medicine that really intrigues me.
It just feels right, if you know what I mean by that. But I also don't want to make a huge career change that could affect my daughter negatively on a "feeling."
Mostly this post is for me to vent but feel free to comment if the need arises. And good luck to you all!

Just a cursory read but my initial impression was that you don't really have a clear answer for "why medicine." This is something that you will get grilled on over and over again at your interviews. And you will need to have this driving force to get through super grueling experiences like residency, studying for Step 1, the boards, etc. Being a doctor requires dedication, perseverance, and determination.

How far along in your pre-med journey are you? Have you taken any of the practice AAMC full length exams yet, to gauge how you might score on the real thing? What do your extracurriculars and the rest of your application look like?

I'm just another poster on this forum but it seems to me like you don't really know what you want. And if that is the case, you are not going to do well as a pre-med.

 

[JoeJoe2482]

Just a cursory read but my initial impression was that you don't really have a clear answer for "why medicine." This is something that you will get grilled on over and over again at your interviews. And you will need to have this driving force to get through super grueling experiences like residency, studying for Step 1, the boards, etc. Being a doctor requires dedication, perseverance, and determination.

How far along in your pre-med journey are you? Have you taken any of the practice AAMC full length exams yet, to gauge how you might score on the real thing? What do your extracurriculars and the rest of your application look like?

I'm just another poster on this forum but it seems to me like you don't really know what you want. And if that is the case, you are not going to do well as a pre-med.

I appreciate the thoughts, thank you. Rather than bore you with my background, I will say that everyone's passion and story is different. Likewise is everyone's path getting there. As far as my pre-med journey, it hasn't begun. I am, however, interested enough in medicine to volunteer and find out whether or not medicine is for me. If I enjoy volunteering and maximizing my patient contact, then I would start slowly taking required pre-reqs. How do you eat an elephant? Rome wasn't built in a day. Take it one day at a time. Different mantras for essentially the same thing. Again, thank you. And in case you were wondering, I do have a personal reason to study medicine.

 

[jhmmd]

I appreciate the thoughts, thank you. Rather than bore you with my background, I will say that everyone's passion and story is different. Likewise is everyone's path getting there. As far as my pre-med journey, it hasn't begun. I am, however, interested enough in medicine to volunteer and find out whether or not medicine is for me. If I enjoy volunteering and maximizing my patient contact, then I would start slowly taking required pre-reqs. How do you eat an elephant? Rome wasn't built in a day. Take it one day at a time. Different mantras for essentially the same thing. Again, thank you. And in case you were wondering, I do have a personal reason to study medicine.

Yea I would definitely make a plan for taking the pre-reqs. Make sure you can handle the material before you get too deep into volunteering and shadowing, cuz those things take time away from work and that can be costly for nontrads (coming from a fellow nontrad).

One thing most successful nontrads seem to have in common is a theme running through their apps--whether that be service to an underserved population, sports, music, the combination of a former career + medicine, etc. Make sure you tie your past experiences together with what you want to do in the future, or it will seem like you don't know what you are doing.

I would spend some time going through the "34+ MCAT Tips and Tricks" thread, as well as the other stickied threads in the MCAT forum. Talk to your college's pre-med advising office, join some pre-med clubs, tell people that you're pre-med so that you can expand your own personal healthcare network. If you are not sure about how to start shadowing, ask your PCP for recommendations.

I wish you the best of luck with everything.