MD & DO Engineer wanting to become a physician

[blayed]

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Hi there,

Currently working as an R&D Engineer for a Medical Devices company (PCI catheters). Basically I've wanted to be a physician for a while but postponed it for engineering. Lately I decided I want to pursue a dream of mine to be a Peditatrician. I'm OK with DO as well as Caribbean medical school as well. Basically I want to know what it would take to do a career change. Here's my background.

2013 - UC Irvine
BS Physics
Concentration in Biomedical Physics
Minor Biomedical Engineering
cGPA: 3.254
Biology GPA: 2.567 (1 Quarter genetics, 1 quarter biochemistry, 1 quarter molecular biology)
Engineering GPA: 3.751
Chemistry GPA: 3.113
Physics GPA: 3.023
Math GPA: 3.2
1 Publication and 4 Conference Abstracts in Medical Physics
Engineering Senior Design Project top in school of Engineering, Scholarships and awards for it.
R&D Engineer at Catheter Company
Will be starting soon as a Process Engineer at a larger Medical Device company.

If I wanted to go to Medical School, what would it take to even get into the Caribbean or DO? I've read the statistics, I'm guessing I need about a 30+ to get any sort of chance to get in. Would an accelerated masters program be a good option to bring me up to speed with my biology courses and help my chances? How realistic is my dream? Thanks.

 

[gyngyn]

Hi there,

Currently working as an R&D Engineer for a Medical Devices company (PCI catheters). Basically I've wanted to be a physician for a while but postponed it for engineering. Lately I decided I want to pursue a dream of mine to be a Peditatrician. I'm OK with DO as well as Caribbean medical school as well. Basically I want to know what it would take to do a career change. Here's my background.

2013 - UC Irvine
BS Physics
Concentration in Biomedical Physics
Minor Biomedical Engineering
cGPA: 3.254
Biology GPA: 2.567 (1 Quarter genetics, 1 quarter biochemistry, 1 quarter molecular biology)
Engineering GPA: 3.751
Chemistry GPA: 3.113
Physics GPA: 3.023
Math GPA: 3.2
1 Publication and 4 Conference Abstracts in Medical Physics
Engineering Senior Design Project top in school of Engineering, Scholarships and awards for it.
R&D Engineer at Catheter Company
Will be starting soon as a Process Engineer at a larger Medical Device company.

If I wanted to go to Medical School, what would it take to even get into the Caribbean or DO? I've read the statistics, I'm guessing I need about a 30+ to get any sort of chance to get in. Would an accelerated masters program be a good option to bring me up to speed with my biology courses and help my chances? How realistic is my dream? Thanks.

Calculate your AMCAS BCPM (or AACOMAS) and overall gpa using their calculator. We can be of more help with this data. There's a link in the sticky above ( entitled: please read before posting... )

Btw, it only takes a pulse and a checkbook (loan application) to get into a Carib school, so you don't need a consult for that. I can't recommend it, though...

 

[zzxxzz]

If I wanted to go to Medical School, what would it take to even get into the Caribbean or DO?

Caribbean = a checking account and a gullible mind.

DO = 28+ on MCAT and retaking every BCPM course you got a B- or below in.

 

[gyngyn]

Caribbean = a checking account and a gullible mind.

DO = 28+ on MCAT and retaking every BCPM course you got a B- or below in.

This is another way to to look at it!

 

[Catalystik]

DO = 28+ on MCAT and retaking every BCPM course you got a B- or below in.

zzxxzz is referring to the AACOMAS DO grade forgiveness policy:

Each class that one retakes must have the same credit hours as the original course, or greater. The retake need not be at the same school. The course name needn't be identical so long as the course content is demonstrably similar per the course catalogs.

When one retakes, only the most recent grade is included in the calculation of your application GPAs by AACOMAS. This is the fastest way to redeem a low GPA. (AMCAS includes all grades earned, if you retake.)

DO GPA calculation spreadsheet: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=450050
Newer modified version: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=839864

 

[blayed]

Ok, so took my transcript through an AMCAS GPA calculator:

AMCAS cGPA: 3.22
AMCAS BCPM GPA: 3 even

Do my non-traditional major and career experience count for anything besides a nice story?

With regards to what zzxxzz said, retaking BCPM classes I got lower than a B- in ... I majored in physics. So retaking those upper division physics major classes is pretty much like redoing my major (only ~30 physics majors, so these are classes that are offered once a year at one time during the day and I would have to go to a major university to take them, and they probably wouldn't let me do it part time.) I feel that's not really an option. What about accelerated masters or post-bac programs?

With regards to the caribbean, from what I understand when I graduate I end up with a medical degree and a valid medical license. I'm not trying to get into a tough to get into field like interventional cardiology, for family practice won't that be enough?

 

[Catalystik]

AMCAS cGPA: 3.22
AMCAS BCPM GPA: 3 even

1) Do my non-traditional major and career experience count for anything besides a nice story?

With regards to what zzxxzz said, retaking BCPM classes I got lower than a B- in ... I majored in physics. So retaking those upper division physics major classes is pretty much like redoing my major (only ~30 physics majors, so these are classes that are offered once a year at one time during the day and I would have to go to a major university to take them, and they probably wouldn't let me do it part time.) I feel that's not really an option.

2) What about accelerated masters or post-bac programs?

3) With regards to the caribbean, from what I understand when I graduate I end up with a medical degree and a valid medical license. I'm not trying to get into a tough to get into field like interventional cardiology, for family practice won't that be enough?

1) Schools welcome the nontraditional age applicant, as they tend to be more mature and have a richer life experience to bring to the table (and list on the application).

2) Since your AMCAS GPAs meet the common cutoff of 3.0, you might look into such programs. SDN has a dedicated subforum on the issue called Postbaccalaureate Programs further down on the list:
Post-Baccalaureate Programs Forum: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=71
SMPs, searchable database: http://services.aamc.org/postbac/
(Start here for an overview) Dr Midlife List: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=640302

3) To get a valid medical license to practice in the USA, you have to complete one year of internship training in a US program and pass all three parts of the USMLE (part 2 has two separate components) To become board certified in family practice, you need three years of residency (two more years after internship). Less than 50% of American international grads match into a residency. The concern is that this number will get lower and lower due to a recent rapid increase in the number of med school seats, the merge of the DO and MD residency matching process, and the failure of the US government to fund additional residency spots. We won't even go into the horrific washout rate for Caribbean schools, as there's little in the way of second chances if you fail a test. Here's some raw data:
DO vs International grad Match rates to specialties (graphics): http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=12109604

 

[V5RED]

With regards to the caribbean, from what I understand when I graduate I end up with a medical degree and a valid medical license. I'm not trying to get into a tough to get into field like interventional cardiology, for family practice won't that be enough?

To add to what Catalystik said, current trends show that, unless something changes, the number of American medical graduates(MD&DO) will be approximately equal to the number of residency positions by the time you would graduate from medical school. There won't be any room for those graduating from the Caribbean.

 

[blayed]

1) Schools welcome the nontraditional age applicant, as they tend to be more mature and have a richer life experience to bring to the table (and list on the application).

2) Since your AMCAS GPAs meet the common cutoff of 3.0, you might look into such programs. SDN has a dedicated subforum on the issue called Postbaccalaureate Programs further down on the list:
Post-Baccalaureate Programs Forum: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=71
SMPs, searchable database: http://services.aamc.org/postbac/
(Start here for an overview) Dr Midlife List: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=640302

3) To get a valid medical license to practice in the USA, you have to complete one year of internship training in a US program and pass all three parts of the USMLE (part 2 has two separate components) To become board certified in family practice, you need three years of residency (two more years after internship). Less than 50% of American international grads match into a residency. The concern is that this number will get lower and lower due to a recent rapid increase in the number of med school seats, the merge of the DO and MD residency matching process, and the failure of the US government to fund additional residency spots. We won't even go into the horrific washout rate for Caribbean schools, as there's little in the way of second chances if you fail a test. Here's some raw data:
DO vs International grad Match rates to specialties (graphics): http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=12109604

Sorry to bump an almost year old thread ... but you're saying even with my low grades ... I still have a chance to be an MD or DO as long as I take a post-bacc or masters program?

 

[Catalystik]

Sorry to bump an almost year old thread ... but you're saying even with my low grades ... I still have a chance to be an MD or DO as long as I take a post-bacc or masters program?

It's not just taking it that is important. For an MD acceptance you need to ace it while competing with current med students in an SMP. Like 3.7+ GPA. And a good MCAT score is needed to get into such programs.

For DO, reread my comments about retaking classes.