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- Jun 15, 2017
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Hey all, long time lurker here. Finally decided it was probably time to ask some questions instead of just doing forum searches and scouting google. I have kind of a unique situation that doesn’t match any other posts I found. So apologies in advance for the long post. To very briefly summarize my background:
6 years Army combat medic (currently ‘part-time’ in the National Guard)
5 years full-time Firefighter/Paramedic
I’m also a licensed physical therapist assistant – got trained up from the military also. I work in PT a couple days a week during my days off from the Fire Department (extra income since we have 4 kids and wife doesn’t work). I really want to pursue medical school but there are some big challenges being a non-traditional student and my situation specifically. The main challenge right now is that I don’t have a bachelor’s degree – associate’s only. I also still need a lot of the science pre-requisites. The two routes to get to medical school that I’m looking at:
-Army PA School
Pros: Bachelor’s degree not required for admission, earn a master’s degree in 2 years, tuition-free, several science pre-reqs are the same for med school
Cons: 6 year commitment to the military, have to move to San Antonio for school and then a 2nd move to your clinical rotation site
-Bachelor’s degree through Northern Arizona University
Pros: No 6 year military commitment, able to complete the degree from Arizona without having to move multiple times
Cons: It will take 4 years as a half-time student (full-time isn’t possible for me with family and multiple jobs), not-tuition free, have to complete science pre-reqs separate from the degree
I know a lot of pre-med students on here got grilled pretty hard for considering PA school prior to med school if they ultimately wanted to become a Doctor – why waste the time and money was the common theme. I feel like my situation is a bit different since the PA program I’m considering is through the military and tuition free. I know that PA school won’t shorten med school for me, but I feel like the training and experience I would gain could only help in the long run right? Mainly, being able to earn a master’s in 2 years from an associate's degree sounds great. On the other hand, being able to complete my degree from my home state and not having to move my family around with a 6 year military contract also sounds great.
I’m not looking for a spoon fed answer or anything.. so hopefully it didn’t come across that way. Just trying to get some honest input and opinions on what possible route to take to get to medical school. Thanks!
6 years Army combat medic (currently ‘part-time’ in the National Guard)
5 years full-time Firefighter/Paramedic
I’m also a licensed physical therapist assistant – got trained up from the military also. I work in PT a couple days a week during my days off from the Fire Department (extra income since we have 4 kids and wife doesn’t work). I really want to pursue medical school but there are some big challenges being a non-traditional student and my situation specifically. The main challenge right now is that I don’t have a bachelor’s degree – associate’s only. I also still need a lot of the science pre-requisites. The two routes to get to medical school that I’m looking at:
-Army PA School
Pros: Bachelor’s degree not required for admission, earn a master’s degree in 2 years, tuition-free, several science pre-reqs are the same for med school
Cons: 6 year commitment to the military, have to move to San Antonio for school and then a 2nd move to your clinical rotation site
-Bachelor’s degree through Northern Arizona University
Pros: No 6 year military commitment, able to complete the degree from Arizona without having to move multiple times
Cons: It will take 4 years as a half-time student (full-time isn’t possible for me with family and multiple jobs), not-tuition free, have to complete science pre-reqs separate from the degree
I know a lot of pre-med students on here got grilled pretty hard for considering PA school prior to med school if they ultimately wanted to become a Doctor – why waste the time and money was the common theme. I feel like my situation is a bit different since the PA program I’m considering is through the military and tuition free. I know that PA school won’t shorten med school for me, but I feel like the training and experience I would gain could only help in the long run right? Mainly, being able to earn a master’s in 2 years from an associate's degree sounds great. On the other hand, being able to complete my degree from my home state and not having to move my family around with a 6 year military contract also sounds great.
I’m not looking for a spoon fed answer or anything.. so hopefully it didn’t come across that way. Just trying to get some honest input and opinions on what possible route to take to get to medical school. Thanks!