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Racecardoctor

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Hi all! Finally registered to introduce myself (long time lurker) and wanted to join so that I could get the real advice and share in my journey. By small margin I am a non-traditional student in one aspect. In that I became a pre-med student with after joining the workforce for about 16 years. So the back story on that is : Im 34 years old, I got my BA in Human Development with a specialization in early childhood education 4 years ago. When I first started college in 2000 (Community college) I was looking to follow the family footsteps and become a physician. All of my immediate family members are doctors. At the time I thought of doing pediatrics so I thought why don’t I take Early childhood education and child development course to get some better exposure as well as volunteering at my local children's hospital. What got me hooked on becoming a preschool teacher was that I felt great enjoyment in helping children reach their next developmental level through the lesson plans I helped create and also through interacting with them during their daily routines. I also saw that males were very under-represented and I wanted to be a positive light in that. I also enjoyed helping parents understand their children's development.

After 16 years in the field of education I recently decided to leave it and pursue my original path of medicine. I was getting sick and tired of not only the drama and un-ethical practices but also the discrimination that I faced due to being a male. I realized I was having to focus so much time and energy on those aspects and not my students and their families that it was no longer worth it. The education field is like the acting industry, regardless of your qualifications and training you would only get hired if they liked how you look or were friends with one of the other employees or something. I only felt happy when I was working directly with my students and their families and many times I found I was having to battle discrimination drama and the un-ethical practices of a center more so than be able to focus on them; so I was rarely happy because my work with my students and their families always got interrupted by those three elements. I was always fighting my way for a positon as a leader and I knew that with education I would not get there, the only way I could was through becoming a physician. I’m currently doing my pre-meds with UNE’s online courses and doing well in them. Im currently finishing up Chem1010 and will enroll in Chem 1011 and Ochem 1 in January. When I did my BA my GPA was a 2.95-3.0, I give that range because my college did not do grades and instead did narratives. If anyone is wondering if I still am wanting to do pediatrics, Im not sure, right now my goal is finishing my pre-meds with a competitive GPA (3.5) doing well on my MCAT.


I look forward to interacting with everyone here and getting to become a doctor.


-racecardoctor

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Welcome!! And congratulations on your decision

The world of medicine also has its quarks. People will still judge you based on your looks (although the gender stereotypes will be in your favor this time), there will be a lot of intellectual banter and one-uping, and you will always feel like you don't know anything. If that sounds like a fun work environment, you e come to the right place. I'm originally from the IT field, and I can confidently say that was the only other field that had more intellectual d*ck swinging.

Don't worry about specialties just yet. That will come with time. The only caveat to this is if you would like to go into a competitive field (ortho, derm, etc.), then you should start doing research ASAP. Otherwise don't worry about it.

Right now just focus on getting stellar grades in the required classes and pass the MCAT. After you have your scores and GPA you can start thinking about MD vs. DO. I would highly suggest staying away from Caribbean schools, especially since the DO and MD programs will be merging in 2020.

My only other advise is to be the most selfish you've ever been in your life. Focus on school and don't let distractions get in your way. I've seen it happen to too many people who think they can make up the work later or take classes again -- wrong. Treat this time as life or death of your second career. Give it everything you have

Good luck to you and keep us posted.


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Welcome!! And congratulations on your decision

The world of medicine also has its quarks. People will still judge you based on your looks (although the gender stereotypes will be in your favor this time), there will be a lot of intellectual banter and one-uping, and you will always feel like you don't know anything. If that sounds like a fun work environment, you e come to the right place. I'm originally from the IT field, and I can confidently say that was the only other field that had more intellectual d*ck swinging.

Don't worry about specialties just yet. That will come with time. The only caveat to this is if you would like to go into a competitive field (ortho, derm, etc.), then you should start doing research ASAP. Otherwise don't worry about it.

Right now just focus on getting stellar grades in the required classes and pass the MCAT. After you have your scores and GPA you can start thinking about MD vs. DO. I would highly suggest staying away from Caribbean schools, especially since the DO and MD programs will be merging in 2020.

My only other advise is to be the most selfish you've ever been in your life. Focus on school and don't let distractions get in your way. I've seen it happen to too many people who think they can make up the work later or take classes again -- wrong. Treat this time as life or death of your second career. Give it everything you have

Good luck to you and keep us posted.


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Thanks. As for the quarks you mentioned, those sound pretty mild compared to the backstabbing, (i.e. trying to get someone to lose their job simply because one was not liked) favoritism and overall high school aura surrounding education. As for the specialities yeah I'm just looking at the basics of getting a great GPA and MCAT score vs anything right now, however I have weeded out the most competitive ones and my main interest for now really is Psychiatry Anesthesiology, OBGYN, Pediatrics , and that is about it, but of course that can change for now I'm keeping it simple :). I would not mind either DO or MD just as long as its a US school since I really do not want to go to a Caribieen one. My brother went to one and is doing well now but it took a bit and even he now says if he had to do it over again he would have gone with a DO school due to his MCAT. (a 15), you are completly right about your last statement and thank you for mentioning it. I never heard about the merger, does it mean that if I get into a DO school before 2020 I will have to take the USMLE and not the COMLEX?
 
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those sound pretty mild compared to the backstabbing, (i.e. trying to get someone to lose their job simply because one was not liked) favoritism

There is plenty of backstabbing in medicine too. There will be people feeding you misinformation to trip you up so they can get ahead. There will also be massive amounts of ass-kissiery. I'm not trying to dismiss your very valid personal experiences, on the contrary I'm trying to manage your expectations for the field of medicine I originally thought I was going to enter a "noble and intellectual" field and was quickly brought back to earth after the first few weeks of medical school. But, a huge caveat, I attended a Caribbean school that allowed anyone with a pulse and MCAT in, so my experience is certainly more "special" than others. My friends in DO school haven't had the same problems with this aspect.

However, during 3rd and 4th year rotations you will be expected to kiss ass like a pro for letters of recommendation from the attendings who very well may not be worthy of the white coat. You will also experience malignant work environments that make you question the health industry as a whole. And, fellow students will not think twice to throw you under the bus to make themselves look better.

Also, keep in mind that most of your peers will be children (and I say that in the most loving way possible). They're smart kids, but kids none the less

my main interest for now really is Psychiatry, Anesthesiology, OBGYN, Pediatrics , and that is about it, but of course that can change for now I'm keeping it simple :).

Knowing about the fields before going into rotations will certainly help make the experiences more rewarding. Check out "Choosing a medical specialty" and other books on the topic for more information. It's certainly better to know sooner than later if you're going to need an extra bit of oomph on your CV, but like you said things can change

does it mean that if I get into a DO school before 2020 I will have to take the USMLE and not the COMLEX?

I'm not 100% sure this has been figured out yet. I will say that my DO friends have not done well on the USMLE step 1 traditionally (would appreciate if others can chime in on this).

What I do know is if you take the USMLE and don't pass, you are required to report your score. You can take the USMLE up to 3 times until you pass. If you go to a MD school, not passing the test isn't a big deal and you can take it again. If you go to a DO school I think a retake isn't the worst thing. If you go Caribbean it's the kiss of death to not pass the step AND you have to get a fairly high score (220+ range, while passing is only around 184ish). Having said that, it's always wise to try and get into a MD school (even if you're waitlisted, it's totally worth it!!), then DO.

So, after all the info and continuing the theme of being selfish -- always set yourself up for success. If you think taking an MCAT course might bring up your score (even if it's just by a point), do it! As I mentioned before, there are no do-overs right now. If you think you need tutoring, get it ASAP. Do everything in your power to succeed

Medschooltutors.com has a great blog and services (expense!!) and is a good start for getting ahead. I think they might have MCAT stuff as well. Also check out Khan Academy for additional study resources in premed classes. Lastly, I cannot emphasize doing a bazillion practice MCAT questions before the actual test. Don't study everything, focus on your weaknesses (medschooltutors blog has some posts on this as well, although it might be under the USMLE test strategies).

Best wishes and I can't wait to hear more about your story



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There is plenty of backstabbing in medicine too. There will be people feeding you misinformation to trip you up so they can get ahead. There will also be massive amounts of ass-kissiery. I'm not trying to dismiss your very valid personal experiences, on the contrary I'm trying to manage your expectations for the field of medicine

oh no worries, I hear you. As to backstabbing in medicine, ah well, no field is all sunshine and lollipops, its expected in such a competitive field such as medicine.

I originally thought I was going to enter a "noble and intellectual" field and was quickly brought back to earth after the first few weeks of medical school. But, a huge caveat, I attended a Caribbean school that allowed anyone with a pulse and MCAT in, so my experience is certainly more "special" than others. My friends in DO school haven't had the same problems with this aspect.
ah yours sounds very much like my brothers who went to Ross lol. Which Caribbean school did you go to and whats your experience like there?


However, during 3rd and 4th year rotations you will be expected to kiss ass like a pro for letters of recommendation from the attendings who very well may not be worthy of the white coat. You will also experience malignant work environments that make you question the health industry as a whole. And, fellow students will not think twice to throw you under the bus to make themselves look better.

sounds quite like the education field, yikes! Yet the stigma of ruining ones life is not there, or can be… either way I will be wary.


Also, keep in mind that most of your peers will be children (and I say that in the most loving way possible). They're smart kids, but kids none the less
lol oh the fun of that. Not something I will look forward to much as I may be the oldest there but oh well. J



Knowing about the fields before going into rotations will certainly help make the experiences more rewarding. Check out "Choosing a medical specialty" and other books on the topic for more information. It's certainly better to know sooner than later if you're going to need an extra bit of oomph on your CV, but like you said things can change

thanks for the advice on this, along with the others : ). Right now what Im more concerned about is if I should do a second bachelors, or a post bacc in a subject of my choice along with doing my Pre-Meds which I am doing online, to boost my Cummulative undergrad GPA which is a 2.93. Along with doing well on my pre-meds and my MCAT. And yeah the ones you mentioned about Khan academy etc. are going to be my Go-tos. in fact Im going to study early for the MCAT while doing my pre-meds.



thanks so much and I am looking forward to sharing my journey.
 
There is plenty of backstabbing in medicine too. There will be people feeding you misinformation to trip you up so they can get ahead.

However, during 3rd and 4th year rotations you will be expected to kiss ass like a pro for letters of recommendation from the attendings who very well may not be worthy of the white coat. You will also experience malignant work environments that make you question the health industry as a whole.

And, fellow students will not think twice to throw you under the bus to make themselves look better. Also, keep in mind that most of your peers will be children (and I say that in the most loving way possible). They're smart kids, but kids none the less.

I'm a 3rd year and haven't experienced the malignant work environment or backstabbing by fellow students. I know my school may be unique in that regard, but I honestly don't see this negativity where I am. So have hope! There are wonderful schools and hospitals in the US where you can focus on learning, find your niche, and know you can be successful. I have worked in malignant medical environments in the past, and I know they exist. But I don't want you to go into medicine thinking it's all negative either.
 
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I'm a 3rd year and haven't experienced the malignant work environment or backstabbing by fellow students. I know my school may be unique in that regard, but I honestly don't see this negativity where I am. So have hope! There are wonderful schools and hospitals in the US where you can focus on learning, find your niche, and know you can be successful. I have worked in malignant medical environments in the past, and I know they exist. But I don't want you to go into medicine thinking it's all negative either.

nah Im not looking at that part, I am looking at the larger upsides such as having more opportunity to be a leader and your own boss per say than say as a nurse or the field I was in. I can also after a bit start my practice without after residency and fellowship without having to (maybe) claw my way up like i tried with education. My most important positive that I am looking forward to is helping those that come to me. What school did you go to/are you at now?
 
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