HELP!! Have a dilemma

[MzzMisty]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hi everyone I have a question I'm 25 right now and i started college later than the usual student I took some time off after highschool because of personal reasons and then at about 22 decided to jump back in the game and start school again I've always known that I have wanted to be a doctor but when I was younger you could say the ambition wasnt as strong as it is now. I am currently attending college and doing fine but I've been thinking and I realize that I have at least another year till I can transfer to a university and then another 2 or 3 years at a university till I can apply to medical school and Im already 25! 😱 I know that I should have started earlier but I will be 30 by the time I apply to medical school... whats done is done and no lookin back but I've been thinking of how I'm going to support myself in the future while Im going to school.. Right now i do support myself and go to school but the money i make will not be enough for the future when I attend a university or even med school and I already know that there are loans and such out there but I've been thinking maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to become an RN on the way to medical school.. what do you guys think of this? It would support me more than enough financially and I know that many places are paying high bonuses to work for them which I might be able to pay my car loan off with.. cant i just tell medical schools that i started nursing to survive and gain experience in the process ..I love nurses by the way 😍 dont get me wrong, my mom is one.. but i want to be a doctor.. I was just looking on a few opinions of what would be the road best taken in this situation.. I would appreciate any comments.. 😀 thanks Misty

 

[schofield kid]

Hey MzzMisty,
First, I don't think you are too old. I think the average age of a first year med student is ~24, so 30 isn't over the hill at all!! You sound so excited about medicine - go for it! I honestly don't know what you should do as far as becoming an RN goes. Maybe someone here has done this and can give you good advice. Good luck! 👍

 

[tinkerbelle]

Hi Misty 🙂

Won't it be hard to go to nursing school and work while going to college? I mean I'm sure a motivated person could make it work. But it just seems like there are easier things to do to make money. And honestly, we're all going to be living off loans for a looong time.

Have you ever thought about trying to finish your degree in less time? It seems like you are a freshman in college now? And you said you'll be there for another year, and then you'll transer to a university and spend 2-3 years there. Perhaps you can study really hard and cram these 5 years into 3. That will save you some $$ and get you to med school faster.

I'm sorry.. I don't really have any good advice for you. But I wish you luck in figuring all this stuff out

 

[Blade28]

I'm confused...you went back to college at age 22, but are 25 now? Does that mean you can potentially graduate in the next 1-2 years?

 

[Psycho Doctor]

30 definitely is not too old to start med school. I'm also confused where you are in the process. What courses have you taken? I'm not sure about the nursing; it seems like a long process if your goal is to make money towards education for med school. Another health related option that makes good pay and has versatile hours is a radiation therapist. Most schools still give you a degree for this career in two years, you can take the boards and then get a job. I'm sure pay in California is high too but I know in NY starting salaries are over $60,000. You can work part -time as you complete your degree towards med school and if you are already taking life sciences courses you may already be on your way. Best of luck.

 

[tinkerbelle]

30 definitely is not too old to start med school. I'm also confused where you are in the process. What courses have you taken? I'm not sure about the nursing; it seems like a long process if your goal is to make money towards education for med school. Another health related option that makes good pay and has versatile hours is a radiation therapist. Most schools still give you a degree for this career in two years, you can take the boards and then get a job. I'm sure pay in California is high too but I know in NY starting salaries are over $60,000. You can work part -time as you complete your degree towards med school and if you are already taking life sciences courses you may already be on your way. Best of luck.

Psycho 😍 long time no see

$60,000. gosh. what in the world am i doing teaching?

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Psycho 😍 long time no see

$60,000. gosh. what in the world am i doing teaching?

hehe yea i worked in a radiation oncology department for two summers and found this out. Best kept secret in the health care profession. 👍

How are you doing sweetheart? 😍 What's up?

 

[eralza]

Oh my God! At 25, you are way over the hill and should probably be thinking about which retirement community offers the luxuries of warmth, security, and golfcart-accessible community centers.

The bottom line is that if you feel you were meant to be a physician, then do whatever you have to to achieve that calling. Stay up late, work, finish up college, and just do it. Yes, you will be tired, discouraged, and ready to quit at times, but you can do it...because others have.

I'm 36 and starting this fall.

Good luck!

 

[MzzMisty]

I didn't mean to sound like i already have one foot in the grave, it seems sometimes like I am going to be what is considered "old" when i start medical school and that when i am a resident even older. Some of you did not know what i meant when i described where i was at in school. Right this instant i am going to community college with the hopes of transferring within a year to a univeristy. Then we all know that i think it is around 2 or 3 years to finish my degree which my major is English.. When i first started community college and my major was bilogy my "counselor" guided me in the wrong directions (i didn't know at the time that it was wrong) and if i choose to stay with biology it will almost be as though i am just starting community college and then I wouldnt be able to transfer till at least 2 years. So right now I am working and going to school and my major is English which i hope to have finished soon.. then i will be able to transfer and prepare to finish my degree and also take the pre reqs for getting into medical school. The idea was that maybe i should take the classes i need to be an RN while i am also taking my english classes (takes about 2 years to get your RN here) Then while I am going to a university I will be able to afford to LIVE lol ... And maybe with a sign on bonus pay off my car loan before medical school (assuming i even get it) Then i will have to only worry about food and shelter and things of that nature. I hope that clears up some questions.. thanks for the responses so far... Misty 😍

 

[qqq]

Oh my God! At 25, you are way over the hill and should probably be thinking about which retirement community offers the luxuries of warmth, security, and golfcart-accessible community centers.

The bottom line is that if you feel you were meant to be a physician, then do whatever you have to to achieve that calling. Stay up late, work, finish up college, and just do it. Yes, you will be tired, discouraged, and ready to quit at times, but you can do it...because others have.

I'm 36 and starting this fall.

Good luck!

i just read of an mstp student on the mstp board (md/phd) that he is starting the program in his mid thirties. mstps typically take 7-10 years to complete, so you are not too old to start a straight md/do program. i wouldn't recommend the nursing thing unless you are one of those really smart smart poeple. the nursing track, course wise, does not parallel the pre-med track--i.e. to get a nursing degree you don't just tack on a few extra courses to the pre-med courses. you will end up extending your undergrad by at least 1.5 years, that's just a guess though. it's not worth it. also, unless you are very smart, i'd recommend just concentrating on pre-med and the mcat. some people have to take the mcat more than once. you probably won't be one of them, but you have to take into consideration these things, and you don't want to make it more complicated by double majoring in nursing. plus, you have to take the nursing boards? are you gonne do this and study for the mcat? and nursing is very demanding, is it not? don't be afraid to take out loans. perhaps consider getting a job that is less demanding than preparing to become an rn.

 

[nico05]

Hey there,
I'm 25 and I wont be applying until next June. I have been where you are...It really took some time to convince myself that I was not too old. It's difficult to see this now but in a few years, you'll look back and realize that you were worrying for nothing. Better to sacrifice now for what you want than never to have given yourself a shot! As far as becoming a nurse, thats totally up to you; personally I feel that you should focus 100% on being a doc if that is where your desire lies. However, it's another one of many decisions you need to make.
Bottom line, hang in there and stay focused on what you want; dont let your past hold you back, and certainly not your age. Best of luck 👍

 

[Law2Doc]

I didn't mean to sound like i already have one foot in the grave, it seems sometimes like I am going to be what is considered "old" when i start medical school and that when i am a resident even older. Some of you did not know what i meant when i described where i was at in school. Right this instant i am going to community college with the hopes of transferring within a year to a univeristy. Then we all know that i think it is around 2 or 3 years to finish my degree which my major is English.. When i first started community college and my major was bilogy my "counselor" guided me in the wrong directions (i didn't know at the time that it was wrong) and if i choose to stay with biology it will almost be as though i am just starting community college and then I wouldnt be able to transfer till at least 2 years. So right now I am working and going to school and my major is English which i hope to have finished soon.. then i will be able to transfer and prepare to finish my degree and also take the pre reqs for getting into medical school. The idea was that maybe i should take the classes i need to be an RN while i am also taking my english classes (takes about 2 years to get your RN here) Then while I am going to a university I will be able to afford to LIVE lol ... And maybe with a sign on bonus pay off my car loan before medical school (assuming i even get it) Then i will have to only worry about food and shelter and things of that nature. I hope that clears up some questions.. thanks for the responses so far... Misty 😍

If you visit the nontraditional board you will see that you are not even close to being the oldest around to start this process, and I would guess that there will be at least one student (and probably several) older than you at whatever med school class you ultimately matriculate to. The concern with getting the RN is that I've heard some med schools don't look at science classes taken in nursing programs the same as those taken in non-nursing, so be careful if you are getting your prereqs via this route. I also note that there will not be any realistic chance of holding down any semblance of a job once you begin med school -- it is far too time demanding, so if you are getting an RN to just work for a year or two, it seems like too much work for the payoff.

 

[beep]

i'm 30 and starting in the fall. i didn't even think of going to med school until i was 25.

i don't think it's worth getting the rn for the amount of time you would be using the degree to get money. better to get some other (less skilled) part-time job for $$, major in something else, and take out some loans.

 

[seethrew]

a word on the age thing.... i'll be turning 30 in my first semester at med school. 😱 a good friend of my mother's who is in his late 50's has been following my progress through this process. when he was in his mid-twenties he wanted to change paths and go to med school, at the time in Mexico. he didn't do it because he thought he was too old. now after seeing my slightly late entry he has been kicking himself for not having tried more when he really could of, and thinking how foolish he was for thinking he was too old then. he is a geology professor now. (i think thats pretty kewl.)

it seems like the nursing thing might be a lot harder to accomplish while in school than you think. not that i don't think you can do, but i guess sometimes i bite off more than i can chew if ya know what i mean. you want to be a full time premed student and a nurse. more power to you that is freakin' hardcore. you'll be rolling in it so you can buy us all lunch.

 

[EvoDevo]

Oh my God! At 25, you are way over the hill and should probably be thinking about which retirement community offers the luxuries of warmth, security, and golfcart-accessible community centers.

The bottom line is that if you feel you were meant to be a physician, then do whatever you have to to achieve that calling. Stay up late, work, finish up college, and just do it. Yes, you will be tired, discouraged, and ready to quit at times, but you can do it...because others have.

I'm 36 and starting this fall.

Good luck!

You're ancient.

 

[MzzMisty]

Thanks for all of your great answers and opinions .. I guess I just felt that by the time I would get to med school around the age of 30, i can hear certain people saying that 30 to old to start and yada yada yada .. Well im glad to see that there are many out there that are starting at 30 and above.. maybe medical school will look at starting later than "normal" as more life experience.. Any other suggestions are welcome and appreciated.. Thanks


Misty 😀

 

[Emergency!]

To add to the you definitely won't be too old thread - I will be 34 when I start med school in the fall.

As for the nursing - I don't think it is realistic to think you can do nursing classes and full time classes toward your degree at the same time, especially once you start clinicals. Around here, the RN degree is two years of full time studies. Most people work part-time at MOST, especially while doing clinicals, unless they have a job that allows them study time. I do know a few people that have worked full time and done nursing school, but they didn't find the coursework to be difficult and had no family (i.e. kids). As someone else mentioned, most of the science classes required for nursing won't count as your med school pre-reqs. It is possible to get the nursing programs to count the more difficult sciences toward your nursing degree, but again, I don't think its worth it.

You will probably need to take out loans at the university anyways. I know a lot of people don't want to take out these loans, but they will be a drop in the bucket compared to the amount you will have to borrow for medical school.

If you really want to work during college and also want clinical experience, look into EMT, phlebotomist, nurses aid, med tech etc. Most of the training programs for these are fairly short and could be done while you are attending school full time pursuing your English degree. These jobs also tend to have a lot of flexibility on hours.

Good luck -
amy