How old is too old to consider getting into medicine?

[Wesco]

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My cousin is 36 getting his bachelors degree in exercise science. He and I talk about getting into medicine and he thinks he might be too old. He is interested in emergency medicine, but thinks the debt and malpractice insurance is way too much. Plus by the time hes done paying his med school debt he'll be almost retiring. What do you guys think?

 

[armybound]

I have classmates in their late 30s and early/mid-40s. There's nothing wrong with it. Many may be in the position where they have enough savings to not go into massive debt. They may be married and have a spouse who works and can support them.

Life's too short to not pursue your dreams and too long to be stuck doing something you hate.

 

[krs881]

Tell your cousin to check out the "non-traditional student" forum on SDN if he has questions and to read about other people's paths into medicine either as older students or after long careers in other fields. There are lots of people his age and older who have decided to study medicine!

 

[Elpenor]

Not too old at all

IMO too old would be 50+, but even then not always

 

[loljkttyl]

My cousin is 36 getting his bachelors degree in exercise science. He and I talk about getting into medicine and he thinks he might be too old. He is interested in emergency medicine, but thinks the debt and malpractice insurance is way too much. Plus by the time hes done paying his med school debt he'll be almost retiring. What do you guys think?

Frankly, I think he's too old for it to be worth going through all of medical school, residency, and fellowship unless he thinks it's his calling/life's passion. I'm not discriminating against non-traditional applicants; I'm just being realistic. Here's a sample timeline:

ages 37-41: med school
ages 41-44 (or 45): EM residency
age 51+: finish paying off debt (if using the standard 10 yr repayment plan)

Is this worth it? Prolly not unless he is already wealthy enough (or married to someone who is) that will enable to him reduce the amount of debt he takes on. Maybe he should consider other healthcare-related fields like a physician's assistant since this would also enable him to work in the ER...

 

[rxlea]

Frankly, I think he's too old for it to be worth going through all of medical school, residency, and fellowship unless he thinks it's his calling/life's passion. I'm not discriminating against non-traditional applicants; I'm just being realistic. Here's a sample timeline:

ages 37-41: med school
ages 41-44 (or 45): EM residency
age 51: finish paying off debt (if using the standard 10 yr repayment plan)

Is this worth it?

at 45, you still have 20 years to practice (or more!)...If you are married/partnered with someone who makes a decent living, loan amount is irrelevant, especially considering what docs make.

...sounds pretty realistic to me.

EDIT: unless of course you want to live some luxurious lifestyle and buy like 2 boats, 3 cars, 2 houses, and have 2-3 kids in college...but it sounds like the OP's friend genuinely is interested in medicine, not the cash.

 

[Law2Doc]

Tell your cousin to check out the "non-traditional student" forum on SDN if he has questions and to read about other people's paths into medicine either as older students or after long careers in other fields. There are lots of people his age and older who have decided to study medicine!

Agreed -- you will get more useful responses from folks actually on that path than from traditional premeds to whom 30 sounds ancient.
There are folks pushing 30 and older in every med school. It's common.
Age isn't really the biggest factor. The 21 year old dude who's a couch potato and smokes is likely going to have a much shorter and less productive professional life than the gym rat/health nut who starts the same path at 40.

 

[rxlea]

Agreed -- you will get more useful responses from folks actually on that path than from traditional premeds to whom 30 sounds ancient.
There are folks pushing 30 and older in every med school. It's common.
Age isn't really the biggest factor. The 21 year old dude who's a couch potato and smokes is likely going to have a much shorter and less productive professional life than the gym rat/health nut who starts the same path at 40.

👍

 

[apumic]

When you're under one of these:

Too old = R.I.P.

 

[Welker]

is 27~28 too old?

 

[Bleg]

Frankly, I think he's too old for it to be worth going through all of medical school, residency, and fellowship unless he thinks it's his calling/life's passion. I'm not discriminating against non-traditional applicants; I'm just being realistic. Here's a sample timeline:

ages 37-41: med school
ages 41-44 (or 45): EM residency
age 51+: finish paying off debt (if using the standard 10 yr repayment plan)

Is this worth it? Prolly not unless he is already wealthy enough (or married to someone who is) that will enable to him reduce the amount of debt he takes on. Maybe he should consider other healthcare-related fields like a physician's assistant since this would also enable him to work in the ER...

So, using your figures, the guy pays off his school debt by age 52 and has ~20 years of MD salary (say an average of $300,000). That's Six Million Dollars...enough to be the Bionic Man (a reference you would understand if you were his age). Compare that to 35 years of a $150k professional salary. 35 x $150k < 20 x $300k -- and he gets to be a doctor.

Seriously, sometimes I think premed students lose all contact with the reality of what people earn in The Real World®, even professionals. Most non-FP doctors get paid a large boatload of money, and even the FPers do pretty darn well.

 

[vc7777]

is 27~28 too old?

No. I'll be 34 in August and I wasn't 'too old' to be given a spot at a 5-year program. That is, I will be graduating just before my 39th birthday.

 

[Colonol Forbin]

I think it's not just a matter of himself and HIS debt future etc.

I think there is too old and it's bc of this...say your cousin gets in at 37, and is realistically a practicing postion by 45...he then may have roughly 20 yrs of practicing

Then consider a twenty something student who doesnt get in bc your 37 yr old cousin took that spot...that twenty something student could have provided 30+ years of practice meaning for the same given education and money into that student, society is recieving signficantly less benefit

To be honest, I dont think 36 is that bad, this probably applies more to 40+ applicants, but it's close enough to use as example

 

[whoknows2012]

How long you practice doesn't dictate how big of an influence you may or may not have on the medical profession. One would think that someone who is 30 when they start would have a greater amount of time to benefit society, but clearly someone who is 50 when they start practicing as a trauma surgeon could save 500 patients while the 30 yr old decided to do something that doesn't directly affect patients as much, say pathology. It is not concrete like that, and if it was than there wouldn't be 50 yr olds graduating medical school, as was the case this yr at UW-madison, and they guy matched into plastics...

 

[Law2Doc]

I think it's not just a matter of himself and HIS debt future etc.

I think there is too old and it's bc of this...say your cousin gets in at 37, and is realistically a practicing postion by 45...he then may have roughly 20 yrs of practicing

Then consider a twenty something student who doesnt get in bc your 37 yr old cousin took that spot...that twenty something student could have provided 30+ years of practice meaning for the same given education and money into that student, society is recieving signficantly less benefit

To be honest, I dont think 36 is that bad, this probably applies more to 40+ applicants, but it's close enough to use as example

Well, if that 20 something really was guaranteed to work more years, you might be right. But instead its often the difference between some 25 year old who wants to work 30 years post residency and retire versus the person who starts at 40 and works 30 years post residency and dies on the job. Meaning no difference. If you start later in life you won't be retiring. Society won't care.

And again with so many young people in crummy health these days, there's not even a guarantee that they will outlast some of the healthier older crowd, bearing in mind that the older folks who endeavor to start something endurance heavy like medicine tend to be a very sturdy, hearty self selected breed, whereas the younger set may not be.

 

[Colonol Forbin]

Well, if that 20 something really was guaranteed to work more years, you might be right. But instead its often the difference between some 25 year old who wants to work 30 years post residency and retire versus the person who starts at 40 and works 30 years post residency and dies on the job. Meaning no difference. If you start later in life you won't be retiring. Society won't care.

And again with so many young people in crummy health these days, there's not even a guarantee that they will outlast some of the healthier older crowd, bearing in mind that the older folks who endeavor to start something endurance heavy like medicine tend to be a very sturdy, hearty self selected breed, whereas the younger set may not be.

fair enough

 

[loljkttyl]

But instead its often the difference between some 25 year old who wants to work 30 years post residency and retire versus the person who starts at 40 and works 30 years post residency and dies on the job. Meaning no difference.

Well, if the OP's family member is willing to not retire early, then by all means he should go for it. But, if he wants to retire early, then at least it's something he should give serious consideration to before applying to med school. I think there is no official cutoff for being too old for entering med school, but rather an individual decision of how much sacrifice you are willing to make later in your life. I still think the most time/cost-effective path to take in this particular case would be go the way of physician's assistant which would still allow the OP's family member to practice ER medicine.

 

[streetpharm1990]

My grandmother at 40 years old decided to go after her life long dream in becoming a physician, at 40 years old she first took classes at a community college, transfered to a 4 year school and didn't obtain her bachelor's instead she finish her pre-requisites, took her mcat and then applied and got accepted. It can happen you can do whatever you set your mind on, it's up to you 👍.

 

[Simplify]

OMG IM GOING 2 b 30 AMI2OLD 4SKEWL? sorr e i typz on fone.

 

[Kson]

I started studying medicine when I was 34 and will graduate in 2 month at the age of 40 ! I've actually had teachers younger than me 🙂
I talked about this with one of my professors and he told me that his oldest student was a lady in her 50's so I guess its possible and (almost) never too late 🙂