I need some advice...

[NDO-RMC]

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Hello Everyone,

I am 25 years old and considering going to med school. I received my engineering degree with a decent GPA from a mid-size state university. I have been out of school for two years working in a manufacturing facility. I am thinking of going to Med School to eventually become a psychiatrist.

My reason for wanting to be a doctor are:
1) To have a job where I directly help people
2) Intellectually challenging
3) More control over hours worked
4) Greater job security
5) More fullfilling work experience

Are these valid reasons to pursue being a doctor?

Also, what are my chances of getting into a med-school in the fall of 2005? I have registered for the MCAT and began studying. However, I don't have a lot of the pre-req's for med school done. I was going to try to finish them between now and the fall of 2005.

Also, any advise on what I should do between now and attending med school? Stay working in a field un-related to medicine, or get a job related to the field but suffer a significant cut in income.

 

[size_tens]

I doubt that you would have much luck for this application cycle. You need to have the majority of pre-reqs done before applying. Med schools want to know how you'll do in scientific courses. In addition getting some clinical experience is pretty much mandatory. It doesn't have to be a full time job. A few hours of volunteering a week is fine. If I were you I would take a year to get these things done and apply for entering class 2006.

 

[Gerg]

Those are GREAT reasons to go to med school. Also, Engineering is a GREAT pre-req for med school. I'd imagine you'll find the classes to be a breeze after being trained and working as an engineer. It's my opinion that the pre-reqs for medical school are to train process based thinking, which I'd imagine you are well versed in. They should be a breeze for you.

I'd recommend you get a different job, or maybe volunteer in a hospital/clinic. It will free up time for you to study more (for the MCAT and Pre-Reqs). And if you get into a healthcare related thing, you'll probably have more fun.

As for the financial aspect of it, I realize going from an engineer to a low level person in a clinic is going from $40 + per hour to around 10-12 per hour, BUT if you look at the bigger picture, unless you've got funds saved up to pay for Medical School, you're probably looking at taking out at least 100k in loans, so what's another 20k gonna do?

Gerg

 

[skypilot]

Hello Everyone,

Also, what are my chances of getting into a med-school in the fall of 2005? I have registered for the MCAT and began studying. However, I don't have a lot of the pre-req's for med school done. I was going to try to finish them between now and the fall of 2005.

Also, any advise on what I should do between now and attending med school? Stay working in a field un-related to medicine, or get a job related to the field but suffer a significant cut in income.

How you gonna take the MCAT without the prereqs? If you have enough knowledge to take the MCAT and score well, you probably have enough to get into med school! Good luck! 🙂

 

[IndyZX]

I would think that you would need to aim for the fall of 2006, instead. Why not take the pre-reqs in the next year and then the April 05 MCAT?

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

3) More control over hours worked

LOL... Maybe 8 or 9 years after you start med school...

 

[ChantillyLace]

I would think that you would need to aim for the fall of 2006, instead. Why not take the pre-reqs in the next year and then the April 05 MCAT?

I agree!

 

[NDO-RMC]

To all who responded, thanks for the advice.

Taking the MCAT w/o the pre-reqs is going to be a b!tch. I have a science background which helps, and I am still studying a lot. Even with that though, I know I will be at a major disadvantage.

My logic going into it is this: if I do well on the MCAT, I will try to get in fall of 2005. If not, I will hold off for a year, take the pre-reqs, take the MCAT in Apr/Aug 05 again and try for '06. I think it is worth the $190 to try to get into med-school in '05.

As for the hours worked, I know med school and residency will be very time consuming. But I am hoping around the age of 40 I could choose my hours.

 

[size_tens]

To all who responded, thanks for the advice.

Taking the MCAT w/o the pre-reqs is going to be a b!tch. I have a science background which helps, and I am still studying a lot. Even with that though, I know I will be at a major disadvantage.

My logic going into it is this: if I do well on the MCAT, I will try to get in fall of 2005. If not, I will hold off for a year, take the pre-reqs, take the MCAT in Apr/Aug 05 again and try for '06. I think it is worth the $190 to try to get into med-school in '05.

As for the hours worked, I know med school and residency will be very time consuming. But I am hoping around the age of 40 I could choose my hours.

It'll cost you a heck of a lot more than $190 to apply to med school. Sending out 20 primary apps will set you back $700. After that each secondary application will run $60-$100. Be prepared to spend $2k+ if you really want to take a stab at it.

 

[HollyJ]

I did all my prereqs in a year and took the MCAT while working. You can do it, it just takes a lot of time management. Have you taken any of the prereqs? Why are you taking the MCAT now rather than in April? After all, you are going to have to take the prereqs this year anyway to go in 2005, so you may as well take the MCAT when you're not at a disadvantage.

 

[MoosePilot]

Taking the MCAT w/o the pre-reqs is going to be a b!tch. I have a science background which helps, and I am still studying a lot. Even with that though, I know I will be at a major disadvantage.

My logic going into it is this: if I do well on the MCAT, I will try to get in fall of 2005. If not, I will hold off for a year, take the pre-reqs, take the MCAT in Apr/Aug 05 again and try for '06. I think it is worth the $190 to try to get into med-school in '05.

Be careful for this tactic with the MCAT. Don't ever take one to see how you'll do. You need to know how you'll do before you go to the real thing. Schools don't neccessarily take your highest score. They all do it their own way, but my impression is that most of those ways take into account all administrations of the MCAT to some degree, even if that's just seeing a crap one on the application. It might cost you more than money...

 

[efex101]

I really do not understand this...you NEED the pre-reqs to matriculate into medical schools. So if you DO get accepted for the fall of 2005 you *must* have the pre-reqs all completed by that time period.

 

[LaurieB]

I was in almost exactly your position. As tough as it is, you really need to take this slow and aim for 2006. An unfortunate aspect of this process is that you need to get all your ducks in a row before you can apply. Furthermore, as crazy as it is, you're already behind in terms of the 2005 cycle, and timing ends up being a huge admissions factor.

My advice is to get started with your classes this year and try to set yourself up to take the April MCAT. That will put you in a great place for the 2006 app cycle. You're still young and 1 more year in the scope of things is not a big deal.

There are two things I should warn you of though. First, doctors probably have less control of their hours than engineers. Residency will be at least 3 years long for you and you will probably work about 70-80 hours/week during your residency with roughly 3 weeks of vacation a year. Second, the application process is a humbling, drawn-out, and difficult process. Brace yourself and try to set yourself up to do interesting things during your application year.

Good luck and feel free to PM me with any questions!
Laurie