I think I'm a mixed bag

[Larusso]

Pros -

1. Retail Pharmacist for 14 years
2. Worked as a paramedic 20 years ago and before that an ER tech and EMT Basic
3. 3.7 GPA over 264 credit hours (Science has to be higher because I only got lower grades from A holes during clinical rotations)
4. Former organic chem TA and A&P TA
5. I want to work rural primary care, rural ER or addiction medicine. There is a shortage.

Neutral -

1. 46 years old but high energy

Cons -

1. I was an irresponsible and at times clinally depressed student in the first 10 years of my college career. I dropped whole semesters 4 times and a smattering of classes here and there. In my last semester before Pharmacy school, I was TAing organic chem, I was in love and I was just accepted to pharmacy school so I dropped the only 4000 level biology classes Ive ever enrolled in (microbial phys and cellular virology). Can I overcome this inconsistent resume?
2. I am in recovery with 8 years sobriety from an opioid addiction after sustaining a herniated disc. This can show resiliency I guess and I have clocked hundreds of hours sponsoring newcomers in a 12 step fellowship. To me taking newly sober people through the steps should be counted as volunteer work. It's meaningful as hell to me.
3. I have not taken the MCAT yet. I want to know If Im wasting my time with all of the withdrawals from classes.

TIA for the feedback. Im about to drop $375 to see what the podcast guy has to say. Help save my money!

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[Goro]

Frankly, I think that your ship has sailed.

 

[Larusso]

Frankly, I think that your ship has sailed.

I read on Reddit that you are an inspirational kind of moderator. Thank you for your feedback.

 

[Osminog]

I know it’s now in vogue to say things like, “You’re never too old! I have a classmate who’s 87 years old, and she’s at the top of the class!”, but come on. You’re a 46-year-old pharmacist with a mediocre academic background. Just work as a pharmacist. And if you absolutely have to work as a healthcare provider, take the GRE and go to PA school. Don’t invest a decade of your life and hundreds of thousands of dollars to start a new career in your mid-50s.

 

[Osteosaur]

I think with your college career so far behind you you might need to demonstrate some more recent academic rigor. Maybe a good MCAT can make up for that.

I'm sure you could spin your background into some good stuff but it might take time to get a good MCAT score and take some classes to show you've still got it. But what is the MD going to give you the PharmD can't? Can you try to become a clinical pharmacist or PA?

I know the market is saturated but it just seems like a path that's going to cost you 10 years of your life for a tiny sliver of autonomy. I just don't buy that being a physician is some sacred thing compared to any other healthcare job. Its a cool job and for many smart people a path to the good life. But it sounds like you're there already?

Congrats on getting sober. I am not sure if that is the kind of information you want to share in an application, however, as these kinds of personal struggles can draw the wrong sort of scrutiny.

 

[hamiltonnyc]

I have no advice either way, just wanted to tell you not to waste money on the premed consultants.

 

[TragicalDrFaust]

The adcom probably knows better than I do, but I don't see why you couldn't study for 3 months and take the MCAT to see what your chances are.

I wouldn't mention opioid addiction other than your passion for working in addiction treatment settings. There's too much stigma, even after someone's been sober for a long time. People could make assumptions, particularly factoring in the renewed pressure of medical school. I don't like putting people in boxes so I apologize, and I don't like being put in a box based on my past... that's why there are certain stigmatized activities I engaged in that I didn't mention on my apps. It would suffice to say you have an interest in addiction recovery.

 

[Larusso]

I wouldn't mention opioid addiction other than your passion for working in addiction treatment settings.

Im just trying to side step the stigma so I can used my participation as volunteer work. Having already been through an extensive hazing process when I got my license back, Im not offended by those that judge nor do I make apologies for my past.

I think I will prepare for the MCAT. I have nothing to lose.

 

[Larusso]

I think with your college career so far behind you you might need to demonstrate some more recent academic rigor. Maybe a good MCAT can make up for that.

I just want to be challenged at work and use clinical skills. Matching a pharmacy residency at this point might be harder than getting into med school. All of the rats are fleeing the ship as pharmacy goes that way of the Titanic. I will have to take two upper level biology classes before I apply so maybe that will do along with a 518 on the MCAT.

Thanks for the response

 

[Goro]

I read on Reddit that you are an inspirational kind of moderator. Thank you for your feedback.

I can't give hugs and kisses here, only realistic advice. You are looking at a minimum of a two year cycle to get your app ready to apply, and then spend another year during the app cycle itself. That puts you closer to 50 for matriculation. That means graduating by 53-54, and then finishing residency no earlier than 56-57, and working up to 80 hour weeks for that. Do you have that kind of stamina?

My school's oldest matriculant was 53; he's still in practice post-70. So, it can be done, but you do realize that people in your age cohort are the outliers. Hence, my less than sanguine answer.

Now, on top of that, you will need to show that you are running TO Medicine, and not merely running away from the lousy environment that is Pharmacy these days.

And then there are the twin red flags of mental health issues and opioid abuse. While I have suffered from depression myself, and have a relative with substance abuse issues (who has yet to get sober), I can empathize. But another worry is that while a med school might gamble on you, a program Director may be less willing to do so, leaving you high and dry with an expensive and near useless degree.

Wise @LunaOri @Angus Avagadro @Med Ed what say you?

 

[Larusso]

I can't give hugs and kisses here, only realistic advice. You are looking at a minimum of a two year cycle to get your app ready to apply, and then spend another year during the app cycle itself. That puts you closer to 50 for matriculation. That means graduating by 53-54, and then finishing residency no earlier than 56-57, and working up to 80 hour weeks for that. Do you have that kind of stamina?

My school's oldest matriculant was 53; he's still in practice post-70. So, it can be done, but you do realize that people in your age cohort are the outliers. Hence, my less than sanguine answer.

Now, on top of that, you will need to show that you are running TO Medicine, and not merely running away from the lousy environment that is Pharmacy these days.

And then there are the twin red flags of mental health issues and opioid abuse. While I have suffered from depression myself, and have a relative with substance abuse issues (who has yet to get sober), I can empathize. But another worry is that while a med school might gamble on you, a program Director may be less willing to do so, leaving you high and dry with an expensive and near useless degree.

Wise @LunaOri @Angus Avagadro @Med Ed what say you?

Thank you for honoring me with a detailed response. I want the straight dope and I appreciate that.

 

[8YearsLate]

If you knock pre-reqs (like, 4.0 with no withdrawals) and MCAT out of the park, anything is possible. But I second not mentioning opiate past / recovery. 12-step programmers like to make you think it's cool to be in a 12-step program, the way that people with neck tattoos like to profess that neck tattoos are socially acceptable. There's nothing wrong with them, but they don't do you any favors at an interview. Most medical professionals will only see you as a liability if you mention it. Agree with saying you have a passion for addiction medicine. Consider how you might use your current qualifications to work in this arena, should you decide against med school. And as I always suggest to nontrads with a lot of clinical experience: consider PA. Shorter, good money, lots of flexibility. Good luck!

 

[deleted367183]

I am very much an all my cards on the table kind of person and I started med school at 37 with a prosthetic leg and missing fingers. Everything is working out fine for me, but a visible disability has been hell in medicine, to the point where I wonder if I should just have systematically worn pants and long skirts and never told anyone about my leg. I also have a nasty case of depression that reared its head in med school. Because of these experiences, I strongly recommend against making your personal journey in recovery public. It pains me to say it, but I would straight up hide it. Regarding age, I will just say that it's not energy or stamina that makes things hard-- it's the gap in life experience between myself and my colleagues.

 

[LunaOri]

You're 46 now, and have had a lot of struggles already. I would suggest a medically-related career with a shorter training period--nursing, PA, medical technologist, x-ray technologist.

 

[Bloobury]

I think it would be worthwhile to really spend some quality time introspecting on the reasons you are considering medicine and if those could be fulfilled in another field with a much lower barrier to entry.

For example, a lot of people think about going into medicine as opposed to other healthcare fields because they want autonomy. But the catch is, you won't really have autonomy for ~8 years. You'll have LESS autonomy than many other professions. And you won't be *free* for even more years, as you'll be enslaved to your debt. For someone who is already past their career prime, it makes very little sense to take on that burden of debt for a reward you might not even live long enough to cash in on. If you're almost 60 by the time you graduate residency, you may not even have enough healthy years of life to work off the debt you'll have accumulated. Not trying to be morbid, just going off the stats of the likelihood of having one or more chronic condition or disability by the time you're 65 (~40% of American adults aged 65+ have a disability and ~80% of adults over 55 have one chronic disease and nearly 50% have 2 chronic diseases). Maybe you like to gamble, or maybe you've just convinced yourself that this is absolutely the only thing that will satisfy you (in which case I'd recommend counseling). Only you can decide for yourself if it's worth it.

You could easily (well, depending on what state you live in) become a certified addiction counselor. Or you could (probably without any training) become a recovery coach. They are not jobs that you go into for the money, but you could work your way up to being the director of a treatment facility or something.

I would also STRONGLY advise considering PA school over medical school. Less expensive, you'd be practicing sooner, less stress, easier to change directions if you get bored or don't like whatever field you land in. I don't know as much about pharmacy, but I do know that psychiatric pharmacy is a thing. Maybe there would be some options there to use your existing background and knowledge to your advantage without requiring a substantial amount of debt and schooling.