if this were your life, what would you do?

[chos]

would you still go to medical school if you were....

31 years old

married with a 1yo

worried about time committment and spending time with child

worried about impact of 200K debt on family's economic well-being

suffering from a neuro disorder (not progressive or degenerative) that resulting in, among other things, mild to moderate fatigue, dizziness, imbalance on a daily basis?

worked your butt off and did well in post-bac (before illness) because you love medicine and would love being a doc

i am interested in other people's opinions...tia for your input.

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[TMP-SMX]

Now that would have been a good ethical/moral dilemma essay for some secondaries. Ok sorry...

Well it's hard to say. You obviously didn't enjoy what you were doing before your post-bac. So all I can say is follow your dreams. If your partner is understanding then they will be able to suffer through med school with you. It's not going to be easy, but not being happy for the rest of your life seems to be worse to me.

Of course you know there are alternatives to med school. Seems to me you need to do some research and talk this over with your family. (The 1 year old too)

 

[MD-To Be]

would you still go to medical school if you were....

31 years old

married with a 1yo

worried about time committment and spending time with child

worried about impact of 200K debt on family's economic well-being

suffering from a neuro disorder (not progressive or degenerative) that resulting in, among other things, mild to moderate fatigue, dizziness, imbalance on a daily basis?

worked your butt off and did well in post-bac (before illness) because you love medicine and would love being a doc

i am interested in other people's opinions...tia for your input.

To answer your question I will relate a relevant story.

I worked as a CMA for 4 years under two physicians in a pain clinic. One of the physicians went to medical school at 35 with a wife and 5 kids. During medical school he worked 40 hours per week as a mine foremen and still completed his DO degree in the regular time while working full time as a mine foreman almost two hours from his school, with 5 kids and a wife. The other physician went back to school in his mid-30s and completed his MD degree after working as a salesman for 10 years. He also was married with one child.

So, to answer your question, it can and has been done by people with similar situations. Your neurologic condition adds a variable to the equation though that only you can account for. Most people who go back to medical school post-30 go to an osteopathic (DO) school as they are usually more willing to accept older students than allopathic (MD) schools are.

A word of warning; the DO who was working full time in the mines, was married with 5 kids, and was go to medical school at the same time had a heart attack after MSII. While it can be done, it would be hard.

Hope that helps.

 

[Dr. Pepper]

A word of warning; the DO who was working full time in the mines, was married with 5 kids, and was go to medical school at the same time had a heart attack after MSII.

That's really unfortunate.

 

[akademiks1989]

Now that would have been a good ethical/moral dilemma essay for some secondaries. Ok sorry...

Well it's hard to say. You obviously didn't enjoy what you were doing before your post-bac. So all I can say is follow your dreams. If your partner is understanding then they will be able to suffer through med school with you. It's not going to be easy, but not being happy for the rest of your life seems to be worse to me.

Of course you know there are alternatives to med school. Seems to me you need to do some research and talk this over with your family. (The 1 year old too)

Agreed.

 

[RxnMan]

would you still go to medical school if you were....

31 years old

married with a 1yo

worried about time committment and spending time with child

worried about impact of 200K debt on family's economic well-being

suffering from a neuro disorder (not progressive or degenerative) that resulting in, among other things, mild to moderate fatigue, dizziness, imbalance on a daily basis?

worked your butt off and did well in post-bac (before illness) because you love medicine and would love being a doc

i am interested in other people's opinions...tia for your input.

You could post n the non-trad forum and ask their opions. There's a lot of moms, dads, old and young people over there who might be able to give a better perspective.

 

[bgtati]

if you have the time and energy and $ to apply do it. let everything else fall into place. good luck

 

[MD-To Be]

That's really unfortunate.

It was unfortunate but he didn't die. He is still practicing to this day!

 

[MedianMS1]

To answer your question I will relate a relevant story.

I worked as a CMA for 4 years under two physicians in a pain clinic. One of the physicians went to medical school at 35 with a wife and 5 kids. During medical school he worked 40 hours per week as a mine foremen and still completed his DO degree in the regular time while working full time as a mine foreman almost two hours from his school, with 5 kids and a wife. The other physician went back to school in his mid-30s and completed his MD degree after working as a salesman for 10 years. He also was married with one child.

So, to answer your question, it can and has been done by people with similar situations. Your neurologic condition adds a variable to the equation though that only you can account for. Most people who go back to medical school post-30 go to an osteopathic (DO) school as they are usually more willing to accept older students than allopathic (MD) schools are.

A word of warning; the DO who was working full time in the mines, was married with 5 kids, and was go to medical school at the same time had a heart attack after MSII. While it can be done, it would be hard.

Hope that helps.

40 hours a week while in med school? That was just for the first two years, right?

 

[Oculus Sinistra]

Would I? Yes.
Things have a way of sorting themselves out.

 

[Looque]

What does your husband do? Are you doing well financially, currently? If so, you may consider a less rigorous course that would offer similar satisfaction, such as becoming a PA or NP.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

A word of warning; the DO who was working full time in the mines, was married with 5 kids, and was go to medical school at the same time had a heart attack after MSII. While it can be done, it would be hard.

yikes!! is he ok? did he finish DO school?

edit: ok, saw the answer, good for him

 

[dr.z]

would you still go to medical school if you were....

31 years old

married with a 1yo

worried about time committment and spending time with child

worried about impact of 200K debt on family's economic well-being

suffering from a neuro disorder (not progressive or degenerative) that resulting in, among other things, mild to moderate fatigue, dizziness, imbalance on a daily basis?

worked your butt off and did well in post-bac (before illness) because you love medicine and would love being a doc

i am interested in other people's opinions...tia for your input.

Go for it. Worst thing you will end up doing is probably drop out of school. If you have the passion, I think you'll be able to overcome all the obstacles.

 

[Ambs]

What does your husband do? Are you doing well financially, currently? If so, you may consider a less rigorous course that would offer similar satisfaction, such as becoming a PA or NP.

Dude, PAs have a very rigorous schedule...two years straight of insanity... but I see your point...'cause after those two years, they're working.

Any way, to the OP, I wouldn't....BUT, that is my very personal choice, as I've changed a lot from being a pre-med to a med student and see life differently.

 

[Skaterbabe74]

would you still go to medical school if you were....

31 years old

married with a 1yo

worried about time committment and spending time with child

worried about impact of 200K debt on family's economic well-being

suffering from a neuro disorder (not progressive or degenerative) that resulting in, among other things, mild to moderate fatigue, dizziness, imbalance on a daily basis?

worked your butt off and did well in post-bac (before illness) because you love medicine and would love being a doc

i am interested in other people's opinions...tia for your input.

I don't have nearly as much on my plate as you do, but I'm 31 as well, and still working on my first bachelors(in hard science no less). Some of your worries are the normal ones we all go through. The money and the time will work themselves out. Either you learn how to manage everything or you don't and you give medicine up. Most practices offer loan payback incentives, and there's always the rural option too. The neuro disorder is the hard one. Med school and residency are tough hauls, and if you get fatigued easily as it is it will be even harder. The question I guess will be whether you can push thru the symptoms from the disorder on a daily basis to get the stuff you need to done. Despite already having finished your post-bacc I think I might take a few more classes and see how I react post-diagnosis. If you can handle a full-load of ugrad courses(or an SMP style load might be even better) you'll be able to handle the first 2 years of med school for sure. The next hurdle will be rotations and residency. That's harder to judge, but maybe you can call the respective schools you're interested in, explain the situation, and see if you can "shadow" a few days in the life of a rotating student or resident to try and get a better idea of how you'd handle those years. Then you could make a better decision about whether you're up to the challenge of being a doctor with your disorder.

Whatever you end up deciding good luck!