Is this even possible?

[Player1]

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First off let me say that in the recent past I have taken a great interest in the field of medicine in general and find it to be quite fascinating, but I'm not really in a good position to pursue it, at least I don't think I am.

I am currently serving in the United States Air Force as an officer. I have been in for about 1.5yrs, and am a Meteorologist. I graduated from the United States Air Force Academy (highly ranked for technical degree graduates), where I got my degree in meteorology (fairly heavily math based similar to a physics degree, calc 3, diff eq, etc, not much in the way of bio/chem aside from the base courses we had to take). Anyways, what prompts this inquiry is this. The other day someone asked me if I could have any job, what would it be... I said a doctor. Their reply? Well, why can't you just take that road now. Previously I had thought there no chance, but I have found myself unable to stop thinking about it, and thus I must at least pursue it to the extent to find out if this would be possible. Keep in mind that I would probably be willing to give up everything I have worked for thus far to give this a go, and kinda kick myself for not just doing it right the first time.

So here are my questions:

1. Is this a feasible goal, that is the career in medicine or have I already screwed myself? Keep in mind I am only 23 👍

2. If it is feasible where should I begin? I know that the military would pay for everything, and I honestly wouldn't mind staying in for this specific reason, I owe them 4 yrs still from my college so no big deal here. Should I take the MCAT, begin studying, etc?

3. Is anyone on here a military doc or a former one? If so do you know anything about the HSPS, am I eligible? How do I become eligible etc?

Lastly, I would like to say thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this, and an even bigger thanks to those who take the time to reply. I appreciate it!

 

[drewS21]

It's definitely possible. At 23, you're at the younger end of the age spectrum for people that are "non-traditional" on this forum. You may not get there for a year or two, but since the average age of med school matriculants is around 24, you won't be too far ahead age-wise.

Good luck! I'm the same age as you but I have to take all the pre-reqs so I won't be able to start until 2014 at the earliest.

It'd also help people guide you if we knew what your GPA is and what classes you've taken so far.

 

[Player1]

Thank you for your response and encouragement. I have my transcripts in the mail otw to me right now, i honestly can't remember every class I have taken but will update the post with them once I receive them in the mail, I will also post my GPA when they arrive, I honestly don't remember that either, forgive me for that but the Academy is a place I mostly wiped from my mind simply because I did not enjoy it.

In the mean time, would you mind telling me what you meant by you taking prereqs? Like, what classes are you taking currently in order to get to your goal?

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

Possible=YES, no doubt... I'm 35 and doing it!

Begin at the beginning... Standard prereqs for med school are usually:
General Bio 1yr
General Chem 1yr
Organic chem 1sem
Calculus 1sem
Physics 1yr
Humanities like English, Psych, etc
additional upper level courses: Anatomy/Physiology, Biochem 1sem (may or may not be required by a particular school), immunology, etc
Figure out what you've taken and scratch it off the list, then start working on the others. Do NOT take the MCAT until you've finished the prereqs.

HSPS=http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=80196 not sure if the info is still relevant, but it may help. I believe anyone is eligible if they are willing to be in the military for X years of service, and since you clearly meet the military requirements, I would expect no issues.

Lastly, you're welcome, best of luck to you...

 

[Player1]

Awesome info, thank you so much! I am still waiting on the transcripts to arrive but honestly I think I will only have a few of those prereqs to take since the academy makes us take quite a bit of core classes. I am getting kinda excited, I hope this all works out for the best!

 

[theseeker4]

Awesome info, thank you so much! I am still waiting on the transcripts to arrive but honestly I think I will only have a few of those prereqs to take since the academy makes us take quite a bit of core classes. I am getting kinda excited, I hope this all works out for the best!

In the mean time, you should contact a doctor or two to shadow. If you have little exposure to medicine, it is a good starting place, and would be very valuable if you talk to a few doctors, shadow a few specialties and say to yourself "what was I thinking? I could never do this the rest of my life!" Better to find that out before you take any classes you wouldn't need if you didn't commit to being a doctor.

Other than that, welcome, hopefully your transcripts show your GPA is solid so you don't have to worry about repairing it, and good luck with your journey!

 

[Player1]

Very good point. I am currently stationed in Germany and don't want to take online classes so will be waiting for my return to the states (approx 6months) to start school. The problem is my schedule, I already work 60+hrs a week at my job which doesn't leave much time for volunteering, BUT this will be better at my next assignment... I will be using the next 6mon to basically iron out my plan of attack once I return stateside. Once I have my assignment location I will definitely find someone to shadow and make sure this is a commitment I am willing and ready to make. Thank you for your advice!

 

[dreamweaver1988]

Possible=YES, no doubt... I'm 35 and doing it!

Begin at the beginning... Standard prereqs for med school are usually:
General Bio 1yr
General Chem 1yr
Organic chem 1sem
Calculus 1sem
Physics 1yr
Humanities like English, Psych, etc
additional upper level courses: Anatomy/Physiology, Biochem 1sem (may or may not be required by a particular school), immunology, etc
Figure out what you've taken and scratch it off the list, then start working on the others. Do NOT take the MCAT until you've finished the prereqs.

HSPS=http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=80196 not sure if the info is still relevant, but it may help. I believe anyone is eligible if they are willing to be in the military for X years of service, and since you clearly meet the military requirements, I would expect no issues.

Lastly, you're welcome, best of luck to you...

Most medicals schools have very similar requirements (check their websites for specs). Here is the rule of thumb:

Two semesters each of: biology, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics.

Many schools also require two semesters of English. Some require one semester of calculus, biochemistry, and/or genetics.

Good luck! I am also 23 and applying this June!

 

[Player1]

well I think I screwed myself... Got my transcripts back horrible GPA, 2.6, I forgot how careless I was at the academy... This is a huge disappointment. Does anyone know if anything can be done to fix this. If I took ALL the prereq classes over and got A's would this even help? College was probably the most unmotivated time of my life unfortunately.

 

[LegendaryPunk]

well I think I screwed myself... Got my transcripts back horrible GPA, 2.6, I forgot how careless I was at the academy... This is a huge disappointment. Does anyone know if anything can be done to fix this. If I took ALL the prereq classes over and got A's would this even help? College was probably the most unmotivated time of my life unfortunately.

Man, I can definitely relate to that feeling. I had been out of college for five years before deciding to persue med-school. I was so excited when I made up my mind - I laid awake in bed almost the entire night because I was so happy I couldn't sleep. I did a lot of partying in college, but surely my grades couldn't have been that bad, right?

Transcripts arrive - 2.7 GPA

While I have never been hit in the gut with a sledge-hammer, I imagine it would have felt quite similar. That single sheet of paper, worth four years of my life, knocked me off my feet.

There's still hope though. Depending on your current amount of total credit hours, if you completely rock it out from here on you should be able to pull your GPA above 3.0, which is generally considered the minimum for schools to just look at your app. After that, you cross your fingers that they'll put more weight on your recent performance and steep upward trend instead of what you did many years ago.

There is also the option of DO school, which allows the option of grade replacement. Even if you retake a class, allopathic (MD) medical schools will simply average the two grades. Earn a C the first time, an A the second time = B overall. Osteopathic (DO) medical schools will drop the first grade and replace it with the second. This can give your GPA a HUGE boost.

Either way, chances are your GPA won't make it too far beyond the "acceptable" category. The only way to beat that hurdle is to make sure your app shines like a diamond in every other aspect. Spend some time perusing old topics though, and you'll find plenty of people who share your unfavorable circumstances, as well as many who have beaten the challenge and have been accepted.

 

[0919mmk]

Yep, it will be a very tough road from a 2.6, but you have options. Any way you look at it though, you have to raise your GPA. You can do this by a) taking undergrad-level classes independently at a 4-year college, or b) doing a post-bacc program (also called SMP for Special Master's Program, i think lol).

Once you have gotten your GPA above a 3.0, then you have more decisions. You should consider USUHS (the military med school). They actually have a lower average GPA for matriculants (still over 3.4, but still). Other than that, if you kill your MCAT (>34), you might have a shot at some MD schools. Otherwise, look in to DO schools. THey usually have lower GPA and MCAT requirements, and are still 100% licensed doctors.

 

[thinbludoc]

Your goal is definately achievable. Being raised in the Springs and dealing with cadets my entire life (including losing several girlfriends to them 😀, I can honestly say that I think it would be easy to explain your GPA in a med school interview. Another thing to consider is the fact that the AFA may be viewed differently than state schools. With that being said you still need to do an SMP program to raise your GPA.

Do you already have your stateside orders? if so where? I would also approach some of the docs on base. You may be able to get some good shadowing experience opportunities from them.

The big selling point for nontrads is our life experience. On top of life experience you will also bring leadership experience to the table. If you can get your GPA around a 3.5 you shouldn't have any trouble getting in.

Best of luck!

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

For the record, PB & SMP are NOT the same. Player needs to do PB work to raise his GPA to a level where he could apply to an SMP. Best thing to do is retake anything C or below, starting with lowest grades first, and then take UL science courses as many as you can, 4.0 if possible but at least 3.75 on all PB work, and you'll start to be in a good place... Do a GPA calculator to see how many credits are needed to get you to ~3.25... Best of luck!