Jumping into the pre-med game as a nontraditional, advice?

[BrassOak]

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Hi, guys! I've made the decision to go premed, but I'm not entirely sure what that means for a person in my situation. Any advice (or pointing me toward relevant threads I've missed) is appreciated! Some background:

~Graduated with a Bachelor's of Science in Animal Studies in 2013
~Waffled around about what I wanted to do next (vet school? psychiatry? sonography?)
~Enrolled in a biology program at another school in 2014
~More waffling (psychiatry, research, conservation veterinary research?), added a psychology major in the middle of this semester
~Settled on psychiatry
~Reviewed personal statistics and med school requirements
~Panicked.

As it stands, I only have about two years left (total) in my current programs to get things in order since many of the credits from my first degree transferred.
My GPA is only a 3.386 overall. The jury is still out on what my science GPA is currently.
I have several months of volunteer experience, but that was carried out in an animal clinic as part of my first degree.

So I guess what I'm asking is, what kinds of volunteer experiences/shadowing/whatever are generally the best? Would the volunteer time in the animal clinic count? I'm not sure that it's that relevant or helpful to med school applications. Also, my GPA isn't bad but it isn't that good, either. I do have some time to get it kicked up some, but I find that I'm having trouble focusing because I'm psyching myself out about the application process. I'm not waffling anymore. I feel settled, and like I am on the right path. It turns out that this is scarier to me than not being sure what I was aiming for, because now if I fail to get accepted into a med school, I'm back to square one. How do I relax?! I'm really not sure what application cycle I should be aiming for at this point, either.
In short, now that I know what I am doing, I have no idea what I am doing. Ha.
Is there anyone else in this boat right now, or that has been in this boat before?

 

[CurbsideMe]

You'll need to bring up the 3.4 GPA to at least around 3.6 or 3.7, or ace some of your more important science courses such as O-chem to show that you can handle the type of workload required in medical school. Or else you'll have to score very high on MCATs.

It's better to be focused on one volunteer activity rather than multiple activities. The activity itself is almost never going to prepare a medical student in any way for medical school, even with extensive experience volunteering in a hospital. All that shows is one's interest in that field. Focusing on one activity deeply would show the schools that you can be committed to something and follow through on it. That will help. So your experience in a animal clinic may help, although several months may not matter that much. However, it may show that you are a caring individual, and may earn you some points.

I don't think you need to panic at all. My GPA was lower than yours at one point in college, but I was able to bring it up, score reasonably well on MCATs, and still get into medical school.

If you don't get in, you can also try for non US schools and osteopathic programs. Many of my colleagues are non US graduates and DOs, and they are excellent and highly regarded physicians.

 

[LizzyM]

Deep breaths....
Buy the MSAR from AAMC and take a look at the required courses for medical school. Check off those you've taken. Now you know what you must take before you can matriculate. If you already have a degree and aren't formally enrolled in a degree program right now, you can enroll in a formal post-bac program or construct an informal post-bac program by taking classes at one or more universities, colleges or even community colleges. The point is to fill in the gaps in your pre-med education and to get excellent grades to pull up your undergraduate GPA.

Circle any 'checked' courses if you earned a C or less. Consider retaking those classes.

Do you really know what doctors do all day? Unless you live with a physician, consider getting some shadowing experience. No sense going down this path if medicine is not a good fit for you. Consider shadowing an osteopathic physician and if that seems like a good fit for you, be sure to ask for a letter of recommendation from the osteopath.

Do you enjoy, or at least tolerate, being around the sick or injured or those who are seeking medical care? Get a paid or a volunteer position that brings you face to face with people who have the title, "patient" when you are seeing them. In a pinch you can get away with the family members of severely sick or injured (eg surgical waiting room, ICU waiting room) but it should be a "clinical experience" (see below for the definition).

Do you enjoy helping people? Show rather than tell the admissions committee by getting some experience as a volunteer in a service position with people in need.

You have a long road before thinking about the MCAT (exam). Also consider that given your interest in psychiatry if medicine is the best fit for you or if you might prefer clinical psychology, licensed clinical social work, or even advanced practice nursing. Know that there are other options if your major interest is mental health.

 

[BrassOak]

Thanks for the replies!
The more I am able to read about it, the more it seems like I am in a better place than I thought.
I am currently enrolled in both biology and psychology programs, so I think I'll have a good opportunity to really haul my GPA up a few notches between now and then. I've got a list of requirements that I'm plugging away at currently, but I will definitely be buying the MSAR. Thanks for mentioning that!
As far as knowing what doctors do all day, I do know! Well, in general. I've actually spent a lot of time in hospitals, nursing homes, etc. My mother-in-law is actually a doctor, and I did live with her for a while, so I got (And still get) a lot of time in her clinic just hanging out and watching how things are done, asking her questions and whatnot. Now I'm wondering if this could count as shadowing?
Anyway, I did not make this decision on the spur of the moment or lightly, and I know it's not like some medical TV drama. I've actually been going back and forth between human and animal medicine for years, gathering information and doing research about what it REALLY means to be in either field. In the end, what I really care about is helping. I care about people, I am interested in them and their stories. I am fine when faced with screaming, crying, death,psychical attacks, blood, you name it. I'm game. Been there, done most of that in some form or another (although it is different when you are in charge, I'm sure!).
When I have been faced with sick people, with patients, before, my first instinct is to ask them how they are doing and go about providing things that will bring comfort. My second instinct is to start collecting data to figure out what could be causing their suffering so that I might be more useful in shortening or ending said suffering. This is the same for people and animals, actually, which is why I spent so much time waffling. I love puzzles with purpose, and I love the puzzle of brain science the most.
Maybe I will make it into med school, maybe I will be a good psychiatrist or whatever I choose in the end. Maybe I just really need a reality check!
I have considered clinical psychology as a back-up option, even though I am not as excited about that. I guess for now I should just relax, find a good volunteer opportunity that I can stick with through the end of undergrad #2, and cross the MCAT bridge when I come to it.

 

[NeuResurgens]

You probably need some more clinical experience as well. Animals are cool, but you need some interaction with humans in a clinical setting in order to really get a feel for the profession.

 

[LizzyM]

Shadowing your mother-in-law does count but you shouldn't ask her for a letter of recommendation; conflict of interest and all that.

Can she refer you to a colleague who you could shadow for the purposes of getting a LOR if you end up applying to a school that requires a LOR from a physician (some do). Again, MSAR is your friend in terms of admission requirements.

 

[BrassOak]

I wasn't going to ask her for a LOR, though I was going to ask her about referrals to other physicians to shadow. We haven't sat down to talk seriously about my path yet, but I know she will be a great resource for me as I move forward. Thanks to everyone for your input, it really is helpful! I'm more on track than I thought, though I'm sure I will need to turn to the forums for advice many times as I go along!

 

[CurbsideMe]

"In the end, what I really care about is helping. I care about people, I am interested in them and their stories. I am fine when faced with screaming, crying, death,psychical attacks, blood, you name it. I'm game. Been there, done most of that in some form or another (although it is different when you are in charge, I'm sure!)."

That's the key point! I do agree with everyone's advice about getting some experience in medicine to see what it's like. Definitely helps to get a sense of what doctors do all day. But in terms of "impressing" or influencing medical schools, other than being able to answer a question like "how do you know you'll like medicine", my personal opinion is that it won't help you much more. Plus you answered that question well with the above comment.