Just a first post and accepting all advice

[NonTradGladTrad]

Good evening, everyone! I see a lot of posts like "what are my chances?" or "should I do postbacc?" and whatnot. I just wanted to put my hat in and do the same.

So, I'm 34 years old. I've always wanted to be an emergency medicine physician since I was a small child, and I've recently talked with my wife about this again and decided to full commit to actually pursuing the dream. The aim currently would be to finish as much as possible with volunteering, MCAT, shadowing, additional courses, etc. to get started in Fall 2027, give or take a year based on preparation.

My undergrad was in Biology, and I have an MBA from an upper-level business school. My cGPA is 3.747 and my sGPA is 3.468. I went to a senior military school, which didn't make life easy for studying. I went into the Army after school as an officer. I got married and started a family. Got out of the military in 2016, and it wouldn't have been a great time for me to try for medical school, so I got a job in business analytics and have been working in that ever since.

I'm very committed to giving this the best shot that I can. It won't be the best shot anyone ever gave, but it'll be my best shot. I'm fully, fully, aware of what I'll be giving up in terms of finances and opportunity cost. I'm aware I don't have the best grades. I have some volunteer experience in a hospital setting in the past, and I intend to restart my volunteer time from when I was volunteering before. I have a few relationships with local practicing physicians I know I could leverage for shadowing experience. I'm also considering taking a biochemistry course and the sequence of anatomy & physiology courses at one of the 4-year institutions near me.

I'm looking for any and all advice from anyone who's been there done that. I've got 19 months and 19 days of my GI Bill left. I'm waiting on a C&P exam (>1 year now) for VA disability, I'm conservatively expecting 20% based on things I know I had when I left the service, but I didn't get an exam then because I'm an idiot.

So, feel free to give advice like "Don't do this," or "You're an idiot." However, I'd love to hear from anyone who has some useful advice they could recommend. Otherwise, this is just an introduction post for me! Glad to be here!

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[RustBeltOnc]

You have run out of run way - it will be almost impossible to take off. Remember, your training ultimately includes the first several years of being an attending, while you adjust to the job. You will be in middle age before you feel mastery at your job and -- there are the loans and lost income. Don't do this.

 

[petomed]

Thank you for your service.

The only thing that jumps out as an immediate concern to me with what you’ve said is your motivating factor. Emergency medicine isn’t in the best place right now for various reasons. I’m certainly no expert in that area but I would advise strongly that you head on over to the EM forums here and make yourself aware. I would say the concern is unsubstantiated but the residency match data this year shows that medical students are indeed running from EM. The last possible thing you’ll want to do is spend the time and money on a medical school dream that doesn’t actually exist. It’ll be a number of years before you begin practicing but you really want to head into medical school open to several different specialties if possible. Dreams do change.

Apart from that, how old are your kids? It’s not an issue either way if your wife is committed to raising them more or less solo for a few years, or if you’re guaranteed to have a strong support system wherever you attend school and residency. But if she needs to work to support you all and you’re trying to do the daycare / school song and dance, things can get tough pretty quickly.

Otherwise it sounds like you have a reasonable plan in place with the ability to acquire some strong letters of recommendation along the way.

 

[NonTradGladTrad]

You have run out of run way - it will be almost impossible to take off. Remember, your training ultimately includes the first several years of being an attending, while you adjust to the job. You will be in middle age before you feel mastery at your job and -- there are the loans and lost income. Don't do this.

I appreciate your comment. Before ever even broaching the subject with my wife, I made sure to gaze deep into that fear for a long while. I can't possibly understand today all the obstacles and pain that will come along the path. But I've also spent the better part of a decade staring down the path of what I'm doing today. There are more jobs than just physician that experience never being a master of their craft. And being a director or VP of data analytics or business intelligence is never going to give me that feeling, either.

But I appreciate this comment because you say it with the practice of having said it many times before. So, I don't discount it, but I am going to just set it to the side for now and keep exploring forward. Because pursuing this is something that wakes me up at night. It disrupts my sleep thinking about never doing it. If I fail to do this, I'll pursue PA, and if not that then nursing.

I'm just not going to get out of this career path what I want out of life. And I've spent almost a decade outside of the military trying to feel differently. And the urgency has only gotten worse. I know how much runway is left. Which is why it's now or never on trying.

 

[NonTradGladTrad]

Thank you for your service.

The only thing that jumps out as an immediate concern to me with what you’ve said is your motivating factor. Emergency medicine isn’t in the best place right now for various reasons. I’m certainly no expert in that area but I would advise strongly that you head on over to the EM forums here and make yourself aware. I would say the concern is unsubstantiated but the residency match data this year shows that medical students are indeed running from EM. The last possible thing you’ll want to do is spend the time and money on a medical school dream that doesn’t actually exist. It’ll be a number of years before you begin practicing but you really want to head into medical school open to several different specialties if possible. Dreams do change.

Apart from that, how old are your kids? It’s not an issue either way if your wife is committed to raising them more or less solo for a few years, or if you’re guaranteed to have a strong support system wherever you attend school and residency. But if she needs to work to support you all and you’re trying to do the daycare / school song and dance, things can get tough pretty quickly.

Otherwise it sounds like you have a reasonable plan in place with the ability to acquire some strong letters of recommendation along the way.

Thanks for that advice. My BIL is a physician locally who I spoke to recently about how crazy an idea this was. He advised me to just stay open-minded with specialties. I accept that. My motivation has long been emergency medicine. I got certified as an EMT during my time in college, followed not but a month after that of my father passing away unexpectedly at home. I was there for that, and handling that for my family and myself during his heart attack and after was something that was traumatic. However, I felt much more still after that like I wanted nothing else than to be in EM.

And that being said, as much as I want to be in EM, I want to be working with and helping people. And I am aware that there are many ways to help people. I enjoy coaching soccer. I will enjoy going back to volunteering at the food bank. I just have felt this urge my whole life to do this. And I as I said above, I felt like after the military and having my family that maybe it would go away. It just hasn't. But the advice is great. I'm definitely going to go look at the EM boards and try to get my head wrapped around what people are running from. And, as I told my wife, as much as I am eager to give this my best go, the goal is to be happy with the outcome. So, if EM isn't it, that's fine with me. I want to feel like I'm helping people as a medical expert at the end of the continuum of care. If EM isn't it, other specialties I'm sure fit that just fine.

I have 3 kids today between 8 and 13. If I were to start school in 2027, they would be starting 7th, 8th, and 11th grade. Not ideal. But my wife has been discussing wanting to go back to work and is on board with this. I've also been exploring whether or not I could through USUHS. In 2027, I would be 1 year past their age limit, but I hear they waiver that. And I'm confident in my ability to meet the military aspects of that choice. If nothing else, that option offers pay, and I would be making more than the entry-level into that program makes already as I would enter above that level with prior years of service.

I'm here to ensure I explore every available option that gets me to helping people the way I want to be helping people with medicine. I don't want to stop coaching/refereeing soccer. I don't want to stop helping at the local food bank wherever that is. I just want to also help people as a doctor.

 

[Duke1K]

Oh man. Totally your choice to try and I wish you the best of luck.

My unsolicited two cents: if I were on an adcom and your application looks fine otherwise, I might give you a chance. But you would have a high bar to meet to demonstrate you know exactly what you're getting into. You would have to say all the right things without appearing too idealistic. And to be honest, you do sound too green right now - I'd recommend you talk with your physician friends very honestly and they should help you craft a spiel for your essays/interviews that would be convincing to physician ears.

USUHS may be the best option given your background, which may be more understanding than civilian medical schools. Not my area of expertise. If you aren't picky, perhaps some lower tier, Caribbean or DO schools may be possible too.

I know an IMG in his thirties with 3 kids who went to the US for research, then wanted to "break into" the American medical system, so took USMLE and got his famous lab PI to get him into residency. Unfortunately, he was the worst resident and essentially fired/went back to lab after one year. I also know a professor in his forties who said his dream was to go to medical school, and would give up his R01s to be a doctor. He's applied many times over the years without success.

At some point, going back to the bottom of the totem pole, being told what to do and accepting it like a grunt, learning how to study, acknowledging the insane opportunity costs ($$$, not seeing your kids/wife, few holidays, being tired all the time, etc.) without burning out - this usually doesn't work for a father in his 40s with multiple kids. That IMG recognized this, and his fellow residents disliked him tremendously because all the work and re-learning he didn't want to do, was work for everyone else. That professor is not going to get into medical school, since his reasoning for wanting to go is not mature or realistic for someone at his level. There have also been married students who, by the time they finished residency/fellowship, had gotten divorced primarily related to the work demands. These may not be you - but it can be.

Just be realistic - there have been many who succeeded (e.g. - Is 40 years old too late to start down the path of doctorhood?). You just need a very reasonable, mature, and convincing reason to go into medicine at your age. And try not to get too much advice from SDN - just talk to real life physicians and medical schools about this.

 

[Angler]

I don't think that SDN'ers will be able to convince you not to pursue your dreams. I'm certainly not going to try. If you feel that when you're 54 and not a doctor, that there will be an unfulfilled void, then do it. You might fail, but you may succeed. YOLO.

Shadow some docs first to see what life is like. It's not all glory. You might see that it's not what you thought. EOF.

You say that you fully understand that your finances will be screwed up for a while. Be sure you understand.

You need 100% buy in from your wife, not just financially, but time spent being a husband and dad, and not a doctor-in-training. If the marriage is shaky, these plans may be shakier.

With your kids, they're almost old enough for you to know if they will be problem kids or easy kids. Problem kids suck up a lot of time and emotional energy which you wouldn't be able to afford. Of course, you can't be 100% certain, but I think you can sort of tell by this age, especially if there'll be problems.

Read some threads from WAMC and you'll get an idea of what is really necessary to get into med school. There are critical categories, clinical experience (either paid or volunteer), non-clinical volunteering (with those less fortunate than you), and shadowing. SDN experts have recommendations as to the range of hours that are necessary/ideal.

You will need to do well on the MCAT. This means studying! A lot! This is probably the most critical factor determining your success.

You will need some classes (probably not as much as you might think). Mostly for prerequisites, but also for some mild GPA repair and MCAT prep. Your GPA isn't horrible at all, so if you get a decent MCAT, an admission is definitely possible (DO more likely than MD, but I would not recommend a Caribbean school).

@Goro has a nice thread on reinvention which you may have seen. Information there on how to do post-bacc classes.

Start reading MSAR. The cost is miniscule. It'll get you a lot of information. This is a huge pdf which tells you what all the school's prerequisites are.

Good luck! I think being a doctor is great, but many don't.

 

[Just Call Me Doc]

So to add a little perspective, I got out of the military at 36 with a prior GPA of ~3 (slacked off a bit in college) after serving for about 8 years as a medic. I was able to bring it up to about 3.3 with a DYI post-bacc and had to go through two application cycles (mostly due to strategic errors) but eventually started med school at 40 at a top 20 school. I am now in surgery residency and will finish (hopefully) when I'm 50.

As an older adult who was an officer and has lived life a bit, I'm confident you have weighed the risks and benefits extensively. I will say it is a tough path. There are some things that are easier as a more mature adult, but the responsibilities of family can make balancing school and family life very challenging (I have a wife and one young kid). I often mentor fellow service members regarding going into medicine and I will tell them straight up that if they want to take care of patients and don't have to be the top of the food chain (or just want to avoid being a quasi-geographical bachelor for 7-9 years) then go PA. PA school is about 2 years, you'll start taking care of patient's and earning income right after, and usually have nice hours with plenty of time for life. If you feel like you need for the autonomy and won't truly be happy without the MD, though, then go for med school. I was in that boat and so decided to take that route. There are some days I wish I had PA hours but don't regret that decision overall. I do agree that you should shadow doctors and patients so really get a solid understanding of what you're getting into. If after that and you are still passionate about becoming a doctor, then I'd say go for it and don't let anybody tell you you're too old. During my interview trails for both med school and residency, I rarely had any issues with my age and most programs seemed to welcome the added maturity. Apply very broadly including state schools, back-up schools, DO schools, and some reach schools (Harvard, Yale, Duke, etc...). Don't apply Caribbean.

A few more advice from the military perspective: getting a waiver for USUHS is not hard (I got one) but would not go that path unless you definitely would like to serve as a military physician. If you peruse the military forum you'll see why that may not be best choice. Definitely work hard to get your VA disability and VR&E. If you're having issues, try reaching out to DAV for help. I'm going through that process now but wish I had started earlier do I could have gotten VR&E for med school. Save your GI bill for med school. Depending on where you go it will likely be more valuable for med school than a post-bac. If they have a generous yellow ribbon program, then the entire tuition and COL may be covered which can be +$70k/year. Look into the Pat Tillman Scholarship for med school. It's an amazing program with a generous scholarship and network of impressive scholars. If you have more questions, you can ask here or DM me. Good luck!

 

[NonTradGladTrad]

Oh man. Totally your choice to try and I wish you the best of luck.

My unsolicited two cents: if I were on an adcom and your application looks fine otherwise, I might give you a chance. But you would have a high bar to meet to demonstrate you know exactly what you're getting into. You would have to say all the right things without appearing too idealistic. And to be honest, you do sound too green right now - I'd recommend you talk with your physician friends very honestly and they should help you craft a spiel for your essays/interviews that would be convincing to physician ears.

USUHS may be the best option given your background, which may be more understanding than civilian medical schools. Not my area of expertise. If you aren't picky, perhaps some lower tier, Caribbean or DO schools may be possible too.

I know an IMG in his thirties with 3 kids who went to the US for research, then wanted to "break into" the American medical system, so took USMLE and got his famous lab PI to get him into residency. Unfortunately, he was the worst resident and essentially fired/went back to lab after one year. I also know a professor in his forties who said his dream was to go to medical school, and would give up his R01s to be a doctor. He's applied many times over the years without success.

At some point, going back to the bottom of the totem pole, being told what to do and accepting it like a grunt, learning how to study, acknowledging the insane opportunity costs ($$$, not seeing your kids/wife, few holidays, being tired all the time, etc.) without burning out - this usually doesn't work for a father in his 40s with multiple kids. That IMG recognized this, and his fellow residents disliked him tremendously because all the work and re-learning he didn't want to do, was work for everyone else. That professor is not going to get into medical school, since his reasoning for wanting to go is not mature or realistic for someone at his level. There have also been married students who, by the time they finished residency/fellowship, had gotten divorced primarily related to the work demands. These may not be you - but it can be.

Just be realistic - there have been many who succeeded (e.g. - Is 40 years old too late to start down the path of doctorhood?). You just need a very reasonable, mature, and convincing reason to go into medicine at your age. And try not to get too much advice from SDN - just talk to real life physicians and medical schools about this.

This is great advice, and I really appreciate it. It's a biased opinion, but I usually think of myself as quite easily coachable/teachable without an ego about what I need to learn and who's teaching it to me. "Like a grunt" I appreciate it because being a former infantry officer put me pretty close to grunts, and I feel it would be a nice compliment if I ever got a chance for someone to tell me I was able to learn like one.

But thank you. I've been reviewing the information everyone gives me here and will be digging as deep as I can with as wide a net as I can throw as I consider the path I'm staring down.

 

[NonTradGladTrad]

I don't think that SDN'ers will be able to convince you not to pursue your dreams. I'm certainly not going to try. If you feel that when you're 54 and not a doctor, that there will be an unfulfilled void, then do it. You might fail, but you may succeed. YOLO.

Shadow some docs first to see what life is like. It's not all glory. You might see that it's not what you thought. EOF.

You say that you fully understand that your finances will be screwed up for a while. Be sure you understand.

You need 100% buy in from your wife, not just financially, but time spent being a husband and dad, and not a doctor-in-training. If the marriage is shaky, these plans may be shakier.

With your kids, they're almost old enough for you to know if they will be problem kids or easy kids. Problem kids suck up a lot of time and emotional energy which you wouldn't be able to afford. Of course, you can't be 100% certain, but I think you can sort of tell by this age, especially if there'll be problems.

Read some threads from WAMC and you'll get an idea of what is really necessary to get into med school. There are critical categories, clinical experience (either paid or volunteer), non-clinical volunteering (with those less fortunate than you), and shadowing. SDN experts have recommendations as to the range of hours that are necessary/ideal.

You will need to do well on the MCAT. This means studying! A lot! This is probably the most critical factor determining your success.

You will need some classes (probably not as much as you might think). Mostly for prerequisites, but also for some mild GPA repair and MCAT prep. Your GPA isn't horrible at all, so if you get a decent MCAT, an admission is definitely possible (DO more likely than MD, but I would not recommend a Caribbean school).

@Goro has a nice thread on reinvention which you may have seen. Information there on how to do post-bacc classes.

Start reading MSAR. The cost is miniscule. It'll get you a lot of information. This is a huge pdf which tells you what all the school's prerequisites are.

Good luck! I think being a doctor is great, but many don't.

Very sound advice.

I believe my kids are going to be very good kids. But it's not lost on me what I'll be pulling them through, either. They have futures that are more important to me than me trying to switch careers. And my marriage, my wife, is very important to me. So, always very good advice.

As for the MCAT, I figure if I plan for trying to matriculate in 2027, then that gives me roughly 2-2.5 years to take the test in 2026. I see people say not to start studying way, way out in advance as it's just a waste of time. So, I do think that's what I'll use some classes for, as you say. I definitely intend on Biochemistry, but since it's been awhile since I took organic chemistry, any suggestions on how to start preparing for taking biochemistry as a class? I've been looking through my notes I took in Ochem (I've kept all my science textbooks over the years), and I thought about just starting studying before trying to go back to classes by reviewing all my old courses' syllabi and trying to refresh myself before starting a course. But I don't want to waste time, either.

I do already have the MSAR subscription out through 2025, I believe. Very useful.

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

 

[NonTradGladTrad]

So to add a little perspective, I got out of the military at 36 with a prior GPA of ~3 (slacked off a bit in college) after serving for about 8 years as a medic. I was able to bring it up to about 3.3 with a DYI post-bacc and had to go through two application cycles (mostly due to strategic errors) but eventually started med school at 40 at a top 20 school. I am now in surgery residency and will finish (hopefully) when I'm 50.

As an older adult who was an officer and has lived life a bit, I'm confident you have weighed the risks and benefits extensively. I will say it is a tough path. There are some things that are easier as a more mature adult, but the responsibilities of family can make balancing school and family life very challenging (I have a wife and one young kid). I often mentor fellow service members regarding going into medicine and I will tell them straight up that if they want to take care of patients and don't have to be the top of the food chain (or just want to avoid being a quasi-geographical bachelor for 7-9 years) then go PA. PA school is about 2 years, you'll start taking care of patient's and earning income right after, and usually have nice hours with plenty of time for life. If you feel like you need for the autonomy and won't truly be happy without the MD, though, then go for med school. I was in that boat and so decided to take that route. There are some days I wish I had PA hours but don't regret that decision overall. I do agree that you should shadow doctors and patients so really get a solid understanding of what you're getting into. If after that and you are still passionate about becoming a doctor, then I'd say go for it and don't let anybody tell you you're too old. During my interview trails for both med school and residency, I rarely had any issues with my age and most programs seemed to welcome the added maturity. Apply very broadly including state schools, back-up schools, DO schools, and some reach schools (Harvard, Yale, Duke, etc...). Don't apply Caribbean.

A few more advice from the military perspective: getting a waiver for USUHS is not hard (I got one) but would not go that path unless you definitely would like to serve as a military physician. If you peruse the military forum you'll see why that may not be best choice. Definitely work hard to get your VA disability and VR&E. If you're having issues, try reaching out to DAV for help. I'm going through that process now but wish I had started earlier do I could have gotten VR&E for med school. Save your GI bill for med school. Depending on where you go it will likely be more valuable for med school than a post-bac. If they have a generous yellow ribbon program, then the entire tuition and COL may be covered which can be +$70k/year. Look into the Pat Tillman Scholarship for med school. It's an amazing program with a generous scholarship and network of impressive scholars. If you have more questions, you can ask here or DM me. Good luck!

I very much appreciate you taking the time to comment. I have seen some of the veteran responses on here, and I was hoping to get some more opinions from that group.

I do like to think that I've weighed the benefits and risks a lot already, and I know there's a lot I likely haven't considered, yet. And that's what I'm hoping to get (and have gotten already) from this thread.

And I appreciate the advice on USUHS. I'm trying to weigh that heavily in my mind. I sat next to the MEDDAC commander for my post, who was retiring, when I was in SFL-TAP prior to exiting. They gave me quite a view of military medicine when I was getting out. I had thought that I would never want to do that, then. But that was when I was still in my 20s. It's definitely something I'll keep in mind, though, coming from someone like yourself who looked into it and also didn't do it. I'll definitely review those forums.

I definitely plan on saving my GI Bill as much as possible. I don't plan on taking any more classes than necessary to prep for MCAT and eliminate any prereqs or for GPA repair. It's all about maximizing savings and being efficient with resources now.

Thanks very much for your comment. Glad to hear a story from someone who has done it. Thank you for your service, and thanks for your time here.

 

[Angler]

since it's been awhile since I took organic chemistry, any suggestions on how to start preparing for taking biochemistry as a class?

I'm hardly the one to ask. I had to use a scientific calculator to figure out how long ago I took Orgo. My daughter (undergraduate Biochem major) laughs because they don't use that term anymore.

 

[PeteytheFish]

Ugh, the person who said that you have "run out of runway" is just so wrong.

I was very much in a similar boat to yours (minus the military aspect). I decided at age 35 to do a post-bacc and head to medical school, also with an aim to go into EM. And now I am a 40-year-old fourth-year medical student, eyes fully open, applying for residency in, guess what? EM. I'm happy to be here, I have had a good time, and at no point has my age been anything but a bonus.

With your military background and life led, Adcoms are going to LOVE you. Truly, military applicants are looked upon favorably because they generally have a good head on their shoulders, know how to put in the hard work, and approach medical school with a maturity that many of their classmates lack. Looking at what you have said about yourself, you may struggle to convince Adcoms that you really know what a career in medicine looks like, thought, so I would recommend trying to get involved in something on a regular basis. Become an EMT and do regular shifts on an ambulance or get a job as an ED tech if you can (I realize that this is a big ask if you are currently the primary breadwinner, but the point is, try to get into a medical job or volunteer gig that will help you prove that this is your passion and that you know what you are getting into).

When I decided to go down this path, I called my best friend, who is an ED attending. He told me two important things. 1. You're going to be 40 one day anyway: would you rather be 40 and a doctor or 40 and wishing you had become one? 2. When you finish medical school, you're still going to have a 20-year career in medicine.

Me? I think it has been totally worth it and I am SO excited to be here. Do I worry every day that I have messed up my husband's and my finances? Yes. Do I wake up worrying that I am going to end up with cancer in my 40s and really mess up our finances? Absolutely. But I also wake up every day knowing that I have gone after my dream and that I am not going to regret a thing.

Feel free to shoot me a DM if you want to chat with a fellow non-trad. I don't have patience for all of the naysaying.

 

[NonTradGladTrad]

Ugh, the person who said that you have "run out of runway" is just so wrong.

I was very much in a similar boat to yours (minus the military aspect). I decided at age 35 to do a post-bacc and head to medical school, also with an aim to go into EM. And now I am a 40-year-old fourth-year medical student, eyes fully open, applying for residency in, guess what? EM. I'm happy to be here, I have had a good time, and at no point has my age been anything but a bonus.

With your military background and life led, Adcoms are going to LOVE you. Truly, military applicants are looked upon favorably because they generally have a good head on their shoulders, know how to put in the hard work, and approach medical school with a maturity that many of their classmates lack. Looking at what you have said about yourself, you may struggle to convince Adcoms that you really know what a career in medicine looks like, thought, so I would recommend trying to get involved in something on a regular basis. Become an EMT and do regular shifts on an ambulance or get a job as an ED tech if you can (I realize that this is a big ask if you are currently the primary breadwinner, but the point is, try to get into a medical job or volunteer gig that will help you prove that this is your passion and that you know what you are getting into).

When I decided to go down this path, I called my best friend, who is an ED attending. He told me two important things. 1. You're going to be 40 one day anyway: would you rather be 40 and a doctor or 40 and wishing you had become one? 2. When you finish medical school, you're still going to have a 20-year career in medicine.

Me? I think it has been totally worth it and I am SO excited to be here. Do I worry every day that I have messed up my husband's and my finances? Yes. Do I wake up worrying that I am going to end up with cancer in my 40s and really mess up our finances? Absolutely. But I also wake up every day knowing that I have gone after my dream and that I am not going to regret a thing.

Feel free to shoot me a DM if you want to chat with a fellow non-trad. I don't have patience for all of the naysaying.

I really appreciate that. I probably will DM you, too, to get a little more information if you don't mind. Others have mentioned staying away from EM, so I'd appreciate more insight from someone about to go into it.

 

[Angler]

It's way too early to sweat whether to go into EM! Just get into medical school first! Odds are good that you might switch your desires to another specialty before you have to choose anyway.

 

[PeteytheFish]

I really appreciate that. I probably will DM you, too, to get a little more information if you don't mind. Others have mentioned staying away from EM, so I'd appreciate more insight from someone about to go into it.

Yes, I'd be happy to chat with you about anything. I definitely agree with @Angler, though. EM may well be what you decide to go into, but the fun part about medical school is that you get to try out lots of specialties and see where you fit. EM turned out to be it for me, and I'm super excited about it, even with the current challenges. But I have friends who started out thinking EM and are now going into anesthesia, general surgery, and psychiatry. You never know what you'll find.

 

[Dral]

So you'll be 38 when you start. I was 33. I feel for me personally, I was right on the cusp of how late I would want to start. That can be different for other people.

I will echo what others say about really thinking about EM. If that is what you really want and is your end goal opposed to just being a physician in general, then I would do your work ahead of time to figure that out to see if it's really worth it starting this late in the game. That of course is your decision to make. If you decide you still are all in on EM for now or would also be happy doing something like family med, internal med, or something else; then I would say to forge ahead if it really is what you want. I don't think it's too late in your life to start.

Is there a reason for your timeline? I feel you could probably get your stuff in, including MCAT and get going sooner than 2027. However, I'm guessing what holds that timeline up is taking the courses you need to do well on the MCAT. I feel that if you are ok with DO, your GPA is good to go. It is probably within striking distance of some MD if you play your cards correctly.

 

[NonTradGladTrad]

Yes, I'd be happy to chat with you about anything. I definitely agree with @Angler, though. EM may well be what you decide to go into, but the fun part about medical school is that you get to try out lots of specialties and see where you fit. EM turned out to be it for me, and I'm super excited about it, even with the current challenges. But I have friends who started out thinking EM and are now going into anesthesia, general surgery, and psychiatry. You never know what you'll find.

I appreciate that. Though, it'll take me a minute to figure out how to DM. I thought I'd just go to your profile directly, but that didn't work...EDIT: Figured it out.

I'll take @Angler's advice, for sure. One step at a time.

 

[NonTradGladTrad]

So you'll be 38 when you start. I was 33. I feel for me personally, I was right on the cusp of how late I would want to start. That can be different for other people.

I will echo what others say about really thinking about EM. If that is what you really want and is your end goal opposed to just being a physician in general, then I would do your work ahead of time to figure that out to see if it's really worth it starting this late in the game. That of course is your decision to make. If you decide you still are all in on EM for now or would also be happy doing something like family med, internal med, or something else; then I would say to forge ahead if it really is what you want. I don't think it's too late in your life to start.

Is there a reason for your timeline? I feel you could probably get your stuff in, including MCAT and get going sooner than 2027. However, I'm guessing what holds that timeline up is taking the courses you need to do well on the MCAT. I feel that if you are ok with DO, your GPA is good to go. It is probably within striking distance of some MD if you play your cards correctly.

As far as the timeline, it's more specifically to what I think I'll need to do to ensure I have time to prep my family and ensure I have all my ducks in a row. I've discussed with my wife trying for 2026 if we seemed prepared and everything was going smoothly as far as MCAT studying and prep and any classes I need to take. 2027 is just my target zone. 2026 would be a stretch goal. 2028 would be a fallback target.

I'm definitely going to also be applying to some DO schools I've looked into in the past. I'm currently just breaking it all down to what do I need to get done, and when should I start worrying about the thing after it. I've done well as a test taker in the past, so I'm thinking I'll do well on the MCAT in the future, but I suppose there's no sense wondering about which specialty I'd like to be in if I can't even get in.

 

[PandaBaer]

As a career changer who started med school at 32, and only a 3rd year, I think 40 is around the cutoff of when it's "too late" with several caveats.

My calculus is it takes about a decade to become an effective physician, so you'd finish at 50, with a 15-20 year career, that's pretty solid. Sometimes I think the profession would be better if everyone had a prior career, even if only in a different healthcare role.

My other thoughts are:
This would be a lot more stressful if I didn't have some financial foundation/skills to lean on, i.e. this a very expensive process, have a backup plan.
At a minimum from pre-reqs to attendinghood, it'll be 10+ years I'm dragging myself and family through the "suck".
I'm glad I took it in steps and didn't set a lofty goal at the beginning. I first took some classes, worked in entry level healthcare, explored all other options, then tackled the MCAT and application.
The work can be physcially, emotionally, spiritually draining and you'll be changed by the process, not necessarily for the better.

 

[Justify2018]

I’m 32 and will start Med school at 33. I was just accepted into several DO programs and have had interviews at MD programs and am waiting to hear back. Being a nontraditional applicant was nothing but an asset to me this cycle. I follow many nontrad medical students on social media, one in their early 50s and is MS3.

Shoot your shot. My advice would be to apply to MD and DO programs but focus on mission fit. Schools that really fit your goals and that you are a good mission fit for will be excited to interview you. Your life experience will help you interview well and you will one day be a doctor. Also apply to schools that don’t have an expiration on prerequisites, crush the MCAT, maybe take a few classes just to prove you can still swing As, and apply. As long as you have the clinical exposure to prove this isn’t a whim decision.

I also have an interest in EM but am considering IM+PCCM and doing icu care if the bottom falls out of the EM job market. Still working with critically ill patients and saving lives and being paid well with good job outlook. But I also have surgical interests so who knows where med school takes me. I’m excited for the journey though.

 

[Mental_Managment_97]

So my thoughts on the age issue from someone with a similar background(military career, "missed" the normal chance to go, etc) and a bit older. In short: the schools don't seem to care. I'll be 43 when I graduate school(roughly the same age you would be if you started in 2027) and the DPM programs I'm interested in, and a few DO I've applied to as backup, have shown interest in earnest with a few exceptions. The age issue has came up but it's been a positive "Hey this is unique" sort of response versus "Really, you sure?" From a school point of view having strong educational metrics and a semi-interesting story(which you do...good credit doesn't hurt, kidding)means more to them than anything else. They want you to succeed not just get in though. Also, you'd be surprised how much information you can get out of the admin departments of individual schools if you are persistent. Start that process early, call them, get information, try to get on a first name basis with people in the know, go to the open virtual clinics, keep them aware of who you are. That is advice that I maybe wouldn't give to younger traditional students but has paid dividends in my case. The schools tell you they can't tell you much until they see this, this and that....but they can if they want to within reason. Overall from the school point of view: positive experience!


That all said.........it's been the exact opposite talking with doctors in practice. Hardly any of them have been positive and the vast majority have attempted to talk me out of it from a financial point of view among other reasons. Some you could tell were trying to be helpful, others not so much. My advice for when you start that part of the process is to have answers ready for those questions that make them feel their input is valuable to you without having to get too deep into your personal finances\family situation\etc. Your motivation to "help people" will result in an eye-roll from a lot of them in my experience. Lean into that MBA hard to demonstrate that "Hey, I am capable of having thought this through". This next part will probably insult some people but that is not my intent: I would not lean too heavily on the military experience. While the admin people eat it up, practicing doctors(at least in my experience)seemed to be turned off by it. I hate to say it but a lot of professionals still see military service as blue collar(even as an officer) in my experience and I was treated, more than once, like their plumber was asking to play doctor. I will also say that a lot of this negativity was variable with speciality and locality but still prevalent. I did not shadow an EM doc for what it is worth. I took it as a positive though: one more attitude you can help change when you get there.

Your grades are good(hell, better than mine) and more than enough if you applied smart. The question there is how old the credits are. I would guess, given your having attended a military school, they are over a decade old. More current science coursework is not a bad idea at all like you mentioned and normally I would suggest coursework that could lead to another degree but having a MBA already that might not be the best course for you personally. A strong MCAT will make the most of a just a few recently earned science hours. Others do the opposite; bolster their GPA with current coursework while being pragmatic about the MCAT.

Oh and one more thing: since you have a few years due to personal reasons do not forget about your EC\volunteering\community service. It's an area I'm admittedly weak in and although education helps bridge the gap, you have the time to avoid those questions.

I'd say good luck but it's not needed: you got this.

Pardon any typos....