Lawyer to Doctor?

[Dr.Esq]

Hello everyone!

I had a few questions about applying and potentially getting into medical school (DO/MD). A background about myself. I obtained my bach degree in 2014, with a double major in business management and finance. Thereafter, I decided to pursue my JD, and started LS in 2015. I graduated in 2018 with my JD, and passed my bar exam on my first attempt. I've been practicing law about 4.5 years and have considered changing career paths. (Not really interested in the practice of law anymore) I'm currently working full time as an attorney and taking online prereqs for med school. (Enrolled in Chem 1 + Lab both online (mini semester A) and will be starting chem 2 + lab both online (mini semester B) in just a few weeks. The reason I signed up for Spring 2023 mini-semester online was to streamline my process of obtaining my pre-reqs, as the chem courses would require to be taken separately under normal circumstances. (ie, chem 1, then next semester chem 2, then orgo, then orgo 2)

My plan is to work full time while completing my pre-reqs for medical school, however, due to the nature of my current job, I'm looking at taking these prereqs online at a CC, while working full time over 60+ hours a week.

A few questions I'd love some insight on:

1. Does it really look bad to ADCOMs if I take my science pre-reqs online at a CC while working full time, spring 2023 onward?
2. Do DO/MD programs take online pre-reqs (lecture + lab) for someone in my shoes, as a non-trad working full time? I'd like to think ADCOMs would look at an application in a more holistic approach, rather than focus on if pre-reqs were taken online and at a CC solely.

I'm not considering doing a post-bacc simply because of the cost of obtaining a post-bacc, I feel like I could obtain my pre-reqs at a university or college, rather than a post-bacc and save thousands of dollars.

Pre-reqs needed as far as I've understood. (Let me know if I'm missing anything)

Chem 1 + Lab
Chem 2 + Lab
Orgo 1 + Lab
Orgo 2 or Biochemistry + lab
Bio 1 + Lab
Bio 2 + Lab
Physics 1 + Lab
Physics 2 + Lab

Any advice, tips, other considerations, or criticisms would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

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[M&L]

A lot of places don’t take online prerequisites. Especially for science courses .

 

[M&L]

A lot of places don’t take online prerequisites. Especially for science courses .

especially labs. You can’t do those online for anything serious, really . You are wasting your money

 

[chilly_md]

I would suggest shadowing a physician and volunteering at a hospital for a few months before signing up for any coursework. You shouldn't be running away from a career to then try to go into medicine.

 

[Rapsidy]

I also highly suggest not working 60 hours a week while doing these prereqs. You are setting yourself up to fail and you absolutely need to do well in these classes. You don’t want to put yourself in a position where you get like a C or even a B when you know you could have gotten As had you given the class the proper time it needs.

Also echo the sentiment above, you need to do in person labs or you are throwing money away.

 

[Goro]

1. Does it really look bad to ADCOMs if I take my science pre-reqs online at a CC while working full time, spring 2023 onward?

Not any more for non-trads, but still better to do it at a 4 year school

2. Do DO/MD programs take online pre-reqs (lecture + lab) for someone in my shoes, as a non-trad working full time? I'd like to think ADCOMs would look at an application in a more holistic approach, rather than focus on if pre-reqs were taken online and at a CC solely.

The answer will be med school-dependent. My school is OK with online coursework as long as it done at an accredited school.

 

[Fluidity of Movement]

Not to encourage anything sneaky, but some schools the online classes are the exact same designation as the in-person ones. So in some situations it may be a don't ask - don't tell (I know some secondaries specifically ask). Some schools also have hybrid classes where you do online lecture, and then meet up for lab every week / month on the weekend.

Flags to me [a non expert, the above posters are experts]:

- Still working 60 hours a week: This is telegraphing a lot why are you still working so much doing something you are trying to leave. The implied response is "finances."

- MCAT: If you are actually able to take these mini-semesters with a great GPA (meaning only a couple Bs at a CC) and still working 60 hours a week hats off to you for being in the sub 1%. I would be more concerned though that you are not getting a good education, and this will come to bite you come MCAT time, and that what you are learning now may not "stick" two years from now.

You can always take time off though later to catchup, but if finances are that big of a concern to you then taking 3+ months off for dedicated study may be required but outside of what you want. There are folks who only do 5 week programs and do well.

- Why Medicine?: You have to prove this not just in your words but in your actions. Given your background there is a big raised eye IMO concerning finances being a big motivator, even if it doesn't make sense logically. Why not do PA? Why not NP? Why not pharmacy? Etc. A lot of us have a long list of reasons and experiences to justify that, and it's not just "I came from a high paying job, now I'm interested in healthcare, I will default to the highest paying healthcare job."



(Side note: a lot recommend you take orgo 2 + biochem to cover bases and apply more broadly. Just check the MSAR / "ChooseDO" if you need help figuring out if taking it is right for you.)




EDIT for posterity: Not intending to s**t on CCs or condensed courses, I myself have taken several condensed at CC. Just that if OP somehow does well in a 5-8 week course while still working 60 hours, that would in all likelihood be indicative of a poor program, or that OP may just be cramming to "pass" and not fully absorbing the material.

 

[Dr.Esq]

Not any more for non-trads, but still better to do it at a 4 year school

The answer will be med school-dependent. My school is OK with online coursework as long as it done at an accredited school.

Wondering if you have more insight on this kind of information? Do you have a list of schools that you are aware of that take online pre-reqs. Also, what school do you/did you attend?

 

[Dr.Esq]

Does anyone know of or have a list of MD/DO programs that accept online pre-reqs?

 

[gyngyn]

Does anyone know of or have a list of MD/DO programs that accept online pre-reqs?

The MSAR will have this information for MD schools.

Medical School Admission Requirements™ (MSAR®) for U.S. and Canada (Online) | 1-Year Subscription

Completely updated for 2024, this online database of comprehensive medical school profiles includes all MD-granting, LCME-accredited medical schools in the U.S. and Canada. It’s the only resource that includes data directly from the ΜСΑТ® exam, AMCAS® application, as well as information and data...

store.aamc.org

 

[Goro]

Wondering if you have more insight on this kind of information? Do you have a list of schools that you are aware of that take online pre-reqs. Also, what school do you/did you attend?

I'm a faculty member at a DO and Adcom experience for sone 20 years.

Look at MSAR Online for info on who accepts online prereqs

 

[Dr.Esq]

MSAR has information for MD programs, is there an equivalent for DO programs?

 

[Fluidity of Movement]

MSAR has information for MD programs, is there an equivalent for DO programs?

AACOM has ChooseDO explorer, which is the closest you are gonna get AFAIK:

Become an Osteopathic Medical Doctor

Want to know more about why you should consider a career in osteopathic medicine? Start here.

choose.do

There's also some more official info here:

Admissions Requirements

Admission to medical school is competitive. Find out what osteopathic admissions committees and interviewers looking for in a prospective student.

www.aacom.org

 

[Goro]

MSAR has information for MD programs, is there an equivalent for DO programs?

Nope

 

[Nokaryote]

- Why Medicine?: You have to prove this not just in your words but in your actions. Given your background there is a big raised eye IMO concerning finances being a big motivator, even if it doesn't make sense logically. Why not do PA? Why not NP? Why not pharmacy? Etc. A lot of us have a long list of reasons and experiences to justify that, and it's not just "I came from a high paying job, now I'm interested in healthcare, I will default to the highest paying healthcare job."

Question about this, would "Interest" be an appropriate response? How would it look if someone wanted to go for an MD because they are interested in studying Medicine, preforming through medicine, and also desiring to engage in medicinal academia and research later on in life?

 

[Goro]

Question about this, would "Interest" be an appropriate response? How would it look if someone wanted to go for an MD because they are interested in studying Medicine, preforming through medicine, and also desiring to engage in medicinal academia and research later on in life?

Not at my school.

 

[Nokaryote]

Not at my school.

Why is that?

 

[Sky1.3]

I made a spreadsheet with both MD and DO school prerequisites. It does not include physics and gen chem because I've done those. But it says which schools require biochem, 8 units ochem, or both, and it also includes recommended classes or unusual prereqs in the right side.
The only thing is I've excluded all schools with <0.7% admission rate for California students so you'll have to look up schools in your state yourself.
R means recommended.
Chem flexible means you can either do 1 sem ochem and 1 sem biochem, or 1 year ochem.

 

[deleted1095841]

What is it that you do not like about law?
I ask because it would be a shame to go through all the effort of getting into medical school and completing medical school (which is much harder than getting in) and completing residency (which is much harder than medical school), a 10-15 year process in its entirety, during which you will exhaust much of your savings, only to find the same problems again.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Question about this, would "Interest" be an appropriate response? How would it look if someone wanted to go for an MD because they are interested in studying Medicine, preforming through medicine, and also desiring to engage in medicinal academia and research later on in life?

Being cheeky, is that all you need to get into law school?

 

[Fluidity of Movement]

I made a spreadsheet with both MD and DO school prerequisites. It does not include physics and gen chem because I've done those. But it says which schools require biochem, 8 units ochem, or both, and it also includes recommended classes or unusual prereqs in the right side.
The only thing is I've excluded all schools with <0.7% admission rate for California students so you'll have to look up schools in your state yourself.
R means recommended.
Chem flexible means you can either do 1 sem ochem and 1 sem biochem, or 1 year ochem.

Where did you get the data from? ChooseDO?

Thanks btw, we really should have some of this stuff in a sticky somewhere lol

 

[Fluidity of Movement]

Question about this, would "Interest" be an appropriate response? How would it look if someone wanted to go for an MD because they are interested in studying Medicine, preforming through medicine, and also desiring to engage in medicinal academia and research later on in life?

there are 100 ways to answer this question, and ultimately, I think "because medicine" can be a good answer, but you have to really 'sell' it.

"Because medicine" is one of the many answers in my rolodex, and I describe it as "what other profession do you basically get to be a wizard? Where you pull out your wand (pen) and cast a spell on a scroll (prescription pad) which turns into a healing potion? (pill bottle)" ((I'm a nerd btw))

Despite all of the negative things in medicine, I've yet to lose that sense of wonder, awe, and enchantment that comes from this simple process. It inspires me and keeps me from the cynicism that can come from the day-to-day negative experiences with medicine in my own life as a patient / healthcare worker. Too many people can become disillusioned with the process, but having a basic love and respect for that grandeur needs to come through. The cumulative lifetimes of work, suffering, and sacrifice over the past millennia that has quite literally turned magic into reality.

To be able to hold a single pill between your fingers, hold it to the sun and the vast blue sky, and be able to visualize the entirety of that culmination, and the power for good that you have in your hands and your coat pocket, and how you will impact the world with that. The responsibility, care, and duty that comes with that. All of that in a few milligrams of a tiny capsule that could mean life or death for someone. It's mindblowing.

 

[Sky1.3]

Where did you get the data from? ChooseDO?

No, I went to each of their websites individually. I would recommend double checking my work before applying anywhere based on it because it's possible that there are typos somewhere in there.