MD after two doctorates: right thing to do?

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Tanya80

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Hola,
This is a big confusion of my life. I got an admit in a medical school in eastern europe in 2003. However, I belong to a farmer family and could not afford the fees and had to switch to a cheaper option DVM because vet schools were offering scholarships (GPA 3.99). After this i came to the US for a PhD thinking that would be as close as getting to the medical school but I still find that I'm not satisfied. Though I have about 12 publications under my name and a GPA of 3.6 (multiple courses including some medical school classes), I feel I'm not doing what I always want to do. People say I have fair chances to become a faculty and I should not think of med school now. There are times when I question my choices and I think may be I'm being foolish again. Do you think starting a medical career at 35 is a bad option? I'm a female, 33, single and I'm not married. I may be marrying in the coming year, I don't know. My pre-req were all in europe but excellent. I plan to join med school in 2015. Please give me a feed back! Also what are the best places to apply for non-resident students? I'm reading for mcats and will be taking them in May 2014. Should I take in April instead? A lot of questions. So thanks for your time and help.

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Are you a US citizen or have green card? If not, the number of schools that accept non-residents is limited. Age is not an issue (some of my all-time best students have been in their 30s and 40s). However, if I interviewed you, the first question out of my mouth would be "Aren't you tired of school"? We tend to be leery of professional students.

You would still need to take the MCAT. Do all of your credits transfer? Have you done the needed shadowing and volunteer work? Suggest doing this to see if Medicine is the career for you.

You still sound like you haven't made up your mind as to what you want to do, and so if this comes across in an interview, you're sure to be rejected.




Hola,
This is a big confusion of my life. I got an admit in a medical school in eastern europe in 2003. However, I belong to a farmer family and could not afford the fees and had to switch to a cheaper option DVM because vet schools were offering scholarships (GPA 3.99). After this i came to the US for a PhD thinking that would be as close as getting to the medical school but I still find that I'm not satisfied. Though I have about 12 publications under my name and a GPA of 3.6 (multiple courses including some medical school classes), I feel I'm not doing what I always want to do. People say I have fair chances to become a faculty and I should not think of med school now. There are times when I question my choices and I think may be I'm being foolish again. Do you think starting a medical career at 35 is a bad option? I'm a female, 33, single and I'm not married. I may be marrying in the coming year, I don't know. My pre-req were all in europe but excellent. I plan to join med school in 2015. Please give me a feed back! Also what are the best places to apply for non-resident students? I'm reading for mcats and will be taking them in May 2014. Should I take in April instead? A lot of questions. So thanks for your time and help.
 
Are you a US citizen or have green card? If not, the number of schools that accept non-residents is limited. Age is not an issue (some of my all-time best students have been in their 30s and 40s). However, if I interviewed you, the first question out of my mouth would be "Aren't you tired of school"? We tend to be leery of professional students.

You would still need to take the MCAT. Do all of your credits transfer? Have you done the needed shadowing and volunteer work? Suggest doing this to see if Medicine is the career for you.

You still sound like you haven't made up your mind as to what you want to do, and so if this comes across in an interview, you're sure to be rejected.

Thanks for the reply. I have made up my mind for ages but like you said 'aren't you tired of school', people question it. And then i get confused. I feel I cannot do wonders if I'm always thinking if only I had money then. It is not about getting tired of schooling. Its about doing what you want to do. I don't want to die with a regret.

No I'm not a US citizen yet or have a green card. and I know that makes things tougher :( I have experience as a volunteer in ER and for red cross. I have been at leadership positions. About credits, I don't know if they will transfer but my most recent degree is from the states.

It just breaks my heart not being able to do what I always imagined myself doing :( its like trying to run in one direction with your thoughts stuck on other.

For the first time in my life I'm just listening to my heart. Besides all things apart I think I'll be a better physician scientist at the age of 42, when I'm all done.
 
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Thanks for the reply. I have made up my mind for ages but like you said 'aren't you tired of school', people question it. And then i get confused. I feel I cannot do wonders if I'm always thinking if only I had money then. It is not about getting tired of schooling. Its about doing what you want to do. I don't want to die with a regret.

No I'm not a US citizen yet or have a green card. and I know that makes things tougher :( I have experience as a volunteer in ER and for red cross. I have been at leadership positions. About credits, I don't know if they will transfer but my most recent degree is from the states.

It just breaks my heart not being able to do what I always imagined myself doing :(

Sadly, sometimes you have to accept that some things will remain out of reach... Anyway, without a permanent resident status it will be nearly impossible to get in because the percent of admitted international students in U.S. medical schools is very, very low. Moreover, you still need to have premed prereqs completed in the U.S. (even if you have a PhD earned here).
 
Regardless of how hard it is to get accepted, med school in the US costs around $250k. Internationals have to come up with that money and put it in escrow. US citizens and residents can borrow it from the US government.

Look for posts by Scottish Chap for info on getting into a US MD school as an international postdoc. I'll also recommend reading Melvin Konner's memoir of going to med school after doing postdoc work in anthropology, because he was utterly miserable and nobody would listen to him.

The story here is going to be very difficult to sell.

Best of luck to you.
 
Thanks all for your replies. I was expecting a positive reply but I guess this is what it is. I can afford to take a loan of $250 K. Its not more about the money Its about the satisfaction. Its the passion that kept burning in me all this while. If not now I'll try again later. Its only if I get it right now I save myself from doing something I don't want to do. Do I do things in my hand badly? No, I have been excellent in research so far.

My problem is I'm sure this question will be in my mind 10 yrs later as a prof somewhere. Why not answer it right now? God know!

Nonetheless, thank you guys for your words and time. It definitely adds my knowledge. I'll appreciate more feedback from you and others. I still give MCAT and see what can be done next and when do I get to do what I want :)
 
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Do you want to practice in the us? If not necessarily you could go to school elsewhere for less money, probably. Why not in your home country?
 
Hola,
This is a big confusion of my life. I got an admit in a medical school in eastern europe in 2003. However, I belong to a farmer family and could not afford the fees and had to switch to a cheaper option DVM because vet schools were offering scholarships (GPA 3.99). After this i came to the US for a PhD thinking that would be as close as getting to the medical school but I still find that I'm not satisfied. Though I have about 12 publications under my name and a GPA of 3.6 (multiple courses including some medical school classes), I feel I'm not doing what I always want to do. People say I have fair chances to become a faculty and I should not think of med school now. There are times when I question my choices and I think may be I'm being foolish again. Do you think starting a medical career at 35 is a bad option? I'm a female, 33, single and I'm not married. I may be marrying in the coming year, I don't know. My pre-req were all in europe but excellent. I plan to join med school in 2015. Please give me a feed back! Also what are the best places to apply for non-resident students? I'm reading for mcats and will be taking them in May 2014. Should I take in April instead? A lot of questions. So thanks for your time and help.


You should speak with a Dean, Counselor or Director at a Medical school and explain your situation. Many schools have undergraduate programs that can assess your undergraduate or transfer course work to determine if it can be used. DrMidlife provided some great options as well so explore those in terms of financing your education. Not all schools are the same, for example their are some Medical schools that welcome a lot of international students so they may be better suited to help you. Just do your research.
 
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You aren't eligible for loans as a non-citizen with no green card. If you don't have a spare quarter of a million dollars in the bank, there's no way for you to pay for med school even if you manage to get in.

And no, with a DVM/PhD, I don't think you should be considering medical school. I'm an MD/PhD. If I could go back and do it all again, I'd have done a PharmD instead of an MD. But it's not any more reasonable for me to do that than it is for you to get an MD. It took some time, but I found a sub specialty of medicine that I really love. Similarly, you should look to find a niche for yourself in veterinary medicine with your current degrees. Any medical research group that does animal studies would probably be ecstatic to get someone like you.
 
Thanks for all your good suggestions :) I exactly know what I want and through your suggestions beBrave and DrMidlife I now a little more of what to do!

Bye!
 
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