MSW to med school

[sillyhumansuit]

So I am finishing a 1 year MSW program at USC with a focus on health, after a long time of deliberating, procrastinating and generally ignoring my own desires I have decided I am going to go to medical school. I realized that without that hard science background I am going nuts. I love social work but I feel that I can really do more to help people. (I am also tired of seeing RNs get social work jobs)

That being said I do not know if I should do my post-bacc program at USC because it is rather expensive. I do not know if having an MSW will get me into other post-bacc programs or if I should really look at a do it yourself program. I have seen some lists of post-bacc programs but I was wondering if there is a list of them that link to other med schools directly?

In the end I was looking for some guidance. One of the professors at my school suggested nursing rather than a M.D.

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[SN12357]

So I am finishing a 1 year MSW program at USC with a focus on health, after a long time of deliberating, procrastinating and generally ignoring my own desires I have decided I am going to go to medical school. I realized that without that hard science background I am going nuts. I love social work but I feel that I can really do more to help people. (I am also tired of seeing RNs get social work jobs)

That being said I do not know if I should do my post-bacc program at USC because it is rather expensive. I do not know if having an MSW will get me into other post-bacc programs or if I should really look at a do it yourself program. I have seen some lists of post-bacc programs but I was wondering if there is a list of them that link to other med schools directly?

In the end I was looking for some guidance. One of the professors at my school suggested nursing rather than a M.D. As a male I am not sure I want to go into another female dominated profession because these often have unfair depressed wages. I do know that being a male in one of these professions gives me an advantage of sorts though.

Both nursing and MD are good options, only you can determine what is best for you. You should talk to both nurses and doctors to get an idea. I am applying to medical schools this year. My best friend decided to go with nursing and is currently in a BSN program. We are both nontraditional students of similar academic calibre...we had different priorities and interests. Neither way is superior to the other. However, I would not make the decision about going or not going into nursing based on the female-dominated piece of it. It's both becoming less true and really much less important a factor than many, many other concerns.

In terms of post-bacc options, a lot depends on your current grades. How were your grades for undergrad and your MSW? If they are good, you have lots of options as a career switcher. If you need to engage in grade repair your route will be different. It's generally much cheaper to do an informal post-bacc but there are structural advantages to a formal one with linkages. Personally, I went with the informal route, and was happy with that decision.

 

[sillyhumansuit]

Thank you for your response!

I have been spending time trying to see the difference in what nurses and doctors address. My professor said nurses are more on the preventive side of medicine. This is in line with my social work background but I thought there would be more of a preventive medicine focus for M.D.s as it cuts down the amount of work/recidivism.

I had something like a 3.5 in undergrad and I have a 4.0 for my MSW. What route are you taking to get to your M.D.?

 

[SN12357]

Thank you for your response!

I have been spending time trying to see the difference in what nurses and doctors address. My professor said nurses are more on the preventive side of medicine. This is in line with my social work background but I thought there would be more of a preventive medicine focus for M.D.s as it cuts down the amount of work/recidivism.

I had something like a 3.5 in undergrad and I have a 4.0 for my MSW. What route are you taking to get to your M.D.?

Hm, I wouldn't have said there is a divide between preventive medicine nursing vs. md. Nurses spend more time working directly with patients. There's a lot of variety in nursing careers. Their concerns in the context of medical care are different from physicians--a primary one being that they do not diagnose. My friend wanted to get into clinical work immediately, while I was willing to slug out the long path. Personal decisions.

Your grades are great, so you can think entirely in terms of career-switching and not in terms of grade repair. That's a good position to be in.

I did the Harvard Extension post-bacc program, which is kind of in a nebulous space between a completely informal post-bacc and a formal one. They do provide committee letters, but it is a part-time night program for most people in it. I was able to take courses in the order and timing that I needed to. I have been very pleased with my experience, particularly since I was able to work full time for the duration and was well-prepared by my classes for the MCAT. I will (hopefully! if i get in!) be entering medical school with zero debt, which was an important consideration for me.

 

[sillyhumansuit]

Very cool! (can't you tell I am from California)

I wish you the best of luck on getting in! Break a leg and so-on.

I did not assume 3.5 was good. I think I just am disappointed with anything below a 3.8. Just to many distractions in my undergrad combined with being disillusioned.

What I really want to focus on is wellness/preventive methods so that people never have to go into the doctors office in the first place. I know that is a lofty dream but after working in social work it seems to me many peoples problems originate, not in random happenstance but rather a slow decline of their health. I am not sure who is better equipped to do this? Nurses or Doctors or even some other profession I have no knowledge of.

 

[SN12357]

Very cool! (can't you tell I am from California)

I wish you the best of luck on getting in! Break a leg and so-on.

I did not assume 3.5 was good. I think I just am disappointed with anything below a 3.8. Just to many distractions in my undergrad combined with being disillusioned.

What I really want to focus on is wellness/preventive methods so that people never have to go into the doctors office in the first place. I know that is a lofty dream but after working in social work it seems to me many peoples problems originate, not in random happenstance but rather a slow decline of their health. I am not sure who is better equipped to do this? Nurses or Doctors or even some other profession I have no knowledge of.

Eh, 3.5 undergrad is fine if you nail your post-bacc. It'll come up a bit after that and on the application undergrad, grad, and post-bacc work are clearly delineated. So schools will see your trend. Buy the MSAR and take a look at stats--even the top schools have 10th-90th percentiles that are 3.6-4.0. You don't need a 3.8+ to get in somewhere.

Either nurses or doctors can do primary care/prevention work...sounds like it's time for you to get in some volunteering/shadowing gigs so you can scope things out for yourself. Management of chronic care is a big and growing field.

 

[Goro]

First you have to figure out what you want to do. Medicine is a calling , like being a policeman or priest.


The, consider that post-bac programs are a dime-a-dozen, and you can do them yourself. It's OK to take them at a CC.

This forum will be a good help to you.

In the mean time, shart shadowing doctors, and doing some other pdisplays of altruism, both patient contact centered, and others.

The avg MD matriculant will have a 3.6 GPA and an MCAT score of 32. CA schools are more competetive, but your GPA is not lethal.

For DO programs, 3.3-3.4 are avg and MCAT of 26+

In the end I was looking for some guidance. One of the professors at my school suggested nursing rather than a M.D. As a male I am not sure I want to go into another female dominated profession because these often have unfair depressed wages. I do know that being a male in one of these professions gives me an advantage of sorts though.[/QUOTE]

 

[sillyhumansuit]

First you have to figure out what you want to do. Medicine is a calling , like being a policeman or priest.

Well I know I want to work in the medical field. After being in social work for several years I keep feeling like something is missing. I am working under the assumption that addressing the health of my patients is the issue. That is simply outside the scope of practice as a social worker. We can recommend patients to people who can address those issues but it makes me angry when I can't help the person myself.

I am not to worried about the time or the money of med school. If I end up with an insane amount of student loans I will just be like every other student my age, I am only slightly concerned about the difficulty of med school as my BSW education was a joke. I am more concerned about actually helping people.

Do you think working as a medical social worker in a hospital setting or the like looks good as experience? I don't want to overstep my bounds to much and ask the M.D.s I might work with. So I would have to find another hospital to do that at.

 

[Goro]

MD/DO, RN/NP, PA, OD, DPM, PharmD, PT, RT etc

You have a to of different venues, so there's no need to subject yourself tot he marathon of medical school.

Being a MSW definitely counts for the patient contact experience.

Well I know I want to work in the medical field. After being in social work for several years I keep feeling like something is missing. I am working under the assumption that addressing the health of my patients is the issue. That is simply outside the scope of practice as a social worker. We can recommend patients to people who can address those issues but it makes me angry when I can't help the person myself.

I am not to worried about the time or the money of med school. If I end up with an insane amount of student loans I will just be like every other student my age, I am only slightly concerned about the difficulty of med school as my BSW education was a joke. I am more concerned about actually helping people.

Do you think working as a medical social worker in a hospital setting or the like looks good as experience? I don't want to overstep my bounds to much and ask the M.D.s I might work with. So I would have to find another hospital to do that at.

 

[sillyhumansuit]

Thank you for the advice!

From the little knowledge I have, becoming an RN or PharmD would be just as much work as going to medical school. I have basically spent all day on these forums trying to figure out where in the medical field I fit. So far not much luck.

Before looking at medical school I was on track to do an MPH program because I like policy a great deal. I just don't see how I can fit this all in.