Non-Trad Advice

[Medic248]

Hi all,
I recently graduated from a Paramedic program, and throughout the course lots of the physicians and nurses I worked with during clinical and at my job at the hospital kept asking me if I had plans for medical school, and after having the conversation so many times, I started looking into it. I've gone halfway through nursing school, and decided it wasn't for me, and I've been on the ambulance for close to 4 years now, in addition to almost 2 years of in-hospital work. I've had the privledge of working with some really good docs during my rotations, and I think the career is something I'd enjoy. (I'm in the process of talking to a few of the docs I worked with during rotations to see if I can do a shadowing-type thing with them to make sure, but in the mean time...)

I was wondering if anyone here had any advice on specifics to work on to make myself a "competitive" applicant. Right now, I only have a couple college credits (A&P, Nutrition, Psych, Logic), and once I get settled into my new job, I'm planning on starting back to work on my BS. Pitt offers a BS in Emergency Medicine, which I've heard is an excellent pre-med degree, but is otherwise useless. So my question here is is there a specific major that admissions personnel prefer to see? Or one that will make me a stronger candidate?

As far as volunteer time, I have about 3 years as a volunteer EMT and firefighter, about 5 years search and rescue/wilderness rescue, Eagle Scout, current adult leader for Boy Scouts (7+ years in the program), and I also teach EMT and CPR classes (for fun and profit! ) Are there any programs or suggestions that are of benefit to a prospective medical student or look good to admissions?

One of the major dilemmas I've been having is wheather to take courses at a regular college/university, or if I should save myself some money and take my first two years at a community college. I've heard mixed feelings about this, with a lot of people saying that it won't necessarily hurt you to take classes at community college, as long as they align with the university's curriculum and are accepted as transfer credits. Also, does part-time status (due to work) look bad? I've heard they like to see super-busy schedules and difficult classes to see if you can handle the courseload?

I'm looking to start with some basic pre-requisites (Math, English, etc), and come up with some sort of plan... Any thoughts/comments/remarks on where to go with this?
Thanks,
Curtis

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[Luxian]

First of all, kudos to you for starting this journey! You already have tons of work with patients, so that will be a big boon to your application. Now you have to work on the academic side.

To my understanding, you will need to complete your Bachelors prior to attending med school. Most career changers doing their pre-reqs enter into a post-baccalaureate program, for AFTER they've already completed their college degree. (Forgive me if I've misread your post.)

You should check out the AMCAS website for requirements for med school, but you will need at least:
1 yr physics
1 yr chemistry
1 yr o-chem
1 yr bio
and some schools require 1 yr english. There are lab-requirements as well. So before you sign up for the EM major, make sure it fulfills all those requirements.

So, first things first, get your bachelor's, make sure you complete and do well in all your pre-med requirements. The actual major doesn't matter. There are lots of people who are bio majors, but also chemistry majors, engineers, etc. As long as you complete the classes and get good grades, just pick whichever you like the most.

Good luck!

 

[DrMidlife]

Taking the first two years at a community college won't hurt you, as long as you then have substantial science coursework at a 4 year university. It'll be better to take your premed prereqs at the 4yr. If you have to do your prereqs at the CC level, then you need upper div science at the 4yr. The problem with taking your prereqs at a CC is that (with some exceptions) CC coursework isn't rigorous enough to prepare you for the academic horrors of med school.

I strongly suggest that you stop worrying, for the next 2-3 years, about anything other than your college grades and being in good shape to do well on the MCAT. Your healthcare experience and other activities are less important than your numbers, and you're well above the bar in experience. You should major in whatever you like. If it be eastern harpsichord anthropology, and you love it, then you're ahead of the bio major who only majored in bio because advisers told them to. If you major in something you love, then you have something to talk about during med school interviews. But bottom line, it's all about your grades. Do whatever you have to, to stay over 3.5.

If you go the CC route, I suggest bulking up there on math, English and the general ed stuff like psych and history. These courses are more fun in a smaller CC environment than at a 4yr, where you may be one of 500 students in lecture hall. Also, having a strong start in math is going to set you up better for chem and physics, and having a strong start in English is going to set you up better for, well, everything.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Martin Prince]

I agree with the above comments. You already have most of the "intangibles"/EC's that will strengthen your application. Now you need the most important parts...gpa and MCAT. Do everything you can to focus on these in the next few years even if you need to drop some of your service commitments. If your numbers are strong you'll be in great shape. If these are questionable, a lot of that patient contact may not count for much unfortunately.

Major doesn't matter. I have a double in Environmental Studies/Anthropology with a studio art minor with essentially the bare minimum in med prereqs and was accepted as a non-trad. Find an interest and have some fun while you have the chance.
I really don't know how much a 4 year school vs. CC factors in. I was nervous and only took 2 of the classes at CC and the rest at huge state university. My experience was that the university level courses were so challenging that I was forced to work my butt off, but I was well prepared for the MCAT. With the CC classes, it was so relaxed that I cruised and struggled to remember a thing when MCAT review rolled around. These were my weakest areas for that test. With that in mind, I'm definitely glad I chose a four year university. If you can swing the finances, I'd go for it. If you decide for the CC, you can still make it but don't get comfortable with anything lower than 3.8-4.0 (just a gut feeling), and be prepared for the MCAT to be extremely complex relative to your preparation. You will need a strong showing to convince people your CC wasn't too easy.

Good luck to you

 

[iluvnerds]

Great advice so far! I agree, your major does not matter. Medical schools like people who are well rounded, so major in whatever truly interests you, even if it's totally unrelated to medicine. The Em Med degree sounds nice but if life happens then it may be better do something that is useful to you no matter what. The key is to take prereqs and do well in them.

Shadowing is a great idea. Ask great questions about lifestyle as well. As I heard it before, when choosing a career, you're buying into a lifestyle not just a job.