Nontrad applying to DO, MD, or SMP. In need of advice.

[Jessmj13]

Hi everyone! I am a 28 year old female interested in becoming a physician. I would greatly appreciate any feedback or advice on my strength as a candidate, if I need to do an SMP or post-bacc, etc.

I graduated in 2014 with a BS in Biochemistry and minor in biology. My GPA is poor: cGPA is 3.25 with 163 credit hours and sGPA is 2.98 with 98 credit hours. I am currently studying to take the MCAT in September (taking practice this coming weekend and will update when done!). I was pre-med during undergrad, but decided to take a couple of gap years to work on myself and my candidacy, which then extended due to family and personal issues.

Work experience since graduating:
-2 years in a biochemical manufacturing job
-3 years in clinical toxicology, molecular, and R&D labs. During this time I helped develop multiple PCR panels to specifically test for and identify pathogenic viruses or bacteria to work towards improved antibiotic stewardship. This company now sets up labs to do this testing across the southeast.
-For the past year I have been a clinical lab supervisor with 2 companies across multiple departments: 2 clinical toxicology labs, molecular PCR, PCR production and, more recently, blood chemistry analysis, CBC and thyroid testing

Volunteer experience (non-clinical):
-College first teaching AP math and chemistry to high school students during their summer vacation
-teaching and mentoring underprivileged children at after school programs and at community centers (3 days a week/3 years)
-Mentor/teacher for first generation college student program
-Volunteer at tutoring center for chemistry and biology
-Also standard habitat for humanity, environmental clean-up/conservation, soup kitchen, animal shelter volunteer work
Total of 880 hours

Clinical Volunteering:
-volunteer one day a week at children's cancer ward at local hospital
-1 day/week volunteering at a university medical center (4 hours/day for 4 months)
-3 week long Nicaragua clinical trip/study abroad: Experience was both service and shadowing; First half of each day was spent in primary clinic setting, second half in hospital rotating from ER to deliveries to surgeries.
*320 total hours - working on more

Shadowing
-40 hours OB/GYN
-40 hours Peds
-80 hours rural Internal Medicine
-20 hours urgent care
-40 hours primary care in medical center
*220 total hours but want to get more that is recent - work at practice with access to 9 drs

So my GPA is seriously hurting my chances. I probably have too many courses to really up my undergraduate GPA much. Would an SMP be the way to go?

Also to note: I did speak to UAB MSBHS program/admissions director and he said he would recommend that I apply for their program and that he thinks my background makes me a strong candidate for it. This is a 1 year accelerated MS program developed to mimic UASOM 1st year. I would love to go to this school and it is in state, but it is not a true bridge program and very few people from this program get accepted into UASOM.

IS MD: University of South Alabama (USACOM); University of Alabama at Birmingham (UASOM)
IS DO: VCOM and ACOM

I am open-minded with my path. Willing to move out of state as well. Would I have any chance directly applying (assuming good MCAT)? Or is SMP the best route? If so, would the UAB MSBHS be suggested or look for one with guaranteed admittance or at least high matriculation rate?

I greatly appreciate any and all advice and feedback! And would love to hear about other nontraditional or low GPA applicants' experience!


Edit: added total hours above for volunteering and shadowing

Also did not mention research above.
-organic research with pharmaceutical applications for 3.5 yrs, 20 hrs a week. 2000+ total hours. Have one publication.

Edit: took the MCAT and got a 509.

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[rdyotz]

Some schools will automatically screen you out with a sub 3.0 sGPA. Based on 163 credits, it will be tough to raise your GPA much, which points to a SMP (is UAB MSBHS even a SMP?) as a likely better choice. Add total hours to your volunteering to make it simpler to understand. Volunteering 1 day a week, means little. If you do it for 4 hours each day over the past 3 years, then you get an idea of the impact, however, also using total hours is easier than making everyone do the math. Many foreign clinical trips are looked down upon as they take jobs/money away from the locals and some of them can seem more like a vacation than volunteering.

UASOM 10th percentile GPAs: 3.49 cGPA and 3.33 sGPA
USACOM 10th percentile GPAs: 3.55 cGPA and 3.42 sGPA

Based on that data, it is quite unlikely (though not necessarily impossible) to get accepted to either in your current position. Obviously, without a MCAT, it is impossible to give better advice. Don't use AAMC full-length exams until closer to your test date - they are obviously the most indicative of your true score. Howard University has the lowest median GPA, their 10th percentile cGPA is 3.07 and sGPA is 2.81. Realize they are a HBCU though and I am unsure of your ethnicity / URM status.

DO schools do not have easily available statistics regarding acceptances, and therefore I can't give you insight on those. However, a sub 3.0 GPA is still likely a red flag, but a great MCAT score *might* help.

Here is ACOM's blurb: A competitive applicant has an MCAT score of 501 (26 on the old exam) and an overall GPA of 3.4 (4.0 scale). The competitive science GPA is 3.3 (4.0 scale).

 

[Faha]

You need to take enough additional science courses at a local college to raise your sGPA to 3.0. You could do that this summer.

 

[Goro]

Your stats are lethal for MD and many DO schools right now
Read this:

• Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

 

[JSReed]

GPA wise, you're in the range where an SMP is the best choice. That being said, can you actually demonstrate that you're able to handle that level of coursework? Why did end up with a low gpa, what did you do to fix it, and how did that impact your GPA in your last 2 semesters of full time coursework? If you can't answer those questions, you'd need to take post-bacc courses until you can and then go for an SMP. My 2 cents.

 

[Jessmj13]

OP here! Thanks to all for your feedback and advice. I do not have an upward trend unfortunately. My grades plummeted my last year in undergrad. I had a lot going on in my personal life and did not know when to say when, essentially.
Which I know does not look good for medical schools.

I am currently enrolled at UAB (non degree seeking post-bacc student) and am currently taking Endocrinology and will be taking Immunology and Neurobiology next semester. Doing well in Endocrinology so far!

I have taken the MCAT and got a 509. I am signed up to retake currently. I got ~515s on practice.

Any additional advice with the new info in mind?

 

[Ell19]

OP here! Thanks to all for your feedback and advice. I do not have an upward trend unfortunately. My grades plummeted my last year in undergrad. I had a lot going on in my personal life and did not know when to say when, essentially.
Which I know does not look good for medical schools.

I am currently enrolled at UAB (non degree seeking post-bacc student) and am currently taking Endocrinology and will be taking Immunology and Neurobiology next semester. Doing well in Endocrinology so far!

I have taken the MCAT and got a 509. I am signed up to retake currently. I got ~515s on practice.

Any additional advice with the new info in mind?

why are you retaking a 509 MCAT? You are better focusing on raising your sGPA, which is what might screen you out from MD and DO programs.

 

[DO_or_Die]

OP here! Thanks to all for your feedback and advice. I do not have an upward trend unfortunately. My grades plummeted my last year in undergrad. I had a lot going on in my personal life and did not know when to say when, essentially.
Which I know does not look good for medical schools.

I am currently enrolled at UAB (non degree seeking post-bacc student) and am currently taking Endocrinology and will be taking Immunology and Neurobiology next semester. Doing well in Endocrinology so far!

I have taken the MCAT and got a 509. I am signed up to retake currently. I got ~515s on practice.

Any additional advice with the new info in mind?

I think overall the application is good outside of your GPA. I would continue taking courses and making A's to raise your GPA. Do maybe one more year of full time course work, get a committee letter from your school if you haven't done so already, get your essays and personal statement completed and apply in 2021 or 2022. I think you have a better shot at DO personally and I wouldn't retake a 509 MCAT.