Nontrad strategy for next cycle

[adhd_wannabe]

Hi— I am trying to figure out the ‘best’ way forward / strategy for the next application cycle. Thank you in advance for any input!

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[Kokonaut]

As a current (and soon to be former) social worker, I can say it can be a very diverse field and could give you a great deal of clinical exposure based on what you do. However, the clinical exposure may not be related to medicine or considered clinical in that context. For instance, working as a social worker in a medical setting or cancer center would definitely count whereas working CPS or APS would not. You also would have no assurance that your internship would be clinical in nature. Valuable perspective for sure, but not clinical. It is also a very roundabout way of getting clinical experience if that is your intention though I could see the appeal of a fall-back career.

I can't weigh in on the mental health mission statement as I'm not an admissions advisor. I would say if you went the MSW route, it may cause people to ask "Why medicine?" even more than they would otherwise.

 

[Bonne Nuit]

Hi— I am trying to figure out the ‘best’ way forward / strategy for the next application cycle. Thank you in advance for any input!

A bit about me:

I am 27 and graduated in 2017 with a business management degree (and 1 class short of a math minor lol). 3.56 cGPA, 3.75 sGPA (only took gen bio 1/2 and gen chm 1/2, have AP credit for physics). I was pre-med for a minute in undergrad but I decided to pursue management consulting in the healthcare space instead (quick $$). I had 6 months research experience in a neuroscience lab and 2.5 years scribing experience in the ED. I also was on the exec board for our student run consulting club and also a student run homeless shelter.

On paper I have worked 4 out of the past 5 years for consulting firms— the year off (2017-2018) I went to rehab, worked at a rehab as a house manager, ran psycho education groups at the rehab and got my life back together.

I’ve been at the same consulting firm for the past ~3 years and really tried to enjoy corporate work but hate it and it’s pretty soul crushing. The icing on top was I had several manic episodes last year and was diagnosed bipolar— the medical care I received was fantastic /life changing and reminded me why I wanted to be a doctor in the first place (instead of peripherally be involved in healthcare on the biz side for the $$).

SO! I’m committed to going to med school and now am just trying to figure out the best option moving forward. Initially I wanted to be a therapist and so I got into a MSW program — but after reading a ton on SDN I’m wondering if I’d be better served just doing a DIY post bac + working as a scribe again or something like that.

Option a— MSW program (they have 4 internships required, I was thinking I could pick medical related ones so I’d end up getting more recent clinical experience + LORs), take o chem + physiology at a CC then biochem at university, MCAT April / May of 2023. The program is 2 years long so would wrap up right before the beginning of med school if I were to be accepted; and if I got rejected I’d have the MSW to work as a social worker before applying again.

Option b— Scribe again for the recent clinical experience, take o chem + physiology at a CC then biochem at university, MCAT April / May of 2023. And pray to god I get in because I don’t want to scribe for 2 years. I also don’t want another corporate job. This option is much cheaper — the ~20k in loans I’d need to take out are basically nothing compared to what med school costs imo, but it’s still 20k and no income and having to live at my parents house. And I’m not sure the MSW really strengthens my app all that much.

Option c—???

All of this being said— I am also really not sure what I’m going to put on the apps about the bipolar stuff— everything I’ve read on SDN is like do not mention— I don’t plan on talking about the addiction stuff— that is well controlled (clean for 2+ years)—but the bipolar stuff is really integral to why I want to apply so any advice on this would be welcome as well.

Thank you so much for reading and any input!

I do not recommend using an MSW program as a stepping stone to medical school. Going through an unrelated professional degree program then immediately applying to medical school will raise questions about your commitment to medicine.

If you're serious about this pathway, then go all in and complete your prerequisites as a postbac student. Scribing is an easy option for money and updated clinical experience since you can probably jump right back into it, but it's of course not your only option. You might explore clinical volunteering opportunities if you're sick of scribing/don't want to do it long term.

A CC postbac will limit the amount of schools you can apply to, as not all medical schools accept CC credits. Others give preference to applicants with 4 year university credits even if they technically accept CC. You do not need physiology for most programs, but you should definitely take biochemistry. Most medical schools require English/writing-intensive courses and a few semesters of social science as well. I suggest purchasing a subscription to the Medical School Admissions Requirements database and research what schools in your state/region require of their applicants. Do this planning before you enroll in any postbac work.

The advice you've received about not disclosing major mental health diagnoses on a medical school application is correct. This is especially important for you since your bipolar disorder was active and uncontrolled within the last year. Disclosing your mental health history is far more likely to hurt you than help you at this stage.