Noob here, more questions!

[ahc336]

Couple of questions guys, they may sound stupid, overenthusiastic, misinformed, or frivolous (to you) but bear in mind I'm a first-year college student.

Prelimaries: What should I do before I consider anything medical related? I've already contacted several local networks for shadowing opportunities to see if I could handle this field. What else?

Q1: I just finished my first semester of college with a 3.8. Is it too late to pursue medical school?

Q2: I'd like to be an obstetrician or a pediatrician. Becoming a PA is an alternative to med. school. What would this change? Please note that becoming a full-blown MD is not yet out of the question.

Q3: Are the workloads/courseloads of OB/GYNs and prospective pediatricians heavier than others? Lighter? The same?

Q4: Can PA's specialize in something, like an MD does? Or are they pawns of the network and moved to where needed?

Q5: At the moment, I'm a political science major (my true passion). I'm thinking of continuing to major in poli. sci. while fulfilling pre-med requirements. My advisor (who has a genuine interest in my success) has told me this is possible. Is this suicidal? If so, what should my 'major' be?

Q6: What should I aim for my GPA to be at the end of undergrad? When should MCAT prep start?

Q7: I plan on rushing--while I have time? Obviously the org. will understand if I'm a pre-med, but this question's context is more focused on the weekends.

Q8: I hope to joining the Navy (to be a Corpsman, which is) post-undergrad. Obviously this conflicts with medical school. Is there any way to incorporate these, as a corpsman is a medical position, or somehow make it work?

Q9: I smoke cannabis, but don't plan for my use to continue past college. What's the situation on drug tests (obviously networks will do preliminary drug tests, I'm speaking of tests that would occur during college)?



That's a lot of questions, so I'll end it there; if you read this far, thanks in advance! I look forward to all the replies, and thanks for putting up with me!

AHC

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[rodmichael82]

I stopped reading the rest of your post the second you asked if it was too late for med school when you're just a first year in college.

 

[jqueb29]

Cherry picking here.

Q1: LOL

Q2-4: I have no knowledge that would be helpful to you

Q5: I'm curious why you wouldn't pursue a career related to political science if that is your true passion. Hard to get through med school if you don't have the motivation that comes from pursuing your true passion

Q6: As high as possible! Lol really though you should be fine for in-state schools with 3.7+ unless you live in Cali. Above 3.8 and 35 on MCAT, you're competitive anywhere no matter what. I would suggest about 3 months of prep, though that will probably increase with the new MCAT.

Q7: Also a LOL. If you're able to commit to buckling down when you need to, you can and should have a very enjoyable social life in college.

Q8: I can't really answer this one

Q9: I'm not sure why you would ever be drug tested in college unless you've been arrested and are on probation or something like that...in which case you would not be getting into med school

 

[SplenoMegastar]

Your question about course load for OBs makes me wonder if you know how doctors become doctors. Start by reading something simple like this http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/education-careers/becoming-physician.page?

Do as well as you can in college and major in something that actually interests you. Google "pre-med requirements." You study for and take the MCAT when you've taken the relevant courses.

Seeking advice is great, but initiative goes a long way and if you do end up in med school you'll have to get used to not asking what can easily be looked up. And be careful with the weed smoking.

 

[Smurfette]

Couple of questions guys, they may sound stupid, overenthusiastic, misinformed, or frivolous (to you) but bear in mind I'm a first-year college student.

Prelimaries: What should I do before I consider anything medical related? I've already contacted several local networks for shadowing opportunities to see if I could handle this field. What else?

Q1: I just finished my first semester of college with a 3.8. Is it too late to pursue medical school?

Oy. Why would you think this?
No.

Q2: I'd like to be an obstetrician or a pediatrician. Becoming a PA is an alternative to med. school. What would this change? Please note that becoming a full-blown MD is not yet out of the question.

There are a plethora of threads about PAs from the MD/MD student perspective. Doing a search will help fill you in on differences.
Oneliner: PAs cannot work without supervision, and have less specialized training. Certainly there are PAs in peds and OB.

Q3: Are the workloads/courseloads of OB/GYNs and prospective pediatricians heavier than others? Lighter? The same?

heavier than what "others"? There is a lot of variability in practice types and volumes. Some have huge workloads, others do not, and some of this depends on your definition of "too much" and "too little". This is not a question with a definite answer.

Q4: Can PA's specialize in something, like an MD does? Or are they pawns of the network and moved to where needed?

They can be in one field, but they have the ability to go to another field without having to go back for more training. They are most effective when they know an area well.

Q5: At the moment, I'm a political science major (my true passion). I'm thinking of continuing to major in poli. sci. while fulfilling pre-med requirements. My advisor (who has a genuine interest in my success) has told me this is possible. Is this suicidal? If so, what should my 'major' be?

Major in whatever you want. If you want to go to PA or med school, you do need to meet all admission requirements as far as undergrad coursework and should plan accordingly. These required courses can be part of your major, minor, gen ed classes or none of the above.

Q6: What should I aim for my GPA to be at the end of undergrad? When should MCAT prep start?
Q7: I plan on rushing--while I have time? Obviously the org. will understand if I'm a pre-med, but this question's context is more focused on the weekends.

GPA as high as possible. Can't help you with timing of MCAT prep these days or with rushing.

Q8: I hope to joining the Navy (to be a Corpsman, which is) post-undergrad. Obviously this conflicts with medical school. Is there any way to incorporate these, as a corpsman is a medical position, or somehow make it work?

Yes. Do a search.

Q9: I smoke cannabis, but don't plan for my use to continue past college. What's the situation on drug tests (obviously networks will do preliminary drug tests, I'm speaking of tests that would occur during college)?

The situation is, don't test positive. Drug related offenses can cause major issues with financial aid, and with state and DEA licensing. Most colleges don't do any routine drug screens, but drug tests done by law enforcement (if positive) are generally unplanned and the most detrimental to you in the long run.

Moving to PreAllo where this thread is more appropriate.

 

[ahc336]

I stopped reading the rest of your post the second you asked if it was too late for med school when you're just a first year in college.

Apparently you skipped the first sentence...

 

[ahc336]

Your question about course load for OBs makes me wonder if you know how doctors become doctors. Start by reading something simple like this http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/education-careers/becoming-physician.page?

Do as well as you can in college and major in something that actually interests you. Google "pre-med requirements." You study for and take the MCAT when you've taken the relevant courses.

Seeking advice is great, but initiative goes a long way and if you do end up in med school you'll have to get used to not asking what can easily be looked up. And be careful with the weed smoking.

I was looking for first-hand experience other than what Google can tell me! But thank you for the link, that was very useful.

 

[GomersGoToGround]

FYI, OP: Corpsman is an enlisted job. You will have a bachelors degree, which means you'll go in as an officer (unless you choose not to...which would be stupid considering the drop in pay). Officers are not corpsman.


Go to med school, do HPSP (Google it, or go to military medicine forums here on SDN), or do FAP (Google again).

 

[ahc336]

What should I do before I consider anything medical related? I've already contacted several local networks for shadowing opportunities to see if I could handle this field. What else?
Shadowing is a great start, as is community service/clinical experience in medicine - volunteering in a hospital or free clinic, working as a Certified Nursing Assistant or EMT, etc. With a CNA or EMT certificate, you can "double dip" by getting experience that will strengthen your med school application AND starting to work towards meeting the requirement for a certain number of direct patient contact hours required for PA school.

I just finished my first semester of college with a 3.8. Is it too late to pursue medical school?
No, it's not too late. But if you're planning to go to med school or PA school straight out of college, you should talk with a pre-health adviser about the pre-requisites for the MCAT, medical school, and PA school to make sure you're getting everything in on time.

I'd like to be an obstetrician or a pediatrician. Becoming a PA is an alternative to med. school. What would this change? Please note that becoming a full-blown MD is not yet out of the question.
Typically, PAs work under a physician. You sacrifice a little independence in practicing for less time and money put into your education, and more lateral mobility (i.e. easier to switch between specialties).

Are the workloads/courseloads of OB/GYNs and prospective pediatricians heavier than others? Lighter? The same?
For undergrad and medical school, the coursework for OB/GYNs, pediatricians, and all other future physicians is exactly the same. Your specialty starts affecting your workload, hours/week, etc. during your residency and fellowship, which comes after medical school.

Can PA's specialize in something, like an MD does? Or are they pawns of the network and moved to where needed?
PAs can specialize, but I'm not sure whether they're at the mercy of the system if they do work for a big hospital system or something. I would recommend shadowing PAs as well as physicians to get an idea of the differences between the two.

At the moment, I'm a political science major (my true passion). I'm thinking of continuing to major in poli. sci. while fulfilling pre-med requirements. My advisor (who has a genuine interest in my success) has told me this is possible. Is this suicidal? If so, what should my 'major' be?
It's probably not suicidal, but it depends on your individual willingness to put in the time and effort necessary and how the classes and professors are at your particular school. For med school, you need to get in 1 year of general bio, 1 year of gen chem, 1 year of organic chem, 1 semester of biochem, 1 semester of psych, and 1 semester of soc in time for the MCAT. Most schools will also require you to take a small amount of coursework in writing/English, humanities, math, etc. You'll have to talk with your adviser about how many credits per semester this will be for you, and think about how much you can handle (keeping in mind you also need time for volunteering, research, work, etc.).

What should I aim for my GPA to be at the end of undergrad? When should MCAT prep start?
Generally speaking, a GPA of 3.6 and above will put you in a great position. 3.0 and above is fine if the rest of your application is outstanding. MCAT prep will depend on when you decide to take it (spring or summer of your junior year if you want to go to med school right after college), your personal study style, and strengths or weaknesses with the material. You'll have to look at the material that's on the MCAT and evaluate the best study plan for you.

I plan on rushing--while I have time? Obviously the org. will understand if I'm a pre-med, but this question's context is more focused on the weekends.
Several of my friends who have been recently accepted to medical school were involved in Greek life in undergrad. It is possible.

I hope to joining the Navy (to be a Corpsman, which is) post-undergrad. Obviously this conflicts with medical school. Is there any way to incorporate these, as a corpsman is a medical position, or somehow make it work?
The Navy will pay for your med school if you commit so many years of service after you finish medical school. I don't know many details about this, but you can find more info here: https://services.aamc.org/fed_loan_pub/index.cfm?fuseaction=public.program&program_id=107

I smoke cannabis, but don't plan for my use to continue past college. What's the situation on drug tests (obviously networks will do preliminary drug tests, I'm speaking of tests that would occur during college)?
Depends on your job, school, etc. Safest thing would be to not use it, period. A run-in with your school's judiciary system - or worse, the law - can really mess up your application.

Thanks for all the info and the link. My sister recommended I get my CNA at a local comm. college and that I start working over the summer to get hours (and money), I may do that now. Thanks for the help!

FYI, OP: Corpsman is an enlisted job. You will have a bachelors degree, which means you'll go in as an officer (unless you choose not to...which would be stupid considering the drop in pay). Officers are not corpsman.


Go to med school, do HPSP (Google it, or go to military medicine forums here on SDN), or do FAP (Google again).

Thanks, I had neglected to see that Corpsman are enlisted... that would be important!

 

[raiderette]

Re: cannabis
At two of the hospitals where I have shadowed and/or volunteered, I had to pass a drug test. The one for a larger hospital with plenty of premeds did a hair test. That may be a factor.

Also, there is also the Uniformed Services Medical School if you are interested in being a Navy physician.

 

[ahc336]

Bumping!