Occupational Therapy to Medical School

[Margaret23]

Hello!

I've been browsing this site for a while now, and would like some advice on my current situation.
Thank you!

I graduated in 2016 from a pre-med/Neurobiology program with a 3.8 GPA and 3.76 science GPA.
I have always had the desire to go to medical school but felt that I could never get in. So I shadowed and was accepted into an OT program. I really like and respect OT but being in the program is making me realize how much I truly love medicine. I'm not going to list all of the reasons here but I think that I would be able to explain to the ADCOMs why I chose to leave OT school.

So the question is.....

How bad would it look, to medical schools, if I took a leave of absence from my program (currently in my first semester)? Would it show lack of commitment or indecisiveness?
I would take a year or two to shadow, work in healthcare, study for the MCAT, and take higher level science courses.
OR
Remain in the OT program, work a few years and then pursue medical school? Not to mention carrying the massive debt from grad school.
Also by then my prerequisites would be almost 10 years old (graduating in 2019 from OT).

Should I speak with some medical school counselors at this point?

Any advice would be awesome. I just don't want to make a mistake or go about this the wrong way.
Please and thank you!

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[precisiongraphic]

Hello!

I've been browsing this site for a while now, and would like some advice on my current situation.
Thank you!

I graduated in 2016 from a pre-med/Neurobiology program with a 3.8 GPA and 3.76 science GPA.
I have always had the desire to go to medical school but felt that I could never get in. So I shadowed and was accepted into an OT program. I really like and respect OT but being in the program is making me realize how much I truly love medicine. I'm not going to list all of the reasons here but I think that I would be able to explain to the ADCOMs why I chose to leave OT school.

So the question is.....

How bad would it look, to medical schools, if I took a leave of absence from my program (currently in my first semester)? Would it show lack of commitment or indecisiveness?
I would take a year or two to shadow, work in healthcare, study for the MCAT, and take higher level science courses.
OR
Remain in the OT program, work a few years and then pursue medical school? Not to mention carrying the massive debt from grad school.
Also by then my prerequisites would be almost 10 years old (graduating in 2019 from OT).

Should I speak with some medical school counselors at this point?

Any advice would be awesome. I just don't want to make a mistake or go about this the wrong way.
Please and thank you!

I think a leave of absence, if the school would agree, is the best thing to do. You don't want to have all that debt, be three-four more years behind. Your plan to take a year or two to be sure before you apply to med school should allow you to answer the adcom's "why med school not OT school" questions with a strong, clear and determined answer.

If the OT school won't agree, then you have a harder decision but I still think withdrawing would be better.

 

[KlausB]

Hi, I graduated from occupational therapy school and was just accepted to a few US medical schools. Feel free to PM me 🙂.

 

[Margaret23]

I think a leave of absence, if the school would agree, is the best thing to do. You don't want to have all that debt, be three-four more years behind. Your plan to take a year or two to be sure before you apply to med school should allow you to answer the adcom's "why med school not OT school" questions with a strong, clear and determined answer.

If the OT school won't agree, then you have a harder decision but I still think withdrawing would be better.

Thank you for your input, much appreciated! I'm truly looking forward to pursuing my passion!

 

[Margaret23]

Hi, I graduated from occupational therapy school and was just accepted to a few US medical schools. Feel free to PM me 🙂.

Thank you so much! I definitely will!

 

[Tarasitamarie]

Hi! So I am about to finish my didactic course work for my OT program in May and start my level 2’s in September. I too have a love for medicine; I plan to pursue the pre-requisites and take the mcat make my own personal attempt to become a Dr.

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, I ran out of undergrad funding and needed to decide on a degree path ASAP so that I could keep moving forward. OT was something I felt I could be genuinely happy with should all else fail.

You will learn that there are models that are used in hand therapy and stroke/tub specialties which allow you to apply more of your clinical and medical foundations to your practice.

I see it as an opportunity to work per diem at an OT making a decent wage while further my education and work towards my medical degree. Also, knowledge never goes to waste unless you don’t use it to your full advantage.

My first bachelors (yes I have 2) is in marketing management and economics with a minor in secondary education. I know how to teach my classmates who are struggling with material - which enhances my own knowledge of things, I can market myself and use all the customer service tactics I learned to interact with hostile and irate individuals and difficult peers during group work, and I always understand the financial implications of the varying insurance coverages and retirement/social security funds that interfere with receiving optimal home adaptations and/or living arrangements.

Knowledge is power; more importantly it is a power nobody can take away from you (unless you don’t use it and you forget - but that is on you). If you are meant for medicine, it will happen just as it will for me should it happen. The important question is “will you be happy with OT as a back-up if medical school doesn’t work out?” And the second most important question is “will you regret it if you don’t even try?”

I also know that after working for a non-profit company for 10years without late payments all your remaining loans are expunged. Also-nobody dies debt-free! The good thing about student loans is that it dies with you and isn’t passed onto family. So if you should be drowning in debt-educational debt is the best thing to sink into.

Hope this gives you good insight. Good luck!

Hello!

I've been browsing this site for a while now, and would like some advice on my current situation.
Thank you!

I graduated in 2016 from a pre-med/Neurobiology program with a 3.8 GPA and 3.76 science GPA.
I have always had the desire to go to medical school but felt that I could never get in. So I shadowed and was accepted into an OT program. I really like and respect OT but being in the program is making me realize how much I truly love medicine. I'm not going to list all of the reasons here but I think that I would be able to explain to the ADCOMs why I chose to leave OT school.

So the question is.....

How bad would it look, to medical schools, if I took a leave of absence from my program (currently in my first semester)? Would it show lack of commitment or indecisiveness?
I would take a year or two to shadow, work in healthcare, study for the MCAT, and take higher level science courses.
OR
Remain in the OT program, work a few years and then pursue medical school? Not to mention carrying the massive debt from grad school.
Also by then my prerequisites would be almost 10 years old (graduating in 2019 from OT).

Should I speak with some medical school counselors at this point?

Any advice would be awesome. I just don't want to make a mistake or go about this the wrong way.
Please and thank you!

 

[001002154]

If you graduated pre med with that high GPA, why take a couple years of higher level sciences? I’d say start your MCAT studies, volunteering/ shadowing/ clinical exposure/ whatever else to bolster your app.

If you have any questions, pm me. I graduated PT in 2013, will start med school this August.