Ok So!

[aspiringerdoc]

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After much internal agonizing I cannot shake the desire to become physician. I have looked into the nursing programs and just cannot seem to develop an enthusiasm for that path. I WANT to be a physician. Has anyone on here become a physician AGAINST seemingly insurmountable odds?

Most of you know my situation ~ and I know we've travelled this road before, however, I'd like to travel it again and look at some different road signs. I want to hear about the difficulties that some of you have had AND overcome.

In a class the other day, someone asked each of us what our career goals were. I could NOT say anything except what I strongly desire.

If none of you wishes to travel this road with me again, I understand. But I feel I must make the journey.

Thanks
Crazy Mike

I think my emoticon needs a doctor - LOL

 

[Law2Doc]

After much internal agonizing I cannot shake the desire to become physician. I have looked into the nursing programs and just cannot seem to develop an enthusiasm for that path. I WANT to be a physician. Has anyone on here become a physician AGAINST seemingly insurmountable odds?

Most of you know my situation ~ and I know we've travelled this road before, however, I'd like to travel it again and look at some different road signs. I want to hear about the difficulties that some of you have had AND overcome.

In a class the other day, someone asked each of us what our career goals were. I could NOT say anything except what I strongly desire.

If none of you wishes to travel this road with me again, I understand. But I feel I must make the journey.

Thanks
Crazy Mike

I think my emoticon needs a doctor - LOL

I seem to recall you are the dude supporting 11 kids and a stay at home spouse. It's great to have a strong desire, but you have to keep priorities in perspective. If you have folks who are dependant on you to be the sole breadwinner, and to actually spend time with all of them, you have to factor that into the equation as to what's doable. Maybe you can find a way, and if so that's great. But sometimes you need to put your families needs above your own.

 

[MJB]

After much internal agonizing I cannot shake the desire to become physician. I have looked into the nursing programs and just cannot seem to develop an enthusiasm for that path. I WANT to be a physician. Has anyone on here become a physician AGAINST seemingly insurmountable odds?

Most of you know my situation ~ and I know we've travelled this road before, however, I'd like to travel it again and look at some different road signs. I want to hear about the difficulties that some of you have had AND overcome.

In a class the other day, someone asked each of us what our career goals were. I could NOT say anything except what I strongly desire.

If none of you wishes to travel this road with me again, I understand. But I feel I must make the journey.

Thanks
Crazy Mike

I think my emoticon needs a doctor - LOL

No one can really make this decision for you...sorry. If you want something bad enough, you can make it happen. It's up to you to figure out how.

I will not judge or try to tell you what to do, but you made the choice to have such a large family. This is obviously going to be tough if you try to go to MS. However, I would NEVER encourage someone to go into a career for which they have no passion, and if your heart isn't in nursing, then don't do it.

If you figure out how to do it, I will be interested to know how you go about supporting a family and going through med school.

 

[ShyRem]

There are plenty of threads about folks climbing over mountains to get to med school -- most of us have told our stories. I doubt any come close to your situation, tho.

Every journey starts with a first step, and if you fall down have the courage to get back up and try again. Good luck.

 

[lilnoelle]

Your probably not going to hear from individuals that are actually physicians in this forum. Most of us are premed and a few of us are med students in our first two years. I'm not sure where Law2Doc is in this process (nor is he likely to tell us) but I don't think I know of any med students in their clinical rotations that hang out on this portion of the site.
You may want to go to the residency forums and in particular the emergency medicine forum and ask them for advice.
I'm trying to come up with a way to say that this is a possibility for you.... The only thing I can think of is finding someone else to provide for your family while your in school. Is this something that your church could get behind and help out a lot? Is there a stay at home type job (i.e. medical billing) for your wife to do? Are you willing to send your children to public school so your wife can do that?
I imagine it won't be too difficult for you to work while going to undergrad and maybe you could pull 10 hours a week while in med school (provided your children take up very little of your extra time) and if your wife was working, then you might make it work. I have no concept of how much time raising 11 children takes you. Only you can know that and weigh that into your decision.
Know that you will probably need to spend around 8 hours a day during the week and probably 8 hours a day once a weekend to pull passing grades in med school. The week before an exam, you'll be studying more than the above amount. Individuals who do well study more and some individuals who do the above don't pass. I'm sure you'll here many individuals say they study less than that, but I'd say the majority of students put in the above or more time on their education in med school.
The first two years are like the above. The third year is probably more like residency where you will feel like you live at the hospital. I'd say there is no chance of working during third year. Fourth year is more relaxed, or so I've heard and then of course residency is pretty much endentured servitude for 3-5 years. You will at that point be making an income of around $40K.
I guess there are some possibilities for you concerning your loans and money for you to live on. There are state programs that if you promise to work in primary care after residency in an underserved area they will pay all or a portion of your tuition. Some states (Kansas for one) considers EM primary care and some states (Kansas) will give you a stipend to help with your living expenses. The stipend Kansas gives is $1500 a month. The military also does something similar where if you make a commitment to them (4 years after residency) they'll pay all of your tuition and fees, books, even health insurance for you and pay a stipend (currently $1300 but I think its about to double) every month. If you are HPSP (military scholarship individual) you will attend a military residency and will be paid a little more than a civilian residency then during your four years in the military, you will be given a decent salary, but it will be substantially less than what you would earn in the civilian world.
The above financial options are "taken out" of your financial aid possibilities. Meaning if you recieve $50K in help every year and your allowed to borrow $60K, then you can only borrow $10K through government financial aid programs. There are private lenders that will loan you extra money, but the interest rate will be higher and will most likely not be a fixed rate.
I suppose if you manage to get your loans taken care of and borrow ~30K a year through a private lender your loans would be around ~120K after your done which is what most people borrow during med school. But then you'll have to figure out how to pay those loans back on a lower income (i.e. military income) than those who didn't make a commitment. Even with the above scenerio, I can't imagine that $30K is enough for 13 people to live off of.... your wife would still have to work.

 

[efex101]

You could do this IF like the above poster said someone ELSE is going to provide for your family. I guess my question to you, IF this is so important to you why can your wife not get a job? and support your through medical school? the other option is have your church support your family for the four years of medical school.

The military is an option but again CAN COME with a high price like deploying to the middle of nowhere for months on end, getting injured or worse getting killed. The military is no joke so do not go into it JUST to pay your way through medical school.

I see this as almost impossible...I have two kids and a husband that works FT and it has been EXTREMELY difficult at times. Long gone are the days I could sit with them and go over their homework ad nauseum, or cook meals every day, or take care of their needs like I used to. Third year GETS WORSE! sometimes I leave the house at 5:00 and do not get back until 9:00 or later that night, and then there is overnight call.

I am not trying to discourage you but wanting and getting are two different things. Just because you want something does not mean you should get it IF there are other priorities in your life at the time. Now, if you are MEANT to do this then somehow it WILL happen but who knows how. You asking an anonymous board is kind of counterproductive. You need to get OUT there and ASK ALL medical schools you will be applying to (and i hope this is not just the ones in your area) what you CAN do to make this happen. The bottom line is that THEY are the ones that will either reject you or accept you, so they can provide information on how to make it happen. I would also start scouring the internet for scholarships for your situation. Again, asking is pointless for all we can provide is our thoughts on what we did which does not come even close to your situation.

 

[Beau Geste]

Hi Mike, I responded in your previous thread and was trying to stay positive about your situation, but still the lingering "problem" that keeps posters here from giving you the all clear is the fact that you have 11 kids. I agree with the others that their support is a major issue.

However, with the idea of wanting vs. getting, you might want to wait until your younger children get older and some of the older ones become adults and leave. Not only would it help your family income, but, provided you have understanding kids, would set up a network of help to take care of the younger ones when you are not available.

You could start the process of taking pre-reqs one or a few at a time, but keep in mind that med schools have time limits on pre-reqs.

And, no doubt about it, your wife is going to have to work to give some financial support. You should definitely look into your church for support as far as babysitting.

I don't want to shoot your dreams down, but, knowing you are a Christian, you should really pray and consult your pastor and wife on this. You may want this badly, but the fact that you have 11 children may be God's way of saying "Not yet!". Then again, there are times God calls us to do things that seem crazy to others.

Also, have you looked at www.oldpremeds.org yet? It's a sister site for non-trad pre-meds, med students, and doctors. Some of us post there as well as here and are typically not rude. Maybe disagreeing, but not rude.


Good luck with your decisions.

 

[8744]

After much internal agonizing I cannot shake the desire to become physician. I have looked into the nursing programs and just cannot seem to develop an enthusiasm for that path. I WANT to be a physician. Has anyone on here become a physician AGAINST seemingly insurmountable odds?

Most of you know my situation ~ and I know we've travelled this road before, however, I'd like to travel it again and look at some different road signs. I want to hear about the difficulties that some of you have had AND overcome.

In a class the other day, someone asked each of us what our career goals were. I could NOT say anything except what I strongly desire.

If none of you wishes to travel this road with me again, I understand. But I feel I must make the journey.

Thanks
Crazy Mike

I think my emoticon needs a doctor - LOL

I think you need to try harder to shake it. You have no idea the world of hurt you are getting yourself into. Forget about it. It ain't worth it. Not for you, anyways, not at your age with the size of your family. I am so going to say "I told you so" if I'm still posting here six years from now when you are starting third year of medical school with nothing to look forward to but five more years of the grind.

Screw all of that "I must make the journey crap." Did I fall asleep and wake up on the set of "Kung Fu?"

 

[8744]

For the record, I think it's cool to have eleven kids and I wish more people had larger families.

 

[Flopotomist]

For all the people jumping on the bandwagon saying consider the military - lets just kill that idea. If the guy i sold enough to have 11 kids (assuming from the same wife) then he is too old for the military cut off age by the time he finishes his pre-reqs.

If you can't shake the desire to be a physician - I would suggest figuring out what it is about a physician that appeals to you, and finding a career that will fulfill those desires.

Is it patient care you are interested in? Try PA

Is it the $$? Consider uhm.. just about anything else (guys, he will be ~50 before generating physician salary... how many working years will be left?)

Is it the prestige? Become a teacher

I would STRONGLY discourage anybody from starting medical school with 11 kids. It is borderline immoral to take on the responsibility of that many kids and then dashing off to medical school leaving the burden of their care on others.

 

[lilnoelle]

For all the people jumping on the bandwagon saying consider the military - lets just kill that idea. If the guy i sold enough to have 11 kids (assuming from the same wife) then he is too old for the military cut off age by the time he finishes his pre-reqs.

Oh yeah, I didn't think of that. Do they still have the age cut offs for officers? I thought that was more for enlisted men/women.

 

[cubbbie]

Well -- I'm assuming you have a lot of pre-reqs to take, so take them. That process alone will take you at least 2 years, during which time you can REALLY think this over and try to figure out if this is a workable plan. I was a non-trad student, and there were plenty of people like you in my program who were weeded out in the pre-req stage, and that, in my mind, was the best thing that could have happened to them. If you find out this medicine dream just isn't going to fly, there will be no significant harm done and you know a little more about infrared spectroscopy than you did before.

If it does work out, and you manage to get accepted to a med school, well then you're in med school. What could happen then? You could pass, or you could drop out because it's just too hard. Again, as long as your family is being financially supported (a big contingency there), there are worse things that could happen.

Let's say you manage to make it through med school. By the time you get to the dreaded residency everyone is talking about, some of your kids will be adults (I believe you said the oldest is 12, right -- so 2 years classes, plus 1 year applications, plus four years med school ... you'll have a bunch of teenagers on your hands). Perhaps the family dynamic will be different by that stage. The older kids may be able to do more to chip in and help the family, though that is a significant burden for them.

As far as the younger children go ... my father was a resident doc until I was 5 years old. Though I have many memories of my brother, mother, and friends during those years, I have absolutely no memory of my father. Though I have a fine relationship with my father now, you should be aware that during those residency years, you will be essentially nonexistent to your younger children. At the same time, once you get past that stage, there actually is a lot more flexibility and freedom than most people would imagine. My father now gets 10 weeks of paid vacation per year, which makes for plenty of family vacations. Also, some of his colleagues are hospitalists who work only part-time.

Lastly, on a side note, in terms of finances, if you're interested in ER, I believe you could get a scholarship through the National Health Service Corps, which could be an option (though I wouldn't count on it, because I believe they're fairly competitive). Also, local community hospitals have been known to finance medical educations if you commit to working for them for a period of time. Something to look into.

As a disclaimer -- I do not know enough about med school to legitimately be able to say whether or not this is a good idea for you. At the same time, I don't think these other posters who are in med school or residency know enough about your family to make claims either. You could always attempt it, and if it is an unacheivable goal, as others are suggesting, well then you won't acheive it. At some point in the process you'll hit a wall and have to stop. Simple as that. You'll then have your answer to your question, "am I crazy?" As long as you don't make your family destitute in the process, there are worse things that could happen.

 

[trustwomen]

One question - why not do it in 10 years or so, when the kids are older and more independent (and your wife could work for pay, to help out)? I know you're 36 now, but there are people 40+ who go to med school. You seem to get good grades, I can't see anything standing in your way academically. You could have the best of both worlds - providing for and, most importantly, being there for your family when they need you the most (i.e. now); and fulfilling your dream when the time is right. (But, of course, if you keep having a child every year, it may never be possible to go to med school without your family paying the price for it.)

You could start the process now, but I'm guessing that you don't realize how much it would mean neglecting your wife and children during those critical years. Talk to medical students near you, in person (the online ones don't seem able to dissuade you with their perspective).

And of course you'd have to figure out the finances before even starting. You might find that the heavy debt and years of lost income could make it impossible (at least until you have fewer people relying on you financially, and/or have saved up significantly).

If all you had to deal with were med school and your 20 hour/week job, I'd say sure, you could probably combine that, although it would cost you some grades and possibly the specialty of your choice (EM is very competitive). But if you want to be any kind of father to your 11 kids (or husband to your wife) during med school, there's no way you'd be able to work for pay as well. Take the amount of schoolwork you do in full-time school right now, and double or triple it for starters, or even more if you want to be really competitive for something like EM. Similarly, if you wanted to just go to school and be a semi-absentee unemployed dad, you could probably combine those - but how would you all survive? Loans are lovely, but I am not at all sure that they will be remotely sufficient for 13 people. (And what about when they start going to college in 4 years?) Or say that the loans are sufficient after all - what will be the real cost of paying off that 300K with all those kids and a limited career span?

You have to recognize that you made a choice to live the life you have, and that you can't always "have it all", or at least not all at once. Your values lie with family and faith, meaning that self-actualization sometimes has to take the backseat, at least until you can pursue it without harming those you love. Your wants, valid and noble though they may be, are trumped by their needs.

Keep in mind, of course, that this advice is based only on what you have presented on SDN. You may have a very wealthy relative or the ability to thrive on two hours' sleep a night, I wouldn't know.

Either way, best of luck to you.

 

[Bitsy3221]

Hi Mike,

I responded to one of your previous threads as well, and at that time I encouraged your to at least investigate PA school. I think you would find that much more satisfying that nursing if you are looking for a career with significant patient contact and decision making.

I don't mean to be discouraging, but I (as a non-trad about to graduate from medical school, so I speak from some experience) am inclined to agree that no matter how much you WANT to be a doctor, you just may have too much on your plate to do that at this time in your life. It is clear your family, marriage and faith means a great deal to you. If you heap the workload of medical school AND the stress of biting off that financial burden (which, with all due respect it doesn't appear that you have fully wrapped your head around either of these things) I fear that you will become consumed by all these responsibilites, you will find you are far overextended and spread too thin, and you will end up doing NOTHING sucessfully (neglecting family and wife, driving your family into serious debt and not being able to fully focus on school and end up doing poorly academically since you are preoccupied with these other concerns)

Additionally, as PandaBear and others have alluded too, medical school is just the appetizer to the main course of residency. Having spent a good part of my adult life in a long term relationship with a resident, I can tell you the time commitment will only increase once you graduate and start this phase of your career. I am in med school and I used to be a PA, so I get the time he has to spend at work, but I still get aggravated and annoyed at times. Think how your wife and kids will feel never having you around, since they really have no idea how residency really works! Plus, although you will make money, it will likely be nowhere near what is needed to support your large family comfortably.

Another thought I had was about the education of your children. I will assume you are going to encourage your children to purse higher education--how will you support them financially if they want to go to college? I know there are tons of loans and scholarships available, but by the time they will be applying you may be done or close to done with training, and this may be what the financial aid committees will look at. Although I don't know for certain, based on my & my parents own experiences with the FA process, it may be a possibility that they may overestimate your ability to pay for your childrens' education (since you will be the 'doc' by then) and scrimp on the aid offered to them. Do you want to risk jeopardizing your kids educational future just to pursue your dream?

I suspect you know in your heart many of these potentially fatal flaws in your plan, and that is why you keep posting new threads on here. Please do not label me an "egotistical, loud mouthed, hollowheaded *****" just because I don't give the starry-eyed "you can do anything you set your mind to" response. As someone already said, you just can't always have it all. I have read your previous posts, and most applicants are not faulting or blaming you for having 11 kids, but as you said, that was the choice you and your wife made and now you have to take that into account. I chose not to get married and have kids, because I was fortunate to figure out my career goals in time, and felt that I would not be able to be a wife, mother and surgeon at this phase in my life well--I would end up doing a crappy job at all three. You already have a lot of roles: husband, father (x 11), breadwinner, educator. Do you honestly think adding to that will enable you to continue to do ALL those roles as well as they deserve to be done?

Again, I urge you to investigate the PA profession closer. The financial and time sacrifice will be much smaller, and I really think you would be pleasantly surprised what you will be able to do clinically as a PA. If down the road you think that it not for you, well, no one says you can't go back to med school (but I wouldn't preach that in your interviews!) You made a lot of wonderful choices in your life that you are clearly happy and content with, and your career may be an area you need to compromise a little with due to those choices!

 

[ExtremeUnderdog]

Another thing to consider...

I don't remember if you had discussed this in your previous posts, but are you planning not to have any more children? I vaguely recall that you had a strongly faith-based approach to conception and if your wife is the same age as you then there is a significant possibility that more children may enrich your family still. In this case the situation will get even more complicated.

 

[Law2Doc]

At the same time, I don't think these other posters who are in med school or residency know enough about your family to make claims either. You could always attempt it, and if it is an unacheivable goal, as others are suggesting, well then you won't acheive it. At some point in the process you'll hit a wall and have to stop. Simple as that. You'll then have your answer to your question, "am I crazy?" As long as you don't make your family destitute in the process, there are worse things that could happen.

Perhaps, but folks in med school and beyond have a pretty good sense of the time committment, and directly or from peers may have a good sense of the difficulty of kids, supporting a family and the like while in med school. Whenever you are starting down a road that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars and requires you to leave your employment, and maybe relocate, there are, in fact, pretty serious downsides to a failed attempt at med school, if it proves an unachievable goal. (For example, I know of people who have dropped out of med school and now are paying a good amount of student loans incurred for a degree they will never achieve.) I'm not sure you give the same "give it a shot and see what happens" advice to someone with a large family as you might to someone who is unencumbered.
OP - Research is the name of the game here. I think you need to work out all the details before you launch. Know as much as possible where every dime is coming from, how much you need, how you will make it work. And talk to a bunch of med school deans and students and residents to get a better sense of what kind of time committment is involved. And a bunch of post-residency physicians so you have a better sense of what medicine is like these days.

 

[GraC_undr_PrsR]

Hey there OP,

I tend to be a bit idealistic (I'm only 24 so I still have that luxury). I hate to discourage someone to pursue medicine. But I really must ask: why are you so gung ho about doing it in spite of your situation? No one challenges that you could hypothetically do this. Why would you?

I did grow up with this idea that becoming a physician was the most noble profession. Then I became a scientist. That is also a noble (albeit less well paid if that even matters) profession. There are many other paths I've entertained as well. Becoming a PA or nurse or public health practitioner. They all seem "noble" to me. My reasons for continuing on for an MD then was only after I assessed my situation (money to pay for med school, not married or even dating, no kids). My drive to pursue medicine, frankly: was simply not enough.

So, I challenge you to state exactly why you want to pursue medicine. And harder yet: why become a physician when there are so many other ways you can serve?

~GraC

 

[Beau Geste]

So, I challenge you to state exactly why you want to pursue medicine. And harder yet: why become a physician when there are so many other ways you can serve?

~GraC

He probably has a legitimate reason for wanting to pursue medicine. All non-trads will probably be asked this question along the admissions process at one time or another.

It not the why, but the how in this case.

 

[LifetimeDoc]

The how will be the problem. If you already have 11 children, let's do the math. 36 year old male, female is probably a little younger, let's say 34. That's 18 more years of reproductive lifespan (40 year reproductive years from age 12). 1 child a year, one already in the "oven" so to speak, that's 19 more children. 11 + 19 = 30 children, assuming he holds true to his belief (stated in a previous thread) that women should bear children as often as possible.

Take what we know about the rigors of medical school, residency, and the actual profession of being a physician. Take into consideration the debt incurred, the time lost to the children. What about the cost of raising 30 children during this time? You'd need a house the size of a small hotel just to house them, not to mention a very hefty amount of $$$. Will the father have the time to spend quality time with 30 children? Would independently wealthy parents who spend 100% of their time at home have the time to spend with the children?

I'd say medical school at this late date for a person who has chosen to live his personal life in such a way would be dangerous, not only for his and his wife's financial future, but what about the 30 children they plan on having? If he continues down this path, I hope to God he's got rich friends or that he becomes the highest paid physician in the country.

Yes, it's early, I have a Biochem II exam and a Gross Anatomy exam coming up soon, and I haven't had my first can of Vault Zero yet!

 

[lilnoelle]

I think its a little presumptive to assume he plans on having more children. He may or may not. I don't think he said that he believes it is wrong to not have children if one can, but rather that children are a beautiful thing and that no one should condemn him for choosing to have so many.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I think its a little presumptive to assume he plans on having more children. He may or may not. I don't think he said that he believes it is wrong to not have children if one can, but rather that children are a beautiful thing and that no one should condemn him for choosing to have so many.

I read his post differently. I got the impression that he believes he and his wife should be open to having as many kids as possible, meaning that they won't do anything to prevent her from getting pregnant. With that belief, I think it's pretty likely that they will have more kids. It already seems like they're pretty darn fertile.

I agree with the other posts that the basic gist is that you can't have everything. If you choose to follow your faith and have as many kids as possible, that's not congruent with going to medical school when you're 36. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for being true to your religious beliefs -- in this case, I think medical school will have to be that sacrifice. I just don't see how it would logistically work unless you have a huge trust fund somewhere that you haven't told us about.

 

[lilnoelle]

I read his post differently. I got the impression that he believes he and his wife should be open to having as many kids as possible, meaning that they won't do anything to prevent her from getting pregnant. With that belief, I think it's pretty likely that they will have more kids. It already seems like they're pretty darn fertile.

I agree with the other posts that the basic gist is that you can't have everything. If you choose to follow your faith and have as many kids as possible, that's not congruent with going to medical school when you're 36. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for being true to your religious beliefs -- in this case, I think medical school will have to be that sacrifice. I just don't see how it would logistically work unless you have a huge trust fund somewhere that you haven't told us about.

I'm not sure how him having more with make it any less possible though. Going to med school is already something that seems way beyond his reach. I agree, one just can't do it all. I have mentioned it before, his wife must be one amazingly patient and just plain amazing woman. I have trouble imagining having more than the two I have. I could probably have no problem being a "baby factory" as I enjoy pregnancy and have relatively easy labors with healthy babies, but its the raising them that I have a hard time handling. I don't like chaos.
Maybe he won't appreciate this question, but I have to ask it anyway. What if it were your wife that felt an amazing pull toward med school? Thats what position I'm in. We have two children and I'm the one going to school where my husband who has not been to college yet is working to put me through school and is putting off any of his own dreams until I'm done with residency. Would you let your wife pursue med school if that was what she really wanted?
I guess the reason I'm asking is, are you willing to make the same sacrifices (concerning the time it requires to raise children) that you are asking your wife to make?

 

[LifetimeDoc]

I think its a little presumptive to assume he plans on having more children. He may or may not. I don't think he said that he believes it is wrong to not have children if one can, but rather that children are a beautiful thing and that no one should condemn him for choosing to have so many.

I'm not being presumptive...

We believe, as the Bible teaches that it is God that opens and closes the womb. I know that is outdated, but believing the Bible in general has become rather outdated in our society. The Bible also teaches that children are a blessing from the Lord. If God were blessing me with money, I certainly would not ask him to stop, why would I ask him to stop giving me children? :

 

[lilnoelle]

I'm not being presumptive...

Yeah, that does make it sound like he plans on having more children...

 

[Bitsy3221]

To be fair, I don't think at this point whether or not he has any more children is relevant....he already has a full plate with 11 children, its not like a few more is the break point!

To the OP, if you are even still paying attention to this thread that you started asking for advice.....why not make an appointment with the financial aid office at your medical school to talk about your options? It would be silly to go through all the time and effort to do your pre-reqs if after your do them, take the MCAT and get accepted that the financials keep you out. They would probably give you a lot better advice than a bunch of anon. posters on SDN, and a more practical viewpoint than the admissions office. Take you wife to the appointment with you so she can get in on what the options are as well since this decision will affect her as much (of not more) than you.

 

[NontradICUdoc]

I have read your posts with great interest and as a fellow father, albeit 3 not 11, I can understand what you are going through.

The question becomes, how will you be able to provide for your family? this is the biggest question that everyone is concerned about. Since your eldest is 13 you are on your way to having a few built in baby sitters for the younger children.

In my opinion, start seeing where you can put some money away for a rainy day. Of course you will get financial aid for YOUR schooling, but what about your children's schooling? Because of your youngest's age and the fact that you are pretty spread thin financially, your wife may be able to do some work from home. My wife does this, she is a proofreader and sets her own hours.

There are other options such as selling items on Ebay and collecting commission, selling candles, etc. But you need to construct a financial plan before medical school.