Post-bacc/second bachelor's (GC Holder, degree abroad)

[b.peter]

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Hi everyone,

I'm an international student looking to transition into a medical career in the U.S. after immigration (Permanent resident). My academic background is in Humanities (Bachelor's, Master's, and Ph.D.), obtained abroad, and I am in my 30's. Since my degree is unrelated to science, I must complete the med school prerequisites before applying.

I'm debating whether to:

1. Do a Post-Bacc Program – These are designed for career changers like me, but many don't grant a degree or a backup profession. They are often expensive, too...
Some offer conditional admission to med school(I am seeking them, but I couldn't find a list, and the AAMC website has a lot of wrong information that leads me to make a massive list with many issues). Still, I'm unsure if the money investment is worth it.


2. Pursue a Second Bachelor's Degree in a Science Field – This might give me more structure and a degree, but it takes longer and costs more. I was thinking, in this case, to take a nursing degree or a medical technology degree. Then, I at least have a career in the health area, but I am also unsure which one would fit best the MD/DO school prerequisites and help me to get ready for the MCAT)



A few other questions:

When applying to med school, would community college (CC) credits be an issue? I heard from an advisor that schools don’t accept/like CC coursework as a prerequisite. It also applies to online courses.

The advisor also suggested I get a CNA certification for about six months to fulfill the requisite work experience. What do you think about it?

Are there cheaper ways to fulfill the requirements while staying competitive in med school?

Do you know of any post-bacc programs with conditional admission to med school?


I’d love to hear from anyone in a similar situation or with insights on the best route. I really appreciate any help you can provide.

 

[Nontrad_FL_LGBT]

What made you decide on medicine after doing humanities through the PhD level? This will probably get a big question mark from faculty.

If you really want this and are starting effectively from zero minus your research experience, plus waiting on immigration to go through, you may as well do a second degree. Most schools will require either 30, 60, or 90 credits at an American school anyway which equates to 1-3 years of a normal course load without summer semesters. Chances are they'll let you transfer in basic stuff like math, English, foreign language, maybe some electives, so you could probably finish in 3 years.

If you take off the summers as a normal premed for research, full time clinical work, or a larger volunteer commitment, you could have a pretty killer app in a couple years if you perform well on grades and the MCAT.

 

[b.peter]

What made you decide on medicine after doing humanities through the PhD level? This will probably get a big question mark from faculty.

If you really want this and are starting effectively from zero minus your research experience, plus waiting on immigration to go through, you may as well do a second degree. Most schools will require either 30, 60, or 90 credits at an American school anyway which equates to 1-3 years of a normal course load without summer semesters. Chances are they'll let you transfer in basic stuff like math, English, foreign language, maybe some electives, so you could probably finish in 3 years.

If you take off the summers as a normal premed for research, full time clinical work, or a larger volunteer commitment, you could have a pretty killer app in a couple years if you perform well on grades and the MCAT.

Hey, thank you for your response.

My decision was a direct conclusion from my thesis. Basically, I need to apply what I researched in mind philosophy in medicine (exceptional mental health). I intend to elabore it in a paper intersection the two areas.

I am already a GC Holder. Which major would you suggest? I am thinking about Medical Technology and Nursing. The reason is to have a plan B or C in case I fail to enroll in medical school.

Best wishes

 

[Nontrad_FL_LGBT]

Hey, thank you for your response.

My decision was a direct conclusion from my thesis. Basically, I need to apply what I researched in mind philosophy in medicine (exceptional mental health). I intend to elabore it in a paper intersection the two areas.

I am already a GC Holder. Which major would you suggest? I am thinking about Medical Technology and Nursing. The reason is to have a plan B or C in case I fail to enroll in medical school.

Best wishes

I'd do MedTech personally unless you really love the idea of directly taking care of sickly humans and touching tons of bodily fluids. All the respect in the world to nurses, but I couldn't do it. And MedTech will generally be way more rigorous and give you a really solid prep for med school, you'll take the undergrad version of most of the preclinical coursework in MedTech.