[Request] Seeking Guidance & Advice on Path to Take

[oldmanmachine]

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Hi Everyone,

I've been a frequent reader of the SDN forum trying to absorb as much information and help as I can from others who may have been in the same situation as myself. I'm currently in a position where I'm not quite sure on what direction I should go and hope that others who are more experienced can chime in and offer some guidance and sound advice.

I honestly wish that I had the drive, motivation, maturity, and resilience that I have now, compared to who I was during my undergrad years. I come from an immigrant family and have always wanted to directly give back to help others who are less fortunate and unable to obtain the care that they need. I know that the path to medicine is not an easy one, while there are many other ways of obtaining the same type of fulfillment, but I won't babble too much on why I want to pursue this field.

My general question is, based on my situation and cumulative undergrad GPA, do I truly have a fair shot in gaining acceptance into a US medical school?

1)What would be the best path to take to increase my chances?
a) Formal post-bac program (CSUF, San Francisco State University, etc)
b) DIY post-bac by taking pre-reqs a la carte at community colleges, Cal States, and UCs
c) Second bachelor's degree

2) As most formal post-bac programs require a minimum undergrad GPA of 3.0, should I write-off this option?

3) Are there any other options / paths that you would advise doing?

4) Is there anything I can do to help my low undergrad cGPA of 2.98? I feel like this is my limiting factor.

5) Can anyone provide me with a little more information about the SMP programs and if they would help in my situation?

Any type of advice and guidance would be greatly appreciated!

 

[DrMidlife]

Yes people get into med school from 2.98. From the other side I can tell you it won't be reasonable or predictable or cost efficient. From where you are now there's no guarantee of any kind.

Before (BEFORE!) you start looking at academic plans, you absolutely have to do two things:

1. See what an actual clinical environment is like. Be willing to discover that the job of medical practice isn't what you want. You should be doing a volunteer job in a hospital or clinic 4hrs/wk, starting now.

2. See if you can get one A in one math class. You have to be able to predictably get A's in classes that are MUCH harder than you've done before, so if it's really hard for you to get an A in trig or pre-calc, that says don't keep going.

You won't be suddenly fulfilled and satisfied if you get into med school. Be realistic and be willing to consider other kinds of career moves. The opportunity cost of doing GPA redemption + prereqs + applying + med school + residency should be terrifying, if you're sane.

tl;dr: go on some dates with medicine before you marry it.

Best if luck to you.

 

[oldmanmachine]

@DrMidlife

Thank you for your input and realistic advice. I really do value your suggestions based on all the information you've given on this forum.

I agree and definitely want to get involved with some volunteer work in a hospital / clinic. This might be a silly, stupid, and obvious question, but could you provide me with some sort of direction on how I can get started in volunteering? I assume that I would need to speak to someone in the human resources department correct? Would hospitals / clinics normally allow random outsiders like myself with no science background to be present in their work environment?

Assuming that there's a difference between shadowing someone and just plain volunteering (doing any sort of misc work), what would you say is the proper / recommended way in getting my foot in the door to do so? Should there be anything specific in terms of the volunteer work that I should request? I apologize if my thoughts and questions seem to be all over the place as I'm trying to get some sort of direction on the best way to approach a hospital with my interest and to best align it with discovering if medical practice is what I want (as you suggested).

Also, I do plan on taking one Anatomy & Physiology I class w/ a lab in the upcoming weeks to see if I can obtain an A, then slowly repeat the process with another class. Do you feel that this would not be an accurate assessment as it isn't necessarily a math class such as Calculus? (or maybe calculus is more difficult than A&P?)

 

[didymus]

This might be a silly, stupid, and obvious question, but could you provide me with some sort of direction on how I can get started in volunteering? I assume that I would need to speak to someone in the human resources department correct?

Just google the hospitals in your city followed by "volunteer." This should yield you results such as opportunities available and how to go about getting a position.

Would hospitals / clinics normally allow random outsiders like myself with no science background to be present in their work environment?

Yes.

Assuming that there's a difference between shadowing someone and just plain volunteering (doing any sort of misc work), what would you say is the proper / recommended way in getting my foot in the door to do so?

Sometimes a school's premedical committee can set up shadowing experiences. Aside from that, hit the phone. Call places and ask if you can shadow. Sometimes the larger the clinic or hospital system the better as they receive lots of calls for shadowing opportunities and have protocols in place for arranging that for you.

Should there be anything specific in terms of the volunteer work that I should request?

Hands on patient interaction/care. Do not do clerical work or reception. You need to be face to face with patients, actively involved in some component of their care in some measurable capacity. Also, you want to be able to speak meaningfully about the experience when the time comes. Find something with hands-on care that will give you a meaningful narrative to share down the road. Finally, whatever you choose, stick with it for the long haul--show 1-2 years of doing the same role(s).

Also, I do plan on taking one Anatomy & Physiology I class w/ a lab in the upcoming weeks to see if I can obtain an A, then slowly repeat the process with another class. Do you feel that this would not be an accurate assessment as it isn't necessarily a math class such as Calculus? (or maybe calculus is more difficult than A&P?)

A&P can be hit or miss I think. It is probably demanding at some institutions and not so much at others. It may be good to start with one of the hard science courses like general chem 1 or zoology. I don't know of any medical programs that have A&P as a prereq, so taking that class doesn't really move you forward in any tangible way. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[DrMidlife]

pick a big public hospital, search for "volunteer". premeds and pre-nurses are always interested and it's typical for big hospitals to have a full time coordinator and regular intake.

also look for free clinics where you can start as a biz volunteer and move in to patient interaction. there may be evening/weekend financial screenings you can help with.

as for how to approach volunteering, be humble, curious and eager. it's a privilege to be allowed anywhere near a patient. nobody is going to let you do "interesting" things because you have absolutely no training. so go clean stretchers and do data entry or whatever they'll let you do, and use that to overhear conversations and ask questions of trained professionals. say yes to anything they ask you to do. rookie mistake: expecting volunteering to give you anything other than exposure. you don't matter in that environment and it's not about you.

some people take steps to get trained so they can work, such as CNA or phlebotomy or EMS. reasonable to do.

as for a first class, the reason i suggest math first is that it tends to be uncomfortable. having to make time to work problems and make yourself care is part of the "pre-screening" for doing the years of academic work ahead of you in which there's no room for stumbles. there's nothing wrong with A&P but it's usually a nursing prereq, and pretty darned fun, and may not indicate how hard you'll have to work to make it through physics & chem coming from a low GPA non-science background.

Best of luck to you.

 

[bbbaaa]

I was also an auditor and quit at 26 to start taking med school pre-reqs, of which I had none. I did it informally at my local university and it took two years. I would have considered a formal "career-changer" post-bacc but there were none in my area, and in hindsight I would do it the same way again. I had a somewhat higher GPA than you, but it's still certainly doable in your scenario.

As was posted above, try and dip a toe in the water before committing. But if you do commit, you have to REALLY commit. Ace your post baccs, start accumulating and sticking with extracurriculars, be thinking about letters of recommendation, and eventually devote a solid few months to the MCAT. If you're a good student and are able to maintain your motivation, you'll be fine.

 

[Just Call Me Doc]

I was in a similar boat as you, with a sub-3.0 GPA from my original undergrad.

My path took a little while. After working in my original degree field for a few years, I spent several years working in the health field (though in a somewhat more unconventional position). After I decided to become a doctor, I completed a DIY post-bac (maintaining a 4.0) and took the MCAT (> 34). My first application cycle wasn't successful (2 II's and no acceptances), but I learned from my mistakes (major take-aways being applying early and applying broadly/strategic school selection). This past cycle I received 10 II's and 9 acceptances and so will be starting school this fall.

Bottom line, as others have already stated, it can be done. It's just going to be a long, arduous journey. I also agree that your top priority should be gaining some clinical experience, closely followed with demonstrating you are where you need to be academically. Along with the other posters, I recommend starting with option 2) the DIY post-bac with one or two classes to get your feet wet. Since I already had medical exposure I didn't need to shadow/volunteer, but one good place to start is by talking with the pre-health advisor at whichever school you take your classes.

Also strongly agree with @bbbaaa about committing to the endeavor. It is vital to maintain as close to a 4.0 as possible, so you should be devoting most of your time to your studies. This will make part-time work difficult (though not impossible). You will need to shine and show academic maturity, not only for the grades but for the LORs. Fortunately, this usually tends to be easier with an older and more mature non-trad in the midst of a bunch of young 18-19 y/o's.

Good luck!