Single mom doc realistic?

[GdNoah]

Since u all r in med school and really know what it's like, I'd like ur opinion on a single mom going thru med school and being a doc. I have family help for undergrad, but I'll have to move 2 hrs away min for DO school and more for MD school. People have told me, "You can be whatever you want." That sounds pretty, but I don't think they understand how much med school requires. I don't really either. Since u all know, please be brutally honest. I need to know if it's realistic.

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[Dr. Dad]

I am a single father and I too am getting some help from family for pre-med. During med school I could hire some kind of nanny or something (which might not be that bad), but I would much rather have somebody close to my daughter spending time with her while I am not there that is why I am going to have my sister live with us and sort of play "house wife" and help me out while she too is going to undergrad school (my daughter will be in school during the day). She gets to go to school without working, and I get the help I need with my daughter. It helps out both of us and of course my daughter. Hopefully I will be home on most nights, but it will be nice to have the freedom to be a little flexible between school and home.

I might suggest you try a similar approach. See if there is a close family member or friend that is stuck in the whole "working paycheck to paycheck without time to go to school" loop. Maybe he/she will be willing to help you out around the house and with your daughter/son in exchange for free rent and the ability to go to school.

I guess another option is to hire a nanny. I dont have much experience with this though.

It seems hard, but I know a lot of single parents go to med school so I know its possible.

 

[Starflyr]

There are several single parents in my class who are doing fine. Some of them are doing the "child lives with grandma during the week" thing, others are not. Your school may have a daycare facility on campus - that way you could have lunch with your daughter or visit during some free time. We have one at UTMB, there is a huge waiting list, though. They also only go up to pre-K age kids. Check with your prospective schools' student life office or spouses of students group - or the single parents group if there is one. Im sure that they will have some suggestions and ideas. Dr. Dad's idea sounded pretty cool too.

Good luck!
Star

 

[vixen]

hey, although I wasn't born when my mom was in med school, she's a single-mom-pediatrician. Although sometimes its kinda tough (finding someone to take care of my brother and I when we were younger), ultimately I think it worked out well. From my experience, I respect her more than anyone in the world and think she's done a excellent job as a mom and doctor. If you have family here it'll probably help, because all of her family is in India, but she managed. Anyways, just thought I'd give you some perspective from a kid in the situation. I didn't think much of it when I was younger, but now I realize how hard it is to be a doctor...and to be a single mom along w/that is tough, but its doable (some of her friends are single mom MD's also)...your kids will be proud, I know I'm superproud of my mom

 

[simpleton]

gdnoah - i see you are from orlando. where are you going to school at presently?