What Convinced You?

[Summa637]

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I am curious what it took for you non trads to finally start taking classes/post bac program and begin the process of knocking off the prereqs and eventally applying?
I ask because although I have many reasons to begin myself, it seems that I have just as many reasons to continue with what I am doing and not start classes. I guess I am afraid to give up ''comfort'' and venture into the unknown. What did it for you guys? Was it a friend that convinced you? Did you hate your job? What was the nail in the coffin? Or maybe I'm looking about this wrong- perhaps no one was ever convinced what they were about to do was the right thing?

 

[LUCPM]

All it took was taking the plunge and never look back. Before I embark on this journey, I wasn't really convinced I was making the right decision nor I was going to make it. However, for whatever reason, I had a strong desire to get there one day. As I jumped through each hoop, I felt that it was harder to give up my dream and go back to my previous life.

 

[MT Headed]

I was already in school for a different reason, so the leap to take the pre-med classes wasn't so big for me.

The original kick in the pants for me to switch to pre-med though was hearing yet another person tell me I ought to be a doctor, and then having a real think about it. When I realized that the usual reasons why a non-trad should not pursue medicine (money & family, mostly) did not apply to me, I made the switch and never looked back.

 

[darmalee]

It took me a while to make the decision to go back to school and I don't know that there was any one "moment" that made it suddenly clicked. It was more that the more I researched the whole process the more I wanted to do it, despite the fact that the more I learned the more I realized how much work it was going to be. Then once I started working towards it, the closer I got to actually applying the more sure I was that I had made the right decision.

 

[Only Zool]

I was actually off of work due to a work-related injury. It was time for me to go back, and I dreaded it. I like the job well enough, but I've always wanted to be a doctor. I have two children, one of whom is an infant, and I just looked at them one day and decided that I would be doing them a disservice by not following through with a goal I'd set for myself since I was 12. I'd been at my job for more than 5 years, and had a sizeable 401k, so I put in my notice, quit, and cashed it out to invest in my dream, and more importantly, a better future for my kids. I haven't looked back.

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

It took about six months of consideration, but the day when I absolutely committed myself to doing the prereqs and then medical school was when I was working as a carpenter on a hospital ship. I had to fix a Purell dispenser or something in one of the operating rooms, and they had these wonderful wheeled trays that I could set my tools on to keep everything at a convenient level. It occurred to me that if I was working in the hospital all the time, I would never again have to reach down to the floor to get my tools. So, that's why I'm going through a year and a summer of college, four years of medical school, and five years of residency-- because I'm too lazy to squat!

 

[DrMidlife]

I'd been eying a career change into medicine, and I'd been doing clinical volunteering, and figuring out how to take the prereqs. Then at the end of 2004 I had a bad pharm side effect that potentially was going to be disabling, had to wait and see. I talked to my physician about med school...would he do it again...was I crazy to want to go that direction in my late 30's. He said don't do it.

Six months later I got a clean bill of health from the same doc, and then he said "I've rethought my position...you should go to med school if you want to."

That was all the permission I needed. Within a couple hours I gave notice at work, and 2 weeks later I was taking the prereqs.

Best of luck to you.

 

[thepoopologist]

One day, while I was waiting in line for a sandwich, the guy ahead of me at the register began seizing, falling over and knocking his food all over the floor. After I stepped over his convulsing body, I opened my wallet and was shocked to find it empty, AGAIN. It was unacceptable. I thought physicians made millions of dollars a year, and based on that I quit my job and started my prerequisites to medical school.

 

[TriagePreMed]

All it took was taking the plunge and never look back. Before I embark on this journey, I wasn't really convinced I was making the right decision nor I was going to make it. However, for whatever reason, I had a strong desire to get there one day. As I jumped through each hoop, I felt that it was harder to give up my dream and go back to my previous life.

My experience word for word. Just do it and don't look back. It's scary at first, but once you do it, there's no looking back.

 

[LoLCareerGoals]

one day, while i was waiting in line for a sandwich, the guy ahead of me at the register began seizing, falling over and knocking his food all over the floor. After i stepped over his convulsing body, i opened my wallet and was shocked to find it empty, again. It was unacceptable. I thought physicians made millions of dollars a year, and based on that i quit my job and started my prerequisites to medical school.

 

[Dr. Ducky]

After I came home from military duty, I started working as a boat engine mechanic. After a year of working there, my mother had passed away. Although she was a great mother, she had not "chased dreams". It caused me to start thinking about the fragility of life, and caused me to decide to live for today. I put in my two week notice, enrolled in school, and started taking pre-reqs. I haven't looked back since.

 

[ljpm8224]

probably not the most altruistic answer ever, but if we're keeping it real, what gave me the kick in the pant to get er done was when I was laid off from my ibanker gig w. a moderately cushy severance package. between lucking out w. that, not having shackles of debt from my mpe/mba (employer paid 4) & a very supportive sig other ==> the perfect storm to finally get after what I had always wished i had pursued much earlier. *never* would have had the balls to make the leap on my own without the catalyst of a layoff, subsequent financial cushion & keeping bennies longterm. would have spent the rest of my life just another miserable schmuck on a trading floor destroying global economies and probably end up going postal/writing some Greg Smith-esque opus in another 25 years!

besides, the gilded halcyon days of wall street in the tail 2000s are over. might as well work on redeeming my soul by taking a vow of poverty & servitude in medicine 🙂

greatly admire those of you who have the guts and gumption to get after it and make it work on your own accord.

 

[theseeker4]

I had graduated with a degree in history in 2005, having lost the desire to continue to law school like I had originally planned. I worked for a bit and looked into what I would need to take to apply to med school. I started taking the pre-reqs in 2007 and finished them in 2008. I even got as far as taking the MCAT in the spring of 2008, but met my wife around that time. Med school took a back seat to making a life with her. I had even decided to not continue pursuing med school, and began taking classes toward a BS in chemistry as required by my employer. The entire time, I still wanted to become a doctor, regretted not having gone for it earlier, but thought I couldn't do this and have a family.

We got married, and my wife found out she was pregnant. After 7 months, she developed severe pre-eclampsia. She ended up in the hospital for about two weeks total, and our son was born by cesarean after induction failed at 32 weeks and was in the NICU for 34 days. Being in the hospital so much increased my ongoing desire to be a doctor. My wife talking to various people while she was in the hospital, including an OB resident who chatted with her for a while on a slow night, convinced her to urge me to actually go to med school. She insisted it would be worth it, and despite my telling her it would be difficult on us, especially during my residency, she said I should do it.

That was all the encouragement I needed. I took the MCAT again (worried my old score would expire before I was admitted) and I applied this cycle, and was accepted. Now just counting down the days until school starts in August.

 

[Dr. Ducky]

I had graduated with a degree in history in 2005, having lost the desire to continue to law school like I had originally planned. I worked for a bit and looked into what I would need to take to apply to med school. I started taking the pre-reqs in 2007 and finished them in 2008. I even got as far as taking the MCAT in the spring of 2008, but met my wife around that time. Med school took a back seat to making a life with her. I had even decided to not continue pursuing med school, and began taking classes toward a BS in chemistry as required by my employer. The entire time, I still wanted to become a doctor, regretted not having gone for it earlier, but thought I couldn't do this and have a family.

We got married, and my wife found out she was pregnant. After 7 months, she developed severe pre-eclampsia. She ended up in the hospital for about two weeks total, and our son was born by cesarean after induction failed at 32 weeks and was in the NICU for 34 days. Being in the hospital so much increased my ongoing desire to be a doctor. My wife talking to various people while she was in the hospital, including an OB resident who chatted with her for a while on a slow night, convinced her to urge me to actually go to med school. She insisted it would be worth it, and despite my telling her it would be difficult on us, especially during my residency, she said I should do it.

That was all the encouragement I needed. I took the MCAT again (worried my old score would expire before I was admitted) and I applied this cycle, and was accepted. Now just counting down the days until school starts in August.

👍 awesome story!

 

[Jotajota]

I first graduated in 2000 with a degree in Education. I taught for six years and finished my master’s in education. I then left the field of teaching as I saw many of my friends that I went to school with work less and making much more money. I left teaching and took a job in financial services. I almost tripled my salary in a year. The problem was there was a huge commute and I have 3 children. My wife came to me and said I do not care how much money we make but your boys need you here. Then and there I realized that money was not important. I left that position and took one at a local bank in town where I could be home more. It was a pay cut but it was worth it. We were doing fine but I was not happy. I was happier when I was helping people more. Still I worked through the company and eventually accepted a great job within the bank, making more money and greater flexibility everything was great but I had something missing. I am very involved in my church and a doctor there has a non-profit medical mission’s org that he goes on mission trips to Mexico and Central America. We often talked about how he needed more physicians to go with him but it was always a struggle. It was like it just clicked that was what I was to do, but still some hesitation. Then last Christmas my son was in a small accident playing at his cousins’ house. He severed an artery, nerve and tendons in his right wrist. I was bad and a lot of blood I was an hour away and could not get there fast enough. They had to take him to the children’s hospital after the bleeding was under control at the local hospital. As a dad I could teach my son how to do math, throw a baseball, how to balance a check book but at this time he needed me most I was completely ignorant. I enrolled to complete my prerequisites in the evening. It was just one class Chem I. My wife was on board with the plan. Take what I could in the evenings and then what I could not in a year or two leave work and finish what I needed to during the day. I then also went to Southern Mexico on one of the Mission trips just to confirm. When I got back there was no doubt this was my path. I t was just going to take a while. When I was back from my trip I found out that in 30 days the bank was shutting my division down locally and that my position was being moved downtown. I knew that I could not commute again just too tough on my family. We decided that I would take this year off and finish all prerequisites. I am completing Phy II, Organic II and Bio II this semester. I have taken the MCAT and made a 25. Not great but with not completing all prerequisites I am happy. I have two interviews on the 26th and 27th of March to and have been accepted in 2 post-bacc programs if I do not make it this cycle. Sacrifices have been made and sometimes it’s tough juggling everything but do not regret the decision. Good luck to everyone who chooses this path because in the end it will be worth it

 

[Veritas86]

Oddly, it was a conversation I'd had with another pharmacy tech while working in a call center. Yep, I had a bright future in telemarketing.

Nah, it made me miss being in health care. Not just the money, not just the helping people. The applying my knowledge, the constant need to learn and do more.

Pharmacy didn't appeal to me, I'm not going to lie. The patient contact and intervention is minimal, and us techs could easily be replaced by machines. Or trained monkeys, for that matter.

So, I decided to take on EMT training. After talking to the instructor, I decided to take the plunge. Finish up paramedic certification while getting my prereqs done, finally finish my undergrad degree, and go from there.

And have I looked back? Not once. I know, especially in my twilight years of 25, its not going to be easy. But I know it'll be worth it.

 

[ChemMed]

I tried everything else that I figured I would like....did that, was good at it but......oh that evil but has been following me around for while now and here I am in medical school.

 

[QofQuimica]

I'm a sucker for punishment. Obviously. 🙄

All kidding aside, there wasn't any one thing that convinced me. Medicine wasn't my lifelong dream; I could easily see myself doing many other things; and I would have been just as happy to go on in chemistry. (I was looking for post docs and teaching jobs at the same time I was applying for medical school.) But I had dabbled in some clinical research during grad school and liked it. The PI that I was working with was a PhD-to-MD, and he pointed out that it would be easier to do clinical research if I had an MD. So I figured I'd take the MCAT and see how I did. I did well on the MCAT and figured I'd apply and see if I got in. I got in and figured I'd better go.

OP, I don't think you really can know for sure if you're doing the right thing. You make the best decision you can with the information you have, but of course you can't really comprehend what your life will be like one year from now, let alone a decade from now when you're finishing your training. All you can do is go into this training process taking it on faith that it will be worth it, and hopefully it will. But even at my point in the process, I'm still not totally sure. When I was in med school, one of my attendings told me that if she had known ahead of time how hard it was going to be to become a doctor, she never would have gone through with it. Well, all I can say is that I wouldn't have, either. Sometimes ignorance really *is* bliss.

 

[cabinbuilder]

I am curious what it took for you non trads to finally start taking classes/post bac program and begin the process of knocking off the prereqs and eventally applying?
I ask because although I have many reasons to begin myself, it seems that I have just as many reasons to continue with what I am doing and not start classes. I guess I am afraid to give up ''comfort'' and venture into the unknown. What did it for you guys? Was it a friend that convinced you? Did you hate your job? What was the nail in the coffin? Or maybe I'm looking about this wrong- perhaps no one was ever convinced what they were about to do was the right thing?

I always wanted to go into medicine just my life got in the way. I already had a degree, didn't do very well due to life stressors, 2 kids, and a husband who didn't support my goals and was very abusive. I was working in the hospital as a clerk and really was at the top of my game with the job I was doing. I had lots of support for the doctors at work. I was sick of living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to take care of my kids. I knew my husband was having an affair and divorce was imminent so I planned and gave myself one year to do the pre-req's (yes I did them all in one year) and pushed forward applying. Did the MCAT again (I took it 3 times) and applied three times in 2 years before getting accepted. Got divorced during that time. Had a bunch of surgery, recovered, went to med school, NEVER LOOKED BACK.

 

[varsityblue]

I always wanted to go into medicine just my life got in the way. I already had a degree, didn't do very well due to life stressors, 2 kids, and a husband who didn't support my goals and was very abusive. I was working in the hospital as a clerk and really was at the top of my game with the job I was doing. I had lots of support for the doctors at work. I was sick of living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to take care of my kids. I knew my husband was having an affair and divorce was imminent so I planned and gave myself one year to do the pre-req's (yes I did them all in one year) and pushed forward applying. Did the MCAT again (I took it 3 times) and applied three times in 2 years before getting accepted. Got divorced during that time. Had a bunch of surgery, recovered, went to med school, NEVER LOOKED BACK.

This is so inspiring. My beret is off to you, cabinbuilder! 🙂

 

[sagain]

I always wanted to go into medicine just my life got in the way. I already had a degree, didn't do very well due to life stressors, 2 kids, and a husband who didn't support my goals and was very abusive. I was working in the hospital as a clerk and really was at the top of my game with the job I was doing. I had lots of support for the doctors at work. I was sick of living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to take care of my kids. I knew my husband was having an affair and divorce was imminent so I planned and gave myself one year to do the pre-req's (yes I did them all in one year) and pushed forward applying. Did the MCAT again (I took it 3 times) and applied three times in 2 years before getting accepted. Got divorced during that time. Had a bunch of surgery, recovered, went to med school, NEVER LOOKED BACK.

This is my first post and I must say WOW.....it's so inspiring

 

[Jennet]

I loved anatomy and biology in high school, but was dead set on being in the arts. After putting myself through college, earning a degree in theatre, and starting my own successful shakespearean theatre troupe, it began to feel like the magic was wearing off. Artists can be pushy, obsessive, and self-absorbed, and I was tired of not digging deeper on an intellectual scale. While this will always be part of my life, I began to hate it as my hobby. During this time, my father passed away, and I went into a pretty dark place. On the bright side, the other end of the tunnel was full of possibility and I no longer felt limited by what I had originally set out to achieve. If we all die, why not do what makes you happy?

I started to volunteer at hospitals in the area and remembered my passion for helping others. I honestly got a high off of being in the ER or radiation therapy wards, talking to patients, and feeling important and needed. Studied SDN, got a full-time job, slowly phased out my theatre company, and applied to programs. That was two years ago. I made the leap in August, packed 2 suitcases, and didn't look back. I literally left everything behind, even my dog.

It's been difficult thus far. Physics has me in a huge knot as I'm not a math person. The only difference between this training and my previous work is that now, when I question if I should keep going, the answer is always yes.

An added bonus: memorizing lines for 10 years made me an out of control memory machine.

 

[gratitude2012]

Cabinbuilder: you are my inspiration!!! Thanks for sharing your story!
Thank you all for sharing your awesome stories too!!

 

[thepoopologist]

I always wanted to go into medicine just my life got in the way. I already had a degree, didn't do very well due to life stressors, 2 kids, and a husband who didn't support my goals and was very abusive. I was working in the hospital as a clerk and really was at the top of my game with the job I was doing. I had lots of support for the doctors at work. I was sick of living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to take care of my kids. I knew my husband was having an affair and divorce was imminent so I planned and gave myself one year to do the pre-req's (yes I did them all in one year) and pushed forward applying. Did the MCAT again (I took it 3 times) and applied three times in 2 years before getting accepted. Got divorced during that time. Had a bunch of surgery, recovered, went to med school, NEVER LOOKED BACK.

I remember you saying in another post that your ex was currently leading a miserable life. God that must feel good.

It's not often that you get two payoffs for the price of one.

 

[cabinbuilder]

I remember you saying in another post that your ex was currently leading a miserable life. God that must feel good.

It's not often that you get two payoffs for the price of one.

Yes he is. He married that adulterous bitch and she has made his life miserable ever since. They have a hellion child together and live in the minus every month. I refer to her as the CWTW (Cheap White Trash *****) because she doesn't deserve to have her name be uttered from my lips. The man got what he wanted, lives miserably, and I make well over 6 figures. Oh, well. Sucks to be him.

Thanks to everyone for all the nice comments. Just goes to show you that if you want it bad enough you will do what it takes to make it happen. Keep plugging everybody.

 

[Dr. Ducky]

Yes he is. He married that adulterous bitch and she has made his life miserable ever since. They have a hellion child together and live in the minus every month. I refer to her as the CWTW (Cheap White Trash *****) because she doesn't deserve to have her name be uttered from my lips. The man got what he wanted, lives miserably, and I make well over 6 figures. Oh, well. Sucks to be him.

Thanks to everyone for all the nice comments. Just goes to show you that if you want it bad enough you will do what it takes to make it happen. Keep plugging everybody.

Congrats! The way I see it, you should thank the CWTW for relieving you of the dead weight! Seems like you've done fine w/o his sorry ***.

 

[cabinbuilder]

Congrats! The way I see it, you should thank the CWTW for relieving you of the dead weight! Seems like you've done fine w/o his sorry ***.

Yep, and you know the BEST part of all of it??? I still have a life insurance policy on the man that he cannot touch, revoke, or change benificiaries on. He goes. I get the money.

 

[Dr. Ducky]

Yep, and you know the BEST part of all of it??? I still have a life insurance policy on the man that he cannot touch, revoke, or change benificiaries on. He goes. I get the money.

One can only hope.....

 

[MedWonk]

The idea of becoming physician floated around in my head for a long time, so I shadowed a physician. Seemed cool, so I decided to take some prereqs. I've been doing well, so I decided to volunteer at a hospital. The more patient interaction I had, the more I liked it, so now I'm really considering ruining my social life with the MCAT and a research gig.

 

[Abider]

To the subject of convincing oneself:

All motivations for beginning--curiosity, inspiration, a particular event, are all wonderful. And equally valid.

What distinguishes someone who chooses wisely for themselves this long arduous and fully committed career and someone who doesn't is a proper vetting process. Vet this thing like it means something. Don't dream about it or watch movies or read books about it. Get in their and investigate it. Get close.

Don't be abrogated into some meek position by the constant mythos propagated here that you'll never know what's like until you do it. Nonsense. The partial truth of that statement is more rooted in the ego-politics of hierarchy than in encouraging you to make the best and wisest choice for yourself.

Clinical experience is not just some petty requirement for the approval of committees. It is the only way for you to taste, smell, sense and feel what will be your eventual lot.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people go forward without a real sense of what they're getting into. You'd be wise to make sure you'll be happy in an infantry position. Family med, internal med, pediatrics, etc. Because there's a level of competition for slick specialties that is difficult to achieve for anybody who doesn't eat sleep and crap getting over against the curve. With all of the soul-sucking politics that entails.

Be wise. Stop idealizing and dreaming. Get serious about vetting this thing for yourself. Someone who chooses this commitment, who isn't willing to accept all of the many downsides with realism, is destined to be miserable and trapped.

 

[sstespri]

After graduating from Penn State in 2008 and ski bumming for a winter in Park City, Utah (previous summer spent in Rome so I can't complain about my whereabouts that much) I decided to come back to Pittsburgh and get a job. I landed a job working with troubled youth at a residential facility in western Pennsylvania. One of my clients had a severe articulation disorder and it intrigued me. I went to the University of Pittsburgh a month later and began pre-reqs for an M.S. in speech-language pathology. I'm currently at the University of Tennessee in the middle of this degree and found myself having an interest in medicine. This interest stems from working closely with ENT's, studying intense anatomy and physiology as well as one final consideration. This one final consideration is that I decided (a little late, yes) I want to do more than 2x/week therapy sessions and then send them on their way, hoping for generalization into settings outside of a clinic room. Sure, speech-language therapy helps, but personally I want/need to be more hands on and making an impact on a greater level. I did some shadowing, began preparing for the MCAT, set up volunteering at a level 1 trauma center. I'm currently (as in I'm in Philadelphia right now) visiting post-bacc/med programs on my spring break and this only solidifies my intent to pursue medicine. If all goes as planned I'll be back at Penn State next May (2013) to begin the pre-reqs and thus begin my journey to medical school..wherever that may take me. If I would have had my head on straight during my run at Penn State I wouldn't be in this position (25 and just beginning my attempts at entrance), so that's frustrating. But like my dad always says, it's life and you can't do it over. The way I look at it is this: I'll either be 32 without a medical degree (when it's all said and done) or I'll be 32 with a medical degree. Either way I'll be 32, might as well do what makes me happy and what I truly want to do. That's my rant.