I am 26 and I work with nurses and doctors in a mental institution. I am looking to pursue becoming an MD. I would greatly appreciate any advise on the easiest road to take academically to accomplish this. I have no school i spent my life in the military and got out 2.5 years ago. I become certified to be a peer counselor and during this time deciding that I was not going to let time and lack of school discourage me from reaching towards big dreams. i have the post 911 gi bill to use plus the va offers academic support, I also can pay out of pocket for the cheap getting things started stuff. Thank you all in advanced for your comments.
Whats the best way to start from scratch.
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The first step is to get enrolled somewhere. I don't know what the requirements are for universities these days, but a community college would be a great way to get started. Take classes that will transfer to a university (some MD schools don't accept prerequisite courses from community colleges, so be mindful of what you take), and then go to a university. This will save you a lot of money, and a lot of community colleges are open campuses (everyone gets accepted) since I don't know what your SAT/ACT situation is (probably old). As far as the "easiest" route, I don't think there is any easy way to become a doctor. It's all gonna be hard. But, most people find that doing something you like is easier. So picking a major that interests you may help. Most premeds are biology/chemistry majors because classes that med schools require are a part of the curriculum, and it may help on the MCAT (maybe at the beginning of med school, too? I don't know, I haven't started yet and I'm not a science major) to have some advanced courses in biology. It being a part of the curriculum can save you time/money, too, since you don't have to take prerequisites outside the 120 or so credits needed to graduate or use them as electives. I would major in something you find interesting and fit in the prereqs as you go. Or, if you're lucky, you'll be interested in bio/chem as a major. Getting to a school and speaking with someone involved with preprofessional advising will help. The trick is to do well and learn a lot so your GPA is good, and you can use that knowledge to do well on the MCAT. Along the way, it would be fairly necessary for you to shadow some physicians (outside of working alongside some) in many different fields (don't have a psychiatry or bust mindset) and settings. Volunteering in clinical and non-clinical situations also helps. If research interests you, looking to get involved with research is something you could try (particularly at the university level).
As far as nursing school goes, there are probably many threads on this. I think there are some people who frown upon jumping from RN to MD because it's taking a health professional and making a health professional. But I've also read a lot where people say that former RNs make some of the best MDs. You need to make that decision based on what is best for you, professionally and financially. I will say this, it will delay your progress quite a bit. Nursing schools are competitive by volume, in that you often have to be completely done with all of your nursing prerequisites (often very different from MD prereqs) before being considered. This is because they have a very objective screening, which attributes points for classes completed and grades in those. Since many people are applying, you have to be finished to apply and have the points. This will make you wait a year to start in many cases. If you get into nursing school, it would be very difficult/almost impossible to schedule all of your classes and labs for med school prereqs. So now you have to delay your MD application. I think that if you want to be a nurse just for it to be "more attractive" it's not a good use of your time. I think it's usually someone who wanted to be a nurse and then realized they truly want to be a physician that gets into med school. But, you should look into the situation where you live and talk to people far more knowledgeable than I am (on that matter, and all others).
As far as nursing school goes, there are probably many threads on this. I think there are some people who frown upon jumping from RN to MD because it's taking a health professional and making a health professional. But I've also read a lot where people say that former RNs make some of the best MDs. You need to make that decision based on what is best for you, professionally and financially. I will say this, it will delay your progress quite a bit. Nursing schools are competitive by volume, in that you often have to be completely done with all of your nursing prerequisites (often very different from MD prereqs) before being considered. This is because they have a very objective screening, which attributes points for classes completed and grades in those. Since many people are applying, you have to be finished to apply and have the points. This will make you wait a year to start in many cases. If you get into nursing school, it would be very difficult/almost impossible to schedule all of your classes and labs for med school prereqs. So now you have to delay your MD application. I think that if you want to be a nurse just for it to be "more attractive" it's not a good use of your time. I think it's usually someone who wanted to be a nurse and then realized they truly want to be a physician that gets into med school. But, you should look into the situation where you live and talk to people far more knowledgeable than I am (on that matter, and all others).
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Don't worry about what all is needed. Get enrolled for the Fall semester at a cc and see how it goes. They will have career counseling centers who will help you figure it out. You have at least4 years of undergrad ahead of you. Try to take as many gen Ed classes at the cc and save the science etc for when you transfer to a 4 year university. Good luck.
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I know a 40-year-old individual that just got accepted to a top tier MD school. Get the grades, the MCAT, the ECs, and the motivation, and you can make it happen.
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Sorry, but I think this was kind of uncalled for. If you've read OP's first 2 posts, he's been anything but impolite. He even thanked you in advance! plus, he's a new poster.
My apologies Mwoods18. My thirst for knowledge was not intended to be a sign of disrespect. Thank you all very much for your time and sharing of information on a new members first post. I will take any and all advise willing to be shared.
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No problem. Sorry for seeming/being snarky. But I wouldn't have said it if it wasn't sound advice. For instance, if you shadow a doc they're letting you with no obligation to help. You need to make sure to be appreciative and not just see them as a stepping stone. Obviously my post isn't a big deal at all. I really posted it for other people who may start out later on who search and find the thread (I visited this site about a thousand times before I posted) as much as I did for you. But in general, it's nice to acknowledge help before requesting more. Definitely not a big deal though. If you have any specific questions (I'm former military, older than 26, went to a community college, and considered nursing classes while remaining pre-med), feel free to PM me. You're starting on a long journey that many people decide against, so keep your mind and options open as you go.
As for as the age thing, that's something you need to decide for you. I can't imagine any specialty wouldn't let you match based on age. But if you wanted to go into a long residency, say neurosurgery, that puts you at 41 years old before attending's salary assuming everything goes smoothly (4 years undergrad, 4 years med with no gap year). So it's a decision you would need to make for you and your situation. I think that's more of a med student problem than a brand new pre-med problem. Unless you only want to get into medicine for one specialty, in which case it may be a bad idea anyway. But since you've mentioned psych, which is a middle of the pack length, I don't think your heart is set on nsurg or any sub-subspecialties. Either way, good luck!
So i would do 2 years cc then once i have enough switch to a 4 year? For the last two years. Then then apply for med school for another 4 years. Then from there i do a residency can anyone elaborate on what this is and how much this will cost?
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As someone who's currently on the gpa redemption route (3.2 undergrad, which is below the 10% percentile for most med schools), I would say really take your gpa/MCAT seriously. According to aamcfactstable17, the average gpa/mcat for matriculants is ~3.63cgpa/3.77sgpa/31.4. On the postbacc forum, you'll see a bunch of people to have to take the long route, sometimes even spanning years, because they either screwed up in undergrad (low gpa or got institutional action) or got below 30 on the MCAT.
I personally think the fastest route to enter medical school is to got to a 4-year state school (full-time) and apply during junior year. This might not be realistic though and many of my peers end up applying after senior year and end up taking a gap year due to reasons like grades or not having the required letters of recommendation. In terms of activities, you'll have to solidify your interest through medical and nonmedical activities. People usually do a number of these: volunteer at hospitals, scribe, shadow doctors, community service, research, other things that they're passionate about etc all without sacrificing grades/MCAT.
You can go the cc route for the first 2 years, but make sure you know exactly what you're doing or it might end up taking longer or you might be less prepared for the MCAT. A lot of things sound great when you plan it, but you have to be ready for logistical problems (difficulty registering/transferring, bad advisors).
In terms of money, you can take gov loans for the 4 years of undergrad and 4 years of med school up to the full cost of tuition+cost of living as determined by the school. The full cost can easily>300k if you take the full amount, but I would worry about minimizing the loans from just the undergrad part since most people aren't able to not take loans for med school. There's a lot more gov aid (free money) available for undergrad and, such as grants and work study and like none for med school. They determine this based on your income and savings and spit out a number. Since they would consider you separately for from your parent based on your age, you might even get close to the full cost covered if your income is low. Of course, be sure to factor in your military aid into the planning.
Finally, you have potential to become a doctor of any specialty (e.g. ER to surgery to psych). Med schools don't require you to enter with any professional knowledge and supposedly many med students end up changing their minds during med school.
edit: typo
I personally think the fastest route to enter medical school is to got to a 4-year state school (full-time) and apply during junior year. This might not be realistic though and many of my peers end up applying after senior year and end up taking a gap year due to reasons like grades or not having the required letters of recommendation. In terms of activities, you'll have to solidify your interest through medical and nonmedical activities. People usually do a number of these: volunteer at hospitals, scribe, shadow doctors, community service, research, other things that they're passionate about etc all without sacrificing grades/MCAT.
You can go the cc route for the first 2 years, but make sure you know exactly what you're doing or it might end up taking longer or you might be less prepared for the MCAT. A lot of things sound great when you plan it, but you have to be ready for logistical problems (difficulty registering/transferring, bad advisors).
In terms of money, you can take gov loans for the 4 years of undergrad and 4 years of med school up to the full cost of tuition+cost of living as determined by the school. The full cost can easily>300k if you take the full amount, but I would worry about minimizing the loans from just the undergrad part since most people aren't able to not take loans for med school. There's a lot more gov aid (free money) available for undergrad and, such as grants and work study and like none for med school. They determine this based on your income and savings and spit out a number. Since they would consider you separately for from your parent based on your age, you might even get close to the full cost covered if your income is low. Of course, be sure to factor in your military aid into the planning.
Finally, you have potential to become a doctor of any specialty (e.g. ER to surgery to psych). Med schools don't require you to enter with any professional knowledge and supposedly many med students end up changing their minds during med school.
edit: typo
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Well you all are so awesome I did not expect so much support. I do have the gi bill i plan on using this in med school and will look into grants and aid for the four years I'm sure a lot will be out of pocket. I have over 2 years working with social services in hospitals with suicidal children and in a mental facility along side nurses and doctors. I will try and volunteer of even work with a crisis team in a hospital. I will have to fine Resources for grants and aid for vets.
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That's all great experience. While you are looking for additional experiences try to shadow a PCP. It is a totally different view of practicing medicine. It will be good for your application to show a wide range of experience and not just a narrow focus on psych issues.
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LOL... You bumped your head.
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