Wow! Hello everybody!

[late2Dgate]

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I just found this place today and am newly registered here. Great forum! Just wanted to say hello to everyone (didn't see a "Hello" forum). I am posting this in the non-trad forum because, well, that pretty much sums me up.

I have been reading here all day and it is amazing already what I have learned, such a wealth of knowledge here!

A little bit about myself: I am 30. I have an associate's degree in mechanical drafting and design and another in heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration technologies. First degree was attained in 1998, the second in 2003. I am currently employed as a mechanical technician.

I am a working stiff with a wife and a daughter. You get to about age 30 and you start to question the direction your life is going in (well, some of us do). My wife is just about to finish up with her associate's in nursing so she can test for her RN. It is time for a change.

I hate my job and have two options: kill myself (just joking, well kind of, no really just joking!) or do something different with myself. I like to help people and have wanted to be a doctor since I was a young child, but life circumstances took me down a different road (poor, dysfunctional family). I have fourteen years of work experience in the real world. I have worked in the service industry, manufacturing, retail, construction, etc...I have been around the block and have not gotten any level of satisfaction with any of those paths.

Anyways, since my thirtieth birthday I can not get it out of my mind. I want to pursue becoming a doctor while I might still be young enough. Which, of course, brings me to the practical "how's" of the process, that is how I found this place.

Without doing much research into things I was considering getting an "online" degree in biology and then going from there. In my youth, I would have rushed into a decision like that, however now, being a little older and much wiser, I decided to read up on it first. I am glad that I did. From what I have read here so far, it seems like this (online undergraduate degree) is NOT a good idea.

Well, I just wanted to say hello and also ask that if anyone has any advice for someone in my position, please feel free to offer it. ANY ADVICE is extremely welcome! 🙂

 

[Mobius1985]

Welcome to SDN.

If you have no real-world experience with sick people, a good place to start would be in a volunteer position where you'll have face-to-face interaction with patients. This type of clinical experience will be essential for your eventual application, as you'll need to list what you did, where you did it, and how many hours you've spent. It's also a good test of a potential vocation.

Next, have you checked with a four-year college to see how much of the credit from your previous undergraduate work will transfer? If not, it might be good to meet with an admissions counselor and ask to get a realistic idea of how much coursework you'd have ahead of you to earn an undergraduate degree (BA/BS). Since you've been reading SDN, you're probably aware that all your post-high school grades to date will be counted toward the combined GPA that you'll apply to medical school with, even if it doesn't get accepted by the four-year school. Your mission is to ease back into academia with a tolerable course load that won't overwhelm you, so you can get as close to straight As as possible. The mean med school acceptee has a GPA of 3.6.

It is preferred that you complete the med school prerequisites at a four-year school, but not essential. A CC will not prepare you as rigorously to do well on the MCAT (med school application test). If you have a lot of general education classes to complete (English, precalculus math, history, psych, etc.) and expense or location is an issue, those classes might be a good place to start your classroom experience. But be sure ahead of time that they will transfer to the four-year school, so you don't end up repeating them.

 

[packofneurons]

As agreed with the above poster you should probably start volunteering or shadowing. You need to know what you're getting yourself into first - like many people say, becoming a MD/DO is a marathon, not a sprint. Are you prepared for school to consume you? I have not done it myself because I am not married nor do I have kids, but medical school/residency will probably drain you and your time away from your family.

I think a degree in biology is a great place to start. Remember, it doesn't matter what your undergrad degree is. It just matters if you fulfill the one year of Chem 1+2 with lab, Organic Chem 1+2 with lab, Physics 1+2 with lab, Biology 1+2 with lab and a year of english. Perhaps you could continue one of the degrees you got your associates in?

I think a career changer is a good idea if you do not like working your current job. There are many people who start medical school later than you. 🙂

If you have any questions/information about schools or programs, please PM me. I am from Michigan as well 🙂 and I'll be transferring to another University next semester.

 

[Nasem]

the previous posters are right....

let me add a little more about the technicality of becoming a pre-med. Alot of medical schools today REALLY wanna see applicants with bachelors degrees, you don't have to have it, but its something they like to see..... So first I think you should pursue a Bachelors degree in something you enjoy (IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A SCIENCE DEGREE, it can be anything, art, english, history, business, engineering, computer science, etc etc etc). This means, for the next 4 years, Your going to be a fulltime undergrad student. You have a wife and a kid so, your going to be taking loans up the butt to payoff your undergrad and have a little pocket money for the family.

So, lets assume you start undergrad this January, your 30 today, you will be 34 when you get your bachelors degree. Usually people apply to medical schools just around the time they finish undergrad, so, Lets assume you start Medical school (at best) between 35 and 36 years of age...... This means you will finish medical school when your 39 or 40......

but your not done yet, after medical school, assuming your going to go for the shortest residency (something like Internal medicine or Family practice), thats an additional 3 years, so, FINALLY you can be a board certified Doctor by time your 42 or 43....

Today you are 30 year old "Joe the plumber" (as McCain calls it), and in 13 years, you can be "Joe the Dr."

Best of luck to you (I hope you go through with it, it will change your life forever)