Should I go for it? So confused…

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

<p>Howdy all!</p>

<p>I’m new to this forum and hoping to gain some insight and advice. A little about me. I’m 30 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education with a minor in math at University of Texas at Austin. My undergraduate gpa is 3.15. I didn’t know what I wanted to do in college so my dad just told me to choose something that had a good job market, so I did, but I had no desire to teach.</p>

<p>After college I worked doing financials and have recently quit my job to go back to school. Now I’m entertaining the idea of becoming a doctor since I think it will be a meaningful and fulfilling profession. I have no medical experience though, and I wonder if it’s even worth trying since it’s so competitive and my credentials are less than ideal. I also have a DUI from 8 years ago…</p>

<p>Any advice or feedback would be most welcome. I’m also entertaining the idea of becoming a medical laboratory scientist. I’m very introverted and prefer to work alone. Should I try to be a doctor or just go the MLT route? Is there a different medical profession that might be suitable for me? I left my job because it was so bureaucratic/political/re d tape and it wasn’t rewarding/fulfilling; it was just a job. I’ve seen a career counselor who labeled me an ISTJ but none of the other jobs were as appealing as the medical field or veterinary medicine. I just feel I’m capable of so much more but my lack of direction has been a problem ever since I left high school. Your thoughts are really appreciated!!!</p>

<p>Best,
confused premednewb</p>

2

<p>Your grades are something that can be worked with and improved. Texas medical schools even have an academic “Fresh Start” program regarding college grades that are more than 10 years old</p>

<p>[TMDSAS</a> Medical: Texas Academic Fresh Start](<a href=“http://www.utsystem.edu/tmdsas/medical/texasAcFrshStrt.html]TMDSAS”>http://www.utsystem.edu/tmdsas/medical/texasAcFrshStrt.html)</p>

<p>(Read the info at the link carefully. It’s not as simple or as clear cut as you might think.)</p>

<p>The DUI, however, is a much bigger obstacle. A convinction for the DUI will very seriously hurt your chances of ever gaining a med school acceptance. (Note–it’s not hopeless, but it’s a huge black mark against you. You will need to be compelling applicant to overcome that.) The DUI conviction may also prove problematic when it comes to obtaining a medical license. Again, not hopeless, but it will make your road more difficult.</p>

<p>And a word–if you think that going into medicine is going to get away from a “bureaucratic/political/red tape” situation–please reconsider. Medicine will be just as bureacratic, political and wrapped in red tape (if not moreso) than what you’re trying to get away from.</p>

<p>Veterinary medicine–unless you want to go into rural vet practice or large animal practice-- is seriously oversubscribed. I know 3 recent vet grads (<5 years post-graduation), all of them have huge debt and limited job prospects. (It takes a bunch of money to open or buy a practice after graduation.) All work less than full time for an hourly wage at a chain or established vet practice. One took out additional debt to further specialize and finally has a full time job–but she had to relocate to outside the US.</p>

<p>Medical lab scientist is a pretty broad term. What exactly do you mean by that? </p>

<p>Do you want to work as research lab techician? A medical laboratory technologist? Or do you mean you want to be a biomedical research scientist–which requires a PhD?</p>

3

<p>Hi WayOutWestMom,</p>

<p>Thank you so much for your response. I meant medical laboratory technologist in my post. </p>

<p>I realize the DUI is a huge hindrance. I can’t change what happened and it’s not possible to have it expunged or sealed. I was sort of hoping that since it was so long ago that it might not count against me so much. I no longer drink and by the time I apply for medical school it will have been 10 years ago. </p>

<p>I really want a job I find fulfilling and meaningful; something I don’t dread going to work everyday. Maybe what I’m looking for doesn’t exist. Either way, getting into a veterinarian program is more difficult than getting into a medical school. I could become a veterinarian technician and maybe later become a veterinarian. I’m just not sure what a good choice would be since I don’t want to waste time, money, and energy if there’s not much of a shot. </p>

<p>I guess the professions I’ve entertained are: doctor, veterinarian, veterinarian tech, medical laboratory technologist, dentist, optometrist. Feel free to add more. I keep coming back to the first 4 though.</p>

4

<p>Given the 10 years since the DUI convinction, and assuming your record is impeccable since then–some med schools may consider you while others will reject you automatically. And no one can tell ahead of time which will do which. You will have to apply very broadly (like to 35+. maybe even 50+ programs) and see what happens. I am not familiar enough with all the various state medical licensing regulations to even guess whether an old DUI conviction will be sufficient to deny you a medical license.</p>

<p>All the jobs you list have very different requirements in term education, duties and responsibiliites.
This leads me to guess you really haven’t had actual exposure to what each of these jobs are like. I strongly suggest that you take some time to do job shadowing for as many of the potential careers as possible. Another option would be to set up appointments to do informational interviews to ask individuals who work in these professionswhat their job is like, to describe a typical day, to explain what they like best and like least about their jobs and whether they would encourage their children to enter this profession and why/why not.</p>

<p>Don’t jump into a new profession/job just because you hate your old one. It’s a good way to make an expensive mistake.</p>

<p>Also think about how many years you’re willing to devote to re-training. Becoming a doctor or dentist takes a decade or more before you get your first real job. (Undergrad retakes, med school plus residency and fellowship training). Vet and optometry are both 4 years once you finish undergrad retakes. Vet tech is a 1-2 year associates degree. Med lab tech is a 4 year undergrad program–which you might be able to finish in 2.5-3 years if you go year round.</p>

<p>There are tons of healthcare jobs that don’t require a med or dental school degree if you don’t want to spend the next decade going to school. Some require a 2 year certificate plus a national licensing exam. Some require a full baccalaurate degree with a national licensing exam. Some require a baccalaurate plus a masters.</p>

<p>For example, my older D is in med school, but her BF is a paramedic. He works hard and sometimes very odd hours (but so do doctors…), but he makes a decent living ($70K), will be able to retire at full pension after 20 years service. His job provides him with a great deal of autonomy, a ton of responsibility and usually good job satisfaction. He saves lives. Quite literally.</p>

<p>You might also consider nursing. Male nurses are not the uncommon anymore. I’ve met nurses who are ex-Army medics (3), ex-pro athletes, and ex-Catholic monks. An ASN will take 2 years, a RN 3 years and BSN 4 years. If you want to practice at a higher level, there’s nurse practioners (NP)–who I believe will increasingly deliver most primary care-- and nurse anesthetists (CRNA).</p>

<p>Other healthcare jobs include–surgical technician, anesthesia assistant, radiation therapist, respiratory therapist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, and too many more for me to think of off hand.</p>

5

<p>Thank you for taking the time to respond to me on this. I have just received a volunteer opportunity at a hospital. I’m hoping that I can gain more insight into which profession might be a good fit for me and to speak to some of the medical professionals there. I’m actually leaning towards medical laboratory technologist but I’ll keep an open mind until I get some opinions from people in the field. You’re correct that I don’t really know what I want to do and I’ve just been bouncing around ideas. I guess I’ll continue mulling it over and talk to people before deciding.</p>

<p>Just out of curiosity, what profession are you in?</p>

6

<p>Originally? A high school & college English teacher, later a computer programmer and network manager. Currently a research librarian/archivist at a biomedical research facility. </p>

<p>And parent to 2 medical students.</p>

7

<p>You should really have a passion for medicine to pursue med school. You are guaranteed to spend 8 years pursuing the education and training (assuming 1 year premed). Once you get started, turning back can be very difficult. Please volunteer at your local hospital and become familiar with the medical environment. Becoming a PA or nurse is another good option if you are not too sure about your dedication to 8 years of medical training.</p>