i am a recent immigrant with a degree in chem eng , the idea was to continue with a masters degree in mba with a spec in info tech , i just realised i dont love what i read in university and will probably will be miserable if i continue in that field.

i volunteered in a nursing home and absolutely loved it , i feel if am going into the medical field then i have to go all the way to being a doctor and am willing to go back to school for this but i dont know how to go about it, i dont even know where to start

is this feasible and realistic?
besides everyone around me feel i am crazy what do the professionals in this forum think?

i am a black , female and 25

Clough

Learning to be a doctor is a lofty goal. Whether or not it is feasible and realistic depends on some factors. Takes money, quite a few years of schooling and other things depending on what kind of doctor you would want to be. I'm not trying to dissuade you from becoming a doctor if that is what you have in your heart. If you do want to be a doctor, then I am wondering if enough prerequisites where taken as an undergraduate to enter a medical school since you stated that you already have a degree in chemical engineering.

Have you even considered being a nurse? You would be more likely to be employed on a permanent basis with a nursing facility. Wouldn't require as much schooling/training. You would be able to interact on a daily basis with residents in the facility, rather than just visiting with them briefly when you are called in as a doctor.

kp2171

to get into med school you do NOT have to have a premed degree. you need to have biology, general chemistry, organic, and physics for the MCAT. there is also some biochem/molecular stuff in there, but much may be covered in your basic classes.

so... if you havent had the bio classes, you might need this to prep. you should have had the chem and physics. i know a person who got into med school after just two years of college... shes the exception... most people have a four year degree. much of the time it is required.

so... you need to take the classes to prep you for the MCAT. also, you might want to take some additional classes such as biochem, microbiology, physiology, anatomy... you arent required to have them, but they are a foundation of knowledge.

i tutored an older med student last year who got into med school with just the bare basics in the sciences (her undergrad degree was in a nonscience area).... she flunked out. the pace was too fast for her... she was smart enough i think, given time shed have understood, but everyone else in the class had seen some of the advanced material once before... she hadnt. she learned too slowly. biochem just killed her. anatomy finished it off.

in her case, she ended up after one year of med school (and a $30,000 bill) with nothing, mostly because she didnt want to take a couple of extra classes, in my opinion.

so... you need the basics for the MCAT, and perhaps some other foundational classes, like i mentioned.

is there a school you are interested in? one around you? ask the admissions office for required info needed to apply. the med school itself is the ultimate authority on what it wants for getting in.

if you didnt really excel in school before you might consider taking more classes to establish a stronger GPA. some admissions at osteopathic schools are more lenient. the tuition can be higher than a state M.D. program, but its an option. i know some great docs who are D.O.'s, and one friend applied to our local osteopathic school because she thought shed have a better chance of getting in. she did. but it is still quite competitive, whether MD or DO.

so you need to think about how strongly you are trained. if you cannot talk to me about genetic mutations on a molecular level or you cant tell me about the role of the spleen versus the gall bladder... if you dont know what a voltage-gated calcium channel is or you dont know how many cranial nerves there are and what they do.... well then its time to take some classes at the undergrad level and see if you really do like the material.

olagirl

wow thanks guys am still thinking its some thing i can do i was top of my class in organic chemistry so i can handle that i think i need to do more research on this

i realy appreciate ur advise

ola

kp2171

well, your attitude is great. having a strong foundation in organic is a good start, at least for the MCAT prep. there are decent MCAT prep books out there that can give you a basic review... i once favored the princeton review, available at bookstores, as a good basic refresher...

but again... it isnt about just taking the test. if your health science skills arent really strong, and you really want to do this, you should try to take a few classes to get you back into the game. talk to a local college about enrollment without intention for degree... you can even request to talk to someone in the bio dept about this and explain what you are trying to do. they can review your background and suggest classes.

the only problem i foresee with enrollment without intent for a degree is you should ask about availability of classes. will you be able to get into the classes you want? enrollment is usually based on what year a person is.. so seniors get first priority, then juniors, etc in many systems.

you could also see if a community college offers the classes. i know in town here there is one that offers biochem, physiology and microbiology...and i think anatomy as well... and these schools are often cheaper and might allow you to get in the classes you want.

most are held during the day, so if you work youd need to find a way to do that at night or on weekends.

let me also mention nursing. nurses with specialized training can do quite a lot of the work that a physician can... i recently saw a stat that said a highly trained nurse can cover 80% of the docs role. just a stat i saw. i cannot claim its reliability.

but ive seen nursing be a very fulfilling degree for motivated individuals. my cousin is a nurse and she now teaches at a local university. an aunt is a nurse, retired, but still takes classes and her mind is wonderfully active. i think its a degree with a lot of flexibility in where you go... its largely up to your motivation.

if you didnt already have an undergrad degree id also mention pharmacy programs. most people track through bio or chem premed for med school and dont consider pharmacy. the pharm programs are now 6 year undergrad/doctoral... that is, in 6 years of training you graduate with a doctorate degree, called Pharm.D ... the reason i mention this is by the time you are done you have a highly marketable degree (starting salaries, if i remember right, for new grads nears $80K, with a $60-100K starting range, with sign on bonuses...if im off there, its not by much) and you get all the schooling you need for med school prep and more. with your undergrad degree you likely have some of the first two year prereqs done, at least in the hard sciences.

its a little overkill for med school prep, but ive seen too many people grad with a chem or bio degree, not get into med school, and stuck in a job they dont like for a fraction of the pay. again, it may not be the path you need... if you want to be a doctor, go for it... most with the Pharm.D dont track into med school because, like nursing, there a lot of different avenues to work. you dont need to be a white coat behind a counter at walmart... but if you are, you still are making a lot of $$$.... but ive had students go into this path and some are now teaching at universities, some work in hospitals, some direct regional sales for pharmacy companies... again, a lot of avenues.

im just throwing out ideas you might not have thought about.

um... if you do decide to go to med school apply to several. dont rule out D.O. schools either, as i mentioned in an earlier post. applying to several schools gives you some room in case you dont get into the program you want.

also there are physician assistant (P.A.) programs... there are podiatric programs ("foot doctor"... will be in demand with an aging US population)... so you have lots of options outside just the physician training.

options are good... it means you have some work to do and think about... and much if it requires you to seek it out. too much to type here.

but this is a start. any questions, just write back.

olagirl

am i so excited with ur post i enrolled for cna classes(nursing assistant) just to have an idea into wot am goin int it was so much fun and i absolutely loved it , i just graduated and my instructor advised i culd go so much further than cna and she actually encouraged me to either go for nursing or a physician assistant like u mentioned right now i am on cloud 9(lol)..coz i was top in my class it has renewed my vigour.


ok so after reading ur post im leaning toward a physicians assistant , pharmacist or pediatrician (i abslutely love kids) any advise pros and cons on this 3 .

am actually getting more advice from u than am getting on the net , URE GOOD!

anticipating ur reply and have a good day