Great site! Looking for info/advice

Nontraditional Premed Discussion
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Hello!


First off - what a great site! I just stumbled upon this during a random Google search and I’m so glad I did!


Here’s my situation: I’m currently due to receive my Master of Public Health degree in Global Maternal and Child Health next year (complete coursework in May and internship by September). Before starting grad school I worked for 3 years doing HIV and alcohol abuse prevention in homeless clinics, and I spent this summer in Kenya working with HIV/AIDS programs. While I was there it really hit me that I could do so much more if I had a clinical degree - which I always kind of wanted, but didn’t really see as possible.


I really rushed through undergrad (working class kid at a snooty school and the other students drove me insane), and as a result, I graduated in 3 years… with an odd major and random classes (BS in Biological Anthropology & Latin American Studies). I had a lot of science classes, but not really any med school prereqs. For example, I took Physiology, Functional Morphology, Osteology, Biological Basis of Disease… but not Bio 101!


So now I’m a bit stuck and wondering about a lot of things:

  1. Do any of those classes count for anything?

  2. I know regardless I’ll need to take catch-up classes in Chemistry (General & Organic), Physics, and probably more Bio. Are there programs designed specifically for that kind of thing? Or would my best bet be to just try to organize it on my own through whatever college is closest/cheapest?


    And also… would it make any sense to get a nursing degree first and then go to med school? I know of lots of accelerated nursing programs - do you think I could fulfill my prereqs that way? If so that would be great because I’d be able to work in nursing if need be with more flexible hours than public health.


    The way I figure, this all will take a minimum of 10 years… does that sound right? Anyone have any words of wisdom, advice, etc? Or would anyone be able to point me in the right direction?


    Thanks so much and sorry for the long post!!


    Emily in New Orleans
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Welcome, Emily!

  • emilyrobs Said:
1) Do any of those classes count for anything?



Other than contributing to your math/science GPA, probably not.

  • Quote:
2) I know regardless I'll need to take catch-up classes in Chemistry (General & Organic), Physics, and probably more Bio. Are there programs designed specifically for that kind of thing? Or would my best bet be to just try to organize it on my own through whatever college is closest/cheapest?



Yes, you will need to take a year of physics with lab, a year of gen chem w/lab, a year of organic chem w/lab, a year of biology w/lab and you should probably take at least a semester of biochemistry. Some of your biology classes may count towards the year of bio pre-req if they aren't too old. If they are more than five years old, you should strongly consider taking more biology courses (the field is changing so fast).

There are formal programs for that sort of thing, but you don't need to do a formal program. Many people take the do-it-yourself approach. The only caution I have would be to take your courses at a four year institution if at all possible.

  • Quote:
And also... would it make any sense to get a nursing degree first and then go to med school? I know of lots of accelerated nursing programs - do you think I could fulfill my prereqs that way? If so that would be great because I'd be able to work in nursing if need be with more flexible hours than public health.



Personally, I am opposed to doing a nursing program if medical school is your ultimate goal unless you plan on working as a nurse for a few years prior to medical school. There is such a dire shortage of nurses and also a shortage of spots in nursing schools to fill said shortage, that I hate to see people taking up spots if they don't intend to pursue it as a career. We actually are discussing this topic on another thread - I admit that the idea of having a nursing degree as a backup plan is appealing.

The biology, chemistry, etc required for nursing majors are often not acceptable to fulfill the pre-requisites for medical school. However, nursing programs will sometimes allow you to substitute the more rigorous pre-med courses to meet the nursing degree requirements.

  • Quote:
The way I figure, this all will take a minimum of 10 years... does that sound right?



Yep, around 10 years. Two years of taking pre-requisites, one year in the application process, four years of medical school, and a minimum of three years of residency (the amount of time in residency depends on the specialty).
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Thanks so much for all the info!


I didn’t know that stuff about nursing programs but I totally see where you’re coming from. I think I’ll just stick with doing the med school pre-reqs on my own. I guess if I think about it I definitely don’t NEED a nursing degree to fall back on since I already have my MPH degree.


Thanks again!

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Your MPH degree will definitely help you get into medical school. You’ll have a lot to talk about in interviews. And an interest in public health is a good thing. Best of luck,

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  • ttraub Said:
Your MPH degree will definitely help you get into medical school. You'll have a lot to talk about in interviews. And an interest in public health is a good thing. Best of luck,



Yes and no. (and the remainder of this post is about MPH in general) An MPH is definitely a great education to have and makes you a more interesting candidate - I agree. However, in my time on GWU's adcom, I did encounter applications where the candidate's undergrad career was less than stellar and s/he worked to buff the application with an MPH. DO NOT DO THIS. If you've got a bad old undergrad reputation to live down, you want to do the most hard-core updated stuff you can, and the MPH is considered "soft science." It will NOT make up for two semesters of C's in organic chemistry, for example.

Sorry to be a downer, but felt I'd better throw that out there to be safe!

Mary
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To echo Mary’s always excellent advice, an MPH is nice to have, but it doesn’t say “science competence” to Admissions Committees. Go to a four year institution and pick up the required pre-med classes (with excellent grades, of course ).


Cheers,


Judy

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Thanks for the feedback everyone


I understand what you are talking about with the MPH thing. In fact, I know a lot of my fellow MPHers disparage people who aren’t really wild about public health, they just couldn’t get into med school and are hoping an MPH would help.


However that’s definitely not the case with me. I’m getting my MPH because I have a real passion for public health - and I just want to be able to do more clinical work on the ground in the(mostly third world) areas I’m working in.


And I had good grades in undergrad (despite going to school in New Orleans :-p) so I’m not trying to make up for anything there

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What is your interest in Medical School? This is one big question that you are going to get while interviewing for a spot in medical school.


The entrance into medical school is not an easy one. Not only do you need to prove that you can handle the work but also that you deserve to be there.


So one question that comes to mind is that if you are getting an MPH and you did well in your Undergrad, why do you want to go into medical school now and not right after college?


I am not trying to be negative but this would be of interest to an interviewer as well. What drove you to go into medical school now? If you wanted to add clinical work to your MPH then why not become a nurse practitioner or a physician’s assistant?

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  • gabelerman Said:
What is your interest in Medical School? This is one big question that you are going to get while interviewing for a spot in medical school.

The entrance into medical school is not an easy one. Not only do you need to prove that you can handle the work but also that you deserve to be there.

So one question that comes to mind is that if you are getting an MPH and you did well in your Undergrad, why do you want to go into medical school now and not right after college?

I am not trying to be negative but this would be of interest to an interviewer as well. What drove you to go into medical school now? If you wanted to add clinical work to your MPH then why not become a nurse practitioner or a physician's assistant?



Hi gabelerman - sorry I missed this before.

No worries about the negativity. If I'm being honest, I always liked the idea of medical school, but had a pretty dysfunctional upbringing and family life. Going to college at all was an accomplishment, and once I realized that I could graduate early and start working sooner to support myself and my family, that's what I decided to do. At that point in my life, going to school for "so long" was not something I saw as an option for me. I was not a "typical" college student - took 21-24 credits per semester while working two jobs and volunteering for the animal shelter in my "spare" time. No partying, etc. because I had a 13 year old brother I was trying to support.

So I graduated at 21 with honors and began working immediately in homeless clinics doing HIV research. After Katrina devastated my city and destroyed all of the homeless clinics, I switched to PTSD research, and decided to go back to Tulane for my MPH because the bad public health situation in New Orleans had turned desperate.

Today I'm a bit older and the brother I was taking care of is an adult. I've realized that now is the time for me to start living for myself for a change. And after all I've been through, I know that not only can I handle the work, but I deserve to be there just as much as anyone else, if not more.

Hopefully that answers your question
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You have a very compelling motivation, Emily (and half of a personal statement already ). Get those pre-reqs done, and you’ll be well on your way.

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Thanks I appreciate that

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UNM’s Assistant Dean of Admissions (Dr. Bear) did a presentation last semester. His reply to a student asking about getting a nursing degree first, was that in no way would the school even consider admitting someone who took up a slot for nursing and then didn’t follow through with that career. He said what several of you said… this is due to a national shortage.