hello everyone!
my name is Bryan. i am 28 years old and working on getting my associates in Respiratory Care.
i never thought i would want to do anything in the health care field but i lost my job back in 2009 and considered my options. my wife, an RN, pushed me toward health care thinking i would be good at it. so i gave it a shot and i’ve been extremely interested in all of it. i’m at the top of my class grade wise and my classmates recently picked me as the President of the class.
i’ve been so interested in everything we’ve been going over that my wife and i have had early discussions about my possibly going on and trying for med school. she is extremely supportive of me doing this. so the support system is in place.
assuming all goes as well as it has so far, i will be graduating in December. my intention is to get a job in Florida and work for a year so that i can be a Florida citizen and get in-state tuition. i was considering getting my BS in respiratory but i don’t think that would really benefit me if i’m going to attempt pre-med.
so… i don’t know what advice i’m looking for really. does my being an RT help me in any way? and would the BS in respiratory aid me at all? or should i work and then dive into a pre-med program?
thanks!
Hello Bryan and Welcome to OPM!
Well, you have a head start by finishing your Respiratory Care degree and entering the Health Care field. It will give you the amount of clinical experience necessary for you to determine if you want to continue towards a medical education.
It seems that the advice you are looking for is to validate or to invalidate the option of going for a BS in Respiratory Care.
I guess your hunch is correct.
Given that you have the time and the opportunity of getting any bachelor’s degree you want, why not investing your time and money in one that will prepare you for medical school if that is your goal?
It does not even has to be on the pre-med track as long as you complete all pre-reqs with all As, and the highest GPA possible.
So go ahead with your plan of moving to Florida if that suits you. Move in to an area with plenty of educational options (i.e. South Florida), register in a Bachelor’s program that intrigues you, while at the same time fulfilling the medical school pre-reqs, and you will be well in your way.
Best of lucks! And keep us posted of your progress.