need some advice

What a great place for me to have found! Thanks for sharing your stories and all the insightful info. I’m a 35 year old mother of 2 little girls(4,2) with a very supportive husband in Ashburn,Va. Here is my story…I have always wanted to be a doctor as long as I could remember what I wanted to be but did not work hard enough in undergrad to accomplish that goal. Bottom line, at this point in my life what is the best route for me to become a doctor. I have a BS in zoology. I’ve worked in research labs at the universities. Now,I’m at home with my girls.It will be another two years before both of my girls will go to school full time. I thought I would try to plan out a course of action. I’ve thought about an informal post bac. , getting a RN or respiratory therapy associates degree at nvcc, to gain some hands on clinical experience, getting a masters to pull up my less than perfect gpa,or getting another BS, all together. I did take the MCATS 12 years ago and that wasn’t a pleasant experience. Needless to say, I have a huge mountain to climb but I’m willing, whatever it takes, if possible. I have volunteered in the past at hospitals, medical clinics, homeless shelters, nursing homes. Any advice or suggestions or questions are welcome.
thanks,
megan

Hi,
First of all, I wanted to say I admire your goals and hope you can reach them.
I started my undergrad when my youngest child was 3 and 1/2. She was able to catch on when mommy needed to study and when she was free to play with her. That is something you will have to set up early. The only family needs to be involved and feel important during this long process.
The volunteer clinical experiences are very important and you should start ASAP so you can become a regular where ever you decide to work. Try out any free health clinics you may have in your town. You can get a whole bunch of direct patient time at these types of clinics that rely on volunteers. Hospitals are also a place you can go, but you will probably start with non patient contact places and have to get to know people there before you can get moved to a different area in the hospital.
I volunteered at a cancer center located in a hosptial. I brough drinks and snacks to patients getting chemo and radiation. I also delievered flowers. Both gave me patient contact and I enjoyed both jobs alot. The job I enjoyed the most however was my 3 years at the free health clinic. I got so much patient contact and learned to do a bunch of things including drawing blood and shots, etc…

As to academics. pick what is more use to you and your schedule. You can do informal post bac classes as an extended studies student, sometimes called non-degree seeking. That is the most loose way of being able to take what you need when you want to take it. All my friends did that so they could take what ever they needed when they needed it. What classes are you still needing to complete your required med school courses?
As to the MCAT, did you have any of those classes when you were an undergrad? If you did… do you remember the content so that all you would need are some review books like from Kaplan (found in book stores, called Kaplan big comprehensive book )? You will need to take it again so you could start reviewing while you wait for your classes to start.
That’s all I can think of right now. Good luck