Eli, I have to tell you that when I think about my path, I’m glad I was able to spend major amounts of time with my kids prior to starting my pursuit of medicine. Note that I was completely unaware this was what i wanted to do! I don’t know that I would have been able to be satisfied with my kids, my volunteer work, my eventual administrative job had I known then that I should be a physician. So in that respect, my story is different from yours in that I wasn’t consciously deferring a goal.
Now, I happen to agree with you that kids are the best and being able to be with them a lot is a true gift - I have no regrets about my time spent at home or in the part-time workforce. For me and our family, it was a good choice.
If you decide to defer further pursuit of medical school for some number of years, you need to know some things. First, if you’ve taken the prerequisites for medical school in the course of earning your degrees, when you add several more years to them they may be too old to “count” for many medical schools. Some schools don’t care when you took ‘em, others will give you a time limit of, say, 7 years. So be aware that you may have to re-take gen-chem, o-chem, some bio, maybe some math. (this situation might be different if you end up pursuing graduate work)
Second, you don’t mention what you’ve done that has made you so sure that medicine is where you want to go. During this period of time when you’re more focused on your kids than on a job or schooling, you would be well-advised to do some reality testing of this goal of yours by pursuing medically-related experiences. Volunteering, shadowing a doctor, working alongside health professionals – there are lots of possibilities (and there are tons of threads on shadowing and volunteering, so search the site and you’ll instantly get a bunch of opinions on what to do, how to do it, etc.).
Third, going back to coursework, you are right that your overall GPA is kinda hurtin’ and is going to need to be overcome. When you decide to take more courses, really think through how you want to approach this. You are going to need to be the most excellent graduate student there is! Your work is going to have to dispel any doubts that are raised by your earlier educational adventures. You would probably be wise to look at a graduate degree in hard science that gives you the chance to do research - this would definitely make the statement that you are a different person than your u’grad GPA would indicate. Furthermore, your earlier meandering course through undergrad (I say that respectfully with full recognition of the difficulties you had to work through) means that your graduate studies should be extremely purposeful. I would not think in terms of taking courses here and there, but rather in terms of getting a master’s degree, trying to really make your mark in a department, etc. This is where you’ll cultivate professional relationships with professors who can write you kick-ass recommendation letters some day. In other words, it’s a long-haul sort of thing.
Good luck! Obviously I think you can do it.
Mary
Hi everyone, at the OPM convention last weekend we were joking about how I always have lots to say in my posts, and how I generally try to phrase my advice in a positive fashion even if I’m saying something kinda tough. I expressed some concern that when I log in during this next year, tired and cranky from life as an intern, that I may be, um, somewhat less diplomatic than I have been in the past. Well, thanks to the inspired suggestion of OPM Secretary Denise Babin (samenewme), PostCallMary is born! Note from my signature that it’s still me, Mary Renard, but the PCM sign-in will let you know that if I’m not nice, maybe you shouldn’t take it personally. 
I don’t start for another week plus, so this post is just to check my avatar (readmenace will recognize it, but who else does?) and .sig. Watch for PCM to make her first real appearance sometime in early July… hee hee.
Mary
Quote:
Hi everyone, at the OPM convention last weekend we were joking about how I always have lots to say in my posts, and how I generally try to phrase my advice in a positive fashion even if I’m saying something kinda tough. I expressed some concern that when I log in during this next year, tired and cranky from life as an intern, that I may be, um, somewhat less diplomatic than I have been in the past. Well, thanks to the inspired suggestion of OPM Secretary Denise Babin (samenewme), PostCallMary is born! Note from my signature that it’s still me, Mary Renard, but the PCM sign-in will let you know that if I’m not nice, maybe you shouldn’t take it personally.
Mary
Mary,
You have entirely too much time on your hands. I know that this will change quickly.
Natalie
Quote:
avatar (readmenace will recognize it, but who else does?)
From “Ghostbusters”, the evil creature that turned one of the guys in a monster dog
I’ve created a monster!
You go, Gozer!
Quote:
Internship is the CURE for free time & the BEST form of birth control known to human-kind!
While birth control is not the issue, let me tell you that having teenagers in the house is also a great way to ruin your sex life.
PCM may make a premature debut if my family keeps it up. My mom got very sick after a new chemo treatment - trying to make sure she is okay is the EASY part (she is recovering). Dealing with my dad and my sisters and their varied perspectives on the situation is making me extremely grumpy even though I’ve had sleep.
PCM also was tempted to emerge yesterday (I like this notion that I’m like SpiderMan or something) at the Parking & Security office, where I returned for a new badge after realizing that mine had the wrong color background AND the wrong department. Clerk: “I asked you if you were an employee or a resident, and you said you were an employee.” (Actually I said I was both, but the system was not set up to handle that complexity, apparently.) She went on, “You should know this before you come in.” That would be before my first day of work there as opposed to her probably 500th day on the job, I guess.
Well, I did end up with the right badge IF it lets me into the physicians’ garage; we’ll see…
Mary,
You crack me up! This was a great idea.
Kathy
Mary,
My name is larry Stokes and I want to thank-you for posting you long/short journey on obtaining your goal of achieving your MD. I am 45 and planning to do the same but like yourself have been alittle apprehensive about the whole process. My background is that I have a BS in Healthcare sciences from GWU, also I am retired from the Navy (independent duty corpsman) in 1990 I was unable to complete the PA program at GWU due to extreme personal problems. I had plans to return but due to military committements was unable to, but in retrospect it was not what my utimate goal, it was always to get my MD degree. Now a few years older and a new marriage with a recent 2 year old I feel I am more focus and more egarer than ever to attempt my quest to get this done. I have been considering school in the carribean (Caymans)but am not too sure about the whole process such as passing the boards and getting matched. What advise can you give me to help in this process
Thanks
Larry
I dont know how you did it! by the time i finish helping my daughter with her school work, its 8pm and i dont go to bed till midnight, just to poor the milk over the frosted flakes (and counter) at 6:30 am!
I am 36, 1 year down (almost!) pre-med.
always wanted to be a MD ever since my father lost his sight when i was 5yo, but family kept saying we couldnt afford college, get a “real” job and retire later from it, so i did, satellite engineer, (developed 1st send and receive for nasa ) just to get laid off when completed! medicine is the only field i know of that there is pretty good job security, and always my dream, HEY! I can work as an MD till in 150 yo and still love it! after watching my sister inlaw finish william and mary with no money, i thought, if she can find a way, then i can! time will pass us all weather we do something with it or not, so, who cares about the “age”, it is the quality that counts!
i do find my self with younggins running circles around me on campus sometimes, but, i stay focused at the BIG picture.
You are right about wanting to have someone like “you” to exsperiance, understand this with.
What field did you decide on? (I’m new here as of today)
Please dont go away now that you made the BIG TIME, I need your inspiration.
~Stacey
PS…CONGRATES ON THE “PROMOTION!”
thank you so much for sharing as I am pretty new to the forum. i do have a question regarding volunteer work. I have just started volunteering at my local hospital and feel that I am not learning much. I pass ice to patient, talk to them, fax and file papers, pick up dirty laundry in the rooms. I am concerned that if and when it comes down to my interview i will not have much to share with the adcom. what can i do to make the experience more meaningful in terms of medical interview/gaining experience etc… WHile i enjoy doing it because i am a people person, i want to make that i maximize my chance to learn as well. thanks in advance for any adive.
I’m going to give a brief answer here but then I would suggest that you do a keyword search for “volunteer” or “extracurricular activities” as you’ll find lots of other comments on this question.
In my view, your volunteer experience should achieve some/all of the following, and these ARE in order of importance: 1, gratify in you a desire to do something worthwhile; 2, show your commitment to community and service; 3, expose you to situations that help you understand the world of health care. Note that “learning about patient care” is not one of the things that volunteer experience needs to accomplish for you, at least in my opinion.
You don’t need to be doing actual patient care to have your eyes opened to what it’s like to be a patient OR a caregiver in a hospital setting - you just need to be sensitive to your environment.
You don’t need to be doing anything health care related to be showing commitment to your community (those of us with prior health care careers could comfortably tout other volunteer experiences).
And you have a huge array of choices of volunteer experiences that can gratify your desire to roll your sleeves up and help. Judy Colwell (when you’re doing your search, I suggest you look for her posts on this topic) has talked about the “eyes light up” factor - if you got a HUGE charge from organizing your local homeless shelter’s Thanksgiving Day dinner, so that you talk about it in your interviews with animation and obvious interest, that says a lot about you.
AdComs want applicants to have had exposure to the health care system because they want applicants to have some realistic idea of what they’re getting into. If you have the chance to patients and caregivers about their experiences, you’re getting plenty of stuff that’ll work for you in the application process.
Any experience in a hospital CAN give you things to observe, think about, participate in. It’s up to you to get the most out of it.
Mary
Wow!! Someone I can actually relate to! I started out at 18 wanting to be a Vet…life got in the way (so did Chemistry and a very boring teacher). After marriage, children and divorce, I am liking it all over again. I am an RN (12 years critical care) and on my way to med school…only I am “a little older now” (45). I love nursing (bedside care and the personal touch) so much it seemed natural to change from Vet to Med. I plan on MCATs “roughly” 07. I am taking my time because I am still single, still have kids at home (14 and 16) and still work full time. I do attend full time school, but am pacing myself with two major sciences per semester so a decent GPA is still possible and hopefully my youngest will be drivable and employable when I get into Med School. I too am actually having fun and enjoying the learning experience…I can’t wait for med school! I am having a little trouble figuring out “when” to apply. I know there are standards, but which one of us is "standard’? The major sciences left until MCATS include Org I & II, Physics I & II, and Calculus. Org I and Calc I are scheduled for the fall, Org & Calc II are for the Spring 06. Now what?!? The part that is killing me is the 48 hour above 3000 rule!!! Do all schools have that? I do have it all worked out so that after sciences and MCATS, I have two semesters of full time >3000 level classes to complete the degree.
By the way…congrats on PGY 2. The residents I have worked with show a great deal of difference in their experience, knowlege base, independence and self confidencein PGY 2…you go girl!!!
Carol
Hi Carol, your cheerful attitude will hold you up well as you continue pre-med and then med school. I don’t know what you’re referring to with the “48 >3000” thing - I am assuming this is something related to your bachelor’s degree? I’ve never heard of it before and have to wonder if it’s a prerequisite for med school vs. a requirement of your undergrad institution in relation to degree work.
I’m sure you know that you can major in anything you want and apply to med school - in my class we had music, language, art, history and English majors along with the usual biology and chemistry majors. Although thinking about it I’m pretty sure I would not want to have 48 hours of upper-level coursework in English or history either…
Your schedule leading up to a Spring '07 MCAT sounds fine. Good luck!
Mary
WOW!! I am sooooooo PROUD of you!!
That was a beautiful testimony-“You go girl” with all due respect(I mean Doc)…
Thank you for taking the time to give back. It means so much to us who read these forums.
Hi. I hope you haven’t tired of hearing what an inspiration you are. Not just your accomplishments, but I notice how you take the time to answer each person in a thoughtful and personal way, even when you must be very pressed for time. When things get hard, I will think of you. Oh, and I love the Ghostbusters references. My 16 year old and I watch that over and over and over, it’s one of the good manifestations of his perseverance I started looking up all your posts and there are way too many to take in all at once, but I know I’m going to learn some good things from you. Congratulations on being a doc, a good Mom, and keeping your marriage together, all at once. And, also providing a lifeline to old folks like me…
Dear Dr. Renard
You have inspired me beyond belief. Your insights and the way you transcribe them to others is amazing. I wish you would write a book. The way you convey information would make your book a “must read” for anyone interested in medicine or just in need of moral support.
I like the way you are not afraid to get “mushy” or even a little “harsh” if need be. This makes your writigs reflect your fascenating personality. Your experiences and accomplishments would animate many people to move from the sidelines into positive involvement, wheather that be in medicine or anything elles.
Please consider and let us know what you think.
Steven0808