Hi , I am 42 yo female , graduated from high school in 1987 in Iran on top of the class, I was always an honor student ,always wanted to go to medical school ,but it was a very politically charged system in Iran back then for getting to top schools or fields , I got a bachelors in Physical therapy in 1991 and a masters in P.T. in 1997 in Iran , graduated magna cum laude for both degrees . Moved to US in 1997 and has worked as a P.T. all along .Always wanted to go to medical school but as you all might understand financially I couldn’t afford it . All of my courses are old and of course taken in Iran. I am trying to get a feel to see if I have any chances even if it means that I have to start from scratch . I want to know if my career is a nagative factor and altogether I am not sure if I have any chances before I start taking courses . I am very good at schooling though . Most classes I have attended in my life I came out on top . I know I can do this , I owe this to myself , I just need a little boost I guess .
I’d really appreciate any input in regards to my situation.I know how busy you all might be out there . Thank you for spending time and reading my story .
I’m not sure the answers to your questions since you went to school in another country. I would suggest calling a med school and speaking with someone who can better answer those questions for you.
Good luck and welcome to OPM!
Oh Becky ,thank you so much for your thoughts .I am going to call med schools and see what their thinking is .
Thank you again for answering me back .
Nina
My thoughts - at a minimum, you’ll need the basic pre-reqs (4 courses x 2 sems with labs each) taken in the US. That’s the minimum, and you’d probably need a few more on top. Look at some of these threads listed below:
http://www.oldpremeds.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?t…
http://www.oldpremeds.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?t…
http://www.oldpremeds.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?t…
http://www.oldpremeds.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?t…
http://www.oldpremeds.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?t…
Hi Nina,
My guess is that you may need to redo a lot of coursework but of course you should discuss with someone who is more knowledgable than me. I am also a PT who is in the middle of changeing careers and will be starting med school this fall. please feel free to ask any PT to med school questions. I am very excited and ready for the new challange. Good luck and welcome!
Hello Dullhead ,
These threads were very helpful.Thank you so much for taking the time and posting it for me .So far every school I called to ask questions about foreign- trained graduates , didn’t have anything to say to help me with my search but I am going to keep calling .
Thank you again,
Nina
Nina -
One of my classmates is a foreign-trained PT. I’m going to ask her what she needed to do to qualify for med school and will get back to you. Just give me a couple of days.
Kate
Hi en0929,
It feels so good to know that you are also a PT and apparently got admitted . I am very happy for you .
I am not sure though if being a PT and having a career already ,is a negative or positive point on my application. Because someone told me that they might look at me as an applicant who is applying without a real need for a career while there are so many younger applicants who really need a job . This was of couse just someone’s opinion but got me thinking.
I am interested to know what you or other friends think about this .
Thank you again for contacting me. Please stay in touch .
Nina
Hi Kate,
Thank you so much for trying to ask your PT classmate for me . Any information could help me soooo much .
This is very sweet of you .
Nina
Hi everyone,
This is what I have figured so far:
Called a few post- bacc. programs . Most said programs were for US graduates .
Stopped by at LMU ( Layola Marymount) . Their post- bacc was full but they advised me to take summer pre-req courses as a non-degree student and if someone drops out of post bacc , they’d let me get in , otherwise I can countinue taking pre-reqs.
Friends, my questions for you is that :
If the above sounds like a good plan.
BTW- One chemistry course costs $4532.00 in LMU. Is it me or this is outrageous to other people too ??!! Did it cost you all as much to take pre-reqs? when I added it up I have to pay 40k-70k for my pre-reqs only 
They start their Chem. class on Monday , so I have to decide. I’d really appreciate any input from you all.
Nina
- lifelongdream Said:
This is what I have figured so far:
Called a few post- bacc. programs . Most said programs were for US graduates .
Stopped by at LMU ( Layola Marymount) . Their post- bacc was full but they advised me to take summer pre-req courses as a non-degree student and if someone drops out of post bacc , they'd let me get in , otherwise I can countinue taking pre-reqs.
Friends, my questions for you is that :
If the above sounds like a good plan.
BTW- One chemistry course costs $4532.00 in LMU. Is it me or this is outrageous to other people too ??!! Did it cost you all as much to take pre-reqs? when I added it up I have to pay 40k-70k for my pre-reqs only
They start their Chem. class on Monday , so I have to decide. I'd really appreciate any input from you all.
Nina
That does sound like a good plan, hopefully a spot opens up...
$4500 does sound expensive, but it is not unheard of for a summer class at a good school. The most reasonable classes for a non-matriculated student seem to be in the range of $1000 to $1500 around here.
Good Luck!
Now I feel much better about going forward.
Thank you so much shtupski for your response.
Nina
How long has it been since you were last in a classroom environment? If it’s been a while, I suggest trying a few softer, non-pre-req courses at community college (since you’re in California and CC here is more well-regarded.) If you feel like you’re ready, go ahead with chemistry at LMU. But if you need a few soft courses to get yourself back into student mode, try psychology, college English, Spanish, or other behavioral science courses at community college. Most DO schools recommend such courses (not Spanish, but I think that would be really useful.) My point is - if you’re going to drop 5K on one single course, then you better be sure to get an A on that. And it’s a summer course to boot, so it’s probably going to fly at rocket pace - just be prepared.
Hi everyone ,
I took your advice and decided not to take a chem course this summer . It seemed to be a little overwhelming between work and a 4 year old and the fact that I haven’t been in school for a while .
Thank you for all your responses,
Nina
Physical therapists do very well in the physical medicine and rehabiliation field as they are ahead of the game.
you do not need a post bac program. Just take individual classes and you can take them at a community college for cheaper. You should take a least one class at a competitive school just to show you can handle difficult classes but a high score on the MCAT’s can make a difference.
Osteopathic schools traditionally take more nontraditional students so call some of those programs.
Becky