Howdy all!
I’m new to this forum and hoping to gain some insight and advice. A little about me. I’m 30 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education with a minor in math at University of Texas at Austin. My undergraduate gpa is 3.15. I didn’t know what I wanted to do in college so my dad just told me to choose something that had a good job market, so I did, but I had no desire to teach.
After college I worked doing financials and have recently quit my job to go back to school. Now I’m entertaining the idea of becoming a doctor since I think it will be a meaningful and fulfilling profession. I have no medical experience though, and I wonder if it’s even worth trying since it’s so competitive and my credentials are less than ideal. I also have a DUI from 8 years ago…
Any advice or feedback would be most welcome. I’m also entertaining the idea of becoming a medical laboratory scientist. I’m very introverted and prefer to work alone. Should I try to be a doctor or just go the MLT route? Is there a different medical profession that might be suitable for me? I left my job because it was so bureaucratic/political/re d tape and it wasn’t rewarding/fulfilling; it was just a job. I’ve seen a career counselor who labeled me an ISTJ but none of the other jobs were as appealing as the medical field or veterinary medicine. I just feel I’m capable of so much more but my lack of direction has been a problem ever since I left high school. Your thoughts are really appreciated!!! 
Best,
confused premednewb
Welcome!
I think you’ll find many similar stories here on this site. What I, and others most likely, will suggest to you is that you spend some time shadowing/volunteering in a health care setting to get an idea if this is the right thing for you. It would be a bad idea to go through several years of post-bacc studies and applications processes before you find out this isn’t something you want to do.
The different medical specialties offer a lot of variety, and there’s likely something that can be a fit for you. However, medicine is becoming more and more of a team environment. So, you really need to be prepared to work with others if this is a route you want to pursue. There are some things like Diagnostic Radiology in which you can be more independent.
Anyway, good luck and keep us updated on your progress.
- premednewb Said:
This statement leads me to say that you should think long and hard about whether or not you really want to do this and if so, is it for the right reasons.
That said, there is no one "right" reason, but there are PLENTY of wrong ones.
Thank you both for your responses on this. I have just received a volunteer opportunity at a hospital. I’m hoping that I can gain more insight into which profession might be a good fit for me and to speak to some of the medical professionals there. I’ll keep you guys posted on which direction I take since I’ll have to pick something soon! I’m actually leaning towards medical laboratory technologist but I’ll keep an open mind until I get some opinions from people in the field.
Hi! Welcome! One thing I can tell you --an undergrad gpa of 3.15 is not necessarily a barrier. Folks on here have been successful with a LOWER starting point. It is likely you did not have a lot of lab science courses in your education/math major. When you apply to medical school, they see your overall gpa and your science gpa --taking the prereqa may give you the opportunity to have a stellar science gpa.
Regarding if this is the right path for you --I’d suggest trying to meet the pathologist at the hospital and sse if you can shadow them for a few days. I did an elective rotation with the hospital pathologist and if medical lab tech appeals to you, perhaps physician pathologist would appeal even more.
Kate
Just a small note about being an MLT. I’m new to this forum, and this is my first post 
Anyways, I was an MLT for about 13 years before going back to school to get my Masters. Now, a year into it, I’m wondering what I’m going to do with it. Anyways… I love science, and LOVE the lab, but felt that being an MLT wasn’t challenging enough. I would also suggest shadowing in that career as well. Although I enjoy my alone time as well, I definitely didn’t get alone time as an MLT. You deal with people, as in your coworkers and physicians that want results ALL THE TIME. So, it’s just a different way of being with people, because it’s usually the same ones. I guess unless you work a night shift somewhere, which I never did, then you’d probably be alone. Just my two cents on the MLT path.
All the best!
Thanks for responding on that. I’ve actually decided I’m going the MT route. I know I’ll have to deal with people in this profession but that’s going to be the case with any profession I choose. I’m mostly aiming for more minimal people contact since it can be draining for me.
My only hesitation with pursuing MT was that it might end up being boring and not challenging like you mentioned. However, I have the opportunity to get into the medical field and use this as a stepping stone if I feel I want to pursue something else like PA, MD, pharmacy, etc. Basically any fields are going to have their pros and their cons and I think MT will be a good fit for me.
I’ll be talking to a few people once I start volunteering so I can get their perspective. I’ve read a lot of of forums about multiple different occupations I was interested in since that’s easier and less interaction than tracking people down in the profession. Thank you all for your input! Gulp…here I go! Career change! =S
Another idea – have you heard of pathologist’s assistants? They’re basically a PAs who focuses on pathology. Here’s a great blog post about one woman’s decision to become a pathologist’s assistant rather than a doctor: http://thatgirlwiththesca lpel.blogspot.com/2011/03…
(This post seemed particularly relevant to your situation!)
Good luck with whatever you decide!
Hi Ksyhe!
I’ve actually thought about becoming a Pathology Assistant. Unfortunately there aren’t any programs in Texas and I’m hesitant to move to another state since my friends and family are here. My husband has a decent job as well. I’m hoping to have a lot of interaction with Pathologists so I can discuss how well they like their career since that might be an option after becoming an MT. I may even look into Physician’s Assistant as another career option.
- premednewb Said:
I worked as a Chemist in a hosptial and for a major lab testing company, and it was absolutely the most boring thing I'd EVER done. More than that, some of the most petty people I'd ever worked with did this type of work.
I sincerly hate to generalize, but I fould many of them to be rejects from other fields (especially premed) who resented anyone that had goals outside that field. Of course, that's my complaint about people who do histology too which I LOVED, just keep your long term goals to yourself if you decide to go this route.
Hi Pathdr2b,
Your experience is a bit disheartening and I’m a bit apprehensive about following this particular career path. Any other previous/current MTs want to chime in on their experience?
I’ve given it a lot of thought though, and I am going to purse the MT path. I’m sure with a lot of hard work and dedication, I could get into medical school or PA school. Unfortunately, I believe I would have to move away from my current city in order to attend those schools and that’s not something I’m willing to sacrifice. I have a lot of friends here and my parents who I visit twice a month are thirty minutes away. I would have to uproot my husband from his job so that he could follow me to school since we wouldn’t want to be separated from each other. I don’t believe my current stats are competitive enough to compete in my area (Houston) so that would be the only way of achieving PA or med school unless I went the MT to PA route.
I am hopeful that MT will be a good path for me and it was the career path I was leaning towards while researching other medical career options. If I decide on other career goals after being an MT then I will take your advice and keep them to myself. Hopefully my co-workers won’t be petty and bitter like the ones you worked with. I’ll have to be careful to pick a position and environment that’s positive so I don’t dread going to work. As for the boring part, I will consider MT a stepping stone to another medical career if this turns out to be the case. Thank you for your valuable input! Anyone else, please feel free to comment!
- premednewb Said:
There are soon to be 2 med schools ( a new one is opening at UT-Austin) within 2 hours of Houston. So if you're willing to commute to Austin or College Station or just come home on the weekends, you could make that work if you want it bad enough. And no, I'm not saying it would be easy.
That said, everyone that attends med school sacrifices something, and that something is usually more for nontrads. You need to decide what, if anything, you're willing to sacrifice to make med school happen.
I definitely don’t want it that badly! My not applying will give more chances for other medical students who are more deserving and determined. It’s a good suggestion but I would rather move than do all that driving since medical school would be stressful enough as it is. Heck, I’ve moved every 4 years while growing up, twice a year for 5 1/2 years in college and quite a lot even after that. I’m no stranger to moving and that’s one of the main reasons why I really don’t want to uproot my life and move again.
- premednewb Said:
I certainly understand that.
But aren't we being premature with the moving aspect in all this? You don't have a rejection letter in hand from the 2 schools in Houston unless I missed something.
Put together a strong application, as strong as you can given your undergrad record, apply early, then see what happens!
Edit: Other comments after rereading this thread, some say that Pathology is the field for people who prefer to work alone, but I'm plenty personable and enjoy working with others.
But with little experience / exposure to the medical field, you're speaking from a place of not knowing what medicine is really all about. So why not volunteer in a medical area to get a feel for things?
I guess I’m not really a gambling person. I take chances when the odds are in my favor and and I look at percentages to see if it’s something I should risk.
I’ve put some stats into caculatemychances.com to get an idea. If I get my GPA up to 3.44 (I can get it to a 3.4ish if I get all A’s in the prerequisite science classes) and assuming I can get a 36 on the MCAT, then my chances of getting into Baylor are 30.6% and 42.3% for UT Health & UTMB respectively.
Those are a lot of ifs, so it’s not impossible but improbable. Reason being, I would be taking very difficult science classes and have to get all As (like organic 1 & 2) to raise my gpa to a competitive level. It’s possible to do this but unlikely unless I pad my GPA with easier courses.
All of this can be done and is possible with extremely hard work. Unfortunately, I don’t feel confident in my ability to perform to these high standards. I’ve always had low self esteem about my intellectual ability which makes me tend to shy away from competition, difficult classes, standardized test, and high performance. I tend to aim for lower level standards that I feel are more attainable and within my grasp. My dad has commented on it numerous times that I aim lower than my capability. So all of these things looked at objectively (GPA/MCAT numbers to achieve, low self esteem, DUI, a look at admitted med student’s stats) makes me hesitant to pursue this avenue where I feel my chances are stacked against me.
No, I don’t have rejection letters in hand, but putting together the best application possible given my current circumstances feels like I will only be making the rejection letters a reality.
I’m currently working on getting a volunteer opportunity at a hospital. I’ve already done some of the screening tests and I have to attend orientation on November 5th. Hopefully I’ll gain a better perspective of the field in general when I do actually get to start volunteering. Albeit, the volunteer job they have me doing is mostly hanging by the entrances and providing directions to patients/visitors. I have to start somewhere though!