I have been an LMT since 1989, am turning 49 in August, have a BAS, and am finishing my science prerequisites now. I should have them completed by the end of next summer. Two questions-
When do I actually apply to med school? This May?
In 1990 & 91, I did a year and a half massage internship with a D.O. We did lots of interesting things like sub-aqueous electro-therapy on strains & sprains, cranial sacral work, biofeedback therapy, and lots more training that went way beyond what you get in massage school. I would love to put this on my application but when I went to look up where the D.O. is now, I found out that he lost his license for selling a controlled substance or something to that effect. Should I even mention his name?
Hi Wow that is a tough one! The loss of his license should not reflect directly on you.
If he had been disciplined for improper practices such as some of the procedures you listed, even then, you were the apprentice student and it was up to his professional license to ensure propriety of practice. Since this involves much later involvement with drugs possibly, it is not germane to the skills and substance of your work with that D.O.
You may find it useful to deal upfront with the issue, in case you are asked how you occupied your time, working or professionally in a chronological listing or in an interview. While you cannot mislead or ‘hide’ it, but try to find a way to have someone else as a reference for you for that year and a half. Did this D.O. have any partners still in practice who will vouch for you and your work there?
The alternative is that for something 20 and 21 years ago in 1990 - 1991, unless it was a published research in a peer - reviewed medical journal that you were listed as a co-author, or you won the Nobel Prize or something, you may not need to go back two decades, or you can just refer to the internship generally without listing his name.
The situation may be seen as similar to a 20-years past work experience, when the practitioner may have already retired or possibly passed away or be otherwise inaccessible. In that event, nobody would be able to contact the person either and would not expect to go that far back in history.
Hope this helps. Bottom line: Be honest at all times — but no need to draw attention or “guilt by association” to the gross misdeeds of another person for which you had no role nor responsibility.
Another thing to think about is that practices such as craniosacral therapies are seen by many physicians as scams. You may just want to list this experience as general exposure to alternative modalities without going into the details if you list it at all. It may have the potential to hurt your application more than help. I know as a PT (and I seem to remember a chiropractor saying something similar) you have to be careful how you present your allied health/health related experiences. You dont want to come off as if you think you know it all because you have been XYZ for 20 years etc. I think they want to know that you are open to what they have to teach you. Good luck and keep posting!
Thanks, I am applying to D.O. school and I am very, very far from knowing it all so I wouldn’t begin to fake it! Lol! That said, The D.O. I was working for really used all those modalities in his practice so I would agree that a D.O. school would be more receptive to hearing that I was exposed to them. Thanks for your advice!
I have a general question. I am 46 year old, and graduating with my BA in PR and marketing. since reevaluating what i love to do for the next 50 years hopefully, I have settled for a medical profession. I love medicine and I love helping and analyzing people’s conditions. I am fascinated by the fact that I can fix something without seeing it, inside the body. So, I am thinking of going back for my prereqs for a yar, and then apply to a DO school.
I’m not sure what your question is specifically. Getting your prereqs may take more than a year if you don’t have much of a science background. Also, there will be a year between your taking of the MCAT/applying to med school, and starting med school. So figure perhaps 3 years in your future, you would be starting at DO school.
My thoughts …time to start shadowing some docs (DO’s specifically, if you want to apply to DO school).
Thanks so much for replying to my thoughts. I guess I am looking for assurance of some sort.
I can go for a PA, much easier and shorter route.
I am thinking of strting the prereqs this summer by taking full load. for 5 semesters, till the end of 2012, and take the Mcat next year, and apply by dece,ber 1, 2012.
does this sound accurate? Am i in the dark about the timing?
If you have further questions (and you will ), you can start a thread in general discussion.
Your timeline sounds good except for the timing of your application. Ideally you want to take MCAT’s as early as possible in the year (March/April) and apply “early” in the cycle, which is by June. Many med school fill their seats via “rolling admissions”, and by December, you are at quite a disadvantage as many seats are already filled.
The other thing to check out is if there will be any difficulty registering for the courses precisely when you need them. I didn’t realize this until 2 semesters passed when I was unable to get into Gen Chem I (at ANY of 5 colleges in my city) because non-degree students registered last and there were no openings. I chose to do a 1 year post-bacc program where we had guarenteed course placement (for which I am really grateful because of the excellent preparation we received for interviewing, the application process, and MCAT’s). Others on here have gone the route of registering as a degree-seeking student (to get into the classes), but not completing the degree.
Yes, your timing is off. The application cycle (DO and MD) starts in June each year for start dates the FOLLOWING August/September. So, people will start applying June/July 2011 for spots in medical school starting Fall 2012. While you may see application deadlines on medical school websites of Nov 1 or even Dec 1, the reality is that medical schools do rolling admissions. That means that they review applications as they come in starting July 1st or so and start inviting for interviews at that time. Schools generally interview Sept through Feb/March. Most schools offer acceptances as they interview.
So what does that mean? It means that even though a school may list an application deadline as late as December 1st, waiting to apply until then puts you at a substantial disadvantage. People who have their applications complete early in the cycle are going to get reviewed sooner, get invited to interviews sooner, and stand a greater chance of being accepted. If you have a late application you risk that a school has filled most of their interview spots before they even look at your application or that if you get an interview, it is very late in the cycle and they may be interviewing for waitlist spots.
Also, you post that you would be taking pre-reqs through the end of 2012 but taking the MCAT prior to that? I highly discourage you from taking the MCAT before you have completed the vast majority (if not all) of your pre-requisites. You only want to take the MCAT once.
Realistically, if you haven’t even started your pre-reqs yet, you are looking at possibly being ready to apply in June 2013. It’s very difficult to complete the pre-reqs in less than two academic years due to the requirements for two years of chemistry (general and organic).
Oh, yes, Emergency is right! I thought you meant take the MCAT’s the next year AFTER the prereqa and apply December 2013 (guess I didn’t read too carefully!)
So --what he said. Apply 2013 to start in 2014. I know this really upset me when I realized the timeline, but don’t let it. Any additional time can be used to take additional courses that can help you substantially when you get to med school, to be successful (biochem, genetics, cell biology, anatomy and physiology).
Sounds like I won’t be getting in till June 2013. Whew, that’s a bummer, since I need all the prereqs and chems and all the hard courses. I am way too much in the business world, that this is going to be very hard to get into the science world.
I might as well stay in a PA program. but then again, I will always regret it in my life and not be content. As I was reading another post about the impostor syndrome. I will never feel that I knew enough, I will feel that I am always less than the next person…
), you can start a thread in general discussion.