I need to know if I am too old to consider pursuing and MD. I am 55. I had a very successful career in computer technology (have PhD). Spent the last 8 years caring for my mother. Everyone says I should consider getting into medicine due to the experiences of the last 8 years. I’ve even fooled some ER MDs into asking where I did my pre-med. Not worried about recovering the financial investment. Just worried that a) if my MCATs are strong will I get a fair consideration from med schools b) I’m in good shape but I’m not 18 anymore. Can I hack the physical stress of med school?
- glenc_opm Said:
Can I hack the physical stress of med school?
In 2010, the oldest newly matriculated osteopathic student was 56 years old.
The question isn't what kind of 55 year old are you? The question is what kind of person you are. There are 55 year olds who hikes, swims, bikes, gets up in the morning with energy, and work thru the day hard. There are 35 year old who's of hard evening activity of stumbling into a recliner and falling into a coma.
Are you a computer PhD who devours the latest book on using XHTML, PHP, AJAX, then spends the night programming just for fun because of the intellectual challenge?
Are you someone who would overcome lupus, wrist cancer, and family health issues to graduate medical school in their mid-50s (as one of our members have)
Are you willing to work hard and can you work hard for a sustained marathon, both mentally and physically? That is the question you should ask
Thank you! Just the kick in the pants I needed. Yes, my PhD is in computer science. And, yes, I spend my evenings studying, not mathematically progressive protocols (my thesis) at the moment I am nose deep in Linus Pauling’s General Chemistry and trying to figure out why CN is CN- and not CN+. Carbon is a terrible mistress 
Thank you again!
- glenc_opm Said:
Thank you! Just the kick in the pants I needed. Yes, my PhD is in computer science. And, yes, I spend my evenings studying, not mathematically progressive protocols (my thesis) at the moment I am nose deep in Linus Pauling's General Chemistry and trying to figure out why CN is CN- and not CN+. Carbon is a terrible mistress ;-) ;-)
Thank you again!
Thank you again!
You may want to get a copy of Daniel P. Weeks "Electron Movement" which seems like a simple workbook but will make carbon much more tamable that the seemingly fickle atom that most chemistry student grapple with.
Link Electron Movement book
You can get spend a just a few books and get an earlier used copy from 1976
Thank you! I will check it out.
I know that I am late to responding to this thread, but I don’t get onto OPM very often. Here is my take: no matter what your age, you be able to answer, “Why medicine?” But given that you (and most of us, I am not that much younger than you) also need to answer, “Why medicine now?”
For someone such as you who has been in a non-medical field (computer science) his/her whole life, that would need some thought. You need to justify why you should be admitted to medical school. Know such things smack of ageism, but that is the way things are; someday it may change.
But don’t give up. Here is an article (in Spanish) about a man who achieved his dream of being a doctor at age 60.
Thank you! Why now is a very good question. a) now is all you’ve got. Why not 40 years ago? People change. 40 years ago I was interested in computer stuff. I had very little exposure to medicine. Now it is all I think about. It is all I read about (except for chemistry The main thing is that I have the same excitement in my current medical learning that I had when I was doing computer science.
I didn’t believe that medicine was possible for a person with learning disabilites. I struggled through college and the last thing I wanted was to hang out with the cut throat pre med-ers.
Some of us have to be told by the universe several times what our path is. After I was hit in the face the upteenth time I said oh yeah this is the path I am suppose to follow.
I don’t like most doctors. I realized that I do not have to like all my collegues as long as I like my patients. I love being a member of the healing team instead of a captain of a noncompliant ship.
Just a couple of quick thoughts
Becky
4 year resident
Congratulations!!! You are a great inspiration!! I have charted a course of science and math in the next year. Then try to get into an accelerated BSN program as a pre-med, about 15 months. Then do all the MCAT, references, etc etc etc. Should I fail 100% then I will try for a PA. And if all
else fails at least I will be an RN.
Another great book is “Organic Chemistry as a Second Language” both volumes are excellent.
If you try for a BSN program and then in its midst try for med school, some medical schools are going to wonder why you started the BSN. You will have to justify the, “Why did you start nursing if you want to be a physician?” Furthermore, this tactic may actual decrease your chances of getting accepted since some medical schools won’t want to take a prospective nurse away from a promising nursing career given the shortage of nurses.
As an another example of late bloomers who made it consider the case of Clarence Nicodemus who graduated from Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine at age 61, after years of doing spine research at NASA and other places (PhD).
Interesting. I have heard that nurses are not generally accepted into med schools. Then I have also read that 85% who apply are accepted because they have shown a commitment to medicine. As for my rationale it is easy. 4 years of traditional pre-med gets you qualified for only one thing, med-school. Noting that I am well outside the parameters there is a very strong possibility I will not be accepted no matter how good my GPA or MCATs are. Soooo … apply a little game theory and you see that BSN is the perfect choice. The pros are that you can set for the RN and at least have job. The cons are there might be a few tough questions in the interview. Noting that there are already obstacles to getting into med-schools, the choice of pre-med strategies might be the least of the worries. Gotta play the game. Every player is different.
I understand your thinking in preparing for a back-up plan. Detractors to this thinking would counter that because of the exclusivity mentality rampant in health care program admissions, those applicants who have clearly prepared themselves to apply to a variety of programs (detectable in your case because PA and accelerated RN prerequisites do not fully overlap premedical prerequisites) will have flagged themselves for more intense scrutiny and, thus, will have decreased their chances for admission to any health care program. Regardless, I hope you prove all the naysayers wrong.
I’d recommend reading the following thread:
http://www.oldpremeds.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?t…
I understand the “exclusivity mentality” issue, we have the same thing in computer science. However, in the most recent MSAS study BSN and MSN’s with competitive GPA and MCATs are accepted into med schools at a rate of nearly 85%. That is much better than the 55% of first time applicants in the general pre-med programs. Preparing ones self for multiple fall back positions is not a sign of uncertainty or lack of anything. I view it as a sign of realistic thinking and maturity. It is the person who assumes that Harvard or MIT will just have to accept them and no fall back is needed is the one that gets hurt (been there, 40 years ago
- glenc_opm Said:
However, in the most recent MSAS study BSN and MSN's with competitive GPA and MCATs are accepted into med schools at a rate of nearly 85%.
Really? I've always been told nursing has one of the lowest acceptance rates (27.5% in the following link):
http://www.colorado.edu/aac/table1.pdf
- glenc_opm Said:
Congratulations!!!!! You are a great inspiration!! I have charted a course of science and math in the next year. Then try to get into an accelerated BSN program as a pre-med, about 15 months. Then do all the MCAT, references, etc etc etc. Should I fail 100% then I will try for a PA. And if all
else fails at least I will be an RN.
else fails at least I will be an RN.
You raise another issue by going into a BSN as a direct pathway to being a doc. Very broadly, adcoms look for a consistent pattern of commitment, motivation, and achievement. The adcoms will ask if you weren't committed to being a nurse how do we you'll be committed to being a doctor? And what was your motivation for going to nursing school. Typically it is recommended that if you get a nursing degree you should work a few years in the field prior to applying to medical school. You may want to consider this is your school plans
Glen, I also think this plan is a little half-baked. The nursing program is going to feel abused. These days, they will have turned down and/or wait listed 10 aspiring nurses to give you a slot that you traded in for a position in medical school, without contributing a single day’s work to the nursing profession.
I appreciate your point. If agism were not such an issue as I understand it to be, I would be happy to go a traditional pre-med program. And I might even yet. I certainly am considering it.
Thank you.