From medic to med school

[WTEngel]

As much as I hate to admit it I totally agree with WTEngel :unsure:

I don't know why you would HATE to admit it...but don't be surprised if you wake up in the morning thinking, "My gosh...what have I done!"

I also want to reiterate what Chase said (even though it pains me deep down to my chewy nougat center)- Don't be so quick to convince yourself that there is not a mid-level nursing position that you wouldn't get as much if not more enjoyment out of.

I am in no way trying to discourage the OP, but I want to point out, that every so often in our lives we have to realize that the ship has sailed on certain plans, and we need to seek alternative paths that are just as satisfying, but are more reasonable to obtain given our current life situation.

 

[Sublime]

Buying a house may be possible still, but it would terrify me.

This is what i've been concerned the most with. Really not sure how this would work out. My spouse doesn't make near enough to make a house payment on her own. This is one of her main concerns as well, that and "being poor for a long time".

Don't read the house of god either....miserable book...

Funny you mention that, I am about half way done with it right now. This is the book I read in between school books at work / home.

I am in a similar family situation. I have a 14 month old, and another baby on the way in August. I am fortunate enough that my wife has her MSN and makes enough for me to earn only about $500 a month and still live a decent lifestyle. We also have family that can watch our kiddo when she has to work at night and I am in class all day. I will tell you right now, if I had to work 36 hours a week as a nurse or any other job, I could not have finished my undergrad as quickly as I have, while still making decent grades.

If you don't mind me asking, what is your undergrad in? Did you do pre-med as well or are you just stating the difficulty of completing an undergrad in general while working full time / supporting a family? Just curious. And congrats on the new addition!

I met a ACNP/RNFA who covers a CVICU and also assists in cardiac surgery. She is responsible for harvesting bypass grafts during CABGs.

That's pretty cool, but I bet that it's pretty rare also.

I am in no way trying to discourage the OP, but I want to point out, that every so often in our lives we have to realize that the ship has sailed on certain plans, and we need to seek alternative paths that are just as satisfying, but are more reasonable to obtain given our current life situation.

When I read this I got kind of sad, mostly because I think you're right. After talking to my wife (she wasn't very encouraging) I am realizing my decision to start a family at my age (I'm 23) will definetly make doing something like this much harder than it should be. Definetly have a lot of thinking to do.

I really appreciate everyones input and honesty. The feedback from this thread so far has been amazing. Thanks.

 

[WTEngel]

I am in my last semester of my biology degree with the intention of going to medical school.

I did a biology degree because it was the most expedient way to get all of my pre-reqs and a bachelor's degree, however, looking back, I might have changed it up a little.

If you are 23, you could take 5 years to get through your undergrad and pre-reqs and still be about where I am at. I didn't decide I wanted to go to med school until about 2 years ago. I am lucky enough to have a wife that easily earns more than I will be able to for the foreseeable future (7 years at least) so I was able to drop back at work and take 18-21 hour semesters without having to sacrifice much on lifestyle.

If you really want the med school thing to work out, you are going to have to play the long game. Since you have your AAS already, your core classes are out of the way hopefully. Figure out the number of hours you can reasonably take each semester. If you can only take 8 hours (two lab classes) so be it. Start with bio and chem, and get those knocked out. Then work on physics and organic.

While you are doing this, you might consider applying to one of the online Emergency Health Science bachelor programs. UTHSCSA has a good one that is 100% online. You could easily do this concurrently while you do the science courses that require in person attendance. So at the end of 2 or 2.5 years, you will have an EHS degree that will satisfy your bachelor's requirement, and you will have the additional pre-requisite courses required to qualify for application. Throw in some MCAT review time, and you are looking at 3 years, maybe 4 or you play the long game and get held up somewhere along the line.

I hate to discourage you completely, so I wanted to throw the above plan out there for you. Going to medical school in your life situation is not impossible. In fact, the only difference between our situations is that my wife brings home the bacon, and your wife does not earn as much. That is not something that is impossible to overcome, as long as you can get her on board. I can not stress how important it is to have a supportive spouse. I could have never done as well as I am doing if my wife didn't support me and keep me in line.

PM me if you want to know more about my story or have any other questions. It isn't impossible...but it will be difficult. If you are willing to commit to it and not get distracted, you can make it happen.

 

[jrm818]

House of God is only a miserable book if you don't experience medical school. Pretty much all of the caricature in that book (EMD Eddie or Jo or the Fat Man or the laid back ICU attending near the end) I've seen in the short past 6 months. Not counting the insanity of spending 80+ hours a week in the hospital where you literally go home, sleep, wake up, go back to the hospital (bite me general surgery... bite me... 5am to 6pm 13 days straight with 2 30 hour shifts in there 5am to 11am the next day). It's a miserable experience because many aspects of rotations and residency are miserable.

Oh I don't doubt it's accurate, and it's probably fine to read before or after you start school. It just has a heavy focus on the miserable/insane bits of medicine, and I don't see the need to be reminded of the negatives.

I was only suggesting that once you decide to go down the path, you need to keep your drive and passion alive. Negativity can seep in, and at least for me, it's important to make a conscious effort to focus on the positives. I'll happily choose inspiration over realism. No need to try to get jaded too early.

Samuel Shem wrote a couple of other books too. I've only read "The Spirit of the Place" but I thought it was a much more productive (and productive) outlook on medicine.

For Sublime:

This defiantly can be done. Being "poor" isn't the end of the world.

That said, your wife's worries are extremely important...she needs to be "all in" too. Her worries may primarily "can we buy a house" now, but her concerns may change. She is going to have to make big sacrifices for a long time (not seeing you as much, contagious stress, time and effort taking care of kids when you may not be able to help out, and supporting the family financially).

She has to be "all in" too, and you need to keep focused on your family whatever you do. DO NOT let your relationship play second fiddle. I promise a divorce or even general home strife will make medicine much much much harder and make your life miserable.

Be realistic...if she doesn't want to make those sacrifices, take it seriously. It's her decision too: it will be hard for both of you, but you probably get more of the benefits. In all likelihood you aren't going to gain riches or fame by going to medical school - you do it for happiness.

If your wife isn't on board, happiness is probably not in the future. You're already married with kids....your family is more important than medicine at this point. You can have both, just keep your priorities in mind.