Mid-life career change?

Pre-Med & Medical School Careers in Medicine
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<p>I have a question for those of you who are practicing physicians. Are any of you mid-life career changers, and if so, how did you pull it off?</p>

<p>I grew up thinking I wanted to be an MD, but when I entered college, I was immature and undisciplined. I could make straight As one semester and straight Cs the next. I graduated with a less than impressive GPA, and ended up in a couple of low-paying tech jobs for a few years, before going for what I thought was "the Gold Ring" as an Air Traffic Controller. I did end up going back to grad school in the mid 90s, just to prove to myself I could do it, and graduated with an MS in Information Systems and a GPA of 3.83.</p>

<p>As many of you have said, choosing a career for $$$ is an unwise idea. Despite raises that came early and often, Air Traffic was unsatisfying to me, and I often found myself asking "What if?" After a number of years, I took a Support job to get out the control quarters, and I'm still there, responsible for Training, QA, and Automation. I spend my days with my butt planted in a chair most of the time, shuffling tons of papers and typing at a keyboard. I recently took a career inventory test, and the results were pretty much as they were when I was 20: I have a high aptitude for science and math, analytical thinking, art, music, and creativity - none of which are satisfied by my current job. Unfortunately, the "Golden Handcuffs" are securely in place. Seniority, security, a good salary, a mortgage, and 2 teenagers soon to enter college seem to be enormous roadblocks to any kind of major career change.</p>

<p>I have spent many, many hours in recent weeks reading, studying, praying, trying to come to grips with my life's direction. I guess I had grown so complacent and fearful that I had completely forgotten my life's purpose, which I believe now to be one of service to God and my fellow humans, using the particular skills and talents I've been given. I want a career where I'm not chained to a desk or chair, where my curiosity and creativity can be fully engaged, where I can provide for my family, and where there's a demand for my service no matter where we end up living. I'm in my late 40s, and I know if I decide to pursue medicine, it will be at a great sacrifice to me and my family. </p>

<p>If this story sounds familiar to anyone out there, please share your experiences. And for you younger folk reading this: please, please, PLEASE, do NOT choose your career based on money. Find something you truly love, where you can be of service to your community, and do it to the very best of your ability. A nice paycheck means nothing if you spend every minute of every day hating what you're doing.</p>

<p>Tony Turley</p>

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<p>I'm not a practicing physcian, but soon a second year medical student.</p>

<p>There is a man in the year ahead of me who is 51 and in medical school. Real nice guy. I have no idea of his family situation but from what I've heard he's doing well in his class. There are several students in my class who are in their mid 30's (I know that's still a kid to you probably).</p>

<p>If you are serious about the thought of pursuing medicine, I think your first step should be to contact the medical schools you are most likely to apply to (you probably have an idea of what a doable commute is everyday to get to class), and ask them how they treat non-traditional applicants. I worry that you may have to spend a year or two in very intense study to cover the pre-med curriculum, only adding to your expense and time committment. Perhaps, you could take the MCAT or a practice MCAT to determine how prepared you are. Your score might give you an indication of whether you should continue or not.</p>

<p>I'm sure that you've looked at the costs, the salaries coming out as a resident and the types of hours you would have to work, I'm sure you are aware of your age and where you will be when you are all done. But I know that it can be very difficult to argue with passion (or lack thereof). </p>

<p>Despite my age, I am familiar with this need to make up for missed opportunities. My mom went back to law school when I was in the fourth grade (and my little brother in kindergarten) @ the age of 40, and I know that her biggest regret is that she didn't do it out of undergrad, followed closely by not going back to school sooner.</p>

<p>Good luck in your decisions</p>

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<p>I am a practicing physician. I count as a "traditional pathway" graduate, but made the decision to apply in my junior year of college. Two of my classmates in med school made mid-life career changes, but both were respiratory therapists. My biggest exposure to mid-life career change to physician was my time spent in Navy medicine. There are a significant number of students at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences who took the extended pathway to med school. They range from prior enlisted servicemen and women who got their undergrad degrees to officers who made radical career chages to go to med school. As a PGY-1, I has three senior residents who were former fighter pilots. They resigned their commissions, went back to med school on scholarships, then returned to the military to pay back their scholarships.
Follow your dreams. The work is hard -- but my experience with mid-life career changers is that they are more passionate about achieveing this goal than traditional pathway students.
Go for it.</p>

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<p>Thank you guys for your replies. I'm pressing onward, and enrolling in a couple of courses this fall to brush up on the life sciences basics. I was a biology/chemistry undergrad, so I had lots of science courses, but that was 25 years ago.</p>

<p>Tony Turley</p>

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Hey, I have just seen your post - you wrote it 9 years ago. I’m wondering what the outcome is. I am in a similar situation myself. I’m just turning 33, have a 6 year-old daughter and a couple of international law degrees. I’d love to do medical school.

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If you look at the number of posts, you will see that these posts were the only ones tony.turkey ever made. I would not expect any reply to a 9 year old thread. Start your own if you have questions that might garner responses.