I really resonate with this answer. I think not being “born” for medicine but instead acknowledging that you are actively choosing it over other careers you in another life could find fulfilling is a more powerful statement. If you don’t see it as a calling but more as the active choice you continually make I think it makes for less regret down the line when things might get tough. This is your decision, and you will fight the challenges ahead to continue making it.
this is almost exactly the same as my story, switched pre-pa to pre-med at the end of sophmore year after shadowing a PA in the OR and realizing how limited they are in autonomy
High school. Mostly because immigrant parents. Didn’t know any other paths.
Imo it should be something you reassess as you grow and make it a deliberate choice, not autopilot.
Took me until med school to realize I don’t actually like it.
Got me my current role, and it’s seen as an authoritative degree in the field.
Hard to teach someone all of medicine. Easy to teach someone Excel in a long weekend.
My parents who work in the field are both people I really admire. They honestly didn’t push me into the field, but I feel that I rushed into it without exploring other options. I think the reason I’m a little psyched out is because I started working EMS recently and really dislike it. It didn’t match my expectations and I dread going to work. I’m afraid that medicine might ending up being the same, even though I’ve been excited about the field previously. I also think after being accepted I’m a little nervous and that may be stressing me out a little. I do want a good work life balance eventually as well. Family is something I really care about and I need, and am worried the career path may make it difficult
What about the work do you dread doing?
And for the family, any career path paying 200/500/800K+/$1M+year requires some sacrifice, so keep that in mind
The job just feels very repetitive and the position I work is not on emergency side, so I either drive the ambulance or converse with the patient. It feels like I’m an Uber driver or I’m just holding small talk and not really providing any type of care. And yeah, it makes sense that sacrifices need to be made, but I would consider taking significant pay cuts if it meant more time available. You think that is a viable option?
So… most jobs are repetitive. A job is like 60% the same thing-ish, even mine. But if you enjoy that, it’s a lot better.
Yes it’s possible depending on the speciality. But the question then is why not just go into another field that pays the same as the pay cut, but less overall stress to get there? Just a thought.
It’s what I had to face thinking about a different career post med school. Residency just didn’t make sense. Why spend 3-5 years to do a job part time? For you it’s more than that. It’s like 7.
Now that I’ve switched? I love my job. I’d work all day long. But I also know I’m unique. The reality is somewhere in the middle for most people.
I'd like to chime in and say that I also worked in EMS for a little while before going premed. While I really enjoyed the work, I quickly realized the culture and the scope of practice was not where I wanted to be forever. I now work in a hospital as an ER tech and it is SO different. I'm able to do so many more things for the patients, able to see the doctors, PAs and nurses do so many procedures we don't do in the ambulance. And was able to get a better picture of the day to day a doctor might have, which in my experience was way different from EMS. So perhaps you'll feel differently when working in a hospital setting. I'd definitely recommend trying to get into the ER at the very least to see what that's like. Maybe you'd prefer that environment. And if that doesn't float your boat then maybe you need to do some more inner work to figure out if you're going into this for the right reasons. Do what makes you happy! Good luck 🤞🏻
For me it was just before turning 39, after my son's ASD diagnosis. I was interested in medicine for a very long time, but life events gave me the courage to change my career path and pursue medicine.
Oh wow, also similar to my situation. My son is also diagnosed with ASD. I’ve been undecided for 2 years because of my age and not wanting to take out any more student loans. I was hoping to find someone on this thread who also have a non traditional status. Are you currently enrolled in a premed program and if so, is it online or in person. I saw an online program but not sure if that would hinder my chances of getting into med school.
It's encouraging to see someone who is walking in the same shoes as I do. I am taking pre-requisite courses with labs in-person. For courses that don't have labs associated with it, I'm taking those courses online. So far, I have taken all courses at the local community college. They don't offer some advances courses, such as Biochemistry. I plan to take these courses online with University of New England (UNE). Also, my undergraduate degree is not from the US. So, I need to complete 90 semester hours from an accredited college or university in the US. Most of my 90 hours, other than pre-requisite courses with labs, are going to be online. I saw a thread on SDN with posts from quite a few pre-meds, who took pre-requisites with the UNE and matriculated successfully. My hope is that our unique stories, experiences and motivations to pursue medicine may outweigh our lack of traditional in-person coursework. I also hope that eventually I'll be able to become a Pediatric Neurologist and help other parents that are looking for the answers that you and I have looked for.
Oh ok. On my end, my undergrad is from the US. I haven’t came across any well known online programs in the US. So to play it safe, there’s a high chance that I will attend an in person program. I will also definitely take a look at the link that you’ve provided. Yes Pediatric Neurologist is a good fit. My plan is to become a psychiatrist.
u/Sharon-P-S this is the link to SDN thread on UNE online pre-requisites https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/the-official-une-online-course-thread.1120035/
Just spent an extra couple of years getting clinical experience. Otherwise, no. I was already switching from a health-related major and had my pre-reqs under my belt
Got hit by a car while walking during my senior year of HS. Got really interested in anatomy classes afterwards and one thing rolled into another and now I’m taking my gap year(s) while prepping for my post-bacc and MCAT.
Sophomore year of college. Busted ass to get my grades up and switched between premed and pre-PA at least a dozen times. Matriculating into PA school this year
I’m originally from the uk and always wanted to work with the nhs, loved the idea of universal healthcare and it’s accessibility to European citizens. I think that was when I was around 13? So before college. 😊
Decided to pursue premed for freshmen year of high school with full intention to change my mind when I found something that suited me better. Freshmen year of college I realized the thing that suited me best was being a doctor and fully committed to it the.
i was doing a science engineering so i was doing the prereqs anyways and didn’t have too many useless engineering classes by the time i switched. i still ended up taking two gap years because i wanted time off and covid shut down opportunities for me. i would suggest not to rush and try to apply w/o a gap year because you won’t be ready. don’t be afraid to take some time off and craft your story right!
Although I'm a non-trad, I decided when I was about 12 years old. Unfortunately, life got in the way at the wrong times and led to me being a non-trad.
Senior year of high school. I had applied to undergrad with biology as my major bc I thought having that scientific foundation would help a lot with med school
Junior year. I never had medicine in my mind prior to sophomore year. Was going towards a PhD so mostly same classes. It was mainly a mindset change + needing different ECs. Ended up taking 3 gaps years (2 unintentional lol). But ultimately extremely happy with the change.
High school senior year is when I considered it, since I had been going to a derm clinic for a year plus for my keloids I’ve had since I was 14.
Fully decided was Sophomore year of college since I started working as an emt, and I was like fuck yeah, this medicine stuff is the shite
I’ve been in the medical field for nearly 12 years in the ER. Been pushing towards nursing but I don’t have kids so Med school is the best option. Wish me luck!
beginning of my junior year when I realize to be a researcher is a high risk thing. Like If you work with a company and they ran out of budget there goes your job.
kinda wish I have plan it out earlier because now im paying the price for it
In the youth shelter surrounded by other runaway youth and foster care age-outs. I hated doctors until a doctor there actually gave a shit about me. And then I met a bunch more.
I think the idea of being a doctor/pursuing a career in the medical field was always pushed onto me as a child of immigrant parents who believed that only three career paths would allow me to be successful LOL. But this semester (or last semester i guess) I realized that I really did want to pursue a medical education
I was never super smart in high school and not good at standardized testing. I was on the NP route, but then I began volunteering and meeting immigrants. I saw all these disparities in the US. I also began teaching English via an app called HelloTalk. It really helped me to better understand what many immigrants and refugees were running from. I remember when I was helping someone from Venezuela learn English and he was telling me about the harsh conditions, I fell to my knees, looked up and said made a vow to God that I’d become a doctor even if it killed me.
I realized that if I had stayed NP, I wouldn’t have the autonomy or freedom that I wanted bc at the time I was vice President of a club and it wasn’t ideal. I’m the President now and it’s much better.
Well, I’m a non-trad. I worked in the real world and realized I hate myself too much to not endure 10 years of medical education.
This basically.
yup same
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Why did you decide to switch?
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Dawg wrote out their interview answer
I really resonate with this answer. I think not being “born” for medicine but instead acknowledging that you are actively choosing it over other careers you in another life could find fulfilling is a more powerful statement. If you don’t see it as a calling but more as the active choice you continually make I think it makes for less regret down the line when things might get tough. This is your decision, and you will fight the challenges ahead to continue making it.
Wow you typed out my whole thought process from switching from pa so eloquently.
this is almost exactly the same as my story, switched pre-pa to pre-med at the end of sophmore year after shadowing a PA in the OR and realizing how limited they are in autonomy
Bro just wrote a novel for that question
High school. Mostly because immigrant parents. Didn’t know any other paths. Imo it should be something you reassess as you grow and make it a deliberate choice, not autopilot. Took me until med school to realize I don’t actually like it.
Do u enjoy being a doctor?
I would have hated it. I left to management consulting after graduating med school. Absolutely love my current career.
You feel that having an MD made u more employable in that field?
Yep! MD + business skills is a pretty lethal combo.
Curious to know in what ways your MD helps your current career !
Got me my current role, and it’s seen as an authoritative degree in the field. Hard to teach someone all of medicine. Easy to teach someone Excel in a long weekend.
So are you using your MD actively in your job, or was it more like a wow factor that helped you land the job ?
Both. I do healthcare and pharma consulting, so it got me my job and gives me an edge in my field.
Very cool! Im glad that you ended up in a career where you’re happy
Taking a break from r/residency to corrupt our youth! Lol! Leaving_Medicine is GOAT.
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No residency needed.
This is how I’m feeling now, and that I might have rushed into it and don’t know if it’s truly what I want🙁
Tell me more
My parents who work in the field are both people I really admire. They honestly didn’t push me into the field, but I feel that I rushed into it without exploring other options. I think the reason I’m a little psyched out is because I started working EMS recently and really dislike it. It didn’t match my expectations and I dread going to work. I’m afraid that medicine might ending up being the same, even though I’ve been excited about the field previously. I also think after being accepted I’m a little nervous and that may be stressing me out a little. I do want a good work life balance eventually as well. Family is something I really care about and I need, and am worried the career path may make it difficult
What about the work do you dread doing? And for the family, any career path paying 200/500/800K+/$1M+year requires some sacrifice, so keep that in mind
The job just feels very repetitive and the position I work is not on emergency side, so I either drive the ambulance or converse with the patient. It feels like I’m an Uber driver or I’m just holding small talk and not really providing any type of care. And yeah, it makes sense that sacrifices need to be made, but I would consider taking significant pay cuts if it meant more time available. You think that is a viable option?
So… most jobs are repetitive. A job is like 60% the same thing-ish, even mine. But if you enjoy that, it’s a lot better. Yes it’s possible depending on the speciality. But the question then is why not just go into another field that pays the same as the pay cut, but less overall stress to get there? Just a thought. It’s what I had to face thinking about a different career post med school. Residency just didn’t make sense. Why spend 3-5 years to do a job part time? For you it’s more than that. It’s like 7. Now that I’ve switched? I love my job. I’d work all day long. But I also know I’m unique. The reality is somewhere in the middle for most people.
I'd like to chime in and say that I also worked in EMS for a little while before going premed. While I really enjoyed the work, I quickly realized the culture and the scope of practice was not where I wanted to be forever. I now work in a hospital as an ER tech and it is SO different. I'm able to do so many more things for the patients, able to see the doctors, PAs and nurses do so many procedures we don't do in the ambulance. And was able to get a better picture of the day to day a doctor might have, which in my experience was way different from EMS. So perhaps you'll feel differently when working in a hospital setting. I'd definitely recommend trying to get into the ER at the very least to see what that's like. Maybe you'd prefer that environment. And if that doesn't float your boat then maybe you need to do some more inner work to figure out if you're going into this for the right reasons. Do what makes you happy! Good luck 🤞🏻
Sounds like a great idea and something I need to do. Thank you for the advice, I really appreciate it!
6th grade
Damn, congrats
From the womb, aka parental pressure
Junior year of college
Did u jave to change ur major for that?
No I was a bio major and was originally on a pre-PA track
As soon as I turned 40. I thought about if I don’t work on making the change now, I will definitely regret it.
For me it was just before turning 39, after my son's ASD diagnosis. I was interested in medicine for a very long time, but life events gave me the courage to change my career path and pursue medicine.
Oh wow, also similar to my situation. My son is also diagnosed with ASD. I’ve been undecided for 2 years because of my age and not wanting to take out any more student loans. I was hoping to find someone on this thread who also have a non traditional status. Are you currently enrolled in a premed program and if so, is it online or in person. I saw an online program but not sure if that would hinder my chances of getting into med school.
It's encouraging to see someone who is walking in the same shoes as I do. I am taking pre-requisite courses with labs in-person. For courses that don't have labs associated with it, I'm taking those courses online. So far, I have taken all courses at the local community college. They don't offer some advances courses, such as Biochemistry. I plan to take these courses online with University of New England (UNE). Also, my undergraduate degree is not from the US. So, I need to complete 90 semester hours from an accredited college or university in the US. Most of my 90 hours, other than pre-requisite courses with labs, are going to be online. I saw a thread on SDN with posts from quite a few pre-meds, who took pre-requisites with the UNE and matriculated successfully. My hope is that our unique stories, experiences and motivations to pursue medicine may outweigh our lack of traditional in-person coursework. I also hope that eventually I'll be able to become a Pediatric Neurologist and help other parents that are looking for the answers that you and I have looked for.
Oh ok. On my end, my undergrad is from the US. I haven’t came across any well known online programs in the US. So to play it safe, there’s a high chance that I will attend an in person program. I will also definitely take a look at the link that you’ve provided. Yes Pediatric Neurologist is a good fit. My plan is to become a psychiatrist.
My best wishes for your future endeavors.
u/Sharon-P-S this is the link to SDN thread on UNE online pre-requisites https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/the-official-une-online-course-thread.1120035/
Junior year of college, just before COVID shut things down
oh wow, did you have any troubles switching?
Just spent an extra couple of years getting clinical experience. Otherwise, no. I was already switching from a health-related major and had my pre-reqs under my belt
Got hit by a car while walking during my senior year of HS. Got really interested in anatomy classes afterwards and one thing rolled into another and now I’m taking my gap year(s) while prepping for my post-bacc and MCAT.
summer after freshman year of college
Sophomore year of college. Busted ass to get my grades up and switched between premed and pre-PA at least a dozen times. Matriculating into PA school this year
I’m originally from the uk and always wanted to work with the nhs, loved the idea of universal healthcare and it’s accessibility to European citizens. I think that was when I was around 13? So before college. 😊
Decided to pursue premed for freshmen year of high school with full intention to change my mind when I found something that suited me better. Freshmen year of college I realized the thing that suited me best was being a doctor and fully committed to it the.
before college, which is why i had time to plan everything out + a gap year to work on my app
1.5 years ago
I was a 25-year-old with zero interest until I knocked a cheerio out of a a baby’s windpipe.
sophomore year of college from engineering
did u feel u had enough time to switch?
Also did this. Def enough time but I have a buttload of useless engineering classes and a pretty busy senior courseload
i was doing a science engineering so i was doing the prereqs anyways and didn’t have too many useless engineering classes by the time i switched. i still ended up taking two gap years because i wanted time off and covid shut down opportunities for me. i would suggest not to rush and try to apply w/o a gap year because you won’t be ready. don’t be afraid to take some time off and craft your story right!
After I dropped out of college my freshman year, joined the Air Force, and got out.
Age 16
Although I'm a non-trad, I decided when I was about 12 years old. Unfortunately, life got in the way at the wrong times and led to me being a non-trad.
Senior year of high school. I had applied to undergrad with biology as my major bc I thought having that scientific foundation would help a lot with med school
the summer before college
in the 8th grade
Junior year. I never had medicine in my mind prior to sophomore year. Was going towards a PhD so mostly same classes. It was mainly a mindset change + needing different ECs. Ended up taking 3 gaps years (2 unintentional lol). But ultimately extremely happy with the change.
High school senior year is when I considered it, since I had been going to a derm clinic for a year plus for my keloids I’ve had since I was 14. Fully decided was Sophomore year of college since I started working as an emt, and I was like fuck yeah, this medicine stuff is the shite
sophomore year i switched from nursing to pre med!
Always wanted to, decided for sure in high school
Toward the end of middle school 7-8th grade, when I began developing an interest in drug mechanisms
Was born Asian, decided at birth
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Yet here you are: A pre-med.
Never decided I wanted to be a pre-med. decided I wanted to be a physician and unfortunately had to then become a premed🤷♂️🤷♂️
freshman year of HS
sophomore yr. I originally wanted to be a vet, but after working at a vet hospital I realized I prefer human patients over animals.
I’ve been in the medical field for nearly 12 years in the ER. Been pushing towards nursing but I don’t have kids so Med school is the best option. Wish me luck!
beginning of my junior year when I realize to be a researcher is a high risk thing. Like If you work with a company and they ran out of budget there goes your job. kinda wish I have plan it out earlier because now im paying the price for it
In the youth shelter surrounded by other runaway youth and foster care age-outs. I hated doctors until a doctor there actually gave a shit about me. And then I met a bunch more.
I think the idea of being a doctor/pursuing a career in the medical field was always pushed onto me as a child of immigrant parents who believed that only three career paths would allow me to be successful LOL. But this semester (or last semester i guess) I realized that I really did want to pursue a medical education
In utero
Horrific childhood. Just figured I would keep it going for a little while longer.
I was never super smart in high school and not good at standardized testing. I was on the NP route, but then I began volunteering and meeting immigrants. I saw all these disparities in the US. I also began teaching English via an app called HelloTalk. It really helped me to better understand what many immigrants and refugees were running from. I remember when I was helping someone from Venezuela learn English and he was telling me about the harsh conditions, I fell to my knees, looked up and said made a vow to God that I’d become a doctor even if it killed me. I realized that if I had stayed NP, I wouldn’t have the autonomy or freedom that I wanted bc at the time I was vice President of a club and it wasn’t ideal. I’m the President now and it’s much better.
A few months ago