Non Traditional Needing Advice

[ME2MD]

I apologize for the lengthy entry so here it goes.

Since high school I have been at crossroads as to whether to pursue engineering or medicine. Considering that my father was an engineer and that there was a field that combined both subjects (biomedical engineering), I decided to go to the engineering route. I got a scholarship to a small state school and decided to get my degree in mechanical engineering. I have had a handful of internships, all being in different industries. I was always bored and wasn't satisfied with the work. I decided to go to graduate school for biomedical engineering for a year at a top 10 university and I come to find I do like the research aspect of grad school. Unfortunately, I was put on academic probation (that's a story for another day) and my PI and I decided it was best for me to go work for a couple years until I figured what I really wanted. I realized I wanted to become a doctor during grad school. I immediately got a job as a biomedical engineer at a bio-tech start up company. Although there are some "high's" with the job, I find myself miserable most of the time. Although I do design medical devices, I would prefer to be the one to use them on patients. I have always considered being a doctor but thought that engineering would be a "comfortable and less stressful" career.

I decided to take initiative and go back to school while I work as an engineer. I do live in an area with a high cost of living, so I am currently going to a community college for my first year (Bio1&2, GenChem2, Sociology, Psychology). After my first year, I am gonna go to a university and finish the upper level prerequisites. Although my city has one of the largest medical centers in the country, it is hard to find time to volunteer ( I work 9am to 5pm but could come in as early as 7am). My plan is to get some volunteer hours, shadowing experience, and finish my prereqs and apply during 2019 for the incoming class of 2020.

*I would like to note that I do live in Texas, so post-bac programs are out of the question.

My questions are:
What should I start doing to prepare myself for this process?
Do you guys have any advice on how to make myself a more attractive applicant?
Do you think my job experience would look good on my application?

My Stats:
Age: 23
sGPA: 3.42 ( Not including engineering classes, it would be higher)
cGPA: 3.58
Volunteering: None
Shadowing: None
Research: 1 Year

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[Frosty808]

HEEEY!!!!!

YOU'RE IN LUCK! The first engineering-based medical school just got their accreditation and is accepting students this upcoming 2018! You should really try it out! The school is in Chicago. Here is the link Home - Carle Illinois College of Medicine <3 If you really want to combine the two worlds together, this sounds like a great option for you. There is also a podcast... a podcast with the director of admissions for this medical school about how the medical students will need to create an innovative approach by creating medical devices..something YOU ALREADY DO.

Anyway, to answer your questions:

What should I start doing to prepare myself for this process?
A) CLASSES
First, will you be working while taking classes? If you are getting your feet wet, which it sounds like you are, you sound like you need to take the medical school prerequisites. You can take night classes at either community college or university (eg personally go the cheaper option at community college and then just take a handful of higher division at university) that can fit well with your work schedule. I am unsure where you live but California has so many community colleges with their pre-med prereqs directly transferrable to university level anyway, just take your prereqs at different colleges/universities to fit around work schedule. For now, just take one class at time. Since you mentioned you were on academic probation, might as well try to get all As taking only one or two classes then shove all the classes down your throat causing you to have stress an anxiety (I thought many of us nontrads have this issue).
You want to show an upward trend with your grades <3 That's incredibly more powerful than shoving a bunch of classes to "finish within one year" and getting mediocre grades.

B) SHADOWING
I would do this closer to your application process so the letters of rec from the physicians you shadow won't be a long gap time. If you shadow now but don't apply till 2019 or 2020, the letters of rec won't seem as meaningful or the physicians may not even feel comfortable giving you a letter of rec from a shadowing experience a few years back anyway.

This is my approach anyway. I'm going to be 30 this year and I've been trying to find a job and financial stability so I do not want to spread myself too thing. Plus when you are done shadowing, consider opening up an Interfolio (look it up) so you can have your authors of your letters of rec upload it directly to the system.

C) CLINICAL EXPERIENCE
You need to have this. Don't limit yourself to only hospitals. I am a working nontrad and have found that working for a hospice works well with my working schedule. I can volunteer on the weekends and I work one-on-one with a patient and patient family to develop a meaningful relationship. It's more ADMINISTRATIVE at a hospital.. you do filing, scanning, going door to door delivering water and blankets... you are just like a janitor grunt. Even as a volunteer in the pediatrics unit, I wiped down a lot of incubators and folded a lot of blankets before I could actually be around living breathing humans.

D) DO NOT BURN OUT... DO NOT FEEL OVERWHELMED... PM me, let's be each other's accountability partner if you want to.

Do you guys have any advice on how to make myself a more attractive applicant?
You already are by being nontrad. You have worked outside of medicine into the real world and still want to pursue medicine. This is admirable in more ways than one. You are also committed to following your hindered goal of being a physician. This is a great step in moving forward by being strategic in your goal to get there.

You already have research experience under your belt, have you kept in touch with your PI? Maybe you can send a 'touching base' email and just talk about how your passion for becoming a physician still lingers. Then after a few emails, inquire if your PI feels comfortable writing a letter of rec... if she or he is, then she or he can upload into Interfolio so you can use that LOR when you feel ready.


Do you think my job experience would look good on my application?
Yes, but make sure to be positive when mentioning it. Do not talk about how you were miserable or it felt mudane. Talk about how your daily tasks reignited your passion to WANT TO GET BACK INTO MEDICINE. Maybe you realize you like people interaction and that over the years, your interaction with your own physician supported your hindering passion for pursuing medicine.. etc... something that allows you to show your passion for medicine is STILL THERE AND YOU WANT TO PURSUE IT.


Best of luck friend! Us nontrads have so much to offer! BUT DO NOT GET ANXIOUS OR FEEL OVERWHELMED... be organized and patient. We will get there. We just need to be strategic, positive, and continue our momentum!