Prereqs for Med School

I was also considering going into med school either here or abroad. Like I mentioned in my earlier post on this category I am about to complete me business degree at Univ of Phoenix. Looking at my options. Is it possible to complete the 1 year of science degree i am missing such as bio + lab, chem + lab, physics etc, online somehow? I know it may sound stupid, but in these times of online school just flooding the educational system, its worth a try.

Thanks!

 

Shawn,

I thought about medical school, like I am sure most people on this forum has as well. The pre-reqs and acceptance process into a reputable medical school changed my mind. The key element is investing the time and money into a medical school, where you can actually practice at hospitals or outpatient clinics. Imagine graduating from a medical school and not being able to perform medical treatment.

I also do like to be around blood or needles, so being a doctor would not be a good idea...

 

Ok, is their any online route to take care of that 1 year of science I am missing. I am leaning toward law...

 

In a word, "yes". However, you'll need to check with the medical school(s) that you're interested in first, to see if they will accept online science pre-reqs (so do, some don't).

Given your interest in law and medicine, perhaps you would be interested in a career in forensic science? Or, if you're still leaning towards medicine, you may want to look into becoming a physician's assistant (great pay, only two years of school post-bachelors). Keep in mind that in order to apply to PA school, you would still need to complete a number of science pre-reqs.

Options for online science pre-reqs include the following schools (not an exhaustive list, but these schools are mentioned the most around here):

Ocean County Community College
University of New England - College of Osteopathic Medicine
Mountain State University

 

You really need to take your science classes in residence if you want to be competitive for medical school. Medical school isn't just about meeting the minimum requirements. It's about having a competitive application against other candidates.

If your application has a UoP degree with the science prerequisites completed in online format, you would likely need to vanquish utterly the MCAT, and it would help if you had a recommendation from an influential donor or alumnus.

 

Medical school admissions are extremely competitive:

So the average US medical school rejects over 90% of applicants. Many reject over 95%.

A University of Phoenix business degree plus a few online science courses may theoretically meet the minimum requirements to apply to a medical school. But in practice, this won't make you a competitive candidate, unless you also have a killer MCAT score and strong connections.

The medical schools would rather take biochemistry majors who have worked extensively in B&M laboratories at top state universities or prestigious private schools. And they get so many applicants that they can afford to be choosy.

 

If you're willing to do your post-bac work in residence, this is a program you should strongly consider - Health Careers Program | Harvard Extension School

 

Great idea. I should have mentioned the post-bacc option in my earlier reply. While I agree with the other replies to this thread regarding the difficulty of gaining admission to medical school (my wife is a physician, and I've heard the stories), it is not impossible if you're willing to work for it. It seems as though the OP needs to do some soul searching to figure out if law or medicine (or something else entirely?) is the correct career choice for him or her. That said, if medicine truly is their calling (and particularly given their alma mater), everything will need to ratcheted up a bit in order to pull together a competitive admissions package. Getting a post-bacc from the best school one can afford would help, as would the letters of recommendation from top academics/clinicians in the field.

Lastly, I would also look into alternatives to allopathic (MD) medical school. The OP could also apply to osteopathic (DO) schools, which tend to be more forgiving toward non-traditional students. Also, PA (or podiatry, dental or optometry) school is an option, although I've heard that some of these schools approach med school in terms of competitive admissions.

Best of luck,

 

Yes I was also looking into the Physician assistant position though the science courses is the hurdle. I am not a science person, you guys have been a great help so far.

 

This makes the choice easy. If you are not a science person, forget anything in the medical field.

 

Ok bio i can do but is their any way around the chemistry courses?

 

You don't need to be a doctor, period. If you can't handle chemistry, you will not do well on the MCAT. You will not do well in Med school even if you get in.

 

Physics will be the most difficult science class in those prerequisites, even if it is just "algebra-based". In fact, I find algebra-based physics to be much more difficult than the courses that use calculus because explanations are overly complicated and/or vague and solving problems can be really tedious. And you'll most likely need 2 semesters of physics w/ lab for med school. I know there are physics questions on the MCAT.

 

Not having taken any of the science pre-reqs, I've heard that Organic Chem is usually considered the hardest in the series. To paraphrase Jennifer's expression, Org Chem II is often times a student's "brick wall" course.

 

From what I've heard and read, this is accurate. You'll need to know the basic sciences back and forwards, even though you won't necessarily use it everyday while in med school (but you will be learning/using a number of science disciplines that are all built upon an in-depth knowledge of chemistry - e.g. bio, micro, etc.).

If you can get through general chemistry I, (organic chem is not required) and microbiology, and several other non-science pre-reqs, you could apply to nursing school (even become a Nurse Practitioner if you have the desire/ability to do so). There are accelerated BSN (Bachelor of Science) and MSN (Master of Science) programs available for applicants that already have a non-nursing bachelors. Here is one example offered by Drexel University in Philadelphia: Accelerated Career Entry (ACE) BSN

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh even offers an online Accelerated BSN! *The application for our May 2012 Cohort will be posted July 15th! — College of Nursing

 

That could be, I've heard stories about organic chemistry as well. Physics definitely has the more strenuous math requirement but I think chemistry is harder because I'm not interested in the subject. I guess the bottom line for the OP is that if he doesn't like science, pre-med may not be the best choice. It's like trying to go into engineering without taking any math courses.

 

It's not impossible, but since you've already changed your mind, I think you made the right choice. Besides, having btdt, I'd suggest no one decide on medicine until they score "A's" in both orgos and physics

 

LOL I hadn't read ahead when I posted, but yes, I've said that several time! Physics was enough to do me in, because I lacked the mathematical intuition necessary to UNDERSTAND the material (I'm a straight "A" student- but that's not enough). If you don't dream in scientific notation you're over your head. Period. P.S. Medicine is a branch science. So not only must you be "sciency" but you need to be roughly better at science than 90% of the science majors you'll test against at the MCAT. Just sayin....

 

To become a PA in California a BS is not a prerequisite. This program at a community colege is basicaly an advance AA. But in CA one also has to pass a state exam.
Riverside Community College District | Physician Assistant

As regards law have you considered the paralegal route?