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Ask HN: Has anyone made the transition from tech work to medical school?

24 points by PascLeRasc ↗ HN
I'm interested in how anyone here has gone about getting into med school from a less typical pathway, like working in tech/software engineering, not having pre-med requirements in undergrad, several years out of school, not having the usual connections, etc. Is there anyone here who's done it and can offer advice, or just tell their story?

8 comments

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dheidnenei73
It is totally possible but first accept it could take 1-2 years just to complete your application.

I am currently making this transition and have met other former software developers along the way. It would have taken a few years to complete prereqs while working, so I quit and became a full time student for six months. Summer semesters are great for this purpose.

Buy the MSAR and understand the nuances of your target schools. For instance I saved one semester by taking an online class.

Alternative to the DIY approach, you can go through a one year accelerator (postbac) program to satisfy all the requirements in exchange for 50k usd.

You preferably need dozens of shadowing hours and a few hundred volunteer hours (both medical and non medical). Start that now. Many hospitals have volunteer roles, choose one that you are interested in with the most patient contact. Meet and network with doctors for shadowing opportunities.

While taking classes and volunteering, identify people who could write you letters of recommendation. You’ll need three.

Start studying for the MCAT early. Even really smart people tend to spend 300+ hours preparing.

Also be aware of osteopathic medical schools. These are much more geared toward career changers, even those in their 30s and 40s, and are generally less competitive.

Good luck!

sjg007
Totally possible. I met an ENT doctor who was previously a chef well into his 30s.
apoph3nia
"Parasitical Autosync Functionality in AI as Agressive Autoimmune Disease: An Epidemiological View"
ggm
Worked with an accomplished (5+ years in ICT) woman who left programming to follow her dream in med school. Australian universities like mature entry med students. They're committed and study hard. It's almost routine now for med to be graduate entry and having an IT degree instead of premed is about all they have to deal with. One additional year in a five+ study.

I have no doubt she's doing well. Haven't heard from her in years but I know she graduated

HNLurker2
Depends on the country too. E.g university entry from any highschool (Eastern Europe) vs having to specialize early (France)
badpun
Totally anecdotally, but I see a small crowd of people from what I assume is the US at local Starbucks here in Poland, always studying medicine or just hanging together. They all look like they're maybe 25-35 so perhaps it's people who also took a nonconventional path to study medicine and decided that getting the degree in Poland makes sense for whatever reason (probably costs, maybe also difficulty in admission? In Poland you only need to do well on a test to get into med school, there are no courses pre-required).
HeyLaughingBoy
I had a friend who did it in the early 2000's. I say "had" because we drifted apart and haven't spoken to each other in close to 20 years. After we both graduated as EE's, she worked as an engineer for a few years then decided it was time to do something else. She wanted to be a surgeon so she went back to school to become a Surgical Assistant to get enough experience to decide if she would like doing the work.

Last time I spoke to her, she had her MD and was working as a Pediatrician and really liked the work. IIRC, her decision to skip the whole surgeon thing was mainly due to the additional years it would have taken to complete education/training.