Becoming a surgeon at 33.?

Question

I know I can probably take time to do some research on this but if someone knows the answer quick I'd like to know how I can change my career as a surgeon.

I have a bachelor's degree on mathematics and computer science. I'm currently on a masters program on computational science but I feel this is not the right path to spend the rest of my life. I've decided to start over and become a surgeon in the field of medicine.

I can probably go back to my under graduate program and start over as a pre med but it I really don't want to repeat lot of the courses that I took. Is there any way I can take some selective courses to meet the premed requirement and prepare for MCAT to enter a medical school?

I would also like to add that I'm not trying to become a surgeon to make money.
As an IT profession for the last 10 years, I've summed up enough to be financially independent doing consultant work for the government.

Answer 1

I'm pre-med right now. Pre-med isn't an actual major--you can have any major; med schools don't care. You'll just need to make sure that you have the classes required by med schools. Diff med schools require diff classes, but here are the ones most pre-med undergrads take:
1) 2 semesters of math--often Cal and Cal 2
2) CHE 1301 and 1302 (with the lab) and CHE 3331 & CHE 3332 (with the lab). That's 2 years of chem.
3) Physics 1408 and 1409 (with the labs) or the corresponding courses that involve Calculus.
4) BIO 1305, 1306, 2306, and Human Physiology, along with the labs for each course. Some med schools don't require as many semesters of bio.
5) Basic English, etc. classes--the ones required in most basic BA degree programs.

These classes contain the material that the MCAT tests over, so you will want to take as many of these as possible before taking the MCAT, which is offered in the spring and summer. I bet you've already had some of the required pre-med classes; you will want to check to make sure that they will still be accepted since they were taken in the past, but I suspect that they would still be accepted. So there's no need to re-take courses. And you don't need another degree. Just take the classes that you didn't take when you got your original degree, and consider taking an MCAT review course the spring that you take your MCAT--many colleges offer them, as well as programs like Kaplan and Princeton.

Good luck! Most med school sites will list their specific course requirements for application.

Answer 2

I need to give you what you will consider bad news, but that's how life is sometimes. Anyone who asks about becoming a surgeon for the money will, without thinking about it, let that attitude leak out in his or her medical school interview and the medical school has at least twice as many applicants as places. However, with average talent in science, he or she will not get the interview because his or her competitors are people with superb scientific talent who have all A grades in their college science courses and higher MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test) scores. If you want to make money, get an M.B.A. I am not putting you down, just trying to get you on the right path.

Answer 3

It will depend on the medical school. Start by choosing a few schools and work backwards withtheir entrance requirements...you'll need biology, anatomy & physio, physics which you maynot have had with your other majors...you could also think about being a physicians assitant (PA) or surgical nurse...it takes less time!

Answer 4

4 years med school, 4 years residency.

You will be at least 41 when you are a doctor unless you whiz through Med School in a couple of years by going the year round.

Talk to a counselor at your college.

You can do it! I think you should do it!

Answer 5

you should probably talk to an advisor at the college you want to take classes from - some of your classes that you took for your bachelor's degree in math might overlap with your requirements for med school.