Mother of two do I have hope in becoming a family practice doctor?

Question

Hi all, I am thinking of becoming a doctor but I have no clue where to start.
1. Are there any doctors to be out there that are going to school and have children?
2. I have a bachelor's degree in computer science. Do I need pre-med courses or can I get into med school with my degree?
3. What pre-med schools are out there in the metro area? Are there any online pre med schools?
4. I also have a 9-5 job do you think I can juggle the job the kids and the school?
5. I am good in chemistry and math but science is iffy do I have a chance?
6. Is it true that becoming a family practice doctor is easier than any other specialty.?
7. I am a very calm person I care for people but I never said in my life I want to be a doctor. I just started to have an interest since I am working in a hospital enviornment and I see the need and how well doctors are respected.
8. I am 27 years old I beleive by 35 I will be done. Is this a good time to start.

Answer 1

You have to complete a pre med program before you get into med school. You have as good as chance as anybody else. It won't be easy, but other Moms have done it.

Answer 2

You can do this, but you will probably need to take some science classes first to prepare you for the MCAT, if you didn't take a lot of science when you were in college. You don't need a pre-med school, just the appropriate science classes.

You don't mention if you are a single parent or married, or if you have a lot of help from your family. That makes a huge difference as to whether you can do this or not. Many medical students have children, but most of them have considerable help to make this happen.

You ask about the "metro" area. Which metro do you mean? That could be anywhere near any city!

I'm not sure what you mean when you say you are good at chemistry, but iffy at science - do you think of chemistry as something OTHER than science? If you can handle chemistry, you can handle med school.

As far as the job, no, you would have to give that up. No medical school is manageable while holding down a 9-5 job (there is no such thing as part-time evening or weekend med school), whether you have children or not. As far as the children go, how old are your children? If they are teenagers who are independent and never home anyway, and you have a lot of help, then you can juggle kids and med school. If they are small and needy and you are on your own and can't afford childcare, you might want to wait until they are at least in school to start.

35 is fine. Some specialties have longer residencies and almost no one finishes before that. It isn't true that becoming a family practice doctor is easier, but it may require slightly less training. It is hard because you are expected to know something about everything, whereas others specialize.

Answer 3

Like the first person said, you need a pre-med major (usually biology). Then you will need to take the MCAT.

At that point you can start applying to med schools.

My friend is just starting her residency. She comes from a family of doctors. From what I understand, you will NOT be able to work 9-5 and attend med school. However, there were other students she knew in school that did have children.