Can I do this?

[amandaz]

I've been thinking about pursuing a career in medicine. I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts, so I'd be doing postbaccalaureate studies for a couple of years. I currently work full-time, and cannot afford to quit working. I plan to take things very slow and make sure I don't get in over my head too quickly. Obviously, I want to be well prepared for the demands of medical school.

After finishing my Postbaccalaureate studies and being accepted to medical school, I'm concerned about how to finance my education. Do any of you work full-time while going to med school? I'm still paying off debt accumulated from my first degree (and frequent college spending sprees! yikes!), so I don't think I will be able to stop working.

I've been reading everyone's posts and have found some great advice. I'm sure my situation is not unlike many of the others on this forum, but I thought maybe someone had more advice to share for someone like me.

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[N-toxicologist]

It took me ten years to get to the point of even applying to med school. The way I see it, I do not want to look back on my life and feel I could have done more. If this is truly your dream, it would be wrong not to live it. I work part time, raise kids, and take about 12-15 hours per semester. I will be heavily in debt by the time I'm through, and my oldest child will be ready to start college before I'm out of med school. I could have climbed the corporate ladder and had a degree in business, making as much as my peers....but I am here. And I love it here. The sacrifices are minimal when compared to the feeling I get from knowing I'm doing it; it's really hard to explain. I just know it's right. And I have confidence that it will all work out.

 

[evescadeceus]

If you want to make it through med school, in most cases, you are going to have to plan to give up working. If you have a home, you're going to have to sell it. If you have a car payment, you're going to have to find a car without one. This is the hard truth, pure and simple.

Stafford loans cough up with $38,5000 the first two years, and nearly $46,000 the last two years (when you do rotations all year round). There is $15,000 available in a travel residency loan for the 4th year. Sallie Mae loans are certified by the school for the difference between the Stafford loan, and the total budget (prehaps $5000 or so, assuming in-state status). Private loans are extremely difficult to get without near-perfect credit, or with a cosigner who has a decent salary and near-perfect credit.

If you have dependents, the school will expand the certified budget, allowing you to increase your Sallie Mae. Without dependents, they will expand it only for narrowly defined criteria.

Getting into an in-state school is absolutely crucial, so you will have an overage check once the tuition is paid.

People who were licensed health care providers before entering med school (PT's, nurses, pharmacists, etc...) have the easiest time getting work during school because they can pick up evening and weekend hours in a related field.

Nontraditionals with working spouses who support them while they are going to school have little difficulty making it work out. Single nontraditionals coming from an industry incompatible with part-time evening and weekend hours have it the hardest.

Post again in four years, and I'll let you know if I have made it.

 

[roja]

I think one of the most difficult things about med school is swallowing the loan thing. But you have to do it. And you have to realize that youw ill be able to pay them off later. So, if you want to go into medicine, just suck it up and do it. Your loans from previous degrees will go into deferment. They can be consolitated and deferred in residency.

Just realize you are goign to owe a crap load and that you won't live high and mighty while in med school. You reallys houldn't be working during med school... You should be working towards being a doctor.

I also have a degree in liberal arts... I went into a masters program and took my premed courses while I was doing masters work in liberal arts. You need to make sure that you take more than one or two science classes while you are getting your recs...

 

[dtreese]

7 years after finishing my undergrad, and I've just finished week 1 of med school. Go for it! You can do it, too!

 

[LovelyRita]

All of the above advice is awesome. It sounds like you will make a great doc someday.

My advice: DO NOT have any credit card debt as you are starting med school. Get all that stuff paid off if you use credit cards.

When you borrow money for med school, you get money to live very prudently on, too. You can't work full time and go to school.

Unless you are a stripper, like one of my classmates!

 

[N1DERL&]

A stripper really? She makes rake in the dough!

 

[evescadeceus]

I wish I had the nerve (and the body) to do that. One of my girlfriends did it, put herself through grad school with no debt, and quit as soon as her daughter was born because she didn't want her daughter growing up with those sorts of influences. Now her little sweetie pie is six, and dances just like a stripper. Go figure.

 

[roja]

That's great!


Just remember, if you want to put the postponing school off a year or two to pay off debt, one thing someone threw out at me... every year you postpone, you lose anywhere from 100,-300 grand a year...