I am 22 years old and I have never been interested in going to College or anything. A couple of months ago I was tossing some ideas around in my head about the things I wanted to do when I was in High School and about to graduate, and I wanted to be a Pediatrician so bad. Well, now I have my desire to be a ped. again and I talked to DH and he is all for it, and really wants me to be happy. My pastor also told me several months ago to pick up and go forward in what I want to do. I have tried to talk myself out of it, because I know I am looking at 12 years of schooling (give or take)...but DH insists that that is really when our girls lifes will begin. Katelyn will be around 16, Hailey 14, and the baby 12 by the time I get out of school and start work. I am nervous, excited, and curious how things will work...

If you have any words of wisdom..please share...I am all ears.

And what do you think about all this, I will be around 34 when I finally start my career, am I being selfish? TIA

By Mrsheidi on Monday, January 10, 2005 - 08:52 pm:

Candis, I think it's awesome that you want to go to school. I was pre-med for 2 years and decided that
1. I would be a better teacher
2. I would miss the time with my children and/or have to put off having a family until I was in my 30's. I didn't want that for myself.

I have been on the "teacher" side for 5 years and taught the best of the best and the worst of the worst...and, without a doubt, the kids who had their mom spending a lot of time with them were the ones who were beyond great. I'm not saying you're being selfish, but your kids need YOU. Residency is grueling and you are sometimes at the mercy of the med school as to where you live/work. Your family might have to move, or you might have a long commute,etc. It's just something to weigh out in your thought process.

You could definitely work in the field however...research careers that would be just as satisfying, without the family time cost...just my opinion.

By Mommmie on Monday, January 10, 2005 - 09:39 pm:

I would go ahead and start your Bachelor's degree in the Fall, pre-med, and see how that goes as far as handling everything. A Bachelor's degree isn't too difficult and has regular hours, but it'll give you a taste of what med school will be like with its irregular hours and much more study.

I would find other moms who have done med school with little ones and ask them how they did it, what it was like, what the challengers were and how they solved it. Ask them what it was liking missing so much of their kids' childhood.

What kind of childcare do you have available? I would probably get a live-in nanny or if you have family care, use a daycare for days and family care for nights, unless DH can become SAH. You won't need 24/7 childcare for the Bachelor's, but you will for med school/residency. You will probably have to move for your residency. You apply to a bunch of different schools and then they tell you where you're going. Hopefully, you'll get an area you want.

You're going to be 34 anyway, so don't worry about that. I just read a deposition of a doctor who went to med school after her kids were out of the house and was 45ish when she finished. She went no-frills, didn't do anything extra like fellowships, and practiced where there was a need - emergency room in a small town.

My neighbor just finished her 3 year Physician Assistant's program. She already had her Bachelors and Masters. Her kids were 6 and 9 when she started and are now 9 and 12. She completely checked out of the family the three years she was in school. I never saw her. The Dad, an attorney, was like a single dad. He had to do all the childcare, the shuttling, the b-day parties, the appointments, the playdates, the activities, everything. They ate out every meal. She had to live in a hotel for 2 months during 2 rotations. But, hey, it's over and it had no negative impact on the kids. They learned a lot of medical stuff bec they always told me about it.

I will tell you, my gyno regrets being a doctor. She had 4 kids *after* she finished med school and she said it was very very hard and she wouldn't have become a doctor had she known how little she would see of her kids.

By Kellyj on Monday, January 10, 2005 - 10:07 pm:

Hi Candis! I just started a physician assistant program last week. If being a ped is what you want and you are up for a challenge I'd so go for it. However, don't forget that you may need to relocate because your top choice school/local school may not accept you. Also, you may have to relocate again for residency. I have a friend who is in a med program at Penn State and she is just in her rotations. She hasn't been in one place for more than a month for about a year. I think that schools do try to keep people with families a little closer to home for rotations. That is one reason why I didn't want medical school was because of all of the relocation and time away from home.

Defintely talk to other moms in med school. www.studentdoctor.net is a good forum and there are a lot of people there that could share experiences and support. Really research it and know what you're getting yourself into. There are lots of other options in health care even if you decide not to become a ped. Let me know if you have any questions. I've been through undergrad as pre-med/pre-vet and know some stuff about mcat and applications.

By Missmudd on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - 12:07 am:

Just another thing to consider, I am 36 w/ 4 boys aging 15-4. I have been a sahm for the last 4 years. Before that I did billing and accounting in various medical fields. I will be returning to school in the fall to get my RN, it will take me about 3 years to complete. I havent been in school for over 10 years. Do you want to start your college education at my age? I am excited about it but I won't be starting a "career" until I am almost 40. Just something to think about.

By Imamommyx4 on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - 12:43 am:

Not by any means knocking your desire to be a ped. but offering alternatives that might not be as time consuming or expensive. Don't you live close to Cookeville and TTU? And don't they have a nursing program there? You could always be an RN and progress on to the nurse practitioner program and still focus on peds and work in a ped office. NP's do alot in ped offices. It's more like 6 or 7 years instead of 12. And you wouldn't have to move your family to East TN or Memphis or wherever you got in to school.
But I would be right there in support of your going to medical school. And as long as you and dh are on the same page with all of this, don't let anybody else knock you down. Get started asap with some classes before you change your mind. Get your feet wet and go for it. And Good Luck.

By Feona on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - 07:35 am:

That physican assistant is a good idea too. They have them here and we use them if the doctor is busy.


Some areas of the country that is all they have I heard...

They treat the kids as a doctor would.

I actually am thinking of switching to a doctor who has a physicans assistant so I can be seen when I have this constant sinus infection. Doctors are too busy up here. I had to wait 5 days to see a doctor when I had a massive sinus headache caused by a sinus infection.

How much school do they need? 6-7 years?


The nurse is a good idea too. 2 years and you are up and working. Great pay too. You can always go back and become a doctor. Unbelievable flexible job.

School nurse
teach mom how to feed their babies
work in office
work for insurance company
community health nurse
private nurse who visits sick children or adults at 60 bucks an hour. PT work...

By Feona on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - 07:45 am:

http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos081.htm

physican assistant

By Feona on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - 07:46 am:

http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos083.htm

nurse

By Kellyj on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - 07:53 am:

Physician assistant programs vary from school to school. Some schools will just award a certificate, some a bachelors and others a masters. I am in a Master's Program (2.5 years after completetion of a Bachelors). PAs and NPs are very similar in their roles as health care providers. NPs are required to specialize in peds, family practice, OB etc.. PAs are not required to specialize so if you were to become sick of being a ped, you could switch to ER, dermatology or where ever. Most programs require for you to complete some coursework before and nearly all require prior health care experience before entering. I am not sure what the Bachelor programs require. www.aapa.org should have a list of programs by state as well as a ton of information if you are interested in checking that out. Nursing, NP, PA and MD/DO are all great fields to get into and the demand is increasing.

If going back to school is what you want to do and your husband is supportive, don't let anyone talk you out of it. My father told me that I was crazy for going back to school with a family. He thought I was insane to take on the debt when I had a decent job. Lots of people tried to talk me out of it...don't let them get to you! I almost did and I know I would have been miserable.

By Kaye on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - 08:12 am:

I say go for it! Worse case scenerio is you end up with a bachlors degree and say, I am finished. In the long run this can make so much difference. I have a BIL who is in med school, he is 38 now i believe and in his 2nd year. He has a daughter. Are things hard, yes. Unbearable at moments, but mostly he loves that he has made this choice. Your kids will be grown up and gone one day and then what will you do? You can't wait till then to come up with a plan. My ped only works 1/2 days 3 days a week. Your other option is family medicine which may not be as demanding but still get to see kids. Honestly though, start. There is nothing worse than to get 5 years down the road or more and have regrets on well now if I finish i will be almost 40.

I am also looking at going back to school. Money is what is holding me back. And I don't have the same support from my hubby. he says it is okay, but isn't particuarly excited. My youngest is in 1st and I am just starting to see that I need a life. Yes I volunteer, but with my 5th grader they don't want help and PTA is getting old fast.

By Conni on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - 10:24 am:

I say go for it.

By Mommmie on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - 10:55 am:

You could get your RN at the Bachelor's level and then if you need a break for a couple of years you can do nursing before starting med school.

There is a shortage of school nurses around here.

By Kay on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - 11:07 am:

I suggest taking some college courses to get the ball rolling - a college education of any kind is truly valuable. Many people change their minds several times on majors during the first couple of years anyway. Medicine changes, too, from year to year. I work for physicians who are now retiring early (in their 40's) to do something else because practicing medicine as become more paper-pushing than people-saving, unfortunately. Our physicians here are paying at least $100,000 per year in liability insurance premiums.

You have plenty of time to investigate what your options would be, merging those with your family's ability to move - medical schools are highly competitive, as are residency programs. You don't get to pick, you have to have a 'match' to get into a residency program.

No matter what you do, I think getting a college education is a win-win situation, no matter what field you enter.

By Happynerdmom on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - 11:09 am:

Ditto Kay!

By Conni on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - 11:15 am:

Thought I might add that my cousin is a doctor and she is now talking about going BACK to school AGAIN (yuk) and doing something in business?? My sister told me that not too long ago. BTW- she is not married and has no kids. She is almost 40.

By My2cuties on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - 02:47 pm:

I slept on it last night for the first time, and I really appreciate your cold hard truth about my children needing me and they will not always be there, they really are why I am doing this in the first place to be able to get them the things they will need especially when they turn 16 ( a car, college, etc.) Growing up with a mother that got me everything I wanted and wasn't THERE for me, I can't believe I was thinking of doing the same thing.

12 years IS a long time, and I do not want to move because of school. I think the best option for me is to get a 2 or 4 year degree in something I really like. Today I will be checking it out. I think I would like to be a Nurse Practitioner even a Physicians Assistant, I will look them both up online today. Thanks for being there for me ladies, and keeping my head clear.

By Conni on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - 05:02 pm:

Good for you Candis. You can always start out with a 2-4 yr degree and then if you still have the desire to go on to med school then go for it.

I am hoping to have a 2 yr nursing degree one of these yrs. I quit school last semester for personal reasons and hope to pick back up when my baby goes to Kindergarten full time during the day. I have even toyed around with the idea of just getting my LPN at the vo-tech school. It takes about 14 mos I think. I just want to be a school nurse and have my summers off to play / or travel with the boys. ;) I will be 33 in May and have said I want to be a nurse since I was 16yrs old.

Good luck with whatever you do!

By Lauram on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - 07:02 pm:

I think you need to start with your Bachelor's and figure out where you want to go from there. I REALLY wanted to be in the medical field (actually I was pre-vet) and then I switched to pre-med. Then I realized I didn't like all the science courses! I also realized I REALLY wanted a family, but I also wanted to work. I went into teaching for that reason. I LOVE having the summers off to be with my kids. Right now, I'm actually going back to school (AGAIN!) I'm 35 and I'm getting my sixth year degree (the one beyond a master's) in educational administration. I am going really SLOWLY- there is no rush. Right now I'm taking one class a semester (one night a week). I also work full-time. That's enough right now for me. I feel like I'm able to balance my kids and my work (sometimes it gets hairy- but so far I've managed! )I really want to do more when my kids get older. I'm thinking I may want to go for a principalship. We'll see. I really believe you have to find something you love. THere are lots of options in a field you enjoy. You just have to figure out what works best for you and what your priorities are. Good luck!

By Imamommyx4 on Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - 08:09 pm:

Can't wait to hear how you are going to get started. You've gotten a lot of great advice. If nothing else get started on an English class or something just to get your feet wet. It's exciting when new doors open for you. When is the baby due? There are on-line computer course available for many classes now. Check into that, too. You could start that now even with the baby coming and not miss a beat.

By My2cuties on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 - 01:14 pm:

Conni, a while back I also thought about being an LPN. It seems like it would be so nice to only go to school a little over a year and then you could go to work, and they make pretty good money where we live.

Debbie, I have also thought about taking on-line courses to begin with. Actually DH suggested I do that. The baby will be here in May so I have a few months yet.

By Conni on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 - 08:34 pm:

Candis, how much do they make in your area? They make around $14-$16 here I think at the hospitals. They start out at less at the doctors offices. I have no idea what they make if they work at the school. Actually I dont know if LPN's can work at the school or not?? Might have to be an RN?? Do you know?

Thats funny you thought about doing that too--great minds think alike.