To think I could study medicine aged 48?

[Nooname01]

Just that really.

I've long wanted to be a doctor but thought I couldn't for various reasons.

I am academic enough (v high achiever, 1st class degree in a different discipline) and we could afford it financially.

Dc would be 16, 14, 12 and 8.

Would I just be too old on graduating though?

Thanks so much everyone, this is exactly what I needed - a heavy dose of reality.

I guess sometimes things are just too late.

My kids come absolutely first for me, hence I'm not working at all now (just due to my/our situation, not a comment on working parents, it just doesn't work for us at the moment) and was only really thinking about this for when my youngest is 8 or 9.

I know I wouldn't be willing to sacrifice them for my own dream so ah well. That's life.

Shona, so sorry for your and your dms experiences. The patient and what they are going through should be at the front of the physicians mind

OP

How long have you been a SAHM for?

Seems to me you need to start working up to whatever you choose to do slowly. It will be a bit of a shock to you, your kids and family life to go back to work when one's doing GCSE's, one's choosing options, and is probably hormonal, one's starting Secondary. Never mind a stressful career in the NHS

I started a new career after lots of voluntary work, when mine were 10 and 8.

Good luck

For even considering it I think you need something in your life other than DCs.

So you have say 10 years until they are more independent and 15 years until they probably have all flown the nest. That is a long time - look at other careers, the OU, start planning................... don't waste a minute it will be here before you know it!

Yes I will look in to other options, I had already considered sonography.

I am also planning to start some voluntary word when dd starts school in sep if I can take the baby/toddler with me!

Any ideas?

Yes I agree going back to work will be a huge change, I was researching/teaching in law when my eldest 2 were pre-school but haven't WO the H since then (5 years ish)

OP -sounds like you are formulating some more realistic aims. How about physiotherapy or speech therapy? Both sound like they could be quite rewarding to me?

Not sure voluntary work taking toddler with you would work? Where were you thinking of?

Can I just ask though - did I read correctly - you studied an arts subject when you first went to uni. Do you have science A levels? If not, you might need to do a conversion course (or even Science A levels?) before starting a new degree?

I really don't want to squash your dreams but I would say don't do it. I'm married to a consultant and it's been a hard slog supporting him through training of which the hours are long and the travelling can be longer (jobs within the deanery can be a 100 mile round trip). The training is constant-it doesn't just stop once you leave med school. My husband is now busier than ever as a consultant and ive essentially given up my nursing career to support him as his hours are long and with the on calls and fixed rota it is difficult for us both to work and bring up a family. You would also be at retirement age by time you reach consultant level that you would be unlikely to get a job.

If you like hospital environments then I would consider a different career-nursing, midwifery, radiographer, OT etc. In the meantime you could do voluntary work at the hospital or with a charity like marie curie etc.

Just seen your last post. I can't think of any volutary experience you can do with a baby/ toddler as you certainly wouldn't want to unwillingly expose them to a hospital environment. You could try some sort of befriending service for elderly/terminally ill which may allow you to visit with a child but I'm guessing for insurance purposes not. There will probably be some sort of training with voluntary experience too. I did 3 days for marie curie.

Whilst my youngest was a toddler I volunteered at a local baby group. Nothing much but was on the 'management team' of sorting drinks/welcoming new people etc. it wasn't much but something I've been able to put on my cv. Or if you have school age become an active pta member. Again it gives you lots of organisational skills which again has helped to bulk out my cv when I talk of skills/other experiences.

Thanks queen, it's really helpful to hear about the reality!

Yes I did an arts degree philosophy/theology and have done PG law. I did social biology a-level so would need to catch up on sciences.

Maybe I'm over estimating how able I actually would be to study sciences now

Yeah I was wondering about visiting at care homes or maybe in people's homes. But may more realistically need to wait for him to be at preschool.

I'm already involved with PTA and do what I can school wise.

Unfortunately I do think you are too old. The "training" isn't 4/5 years, that's just medical school, even to be a GP is another 5 on top, most likely being extended to 7. You would be 60 by the time you are fully qualified.
It costs a fortune to train a doctor, somewhere in the region of £250-500,000 per doctor, they have to have a cut off to get their money's worth

Another thread ( that's been illuminating ) but also makes me feel sad to actually hear how difficult lives of doctors actually are. Although I suspected as much.

What about volunteering in a hospice. I sure they could use a willing helper. It might help you decide what you want to do when your children are older.

My aunt ( not an academic but a brilliant cook) worked in the hospice kitchen after she retired from her clerical job.

Yes I did an arts degree philosophy/theology

Snap!

Have you thought about possibly moving sideways from law to medical ethics? Then you are not starting from scratch but using your experience in a more medical and stimulating (as it is where your interests lie) environment?

I know many people will disagree and I understand why, but I really relate to the hospital thing. I love hospitals. And that is despite having been really miserable when stuck in them, and having had some traumatic experiences there, but it's not about that. It's the cool, modern, professional atmosphere and the sense that real things are going on. Medical work is like the coalface - people aren't just sitting in meetings and pushing paper around (though of course some of that goes on) – they're actually fixing people's bodies. I find that so amazing and fascinating.

I'm the same Cat. I was just a librarian but I loved working in a hospital building. I too have an arts degree, but if I had my time again I'd do a science

I'm not sure I could ever retrain though. I am such a lazy, procrastinating type of student.

If you can afford to do a medical degree, why don't you put the baby in a nursery for a day a week to do voluntary work? Would probably be more stimulating for them than accompanying you?

Lol pumpkin!!

Cat yes to the hospital thing - totally!!

I have thought about starting with admin work in the hospital (we actually live a few miles from a huge hospital) and then just go from there

Runner - what jobs would be in medical ethics?

Sorry for multiple posts, I can't see the previous posts in my reply and forget what people have said. Also got baby and a billion things to do!!

I was keeping an eye on this to see if anyone had mentioned radiography and I'm glad they have. If you are motivated and hardworking there are so many avenues you can follow in radiography, sonography is one of them that can be very rewarding, scanning and reporting on the scans. There are also consultant radiographers with a lot of responsibility in their jobs, others run their own screening lists and report on the findings. In my time I have seen pretty much everything that goes on in theatres, I did my own injections, taken the place of a scrub nurse for radiology work, spent a lot of time in A&E departments, the list is endless, wherever you are in the hospital there won't be a radiographer far away! It can be a very rewarding job and only three years training(intensive - you don't get university holidays even though it's a degree, we had 6 weeks a year, and 50% of your time is spent working as a radiographer so it's not boring).

Personally I think it is better than being a Dr, you get all the interest of being in the hospital, lots of hands on time with patients and as you progress a lot of responsibility for their care without the million years of training.

Am really amused by the lovely perceptions of hospitals of non-medics esp 'cool, modern, professional atmosphere'.

I've worked in loads of crummy hospitals where the roof leaks, the IT never works, it's either freezing cold or boiling hot (late turning off the radiators has been an issue every summer, wherever I've worked) and there are just as many annoying colleagues as any normal office.

And today I've done far more sitting in meetings pushing paper around than I have fixing people's bodies - the first thing you realize as a junior dr is how much time you spend writing bits of paper, filling out forms, phoning people up to grovel for things etc. As a consultant the spending time in meetings factor is stratospheric.

I've been in a lot of hospitals though. Only one that I can think of was really crummy (and got knocked down soon after). So that's why I have that impression. I also really liked most of the hospital staff I've met.

I worked in hospitals for the first 10 years of my career. They are a very particular environment. At best, a real community with a sense of purpose, energy and fun, and people with shared philosphies. At worst, very hierarchical with endless bloody meetings and professional sniping.

Now, I work in Education. To put it rather baldly, i don't think I could go back to working where death is. I like being where life is happening.