To want to go to medical school at 37?

[MilanHilton]

I’m 37, married with two nursery aged children. Husband and I both earn £45k each so we live comfortably but not well off.

My medical care when I was pregnant was atrocious and the NHS was negligent (they admitted it). Which really got me thinking… I want to be a doctor that LISTENS to women so that what happened to me won’t happen to another lady.

I know I’m old, and coming from a non science background I’ll have to do 6 years in medical school and then extra training to be an OBGYN. Looking at the junior doctor pay bands it is going to take me years to get back to my current salary. Not to mention needing to do shift work and the stress of it all.

Financially it will be a tight decade and by the time I finish uni, the kids will be towards the end of primary so hopefully life will be easier. I’ll be mid 40s when I finish medical school so will still have another 20 years of working still.

AIBU for considering putting my young family through a decade of financial and emotional stress with the hope that I’ll earn more in the future? Is it worth the stress?

AINBU - go be a doctor! You’ll save lives (sometimes)
AIBU - that’s too much work and financial turmoil, even if you become a doctor you’re not going to address the chronic lack of resource in NHS

Have you ever worked within the NHS? It’s great to have goals and ambitions as to how you would do the role differently but with no experience I would be concerned that you aren’t aware of the constraints of the role? This is informed by my experience of retraining as a social worker at 46 (to make a difference) and realising that most/all issues ar as a result of a lack of resources.

My guess is dentistry to do maxillofacial surgery or oral medicine.

Some food for thought from a practicing doctor - a series of 5 blog articles "what's wrong with the NHS"

https://drmalcolmkendrick.org/author/drmalcolmkendrick/

Thank you for posting. I will enjoy listening to this tonight once I get peace and quiet. Just finished listening to a Veblen podcast last night.

@HelloWorldItsNiceToMeetYou yes of course I would. My point (which a lot of others have made!) is that there are other careers which would fulfill the same goals without such a massive commitment at the beginning.
Although got to be honest, I wouldn’t personally have hired a male lactation consultant.

you should have ignored @CanaryCanary

It didn’t justify a response.

DOI NHS dr of 23 years.
please don’t. You’ll destroy your children’s childhood and probably your marriage.
I do mentor an allied HP of 39 and we occasionally discuss him applying to medical school. He has thought about it a lot, is an exceptional clinician and would be brilliant, but for all the reasons already mentioned on this thread he has said he can’t put his family through it.
im late 40s. At 55 consultants can opt out of providing on call services. For the first time a couple of weeks ago I mentally calculated how many years I had to go. I struggle to make safe decisions about patients beyond 10pm….by my age youll only be a few years out of med school with the worst years ahead of you. And I rarely help patients (I can’t think of the last life I saved). I mostly see people with lifestyle related health problems for which they intend to make zero lifestyle changes but would like me to use some fairy dust to make them better, all with a smile…..and don’t forget ……’my taxes pay your salary’.
if you really want to work in the NHS go down the physicians associate role (a role I don’t support), but a 2 year course will start you on a £45k/yr job rising to £80k within a few years. 9-5, mon-fri and the consultant you work under has all the responsibility. But I’d strongly advise not working in the nhs in any capacity.

The ‘physician associate’ role really makes me angry. Can’t everyone see how unfair it is to have a much less selective, much less trained person, get paid more, for doing similar tasks but without the responsibility of being a doctor, without doing the hard yards (on call, nights, moving around).

Yes it's outrageous @Bananabreadandstrawberries

Sounds rather like a traumatic reaction, you already earn enough money so why such a dramatic lifestyle change? Its not just the drop in wages before you get back to similar levels it's a whole new life where you'll be less available to your own family.
Have you considered other ways of advocating for women in medicine? Are their places to get on the board or as a governor? Can you volunteer with local charities? Local patient groups?
It's certainly not an easy choice for you.

I mentioned before I considered the same route as OP's when my children were very small for the same reasons.
I am glad I sticked to my career instead. As you become more senior, roles are more interesting, and you can make a difference in other areas. You have that in you, that's the main thing.
OP in ten year's time your kids will be teens and it cost a lot of money to allow them to experience things that definitely will make a difference when they choose their own path.
From sports and other activities, to local and not so local trips around Europe/ the world.
Its sad to realise that an open mind and an active lifestyle has an economic cost. I am horrified writing this but it is the truth.

I'm glad to have the resources to provide for this. It would be very different if I decided to go for medicine ten years ago. Its way too long and takes a lot of your resources.

Thanks to all doctors in MN letting us know what is really their career like. All I can say is fair play to all of you.
(Apologies if my English sounds a bit weird I'm not a native speaker)

The loudest voices in the NHS are generally in support of PAs. There's a fairly strong anti doctor sentiment at the moment amongst NHS staff, which I believe is more of a symptom of the denial-of-expertise sentiment across the UK right now.
PA training is also prioritised above junior doctor training now, because PAs are permanent trust employees and junior doctors move around between trusts. Trusts invest in training of their own staff first. Unfortunately this means PAs are working in operating theatres while surgical trainees are on the ward doing admin, and not meeting their training requirements without coming in on their days off to volunteer. So the issue is self-reinforcing.

Not sure what can be done at this point. Horse has bolted!

Of course they can. But fairness is only one aspect - personally I think it’s actively unsafe.

But regardless of what we think, the role exists and would suit OP better than long medical training.

Why would you suggest a role you believe to be actively unsafe? It is misleading saying that they are better paid than doctors. The role is capped. Doctors substantially quite understandably overtake PA roles fairly quickly.

For the same reason that a doctor above who also doesn’t support them either suggested it - regardless of what we think the positions are available and OP will no doubt hear of them eventually.

I didn’t say they were better paid if you read my posts - I said the pay was “comparable”. Starting on 45k but you can earn up to 80k with more experience - after only 2 years training. The hours are better too and more conducive to family life and childcare.

It’s a shame doctors can’t apply!

I’m a couple of years younger than you, no kids yet, degree in science, and a registered nurse. No way in hell would I be applying for medicine even though technically I could get in. Can literally think of nothing worse. I think we nurses have it pretty bad, but then have it far worse. Really not worth the stress - life is too short.

It was on another thread you said "2 years training, better pay than doctors in some cases." It is a bit insulting to doctors to say it is a shame doctors can't apply. Why would they want to apply for a lower role where they are not even allowed to prescribe? The role can't last in its current form. There are likely to be some high profile deaths caused by the danger in lack of regulation of the role and there will have to be a rethink.

My husband is in the military (getting out in two years)

what is his career plan?

How are you so sure you could get in? Grad entry Medicine is ridiculously difficult to get into. Not saying you wouldn't but you can't be sure you could.

In some cases Ie - compared to junior doctors on £14 ph.

Some doctors stuck on the treadmill of training, moving around the country, unholy hours and unlimited stress might find the 9-5 hours and pay attractive particularly if they have kids. Yes it would be a major step down in terms of responsibility, and I’m not sure how many would actually go for it, but it potentially represents more security and better work-life balance.

However I don’t disagree the role can’t continue in its current form - it needs to be much more clearly delineated and the training needs to be at least double.

Why would they go to be a PA though? They can earn £200k+ pa as a management consultant or in pharma if it were about the money.

generally it’s not easy to just stroll in to £200k plus role understatement

Management consultant starting salaries are around 35k. 200k would be the small number who make it to senior director/partner after many years experience.

I am senior in a London management consultancy. This is perfectly achievable within a couple of years.

I am senior in a London management consultancy. This is perfectly achievable within a couple of years.

Average salaries in MC are 50-60k which wouldn't really support that statement.

Of course, anyone's welcome to give it a go. But it's not a sector renowned for lack of pressure and short hours.