To consider studying medicine at 43?

[PurpleOrchid42]

And with 2 ND kids, aged 6 and 2? Is this completely unrealistic? Or is it possible to live that dream?

Not unless you are rich and can outsource all childcare and housework. Indefinitely.

You'd be almost 50 by the time you started work as a doctor and the training is brutal. I don't think it would be sensible, sorry.

I’m sorry, but it’s completely unrealistic.

There have been loads of threads on here asking similar questions and every doctor has said it’s just not doable in those circumstances.

Can you identify what you like about the idea of doing medicine and meet that need in some other way?

Do it! I know a doctor who qualified at 54

Personally I wouldn't. What support do you have with childcare? What flexibility do you have about where you live? What is it about studying medicine which appeals?

With two primary aged ND children?

Extremely, extremely difficult. The training is intense and a huge slog at the best of times, both the physical and academic work. Who would look after your children? What is your current career? Do you have the grades in the relevant subjects (sciences and maths-based) to apply? It would be an epically huge undertaking.
And that’s before you take into account the workings of the NHS nowadays and the stress that comes with working for them.

I'm nearly 15 years younger than you and I'm leaving, in part because it just isn't family friendly but also because it's pretty miserable right now. Most of my friends are either leaving, wanting to leave or have moved to Australia / NZ. I wouldn't recommend medicine to anyone at the moment, let alone someone with children and who will be near 50 when they qualify. Sorry OP!

How would you do it with the difficulties your children face ? Not trying to be negative but I know how challenging it is

I think it would be incredibly difficult. Perhaps better to look for another healthcare role?

I’m a PT Accountant with a flexible job, supportive family/husband etc, and two ND children.

Frankly I can barely function some days - cannot imagine study and placements

There's a reason most doctors begin their 7 to 15-year training at 18 - it is incredibly hard-going, time-consuming and resource-heavy. You need the energy and lack of external responsibility of youth.

Nothing is impossible, given enough money and support, but I would say it would be extraordinarily difficult in your circumstances.

Is there a chance you could be ND too?

As a fellow ND person I have these kinda hyper focuses fairly often and was in a similar place obsessing over studying to move into nutrition. I'm in my 30s and decided it was a headache, and actually I earn well as is and not sure I want to adjust back to being a student again!

I think when you take into account the costs, time, and how hard and demanding it can all be.. it may be a bit much. Mostly from the perspective of massively skewing your work life balance though, not to do with ability/age etc. sometimes I think the dream is better than the reality 😊

I work clinically and sometimes I entertained this idea (I am 40). What stopped me: I am not willing to schlep up and down the country to my next rotation, I am not willing to work nights, as band 7 I actually earn more than doctors at the start of their career, I am too old to go for a specialty that is remotely exciting (like surgery or neurology) because I am not as sharp or energetic as I used to be and also because there are simply not enough working years left for me to devote to a specialism like that.
Have you looked into any of the AHPs? Could you be happy practicing as an occupational therapist, physio, SaLT? I retrained as an OT in my late 30s by doing two year pre-reg masters degree. I can highly recommend it.

No, I'm not ND. Been thinking about it for years, but previously was getting ready to start a family etc. Now, I'm looking for a new career and I know in my heart that I want to be a doctor. I have looked at nursing and could do that in two years as I have a Biology degree. Realistically though, I like the added problem solving element of being a doctor, and the higher level of knowledge and understanding. My sister and husband are both GPs, so I have some idea of what it entails. I think the biggest issue is obviously the shift work and how I'd manage that around childcare/my husband's availability. Financially, my husband would be able to support me, so that's not the issue.

I was a teacher and Head Of Chemistry in an 11-18 school for 13 years before I had my kids.

I'm a Doctor and say definitely don't!

The time as a medical student is very tough and once you qualify it gets much worse. It's hard enough to do as a young person with no children. The physical requirements of shifts in your 50s would be tough.

You would need huge amounts of childcare including unsocial hours. Even with childcare children still have so many other needs and it continues when they're teens.

You would have a short career, many Drs retire at/before 60 due to the demands.

YABU - please read the recent threads on this. My brother is a surgeon and has advised my children not to even think about medicine. Many doctors are heading to Aus and NZ. It is not remotely family friendly either......

No no no. Please do not do this. I’m a hospital consultant age 52. When I turned 50 I felt like a different person compared to the energetic woman I was at 40. The perimenopause has really hit me hard and HRT did not help me. Of course every woman is different.

But I can simply not imagine doing junior doctor training and night shifts whilst being perimenopausal. Doing my job, as it is, is a challenge, with the memory problems, anxiety and headaches. Even my non-residential on calls are a struggle. I was never like this before.

Think this through really carefully.

I think you need to do some shift shadowing on a ward for a few weeks and see what you are letting yourself in for. It’s not as glamorous as it looks on tv.

Have you thought about setting up your own sixth form college? Cardiff sixth form college is the best in the country and started as a Saturday tuition class. Or educational psychologist doctorate? You will have a lot of insight into ND which will help.

Do nursing in 2 years and then do an ANP qualification you can be a partner in a GP practice with an ANP qualification.

It's not just that you'll be 50 when you graduate though. You've then got two foundation years - will you uproot your family to another part of the country for those years. Then another four or more years of speciality training. You'll actually be 56 by the time you're fully qualified. Possibly older if you did GP training - starting as a GP aged 60, when others are retiring.

Try other medical routes if you're interested in the problem solving aspect - geneticist, biomedical scientist etc.

Why would you do that with such young children?

Thank you, I was looking at ANP, that's an interesting suggestion.

Is there something in a similar field that's less invasive you could explore instead, social work or something similar? If you've worked in schools etc that could be a good fit and easier to juggle.

Absolutely mad and unrealistic.

Most 43 yr old doctors are busy working out how early they can retire as the job is so crap.

Going back to doing night shifts in your 50s - absolute insanity. I thought about retraining in a different medical specialty but the thought of having to do nights again was enough to make me rethink.

Plus you would qualify at best age 49, 2 years Foundation year to 51, and then there is all the post grad stuff. Nobody wants to be revising for exams in their late 50s!