AIBU to apply for medicine at 39 after qualifying as a teacher?

[DrRedT]

AIBU to consider applying for medicine at 39 after just qualifying as a teacher?

I’m 39 and have just qualified as a secondary science teacher. I have a permanent teaching job and genuinely enjoy it, so this isn’t about wanting to escape teaching.
But medicine was what I originally wanted to do, and lately I’ve found myself seriously considering applying again.
My route into education wasn’t traditional. I missed the usual qualifications when I was younger due to ill health, returned to education as an adult and eventually completed an undergraduate science degree, a Master’s and a PhD. I applied for medicine years ago but didn’t get through the initial screening stage and ended up taking a different path.
Alongside academia and teaching, I’ve worked for the ambulance service for several years taking 999 calls, so I do have experience of healthcare, dealing with people in crisis and communicating calmly when someone is frightened or distressed.
Oddly, qualifying as a teacher has made me think about medicine more, not less. I’ve realised that the part of teaching I love most is working with people — explaining complicated things clearly, building trust, adapting my communication and helping someone who is struggling.
I know medicine would mean starting again at around 40, years of training and a significant financial commitment. But equally, I’m going to be 45 one day regardless, and I don’t want to reach that age wondering whether I should have at least tried.
I wouldn’t give up teaching just to apply. I’d carry on working and apply for medicine alongside it. If I didn’t get in, I already have a career I enjoy.

So, AIBU to seriously consider applying for medicine at this stage of my life, immediately after qualifying for another profession?
And particularly interested in hearing from doctors/medical students, mature students, teachers who’ve changed careers, or anyone who went into medicine later in life. Would you think I’d lost the plot — or would you apply and at least find out

Does it have to be medicine?

I got a place for medicine, and then did a switch to physio, and for me, I am so glad I did. I get up to an hour with each patient, build trusting lasting relationships with the children I treat and their families. No night shifts in most cases. Shorter course, less stress, more fulfilling I think.

My advice would be try and apply for a bank job as a HCA this will give you an insight to shifts days and nights which are BOTH LONG HOURS. You will also see what hospital is like to work in.

I would not do it OP.

My niece started her medical degree aged 34, did all her junior doctor stuff and now is a GP.

You qualify in medicine and then what, start your training to become an architect?

OP I’m a GP and have been a doctor for 35 years. As much as I applaud your enthusiasm, sadly I think it’s unrealistic at your age.

The first 5 years is just to become a doctor, then after that you specialise. Becoming a GP takes an extra 4 years, and becoming a consultant takes longer. So you’d be about 50 before you were fully trained and no longer taking exams.

I’m 58 and I’m exhausted. I plan to retire at 60, as do many of my colleagues. The long hours are crippling as a GP, and there’s no way I could do hospital shifts now.

However, there are other clinical roles that don’t need as much training, so if you really want to work in a clinical role in the NHS, I think there are other options.

I'm usually in favour of people pursuing their ambitions.

But being a science teacher is a worthwhile career. You're probably needed where you are, and you always have the option to change schools if you want a new challenge.

You've only recently qualified and you and others have invested time and resources in your training. It seems a waste to throw up that investment after such a short time.

I'm a 47 yr old doctor, over 20 years in and desperately looking for a career outside medicine. Being a foundation doctor is bad enough in your 20’s….not a chance I’d do it now!

If your previous career was medicine adjacent are there any other avenues that could go in to give you what you want/need?

My partner is a lecturer within medicine, although not an MD and the advice he gives to all potential PhD students when they ask if they should do a PhD is absolutely don't do it. If someone telling you not to do it enough for you to sway yourself away from doing it probably means that there isn't the inner determination to see it through. Those that say "I'll show you" are more likely to have the spirit and determination to see it through.

You seem to have been swayed away from the idea of a medicine degree from the responses here but if your heart isn't in teaching maybe pull a bit more on that thread and work out what you do want and need.

How did you get into teaching? Since getting my PhD, whenever I speak to anyone about alternative careers they also say "you could always teach" now I find myself at a crossroads I do see how it can be the knee jerky reaction. I'm hesitant at the moment to pursue it, if I do I want it to be more of a conscious decision and think about the type of teaching/teacher I'd want to be.

Honestly, don’t do it! I am finally a consultant after many many years of training. It is a slog and honestly, getting worse! It isn’t just 4 years at medical school, it is two years of foundation training and changing roles every 4 months and 1 in 8 weekends and nights. It is more exams whilst working. It is not having any real control over your life until you finish training in some capacity. I absolutely love my job @DrRedT and now wouldn’t change it for the world but it was so incredibly hard getting here and I missed out on so much.

I retrained as a doctor in my mid 30s. It took me 13 years in total to become a GP - one year preparing the GAMSAT, 5 years med school (I didn't do grad med school as I wanted to live where I lived and with small kids figured I needed the slightly more generous schedule), 2 years foundation then 5 years GP training (part-time). So I qualified approx age 50. The degree is JUST the start of being a doctor.

It was fascinating and changed me as a person but there are many, many downsides. Every single mature student I trained with who has progressed beyond 'SHO' level (some got stuck there) has become a GP as nearly all consultant roles take too many years to be realistic (and as an oldie you just aren't competitive in the applications). Fine if you want to be a GP, which I did, but any ambitions of being a surgeon or clinical geneticist or even paediatrician probably need to be parked.

Foundation was horrible, really, but essential and I got to know all the local people/systems. Night shifts are absolutely crap and much much harder when you are old (on your digestive and every other system). You are back to zero, feeling like an incompetent idiot, knowing very little (working in the NHS you might know systems stuff, but trust me, doesn't count for much when you are trying, badly, to cannulate a plump and screaming 18 month old in the middle of the night). These days, foundation training selection has changed and you have much less choice in where you get placed, so it you happen to live in a competitive location (like London or Oxford) you can expect to have to move elsewhere.

Then you still haven't finished and you start specialty (probably GP) training, involving, probably, another move. More exams (all at own cost), more competition. You have to pay your own indemnity, additional courses, GMC fees. They rack up. There are so many hidden costs to being a doctor that people don't realise. If you can afford it, fine - but don't underestimate it - the pay is reasonable but it does get whittled away.

I would say being an older graduate probably means you hit the ground running with some skills (the people stuff, basic life experiences like grief, experienced diseases, pain) which give you a bit of a start. I mostly love my work, but GP is a hard place to be. I work many many hours for free and it is utterly exhausting and sometimes feels like you are trying to use just your hands to hold back a tsunami. I am glad I retrained, but I was younger than you and had a LOT of cash behind me thanks to a lucrative early career. I would say if you are serious you need to spend some time shadowing doctors (junior drs, GPs, A&E drs... the hard stuff too) to get a true idea of what the work entails. Ask those you shadow to be completely honest. The degree genuinely a very tiny step on the road.

Good luck in your choices OP.

Honestly your reasoning on the basis of what you’ve said just seems so confused - this is a fantasy and I don’t think you have a realistic idea of what is really involved at all. You say that teaching has made you realise that what you really love is working with people, explaining complicated things clearly, helping someone who’s struggling. You describe the role of a teacher, not a doctor. Have you ever actually been in a hospital and seen how long the doctors spend with the patients? Not in any way a criticism of the doctors by the way - they have hundreds of people to get through. Even GPs are limited to 5/10 minute appointments. If you really want to be working with people in the way you suggest, your current role is likely far more rewarding. And then the years of training (after just completing teacher training), the whole plan just doesn’t make any sense at all.

I wonder if you're more in love with the challenge of working towards a degree than with the profession itself. If that's the case, I would suggest finding another way to scratch your itch for learning/helping others.

I think you will regret it if you don’t apply; you have the right background in PhD level science and working in NHS.
if you are rejected then your dilemma is answered. If you are accepted then I wish you success.
I obtained my Masters aged 50, with family responsibilities and a stressful job.

I picked up on feeling excited about the yr 11s choosing their new courses. I help yr13 with ucas applications every year and it is exciting to see what's out there and to wonder "what would life have been like if I'd done ....?" And to see them starting new lives.
But then it passes in the chaos of day to day teaching and even the thought of what to have for tea becomes exhausting. And I know that I'm addicted to novelty and newness and that I'd soon get fed up of whatever I did.

Go for it! You only get one life.
I'm a qualified nurse and there was a huge range of ages on my course. Life experience counts for an awful lot in nursing and medicine.

@DrRedT What do you think you will get out of being a doctor that other elements of your working life have not given you?

It is of course possible but would be very tough. Four years of GEM or a traditional undergrad course. Then two years of foundation training. As others have said currently these allocations can be anywhere in the country. Full shift system and placements change every four months to expose you to a variety of specialities.

Competitive entry to the next level of training in a specialty you actually want to do. Some ratios in the last couple of years have been 12 applicants per place available. Some specialities then have further competitive entry for the next level of training as long as your initial postgraduate exams are completed of course.

My own specialty, training takes seven years split into three and four years. All that time you will be working full shifts usually 12.5 hours in length. Whilst studying for two sets of really tough exams.

It can be brutal working such long days with added commuting time too.

I love my job but would manage starting at your age I doubt it very much. Public health medicine is open to those with a science background not just those with a medical degree. Might that give you some of what you want out of medicine.

You certainly won't have time to do any sort of part time work if you embark on a degree in medicine. It costs a lot of money to train a would be doctor and I'm not sure the powers that be will think you are serious given your background. And the competition for places is very fierce.

Financially it may not be worth it.
You'd lose income and pension contributions for the 5 years of med school, pay >£9500/year fees and that is assuming there were no extra costs eg accommodation.

Let's say average experienced teacher salary is £45000 (no idea, I'm making up numbers)

That's £45000/ year lost over the 5 years of training = -£225000 at end of training
Minus £47500 fees = -£272000 compared to working as teacher at end of med school.

Assuming you don't need student loan to keep things simple.

You'd need to wait until year 16 after qualifying to break even financially compared to continuing working as a teacher. That means you'd break even (ignoring exam fees and occupational costs/GMC fees/medicolegal cover for simplicity which may be a few thousand per year) at the age of 61 assuming you had a smooth path through training and became a consultant as quickly as possible. It would take even longer if you became a GP (salaried GP likely to earn around £78000 full time). That is also assuming you progress with training without any setbacks (given many people are unsuccessful with specialty training due to a shortage of places and doctors are emigrating this is a possible outcome). In this case, you may not break even at all.

Go for it if your heart's in it and you don't care so much about the financial aspect/risks of earning less than teacher's salary as cumulative salary over remainder of your career and can accept 5 years less pension accrual in retirement.

I think you are too old, bluntly.DD1 is a doctor (a GP). Super bright and went straight from school with youth and energy on her side, but at times it nearly broke her... the relentlessness of exams, being moved, night shifts, being treated like crap at times, and really shit pay for a very long time, and she had known this was what she truly wanted to be from a small child!
She loves her job but is overworked, exhausted, frequently at the receiving end of abuse, and often frustrated at the processes.
You aren't committed.. to any path from your history so far. Medicine is SO competitive that any selection process is going to question that.
Nothing is stopping you having a shot at it... but to be entering F1 in your 40s... ouch. You'll be hitting perimenopause and it kills your energy levels, it really does.
I'd want to unpick WHY you can't settle, and why the next big thing has to be something 'spectacular'

Being a junior Dr is bloody hard. I see exhausted 25 year olds.

Do you have any idea what specialty you'd like to do? (Not that you couldn't change your mind of course).

I'm a 47-yr old very disillusioned senior consultant in an interventional specialty. I knew I wanted to do medicine, and if I'd not got in, like you, I'd likely have always wondered. But now, only 2 years older than you would be when you graduate, I seriously wish I'd wanted to do something else. The idea of still doing this, the overnight call-ins for bleeds and still being expected to make important decisions all of the following day etc. makes me want to go back in time and smack my former self. I seriously wish I'd chosen engineering. The NHS is not what it once was, and it's likely only going to get worse, before and if it gets better, for those employed within in.

There is a reason doctors are leaving in their droves, regardless of if they've just qualified or been at it for decades. A very committed colleague who we all expected to work till at least 70 will be taking very early retirement in a few months. An ex-head of specialty emigrated a couple of years ago.

That said, the specialty you choose will make a huge difference to the work/life balance you'll have in later life. Problem is if you do decide to pursue medicine, and like me fall in love with a specialty that requires you to be in at all hours till retirement, will anything else be enough?

I have a friend who retrained as a medic after a first degree in science + PhD and she’d say it was insane. If you were 30 ok. But you’re not going to qualify as a GP until you’re 49. And a consultant will take substantially longer.

Why not apply for Physican’s Associate?

honesty, this has been incredibly eye-opening, thank you for all the posts, I didn’t even consider the potential loss of earnings/pension/ aspects of this.

I understood the training and how long it takes to become specialised, but there are so many other things I haven’t considered. I’ve worked 12 hour plus night shifts before, I know how brutal they are, even as a non-clinical staff member,

all these posts have helped me to look logically and critically at this decision, and question my own motives for this and while there’s still a lot more thinking to do, you’ve all helped and I really appreciated everyone taking the time to post.

Check you’re eligible before you even consider. There are some bogus rules about studying medicine and original grades etc. I’m same age as you and wouldn’t bother now, but hearts desire and all that. Go for it if you can, why not

I had a friend who was a university professor proudly comment on a medical student he had - she was in her 50s.

If you are willing and capable then go for it.