Is it possible to become a doctor later in life?

[wonderinghmm]

I had a place to study medicine at university after school but switched to science and have always regretted it. is it possible to switch career and become a doctor later in life (mid-late thirties) or is this an insane idea? Any doctors out there with any advice?

I am in a similar situation....i was given a place to study med in India but switched to science. Have totally regretted the decision. Now an Msc in microbiology, move to UK and two kids later I want to go back to studying medicine. I was wondering if I could go back at the age of 30. Your determination to go back to studying medicine has totally inspired me. Thanks.

do you get funding for this or have you already 'used up' your allocation by doing a first degree?

My Advice would be to go for it if you really feel it's right for you and your family.
However, really need to think about the financial implications, and debts. I graduated in 2000 with only student loans of 5yrs to pay back but many of my friends had huge overdrafts, student loans and bank loans and that was 8+ years ago.
Another thing to consider is that I think these days just because you have a medical degree, doesn't necessarily mean you will have a guaranteed job. I know friends who have completed all their training and are struggling to find work ie in general practice. Saying that a lot will change in the nhs in the next 5-10years so who's to know what will happen. I think a lot of GP's will end up working for private firms.
It can't hurt for you to look into it and investigate. I'm sure most of the medical school undergrad dept would be easy to contact and have an informal chat with re their admissions policies. good luck!

wondering, what did you do in the end? did you get the place?

hi
I am glad I am not the only one to NOT take up on an offer of medicine. I have regretted it for nearly 20 years. I did apply the next year but did not get in. I have done pharmacy, had kids and now am thinking what to do. Pharmacy OK,there are good bits, but not sure I want to go back to it.

I am not sure I buy the idea, that doing med with kids is "an investment for their future". I dont think it helps them to have mum away studying and working so much. Oh.. what is the right thing to do?

I am glad to see mums considering it. It is not so much prob for a man (kids or no kids)to do it as a mum. I know of a mum who did it and she actually split from her husband just as she started the course (on the rocks before medicine course) but she said at least she had every 2nd weekend to study!!!

If you don't try you'll never know.

I'm going to finish my current course (1 year left), then finish the MSc (don't ask), then I'm going to do this. Life's too short to spend it wondering what would have happened if you made different choices.

I don't think studying medicine as a mum would be too difficult, but practicing medicine as a junior doctor would be really hard.
Junior doctors have very little influence over which areas of the country they have to go to in order to further their careers. It is very unusual for anybody to be able to stay in the same city from medical school through to GP or consultant grade. Increasingly there is a real risk of being saddled with high debts and periods of unemployment.
It is still normal practice to turn up for a new job at a hosptial without being given a rota in advance and to be told that you are on nights that week. It is usually impossible to arrange annual leave beyond your current post (and in some rotations posts are only 3 months each). When you are constantly moving between teams there is no consideration given to what you have had to do previously and I have known people work Xmas day three years in a row.
I went to medical school straight from school and concluded that the only way to have a family and a decent work/life balance was to qualify as a GP in as short a time as possible (5 years from graduating from medical school, may be increased to 7) and worry about having kids after that.
Sorry to sound negative but getting through medical school is the tip of the iceburg in terms of personal sacrifice you have to make to have a career in medicine.
There is a really good book called "So you want to be a medical mum", which I would recommend.

Hello there! Very interested to hear whether you progressed with this? Im a stay at home mum at the moment in SW london and have just started work toward the 2011 GAMSAT with a view to applying for the MBBS4 at SGUL..would love to hear how you're getting on!

Just going off on a tangent here.
An ex colleague of mine (health professional) decided that she wanted to be a teacher. She contacted her local university and they told her that they would want to see evidence of more recent study ( she was probably in her mid thirties then). She did a geography A level in a year, passed with a B grade and got her university place. She didn't finish the 4 year course.
What I'm saying is would medical schools also expect to see evidence of more recent study?

Bearcat, I haven't heard of medical schools necessarily requiring that. I have friends at SGUL & Derby on the graduate courses, & some who are doing undergraduate (for the second time).

Vickybroxbourne's point about the Stalinist operation of junior doctors jobs is a good one, but I wanted to add that when applying for FY jobs, you can apply for special circumstances. Most families I know used special circs to remain in the same deanery, we used it to move deaneries to be closer to family support.