Medical Education US

Hi. I am contemplating becoming a psychiatrist as a second career. I am interested in finding out how I should go about taking the necessary classes to apply to med school. I have always been interested in the field of psychiatry but was discouraged from pursuing it when I was in college. I caved a bit too easily and majored in Finance instead (something I was told was a bit more practical). I am hoping it's not too late for me to pursue this even though I didn't take any of the necessary science classes in college. I am just at a loss as to whether there are college programs what I can apply to in order to take these fundamental science classes.

Thanks

msc,

I know a few people who were in the finance field prior to going to medical school. The people I know took classes at a local university in the evenings while they were still working. They were able to take pre-med level science classes. They then took the MCAT and applied to medical school. I would suggest you contact a local university to see if they offer the coursework you would need to go to medical school. It is a big investment of time and money, but the people I know seem very happy (once they were finally done with training). Just keep in mind that medical school is very challenging even for students who go straight through from college (academically, emotionally, and financially). It is probably even more challenging for those who have taken time off before going back. It can be done, and many people do it, but it is not an easy road.

Hi, I have a similar predicament as the one mentioned earlier. I can't decide which math classes(s) to take next year. I'm currently in Pre-Cal and my choices are: College Algebra, Calculus AB or BC, and AP Statistics. I want to avoid Calculus because math is not my best subject but I want to be sure that if I'm planning to do something along the lines of becoming a psychiatrist, I for sure won't need to take the class later because if I have to take it some time, I'll take it next year. Also, I want to take AP Stat because I know I need that class but the Stat teacher at my school isn't that great at all. Should I wait to take that class until college or just deal with it next year. I'm pretty sure I will take College Algebra though. What should I do?

Most medical schools do not require calculus, but a few do. You may want to check with a few medical schools that you'd consider (like your top state school and maybe one or two private schools) and see if those particular schools require calculus. Assuming you don't need calculus, what you take in high school probably doesn't matter too much. You usually need to take 1 year of college level math though.

Here is a nice list of medical schools with math requirements. If a medical school is not listed, it is because they don't have a math requirement. Of those listed, almost all require a year of college level math and many recommend calculus (but it isn't required). A few do require 1 semester of calculus and a few require 1 year of calculus. A few require statistics and a few recommend statistics.