Medical Education US

I am leaving the Navy soon, and very determined to get into med school. I'll explain my situation and soak up any advice that anyone has to offer.

I am a Navy Corpsman (medic), and decided a couple of years into my enlistment that I wanted to be a doctor; this conclusion I came to after working with several doctors as part of my job.
I work in a small clinic, with a staff of a few other Corpsmen to whom the doctor delegates all "lesser" tasks to during the day...such as sick call, physical appointments, PT admin, f/u care for non-complicated wound treatment, etc. I work under the doctor's license, and write full SOAP notes including Dx, Rxs, and Tx plans...doing this work, and seeing results in patients (in my case Marines) led me to the realization that I could do this for a living.

However...I have virtually no educational background that has prepared me for going to college, not to mention I've never been to college prior to the military. I did well enough in high school (six years ago) to skate by and earn a diploma but not much else.
The military has changed my view on life, and given me disciplines I will use for college. I have hang-ups with going to college however...

I am at a pinnacle of a decision that will determine many factors, including whether to stay in CA or move back to MO. I am frightened that if I score well enough on an ACT/SAT to attend college, I will be in over my head with college level coursework. This leads me to believe that I should go to a community college firstly; however a couple of people have given me the advice that I shouldn't waste my time with community college, that I should just enroll in University and start off with the lowest level courses offered (even if they are not in my major) to "get me back in the game".
But of course, this means enrolling in U assuming that I'll do well enough to 1) survive 2) attain a good enough GPA to be considered for med school and 3) keep that GPA so I don't loose my scholarships/GI Bill.

What's a boy to do? Enroll in U and take low level course work or go to community college? I have spoken with U reps about this issue and either no one understands my question, or they don't know how to answer it. The only answers I get are about remedial courses...of which no one offers. Every other answer from random people involves something like "well, you'll never be a doctor so you should consider X job field...".

Sorry for rambling...thanks for reading.

-Justin

It sounds like you've gotten some excellent experience under your belt. My own thought is that there is no right or wrong path from where you are right now. Hopefully you will score well enough on the SAT/ACT to enroll in a university, but I think that going to a community college first will not necessarily be a waste of time. The classes you take will likely transfer to a 4 year program. You just wouldn't want to take any classes expecting them to count towards pre-med requirements, as community college level science classes won't count.

The big question seems to be whether you can handle the academic requirements to be a doctor. The only way to know is trial and error. If you find community college classes very easy, then transfer to a 4 year college and see how you do in the pre-med courses. If you decide to start at a 4 year college off the bat, I think it does make sense to take some non-science classes first that are of interest to you. The pre-med curriculum is very demanding and as you haven't been in school for six years, it does seem like the coursework would be a huge adjustment.

This is all only my opinion of course.

And, as other people have told you, being a doctor isn't the only way to do the type of work you seem to enjoy. There are many other types of work in the medical profession where you can do almost the same things. Physician assistants and nurse practitioners function the same as primary care doctors in many settings. The training is less rigorous and less costly.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Don't listen to any of the negative comments. You can become a doctor, I'm in a similar situation and looking for the best route. I don't have any great advice but all I know is that you CAN do it. There is a way and you'll find it if you remain diligent.

I wish the best to you.