It is not uncommon for experienced professionals from other fields to apply to medical school. These “bent arrows” bring a broader perspective to their class discussions, enriching the experience of classmates.
Pursuing a second career as a doctor can be a rewarding choice for nurses, attorneys, social workers and others, but requires several years of committed study.
Embarking on a second career, particularly one as challenging as becoming a doctor, can be intimidating for many people. The good news is that the skills required in many early careers provide solid footing for a life as a physician.
Take a look at the list below to see how these careers may offer the necessary skills to help you succeed in medical school and become an adept and empathetic doctor.
Nurses
Nurses possess an excellent perspective on medicine based on their training and work, whether in hospitals, outpatient clinics or on mission trips. Not only have they learned many crucial clinical skills during their training, but they’ve also acquired skills in the art of caring and compassion from watching skilled nurses and doctors interact with patients and families.
They know how to coordinate with team members in a crisis situation while staying calm and effective, and they’ve honed their observational skills as they care for patients with both simple and complex diagnoses. Nurses are also well-versed in medications and other therapies.
[From Nurse to Doctor: Applying to Medical School as a Nurse]
Lawyers
Attorneys prepare and plan extensively for complex cases and before courtroom hearings, just as a surgeon does prior to difficult surgeries. Both legal and medical training require the ability to absorb challenging material over long periods of time, research cases in great detail and apply critical reasoning skills. Lawyers have also learned what caused good doctors to get in trouble unintentionally.
Engineers
Engineers are grounded in team play and experienced in working with a group to find optimal solutions. Most have had to hone negotiation skills to get each member on the team to take responsibility for a part of the project and to complete it on time. Accepting the importance of check-ins with all members of the group to determine progress is normal process, just like rounds with medical teams.
They understand the concept that multiple minds can problem solve more easily than one person working alone. Many engineers have at least some biomedical engineering training and typically love the flow of creation that comes from working in these labs.
Educators
Those who teach are able to break down complex topics into smaller, teachable bites with great clarity. This skill is important whether one is talking to classmates, interprofessional colleagues or patients.
Educators closely observe the differences among their students, discerning which learn visually, which learn audibly and which prefer interactive learning versus passive learning. Educators are well versed in the analysis, synthesis and application of information. This will serve them well during medical school and beyond.
Patience and acceptance of diverse individual differences are part of what takes them to education and takes them to medicine. Service in helping others improve is part of their nature.
[Paid Work That Impresses Medical Schools]
In my years of medical school involvement, I have seen elementary school, middle school, high school science, math, music, social studies and language teachers all applying and becoming physicians. University educators also do the same, especially those with a science background. We have had multiple Ph.D.s in our program.
Researchers
These individuals are often drawn to medicine in their quest to know the unknown. They aren’t satisfied with the fact that something happened; they seek to understand why and how it occurred. They want to be part of the active solution to what ails people of the world.
Those with backgrounds in research generally know how to look both upstream and downstream from a particular finding for answers and understand what might be expected to occur in the future. Certainly they live through grueling years of repetitive work without giving up on their goal, and this experience is more than helpful during medical school.
Like some of the professionals described above, researchers are great observers of detail, looking not only for patterns but also for what lies outside the proverbial lines. They consider medicine because they want to feel closer to the people they are helping and they want to see patients benefit.
This is currently a very popular path to medical school, with many researchers wanting to ultimately do a combination of research and medicine.
Social Workers
Like nurses, social workers are compassionate and caring. They possess great skill in understanding family dynamics and the way those dynamics affect a person’s illness, as well as how the illness can affect family members.
Social workers are tactful and can negotiate challenging teams and sticky political matters in the medical arena. They are experienced in handling explosive and vulnerable people in challenging situations.
Social workers fully appreciate social determinants of health and how they affect access to care, treatment options and overall outcomes. They often are knowledgeable about resources for patients outside the hospital setting.
Allied Health Care Professionals
Many types of allied health care workers — including paramedics, physical therapists, occupational therapists and radiology technologists — routinely apply to medical school.
[Read: What to Know About Applying to Medical School Later in Life.]
Generally, they already have solid experience working in hospitals, nursing homes, outpatient centers and other health care sites. Because they often work alongside doctors and nurses, they are familiar with those roles, though they themselves function very differently.
An EMT will likely feel quite at home in the emergency department, while an occupational therapist may be more comfortable in a rehabilitation unit. Nonetheless, they may discover a new passion as they move through medical school.
Founders of Businesses or Nongovernmental Organizations
These individuals also have been applying to medical school every year that I have reviewed. Sometimes they hope to work on the business end of medicine; sometimes they are hoping to improve the lot of underserved populations. Often they feel medicine will lead them to helping people in a new way that will be more satisfying.
Armed Services Members
Not just medics, but persons in multiple positions and ranks may develop an interest in medicine. It may have been inspired by what they saw in combat, family experience or realizing they have wanted to serve in another way and now have the confidence to go for it.
People who have served in the military definitely know how to work in teams and communicate with others. They have a good sense of when to follow orders for emergency situations and how to inspire trust in those who report to them.
Government Workers or Public Policy Experts
These individuals may feel distanced from the people they want to help. They see medicine as a profession having more immediate contact with those they want to serve. Some may be frustrated with the speed of making a difference from where they are. They are willing to take the extra years to train to have a direct impact.
If you’re considering a second career as a physician, be sure to understand the decision-making process that goes into moving from an established career to completing a medical school application. The impact on one’s family, the cost, the long years of work and the prerequisites necessary to apply to medical school are all part of the mix. Discuss the idea with others and prepare extensively to know if you are ready to make the leap.
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10 Careers That Can Lead to Medical School originally appeared on usnews.com
