Session 104 If you're thinking about going to medical school and being a surgeon, but worried about how old you are, check out our latest episode! (Hint: Age doesn't matter) Just an announcement: We're moving everything over to MedicalSchoolHQ.net. Stay tuned for that big switch. In the meantime, listen in to this awesome episode. [01:17] OldPreMeds Question of the Week: "I'm a 32-year-old mother of two and recently allowed myself to actually entertain the idea of becoming a doctor. I didn't think it was possible financially. But my husband is super excited about having me do this. He thinks we should be willing to do whatever it takes. The idea of becoming a physician is the first career that I've considered that actually makes sense, that I can actually see myself enjoy doing it. I like to work with my hands. And the idea of literally healing people with them is the most exciting thing about this prospect. But I'm worried no one would hire me because of my age. The residency program I have my eye on is 6-8 years long. I was not bothered by the length of time it would take to become an attending surgeon. Until I started looking into a formal postbac program. It is three years long. I saw the year left of my undergrad. So the thought of having to wait closer to four or five years before going to med school instead of two or three is a real downer. I know some do a do-it-yourself postbac. I'm concerned that the lack of extra bio courses could put me at a disadvantage academically. Would it be wise to take those classes during my glide year? Another thing that is annoying is that I have already completed a year in physics and chemistry. But the courses were taken so long ago. I'm not sure they would count, about ten years ago by the time I applied for med school. I know there are other old premeds older than I, but any of them go into surgery. Or is it just a pipe dream? Hope I'm just over-reacting. I just need some encouragement or perspective." [03:00] Are You Too Old to Become a Surgeon? At 32 years old, if you look at how long it's going to take to finish medical school, that's 36. Add a couple of years for the postback, you'd be 38 or 39. No, it's not too old to be a surgeon. But, maybe. There are going to be programs out there that will look at your age and think you're not going to be able to hang. Or that you've got kids already so you won't be able to hang. My advice is to start building a relationship with a program out there. During medical school, do your elective rotations at some of these programs and kick butt. Show them that you can hang and get a spot there. Surgical residencies are hard. They're very time-consuming. They're very emotionally and physically draining. They are academically hard to get into. There are a lot of things that need to line up properly to get into this. But is your age going to hold you back? No, it won't. "The only thing that's going to hold you back is you." You need to sacrifice your family more than anything else. Your husband is going to have to be okay with this idea. He has to be okay with you working 80 or 100 hours a week in the hospital. He has to be okay being a single dad for the 6-8 years of your residency. He has to understand what he's getting into. There are going to be program directors out there that will not look at you because of your age. And that's just the fact. But there are plenty of other programs out there that don't care. So as long as you're flexible with where you want to go with programs you're applying to, then do it. [05:40] A Three-Year Formal Postbac A three-year formal postbac is really long. Most postbacs are a year or two. So three years is really, really long. For the most part, Physics being ten years ago is not a problem. But it may be a problem when you're studying for the MCAT. You can self-teach it. But you don't have to retake it just because it's old. Do some soul-searching to figure out if you can study Physics on its own, as you're doing th