Apply, Apply, Apply again

I’ve moved away from writing here too much about my application process for medical school, even taking it off the sidebar so I don’t have to see it regularly. Not to imply that it doesn’t continue to saturate every day of my life, but at least it isn’t quite so visible to everyone else. This year is the third year I’ve applied to medical schools and I decided at the outset that it would be the last. Applying is an expensive, time-consuming and emotionally exhausting process, followed by the expensive and stressful process of interviewing, the outright painful waiting for a decision, and for me, ultimately the disappointment of wait-list placement (or death row, as I think of it) with no last minute stay of execution for my dreams of practicing as a physician.

I changed a small number of strategic things this year and have had increased success. The primary change was to include osteopathic medical schools in my applications. These programs do not result in an M.D. degree, but a D.O. degree. At the end, you still are referred to as “Doctor”, you have the same prescribing rights, the same ability to perform procedures, the same state and national licensing, the same liability. It took some serious investigation to convince myself this was a reasonable pathway because I had some reservations about the image of D.O.s falling into the “holistic”, “homeopathic”, “naturopathic” and to be honest, all around crunchy-granola end of the medical spectrum. But ultimately, it was an image and not a requirement of training nor practice of osteopathic physicians.

And finally, some success. I have four interviews in Nov/Dec and have already received an offer of admission to one program with others suggesting decisions will be forthcoming prior to the holiday break. Hallelujah, Amen!