It was becoming increasingly apparent that the course of our plans as a family were moving toward incompatibility with a profession music career. This was not troublesome to me in the least because I had considered many options when Lynne began medical school. It is perhaps noteworthy that training as a physician was not among the possibilities I entertained originally.

My initial plans revolved around a degree in nursing. This seemed to be a logical choice, under the circumstances. Lynne had already accepted a state plan to work in a rural or underserved community in exchange for tuition abatement and a small monthly stipend. We were looking for ways to both become useful members of a small community. At last survey, there weren't too many towns under 12,000 with professional orchestras. My teaching certificate, expired now for over twenty years, did not seem to be the answer. Nursing seemed to be an appropriate choice, so I set out to complete the admission requirements.

A conservative course seemed to be the best plan, so I enrolled in a developmental psychology course at Johnson County Community College in the spring semester of 1990. I was looking, quite honestly, for the easiest way back into the realms of academics. After all, it had been quite a while since my last encounter with a school setting. Imagine my surprise when the instructor, whom I had mistaken for a student because of his young appearance, turned out to be a new graduate of UCLA with his PhD in psychology. My initial fears were unfounded; he turned out to be one of the best university level instructors I have ever enountered.

Since this particular psychology course was a requirement of the local nursing programs, there were many students in my class with the same intention. While I was pleased to receive fine instruction and to be in the presence of other like-minded students, there were already signs that this was not the direction I should be going. How did I know? I cannot say with any certainty. It just seemed clear that this was not where I would end.

The next prerequisite for nursing was Human Anatomy. This was a definite turning point for me: I entered a non-stop spiral toward medical school when this course began.

Anatomy went well for me. We had an excellent instructor. As a practicing dentist, Dr. Brian Baumgartenter was somewhat more detailed in his presentation of the head and neck region. This turned out to be valuable later in medical school anatomy. While the rest of the class was in a state of panic, I could turn my attention to other pressing matters, such as biochemistry! In any case, as I learned my way around the insides of the human body, I decided to inquire about the requirements for medical school admission. Dr. Baumgartener offered excellent advise, and he referred me to Darwin Lawyer in the JCCC counselling office.

Darwin is one of the pre-med and allied health advisors for the college. As I went in to speak to him, I was somewhat uncertain of my chances of completing such a project. I literally left his office with a schedule to begin the required courses, and a plan to complete both the prerequisites and MCAT exam within two years. Darwin is an extraordinary person with a gift for discerning the strengths and weaknesses of the students to whom he offers advice. I am indebted to him for his confidence in me.

It was perhaps serendipitous that I also received a rejection from the nursing school at Johnson County Community College. I had interviewed several weeks before. Without access to a good two year nursing program, the required work for a Bachelor of Nursing would have taken almost as long overall as the entire series of prerequisites and medical school. My decision by this time was quite firm.

A music education degree required little in the way of science, and the single biology class I attended at Ohio State in 1973 was woefully outdated. Even still, it counted toward one semester of prerequiste classes. This left the complete series of chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, math, and an additional biological science to complete. These were scheduled in between work, shuttling children, household tasks, and even the birth of our fourth child. They were, none the less, completed on schedule.

Would I recommend a community college as a choice for the completion of pre-requisites? Yes, I would recommend one highly. The ratio of students to teachers is excellent, the courses are consistently well organized, and the presentation was equal or better than much of the material I learned at four year universities. Some of the prejudice toward community colleges still exists, but it is, in large part, unfounded. Was it difficult? I suppose it was. By comparison it was not at all demanding, but all things are relative.

last updated 6/12/95

The Mature Medical Student

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