If you’ve been thinking about becoming a doctor later in life, you’re not alone. More people from diverse professional backgrounds are taking the leap and making the change to a career in medicine.
Whether you’re coming from finance, education, engineering, or another field, starting medical school as a non-traditional student is more common and achievable than ever before. St. George’s University (SGU) School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies supports individuals looking to switch careers and pursue their path to becoming a physician.
Is it too late to be a doctor? Not according to today’s medical students
According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the median age of students starting medical school in 2024 was 23. More than 16 percent were over 25.
This number can vary depending on the institution. For example, SGU’s School of Medicine class that enrolled in the 2024-25 academic year had a median age of 24. About nine percent of the class was over the age of 30 with some even beginning in their 50s and 60s.
Every doctor has a story – a personal reason that sparked their calling to practice medicine. For some, that calling comes a little later. Whether you’re in your late 20s, 30s, or beyond, what matters most is the passion and purpose driving you forward.
One such example is Dr. Ahmed Hussein, MD ’22, who transitioned into medicine after initially building a career in pharmacology. Driven by a desire to make a greater impact on patients’ lives, he pursued his long-standing dream of becoming a physician in the United States. Today, Dr. Hussein is a first-year pediatrics resident at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York.
He said: “We can all be helpful to the vulnerable, but being on the frontline, diagnosing and treating patients, was my main drive to pursue medicine.”
Determined to succeed, he researched different educational institutes before selecting SGU because of its “seamless” application process.
“When I got the news about my acceptance, I felt that I was about to embark on a new journey that would require hard work, day in and day out, to reach my destination: MD in the United States,” he said.
While he enjoyed the extracurricular selectives, such as dissection and wilderness medicine, he was also supported in preparing for the US Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE).
He said: “The modules taught and tested during the basic science years are very detailed. I was provided with all the tools that I needed to do well in standardised exams, such as Department of Educational Services.”
He also completed his first clinical rotation at Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York where he rotated between different departments and the place where he met his wife.
While he is thoroughly enjoying his time as a doctor, Dr. Hussein believes the transition from student to MD is an ongoing process.
He said: “One thing I learned quickly in med school is you’ll never ‘feel’ 100 percent prepared for an exam or patient encounter during clinical rotations. However, I channelled this self-doubt to do my best, analyze my shortcomings, and try to address them before my next exam or patient encounter. With the same mindset, I tackled my first block of residency. It’s a lifetime journey of learning and it begins by being open to self, peer, and supervisor appraisals.”
It’s not too late to be a doctor
Look no further than St. George’s University School of Medicine for evidence of success among career-changers and other non-traditional students. SGU offers abundant resources and has a campus designed to support student success.
SGU offers a wide range of scholarships to help aspiring medical students achieve their dream of becoming a doctor. For more information, please visit SGU’s website.
