“Age is just a number” was probably coined by someone unrealistically ambitious. In the literal sense, age is, in fact, just a number. However, our biology is not impervious to the laws of the universe. The ticking clock that is life has claimed many ambitions, and a lot of the times, we can do little but surrender to its whims.

While age is just a number, it is also the reason why you can’t become a world-class athlete, an MMA fighter, or a professional swimmer in your middle age. However, some pursuits in life don’t abide by the authoritarian impulses of time, and, luckily, becoming a doctor is one of these exceptions.

Our lives are a rollercoaster filled with ups and downs, and at times there is little you can do to avoid the slopes. You may have had dreams of putting on that white coat and working in the service of humankind, but your circumstances didn’t allow it at the time. Perhaps, you stumbled across your passion for medicine later in life, and it ignited a fire in you that has you looking for answers.

Whatever the case may be, you should take a sigh of relief because age is just a number. Well, in some instances, it as. The caveats don’t make for a catchy phrase which is probably why the original saying caught on.

Anyway, I digress. The point is yes. You can become a doctor at the age of 40. More accurately, you can begin on the path to becoming a doctor at the age of 40 as the journey is known to take a little time.

Where would I begin?

You would begin where anyone else, old or young, begins to start their medical career. I am going to assume that you have a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field. If this is the case, then your journey would begin at the MCAT test. The MCAT is a standardized exam designed to test your problem-solving and critical thinking skills and your knowledge of scientific concepts and principles.

MCAT is to med-school what GRE is to grad-school. Aspiring doctors take the MCAT to get into a med school. Firstly, you would need to have a 4-year bachelor’s degree, preferably in a related field. However, if you don’t, you can still be eligible for med-school, but they may require you to take additional courses.

This requirement varies from program to program and from school to school. Hence, I cant give you a definitive answer without knowing your educational background. The best thing to do is to consult the Med-school you are interested in and ask them their eligibility criteria.

Once you have attained the relevant information, you would apply for the MCAT and start preparing. This will be the most challenging part of starting, as you have probably never touched a medical text-book in decades.

However, like any other standardized test, you can prepare for the MCAT and pass it with flying colors. There are so many resources available today that you wouldn’t have any problem studying. You can get books, join an academy, or sign-up for one of the many online courses.

Once you get your MCAT scores, the next step would be to apply for med-school. Depending on which school you choose, the competition might be excessively high, but it all depends on your application and MCAT.

How long would it take?

In the U.S., med-school typically lasts four years. The first two years would in a classroom setting, whereas you will spend the last two years in a clinical environment. Once you graduate from medical school, you will move onto residency. A residency program can last anywhere from 2 to 4 years, depending on your area of specialization.

However, do keep in mind that you may need to put in more years if your specialization field is neurosurgery. Neurosurgery and other fields concerning the brain tend to require up to 7 years of residency. Upon successful completion of your residency, you will be awarded a medical license. Afterward, it’s up to you whether you want to work at a hospital or start your practice.

You would have spent 8-12 years in this endeavor. You’d be close to your 50s, but most importantly, you’d be a doctor.

I am still unsure

That is completely fine. It is normal to have some reservations even when you want something passionately. Spending close to a decade on one thing is not an easy decision regardless of age. However, find comfort in the fact that you are not the odd one out. There have been many cases of people starting their medical journeys at and above the age of 40.

One way to find inspiration is to look at people who have traversed the same road as the one ahead of you. From oldest.org, I have some examples for you of real people who realized their dream of medicine in their middle age.

Shashta Theodore did her bachelor’s in sociology early in life and flirted with becoming an RN later on. However, while working as the director of a health promotion project for adolescents in South Africa, she found her true calling in life. Shashta joined med-school in 2017 in her early forties and is currently studying at medical school at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth in Houston, Texas.

Nathan Goldfein is an incredibly accomplished individual who studied mechanical engineering in his early life. He worked on enormous projects such as manufacturing missiles, satellites, and air brakes. He also attained 10 patents in his previous career before turning to medicine.

Regardless of such a spectacular life, Goldfein wasn’t ready to settle down and turned his eyes to becoming a doctor. He joined a medical school when he was 40 years old and credited two life-changing experiences for this decision- a medical emergency on a flight resulting in helplessness and the regret of not trying out NFL. He didn’t want to have any more regrets and graduated in 2005 from the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson, Arizona.

Joyce Haynes Busch also joined med-school at the age of 40. She had started a blog by the name of “A 40-Year-Old Medical Student” and documented her dreams of becoming a doctor in her late thirties. She made her dream a reality in 2011 when she was accepted to Ross University School of Medicine in Dominica (RUSM).

These are only a fraction of the stories that are out there. Becoming a doctor is entirely possible later in life and may even have some advantages.