The application period for 2026-27 B/C/C volunteer leadership roles is open now through April 30 | LEARN MORE

The DO

How our lives before medicine help us become the doctors we’re meant to be

By The DO Staff

09.19.25

Beginning medical school as an older student, after years in the United States Army and working as a cardiovascular technologist, has reshaped my life in ways I never expected. At age 40, I found myself back in the classroom, surrounded by classmates who were mostly in their 20s. It is a strange feeling—one day, I am the non-commissioned officer training others in the cath lab, and the next, I am struggling through biochemical pathways. Going from being an expert in one field to feeling like a beginner again was tough.