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Ep 7: Am I Too Old To Become A Dr?

In This Episode:

A you wondering if you’re too old to sit the GAMSAT or start medical school?

In this episode, Mare tackles the age-old question (literally!) and breaks down why age is not a barrier to becoming a doctor.

From real-life success stories of nurses and healthcare professionals who made the leap, to how medical schools value diverse experiences, this episode will inspire you to ditch the doubt and go for it.

If you’ve ever questioned whether it’s your time to pursue medicine—this one’s for you! 🚀

Resources Mentioned:

Mare Forfa (00:16):

Hello and welcome to this week’s episode of Nurses Doing GAMSAT. It’s a solo episode for me today. Actually, every week I get asked the same question over and over again, and I thought, I’m just going to deal with this head-on. I’m going to talk all about it. I’m going to address everything that comes up around it. And that question is: Am I too old?

 

Am I too old to sit the GAMSAT? Am I too old to start uni again? Am I too old to become a doctor? And look, it does not matter how old you are. I get people asking me this when they’re 24, 28, 32, 39, 44, 50, 60, even 70. It doesn’t matter how old you are—I get asked this at least once a week.

 

I want to start with a little exercise, okay? If you’re watching along, just follow my lead. If you’re listening, I want you to do this with me. I want you to look at the back of your hand—really look at it. See the skin tone, the texture, the wrinkles (if you have any), your rings or nails. Do you have a little bit of hair there? Whatever it is, just observe. Now, take your other hand and give yourself a little slap while saying: “I’m not too old!” No, seriously—you are never too old to go after your dream.

 

This is a limiting belief. It’s something we tell ourselves. And one way to remove a limiting belief is to see what’s possible, to look at what others have done, and realise: “If they’ve done it, I can do it too.” Because the reality is, this whole “Am I too old?” thing is just a story you’ve made up in your head. If you’re saying this right now, it is not reality.

 

I want to start by going through a few real-world success stories of people who have changed professions later in life and done it successfully.

 

Let’s start with Julia Child—you know, the famous chef? She didn’t start her career until she was 40. She then became one of the most well-known chefs in the world. What about Vera Wang? Everyone dreams of wearing one of her wedding dresses, but she didn’t become a designer until she was 40. And Samuel L. Jackson? That smooth-voiced legend didn’t get his first big acting role until 46.

 

Now, if we bring it back to the GAMSAT world, I’ve been doing this for 18 years, so I have a lot of stories. Let me share a few:

 

 

    • Alicia, a nurse in her late twenties, sat the GAMSAT twice before joining our bootcamp. She got straight into Deakin.

 

    • Nadia, 44 years old, with two kids, living in rural Victoria. Her husband’s a concreter. She got in. She made it happen.

 

    • Jenny, in her sixties, came to me from New Zealand. She got into an Australian medical school and moved over here to study.

 

 

I share these stories because I want you to hear them and realise: It does not matter how old you are. Change is possible.

 

Now, aside from these stories, let’s talk about how universities actually work. Most postgraduate medical schools use PBLs (Problem-Based Learning). This is a Socratic learning style that requires diverse perspectives to function well. You’ll attend lectures, but your tutorials will be in small groups, where you work together to solve problems.

 

Now, if everyone in your group is the same—if we’re all 20-something, straight out of a biomedical science degree, all thinking the same way—PBLs don’t work. To make this learning style effective, we need diversity. We need different ethnicities, different life experiences, different skill sets. We need you.

 

If you’re in your forties or fifties and worried about whether you’ll fit in, I want you to understand that you’re actually an asset to these programs. Medical schools don’t want a class full of identical students. They want real-world perspectives.

 

Now, I particularly want to talk to my 40-somethings and 50-somethings, because that’s the most common age group that asks me this question. But I also get 23-year-olds asking if they’re too old, so really, age doesn’t matter.

 

Your life experience makes you great at what you do. It means you likely have:

 

 

    • Better organisational skills

 

    • Better time management

 

    • A different way of thinking

 

 

Think about it—when you were 19, you didn’t have the same perspective or discipline you have now, right? So instead of seeing your age as something holding you back, embrace it. It’s actually a strength.

 

Now, for those of you with kids, I really want to touch on this. Your kids might not always listen to what you say, but they watch what you do. If they see you chasing your dreams, pushing through challenges, and making it happen, they will learn that for themselves. They’ll apply that mindset to their own dreams, whatever they may be.

 

So yes, is going back to study while raising kids challenging? Absolutely. But is it worth it? 100%.

 

Now, you have two options today.

 

1️⃣ You can listen to this episode and say, “Yeah, that’s great for them, but I can’t do it because [insert reason here].” And if that’s enough to stop you, then I won’t argue with you.

 

2️⃣ Or you can flip your excuses on their head and say, “This is exactly why I have to do this now.” If you’re 45, now is the time. If you have kids, that’s why you need to do it—to show them what’s possible.

 

Often, the reasons we use to say we can’t do something are the exact reasons why we must.

 

I want you to know that people have done this before you. This is possible. There are students in medical school right now, at your exact age, proving it can be done.

 

So, if you’re questioning yourself, stop. Flip the script. Use this as fuel. Go study, go prepare, and make it happen.

 

💬 I’d love to hear your thoughts! Jump into our Facebook group—Nurses Doing GAMSAT—and share your story. If you’re a mature-age student who’s gotten in, share your experience and encourage others.

 

Thanks for listening. I’ll be back next week. Go out there and smash it.

 

Say it with me: “It is my time. I am going to do this.”

 

Go get it. Bye for now!

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