Some people know early what they want to be when they grow up, long before they have many experiences.
But for Bridget Doherty, it was experience that triggered the call of medicine. At 39, she is motivated to draw on her background parenting a child with multiple medical anomalies to bring compassionate care to patients and their families.
“Some people say, ‘Are you sure you’re ready for the rigors of this?’ I say, ‘Yes, I’ve been through life-and-death scenarios. I can do this,’” Doherty said.
Her decision is nonetheless a big pivot for a woman who once thought she’d like to teach literature. To improve her chance of success, she has enrolled in ACPHS’ online Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences, an all-remote post-baccalaureate program that positions students for acceptance into medical school. She is one of a dozen students in the brand-new online MSBS.
Back in 2009, when Doherty got her bachelor’s degree in English, she thought she’d take a gap year or two before returning for graduate work. After getting married and having her first child, Theodore, she decided to postpone the pursuit of that career. The birth of her second child, Phinneas, changed everything.
Phinneas Doherty, circa 2013
Finn spent his first seven months in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). There wasn’t a particular thing wrong, but what Doherty described as a “cluster of anomalies that were unrelated.” He had surgeries to repair his heart and a tethered spinal cord. He needed a gastrostomy tube for food initially, a ventilator to help him breathe for three years and a tracheostomy tube for a couple years more.
Mothering a child with multiple medical needs was more than a full-time job. Fortunately, medical treatments improved Finn’s condition, and Doherty took on outside work that was meaningful, rewarding – and built on the foundation she had established caring for Finn. She became a NICU parent advisor at the children’s hospital in Columbus, Ohio, where Finn had received his care.
“Sometimes in life you develop such a unique knowledge of something and you think, ‘I wish this were useful,’” she said. “My knowledge is useful for my current job.”
Five years ago, then divorced, Doherty decided she was ready to do more. By then, medicine had replaced literature as her passion. Finn was thriving at 7, as were 9-year-old Teddy and a third child, 2-year-old Daisy. While being a single mother with three children and a part-time job might have felt like a full plate, tending to Finn’s earlier needs had taught Doherty that she could handle a lot.
She could be a doctor.
Listen to Bridget Doherty talk about her motivations and passion:
So in January 2020, as COVID-19 was beginning to spread in the U.S., she began taking online courses to fulfill prerequisites for medical school. But after she’d completed those courses through two years of part-time study and applied to med school, she received rejections. Coming back as a nontraditional student, she did not have the “something special” to compete against thousands of top-notch students competing for a few hundred spots at each school, she said.
She might have given up. But she was determined to reach her goal. Modeling that determination for her children was a big motivator.
“I want them to understand that no matter what your age, no matter what your experience, it’s not too late for you to fight for something that you believe in, that makes a difference,” she said.
Aiming to enhance her academic record, she began looking for post-bac programs. She wanted five things: 1) classes that were either local or online; 2) a schedule that was consistent week to week; 3) opportunities to connect with faculty who could write letters of recommendation; 4) preparation for the Medical College Admission Test; and 5) linkages to medical schools.
Among programs she considered, ACPHS’ new online MSBS met all her requirements. And she liked how a recruiter spoke about program director Dr. Elizabeth Brookins.
"She talked about how hands-on Dr. Brookins is,” Doherty said. “I thought, ‘that’s what I need, a small class size and somebody who’s not going to let you slip through the cracks. Because honestly, I don’t want to waste my time, right?”
She has not been disappointed with the program, including Dr. Brookins’ availability for one-on-one meetings. She also likes that class content is conveyed through various media.
“This program is very helpful for those who have other responsibilities in life,” Doherty said. “It’s a great fit for me.”
Who should consider the online MSBS? Hear what Bridget Doherty thinks: