She didn’t grow up assuming college was possible. She didn’t start out aiming at medicine. And she definitely didn’t feel confident walking into medical school. Katie Raymer, a third-year LECOM medical student training at Mercy Jefferson in Festus, Missouri, joins us to share the real story behind a non-traditional path into osteopathic medicine.

We talk about growing up in an underserved, low-income community in Arizona, becoming a parent young, and finding the support to go back to school even when the roadmap wasn’t obvious. Katie explains how she discovered what a DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) actually is, why DO programs can feel more welcoming to non-traditional students, and how she landed at LECOM after a lot of searching and second-guessing. She also breaks down what the LECOM structure looks like from the first two years in Pennsylvania to clinical rotations, plus what problem-based learning at the Seton Hill campus demands from you week to week.

The most honest part of our conversation is about imposter syndrome in medical school: waiting for the “wrong person” phone call, comparing yourself to brilliant classmates, and learning to trust your own work. We end with what helped her most, community outreach, including LECOM’s Bridging the Gaps and her own program, Rounds, bringing health education to a homeless shelter and reminding future physicians why patients and service matter.

If you’re considering LECOM, researching DO vs MD, or wondering if a non-traditional medical school journey can really work, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs the push, and leave a review with the biggest lesson you took from Katie’s story.