3/13/2001
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Even at the age of 57, Clarence "Nic" Nicodemus felt that going to medical school was the next logical step in his career path.
So at a time when most people are starting to think retirement, Nicodemus is a first-year student in Michigan State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine.
"Since high school, all of my jobs have been moving continually closer to medicine," he said. "The next logical step was to be a doctor. This fulfills a lifelong dream for me."
As a high school student in Citrus Heights, Calif., Nicodemus knew he wanted to pursue a career in either engineering or medicine. The decision was made, at least in part, by the fact that there were no medical schools close to home.
"At that time the University of California-Davis didn't have a medical school," he said. "The closest was in San Francisco. So I chose engineering simply because I didn't have another option."
Nicodemus said his family has been very supportive of his late-in-life change, particularly his wife, Wilma.
"She gave it about five minutes of thought and said, 'Let's do it,'" he said. "She and all our kids have been extremely supportive."
Between them, the couple have four children and four grandchildren.
He said despite the age difference, his fellow students have made him feel "very welcomed and appreciated."
"Many have parents who are younger than I am," he said. "I really enjoy my classmates for their intelligence, creativity, fresh outlook on life and exuberance. It keeps me young too."
After earning bachelor's and master's degrees, and eventually a Ph.D. from UC-Davis, Nicodemus worked in the field of rehabilitation, dabbled in orthopedics, did research on the human spine and even did a stint with NASA.
"There I managed around 200 engineers who were working on space station design," he said. "It was like the space version of ergonomics, looking at bathroom design, showers, and eating and sleeping spaces."
Since 1990, Nicodemus has filled several positions at the University of Texas.
Once he made the decision to attend medical school, the selection of an osteopathic college was a no-brainer.
"My initial thought was osteopathic because my research at the University of Texas was in the spine," he said.
In addition, he had presented research findings at a meeting of the American Back Society and had struck a friendship with Philip Greenman, president of the society and former associate dean of the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Nicodemus said he did apply to several allopathic, or MD, schools, including the one at which he was teaching, but was turned down. It was "clearly an age issue," he said.
While Nicodemus has lived an academic life and knows what it takes to be successful, he said there are aspects of medical school for which he wasn't ready.
"For example, I hadn't anticipated the sheer amount of information one is exposed to in a short period of time," he said. "They use the phrase 'drinking from a fire hose' and that's not far from being right."
As for the future, Nicodemus said he is prepared for the rigors of residency - "I was in Vietnam," he said. "It can't be any worse than that" - and then combining a career of clinical work and research.
"I'm interested in manual medicine. But in the time I've been here I've become intrigued in the neurological aspects - what's the wiring diagram that really makes that work," he said. "I'm a research person and I want to continue that, but only with my own patients."
In addition to taking a full load of classes, Nicodemus also is teaching an engineering course in biodynamics.