91AV medical student Bill Conway, age 61, profiled in AOA's The DO

91AV College of Osteopathic Medicine student Patrick W. “Bill” Conway, OMS IV, was one of six medical students and graduates profiled in the American Osteopathic Association's The DO in a story titled "Older medical students persist, leverage life experience to achieve dreams."

Conway, 61, had been a psychological clinician for many years before seriously considering a medical career.

“Medical school for me was not easy," he said. “If there has been a landmine to step on, I’ve managed to step on it,” Conway says. “But I’m still walking around. I still have both of my legs.”

Although he graduated with his class this spring, Conway still has the remainder of his final rotation to complete before he can receive his diploma. He then plans to serve a traditional rotating internship before going through the match next year.

“Older students have to demonstrate their long-term commitment to medicine,” Conway says. “All of us have undertaken this process because we want to contribute to the health and well-being of others as physicians. That’s precisely what I intend to do, right up until the very moment I take my final breath.”

About the 91AV

The 91AV is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.