hi there. i was wondering if somebody is out there doing medicine at present was a nurse before? OR if you know somebody who was a nurse before but now studying medicine. any information is welcome. thanks in advance

Sandy,
I work as a nurse and currently finishing my BA in Genetics. What questions do you have on Pre-med?

hi pebbles
i wanted to know more about their personal experience with career change and the academic path they took toward becoming a physician. thanks

Sandy
I am still not quit sure what info you are looking for but I will tell ya what I can. First of all you must be a nurse. So this will be a good thing when it comes to you interviews. The committee will see you as someone who knows what med really entails but you choose to pursue it. One quote I received from the dean of admissions was "as a nurse you fling around bed pans and still choose to continue medical school, you know what it is about." This is most certainly true. We both know that is not the only thing nurses do but his point was, we see the bad side or not so glorious side of med but yet we still love it. Anyway, do you have your BA in nursing or an Associate? If you have you BA I would grab a Kaplan review book for the MCAT and refresh on somethings for the MCAT. If you have your associate then go to a good University and take the pre-med courses you need. Remember you need to be challenged with you pre-med couses it will only make you a better person and more ready for med school. Where ever you work as a nurse I would try to continue that while taking those pre-med courses. Maybe prn? Do well in your course work and when you interview your nursing experience will really shine through. I don't know if this helped at all but ....sorry for the spelling or whatever,just got back from a week break...little rusty.

pebbles, thanks for infor. i have just finished four yr degree in nursing science. i am also taking critical care courses as time permits to make myself more knowledgable.

Originally posted by Sandy:
pebbles, thanks for infor. i have just finished four yr degree in nursing science. i am also taking critical care courses as time permits to make myself more knowledgable.
Hey Sandy, I am also a nurse or at least I will be come May. I am also pursuing med school after this. I would love to hear how it works out for you.



------------------
Love God, Hate Sin

hi there. i was wondering if somebody is out there doing medicine at present was a nurse before? OR if you know somebody who was a nurse before but now studying medicine. any information is welcome. thanks in advance
Hello! I was a nurse for 4 years before going back to medical school. Being a nurse definitely helped me in my interview and my experience is helping with my first year. Even anatomy and embryology I think make more sense to me because I have a better idea of how they apply in practice. If you have any specific questions just let me know!

Off shoot, but slightly germane to the topic

I betcha nurses who become doctors end up being loved on the wards, and because of that, maybe become one of the best doctors around. Their experience as a nurse, and often being mistreated by interns, residents and attendings probably gives nurses--> docs some insight that alot of regular MDs wont know. I always remmeber being told by nurses when i volnteered early on, to be nice to the nurses. Never knew why until i read Robin Cook's "year of the intern".

hi there. i was wondering if somebody is out there doing medicine at present was a nurse before? OR if you know somebody who was a nurse before but now studying medicine. any information is welcome. thanks in advance

There are a few people on OldPreMeds (http://www.oldpremeds.org/fusionbb/fusionbb.php?) who are making or have made the transition from nurse to doc. Stop by and visit!

Hi there,
Moving to the Nontrad forum for more comments.
njbmd :)

I sat by a former nurse in orientation.

hi there. i was wondering if somebody is out there doing medicine at present was a nurse before? OR if you know somebody who was a nurse before but now studying medicine. any information is welcome. thanks in advance
hey sandy

i received my BSN over a year ago and decided i wanted to attend medical school. i spoke to one of the residents i work with and she was a prior nurse who decided to go to med school. she says she doesn't regret it and that her reasoning was to have more knowledge and scope of practice. which is my feelings as well. in addition, i work with a PA who was a former nurse as well.

don't know if any of this helped. let me know if you have any questions and good luck whatever you decide to do.

Hi Sandy,

I've made the switch, too, and am starting medical school this fall. Let me know if I can help!

I knew a guy who was a nurse for ten years before deciding on medicine. He was smart, and did very well in his classes. I think more and more med students are coming from all kinds of professions. Nursing is as good as any, and even makes logical choice---you're already in the health care fields, and understand the sacrifices it entails.

I was a nurse for 6 years and now I'm an MS3. It can be done. Just take your premed classes, study for the MCAT and do well, do some volunteer work and apply. Just do it.

Anyone else realize that the OP started this thread over 6 and a half years ago?

Anyone else realize that the OP started this thread over 6 and a half years ago?



i didn't...so much for my observation skills :laugh:

I am in the same boat. I found after 6 years of nursing, trying to take the MCAT was just plain frustrating. The physics alone took me to the slaughter house, besides the fact that I traditionally perform poorly on " standardized tests." I just keep trying b/c this is my dream. Nursing is just not enough for me. As an encouraging word, if you keep climbing one step at a time you WILL eventually reach the top of the stairs. So to all you "Nurse 2 Doc" SDNers, KEEP CLIMBING! :luck:

I was a nurse for 6 years before starting medschool and am now a resident. It was easily the best decision I ever made. It is very hard work and you will have so sacrifice alot while studying for the premed courses (getting all As is crucial) and going through the grueling hrs of memorization during medical school. Now I'm an intern working 80+/- hrs per week and loving it.

Good luck.

Thanks for the encouragement!

I was a nurse for 6 years before starting medschool and am now a resident. It was easily the best decision I ever made. It is very hard work and you will have so sacrifice alot while studying for the premed courses (getting all As is crucial) and going through the grueling hrs of memorization during medical school. Now I'm an intern working 80+/- hrs per week and loving it.

Good luck.

I did notice this thread was old, but it seems there is interest.

I'll agree with the above. I was an RN for 3 years before returning to medical school - now am an intern getting killed, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. Of course, I would like to have my RN pay back, but the pay will get better as time goes on.

I know this has probably been asked before, but I am going through the same thing. I am applying this year. Although I have wanted to study medicine before i pursued nursing, I am wanting to give medicine a shot again. However, I feel guilty about this now that I am in nursing. :confused: I know that it is frowned upon in the nursing profession, especially with the shortage of nurses that we face right now...what were your justifications in doing so (other than pursuing more knowledge, autonomy etc)? Thanks...

My mom was a nurse for 10 years before she went back to school. She had an associate's degree in nursing but wanted more from the medical field. My dad had thyroid cancer and it was a while before he was in remission, but when that happened, he gladly put her through school. She had to go back and get a B.S. - major in Physiology, minor in Chem (with some publications). She went to med school at 32 and graduated at 36 with two adolescent kids and a husband. Miraculously my parents are still married after 32 years, and the family unit stayed close, despite the fact med school was 2.5 hours from our home. She had to move there since my dad's career was already established (he's a CRNA). Now she's an MD in a group FP practice back in our hometown. I know a lot of the nurses she works with now as a doc she used to work with when she was a nurse and really respect her now because she knows what it's like to be a nurse. In fact, she's still a nurse - she still has her state license and keeps up her CEUs.

You can PM me if you want to know more.

I know this has probably been asked before, but I am going through the same thing. I am applying this year. Although I have wanted to study medicine before i pursued nursing, I am wanting to give medicine a shot again. However, I feel guilty about this now that I am in nursing. :confused: I know that it is frowned upon in the nursing profession, especially with the shortage of nurses that we face right now...what were your justifications in doing so (other than pursuing more knowledge, autonomy etc)? Thanks...


Hey it's your trip around the block, so if you have the will and the ability, do it. There's always space for a good physician, even if good nurses are just as important.

Thanks for your help! I really appeciate your input.

Do you guys think it is beneficial to obtain a medical school reference from a nurse?

Thanks again.

Thanks for your help! I really appeciate your input.

Do you guys think it is beneficial to obtain a medical school reference from a nurse?

Thanks again.

Absolutely, if it can speak for your clinical experience. I'm getting a letter of recommendation from my speech pathology practice.

Hello,
The were you able to use any of your pre req courses to fulfill the pre med course requirements? (I'm not sure how many pre nurse and pre med courses over lap) I am a Pharm D student and intend on applying to med school afterwards but wasn't sure if the admissions comittee would look down upon my Physics 1 and Chemistry 2 credits I recieved at community college...and if I should retake them.
Furthermore, I was wondering if you had any insight on pharmacists that go to med and whether med schools would look favorably upon that as they did your nursing experience...or if they think that all pharmacists are just failed doctors. I suppose that would be up to debate but any insight would really be appreicated..even if it is about yourself.
Did you do any research or volunteer work to strengthen your application? Did you apply to med school immediately after finishing nursing school or after a few years of working?
Thanks,
Julia

Sandy
I am still not quit sure what info you are looking for but I will tell ya what I can. First of all you must be a nurse. So this will be a good thing when it comes to you interviews. The committee will see you as someone who knows what med really entails but you choose to pursue it. One quote I received from the dean of admissions was "as a nurse you fling around bed pans and still choose to continue medical school, you know what it is about." This is most certainly true. We both know that is not the only thing nurses do but his point was, we see the bad side or not so glorious side of med but yet we still love it. Anyway, do you have your BA in nursing or an Associate? If you have you BA I would grab a Kaplan review book for the MCAT and refresh on somethings for the MCAT. If you have your associate then go to a good University and take the pre-med courses you need. Remember you need to be challenged with you pre-med couses it will only make you a better person and more ready for med school. Where ever you work as a nurse I would try to continue that while taking those pre-med courses. Maybe prn? Do well in your course work and when you interview your nursing experience will really shine through. I don't know if this helped at all but ....sorry for the spelling or whatever,just got back from a week break...little rusty.

Hey guys,
this is the thread I need and hope to feel more confident getting your asnwers. well, I am a new student in the nursing program and will graduate in two years. since then, I was majoring in Bio, got my A.S in bio but didn't give me anything so went for nursing major. Afterwards planning on going to med school. what scares me, is that, current nursing students scaring me that it's almost impossible to get A's in nursing classes which means gonna drop my GPA really down. I will do my best, but everything may happen. my question, will med school admissions people take into consideration that I studied for nursing and thus my GPA is not that high? My all pre-requisetes are very good grades. plz say something.

Hey guys,
this is the thread I need and hope to feel more confident getting your asnwers. well, I am a new student in the nursing program and will graduate in two years. since then, I was majoring in Bio, got my A.S in bio but didn't give me anything so went for nursing major. Afterwards planning on going to med school. what scares me, is that, current nursing students scaring me that it's almost impossible to get A's in nursing classes which means gonna drop my GPA really down. I will do my best, but everything may happen. my question, will med school admissions people take into consideration that I studied for nursing and thus my GPA is not that high? My all pre-requisetes are very good grades. plz say something.



If your med-school pre-reqs are decent that gives you some wiggle room. But try and stay away from the C's. Also a high MCAT can make up for some lower grades in nursing school.

Hey guys,
this is the thread I need and hope to feel more confident getting your asnwers. well, I am a new student in the nursing program and will graduate in two years. since then, I was majoring in Bio, got my A.S in bio but didn't give me anything so went for nursing major. Afterwards planning on going to med school. what scares me, is that, current nursing students scaring me that it's almost impossible to get A's in nursing classes which means gonna drop my GPA really down. I will do my best, but everything may happen. my question, will med school admissions people take into consideration that I studied for nursing and thus my GPA is not that high? My all pre-requisetes are very good grades. plz say something.

Don't worry about what the current nursing students are saying. To make a long story short. I started at my undergrad university premed, didn't enjoy it and did horribly. Switched to nursing my junior year and graduated with straight A's in nursing school. After doing well in nursing school decided to give this whole med school business another shot. I finished an informal postbacc. program last year and just took my MCATs this past Saturday. What I am trying to say is that anything is possible, after doing so terribly my first few years in college, I never thought I would see another A, let alone graduating at the top of my nursing class. Like the previous person said, if your pre-req grades were strong and you do well in your MCATs, you will do fine. Besides, going to nursing school gives you an opportunity that many "traditional" students don't have! Best of luck in your endeavors. Let me know if I can be of any more help.

Don't worry about what the current nursing students are saying. To make a long story short. I started at my undergrad university premed, didn't enjoy it and did horribly. Switched to nursing my junior year and graduated with straight A's in nursing school. After doing well in nursing school decided to give this whole med school business another shot. I finished an informal postbacc. program last year and just took my MCATs this past Saturday. What I am trying to say is that anything is possible, after doing so terribly my first few years in college, I never thought I would see another A, let alone graduating at the top of my nursing class. Like the previous person said, if your pre-req grades were strong and you do well in your MCATs, you will do fine. Besides, going to nursing school gives you an opportunity that many "traditional" students don't have! Best of luck in your endeavors. Let me know if I can be of any more help.
thanx for advice. Just 4.0 GPA friend of mine, told me it's impossible to get all A's in nursing classes, she got her first B in nusring classes. may be our school is so strcit or sth. But, I'll do my best.
Once sdy told me that nusring philosophy is different from medicine philosophy and that admissions commitee to med schools will take it into the consideration and that would reduce my chances of being accepted. I don know I am so worried about this transition from nursing to medicine. But, I know medicine is what I want. uhhh, just tell me how majoring in nursing helped you ?

If your med-school pre-reqs are decent that gives you some wiggle room. But try and stay away from the C's. Also a high MCAT can make up for some lower grades in nursing school.
thanx.

thanx for advice. Just 4.0 GPA friend of mine, told me it's impossible to get all A's in nursing classes, she got her first B in nusring classes. may be our school is so strcit or sth. But, I'll do my best.
Once sdy told me that nusring philosophy is different from medicine philosophy and that admissions commitee to med schools will take it into the consideration and that would reduce my chances of being accepted. I don know I am so worried about this transition from nursing to medicine. But, I know medicine is what I want. uhhh, just tell me how majoring in nursing helped you ?

I guess I found something that I was good at. I loved rotating through all the different fields and being in the hospital setting. I felt very comfortable working with other doctors, nurses etc..But don't get me wrong, its takes a lot of hard work to earn straight A's. I did a 180 turn in regards to my studying habits. I lived and breathed nursing for 2 years. Don't stress too much and just take it one day at a time. You still have a long road ahead of you.

Thanks again megboo =)

I have worked in a non-medical related field as a student for 4 years, and since then i recently graduated. I was thinking of either asking my non-medical related supervisor (who will speak very highly of me) or asking a nursing professor (who i've known for 2 years, and i'm not so sure will speak very highly of me).

Which one do you think would be a better choice to ask?

Thanks again megboo =)

I have worked in a non-medical related field as a student for 4 years, and since then i recently graduated. I was thinking of either asking my non-medical related supervisor (who will speak very highly of me) or asking a nursing professor (who i've known for 2 years, and i'm not so sure will speak very highly of me).

Which one do you think would be a better choice to ask?

I would probably get the one from the nursing supervisor. It would give more insight into your capabilities working in health care as well as with doctors.

Hello,
The were you able to use any of your pre req courses to fulfill the pre med course requirements? (I'm not sure how many pre nurse and pre med courses over lap) I am a Pharm D student and intend on applying to med school afterwards but wasn't sure if the admissions comittee would look down upon my Physics 1 and Chemistry 2 credits I recieved at community college...and if I should retake them.
Furthermore, I was wondering if you had any insight on pharmacists that go to med and whether med schools would look favorably upon that as they did your nursing experience...or if they think that all pharmacists are just failed doctors. I suppose that would be up to debate but any insight would really be appreicated..even if it is about yourself.
Did you do any research or volunteer work to strengthen your application? Did you apply to med school immediately after finishing nursing school or after a few years of working?
Thanks,
Julia


Most schools probably won't care too much about the CC classes. It would be better to do them at a University but I don't think it's a big deal.

I think most schools would probably view the pharmD as a plus. We had several in our school, just keep the grades up.

Sorry to the vague answers but each school is different.

Get good grades, kill the MCAT, don't interview like a serial killer and you'll get it somewhere.

Hey guys,
this is the thread I need and hope to feel more confident getting your asnwers. well, I am a new student in the nursing program and will graduate in two years. since then, I was majoring in Bio, got my A.S in bio but didn't give me anything so went for nursing major. Afterwards planning on going to med school. what scares me, is that, current nursing students scaring me that it's almost impossible to get A's in nursing classes which means gonna drop my GPA really down. I will do my best, but everything may happen. my question, will med school admissions people take into consideration that I studied for nursing and thus my GPA is not that high? My all pre-requisetes are very good grades. plz say something.

My question would be if you know you want to do medicine, why finish nursing school?

If I were you, I would bail out of that program and change majors. Do something you like, biology, chemistry, English, history, modern Yiddish poetry whatever. Just take your prereqs and do well (read A's). Most schools really don't care what you majored in as long as your overall GPA is good and your prereq grades are great. In fact, you are probably generally at an ADVANTAGE to do something different like Russian history because schools are trying to diversify their classes. I had a dean of a prominent medical school tell me that they were actually recruiting business and finance majors because they felt the medicine needs people with business accumen to combat the HMOs from taking advantage of us. He said "as long as people have the prereqs, we can teach anyone to be a good doctor."

If you're going to have to really struggle to get good grades in your nursing classes, I'd bail. If medicine is in your future, nursing is not a particularly good stepping stone. I personally would rather poke sharp sticks in my eyes than hear one more lecture on nursing theory. Some schools think it's an advantage, some a disadvantage, most are probably indifferent. Getting A's while taking classes that you enjoy is probably the best idea.

One more thing. Don't worry about the whole "back-up plan" thing. If you want to go to medical school, just work hard and you WILL get in.

I was an RN for 4+ years before going back to med school. Now an MS4, just put my license on inactive status. As far as school went - I made B's in nearly all of my nursing clinical courses... I've made 2 B's in med school - everything else has been an A! The clinical experience helped a ton!
As far as the LOR - the school has specific LOR forms to be filled out, that seemed really academic. I had a LOR from a physician I worked with, he didn't have much to say because the questions really had to do with performance in class. That may have changed. I did get one from one of the professors in the nursing department who I had for class and also worked as a preceptor for her ob nursing course so she knew me in 2 settings. This is also a great opportunity for someone to write about your teaching abilities, which are highly sought in med school circles. Good luck!

I was a nurse for 6 years before going to med school and am now a resident. I did poorly in nursing school (all Bs and a couple of Cs) mainly because I was young and hated every minute of nursing school. When I went back for premed classes I was forced to make all As to make up for it. When applying to medical school, most of the programs have a formula where they plug in your GPA and MCAT and if you don't make a certain cutoff your app goes in the trash. My advice: study hard and make all As if you can. You have to take what the nursing students say with a grain of salt. The classes are much easier than medical school (or undergrad prerecs) and the competition is much less. You can make all As if you try. You want to see hard making an A, try calculus based physics with a bunch of cut throat pre meds. Challanging to say the least.

If I could go back in time I would have quit nursing school and gone straight into the premed track. Becoming a physician is a very long course :4 yrs college, 4 years medschool, 3-10 yrs residency. The time I spent as a nurse helped very minimally in medical school and I would rather that time have been spent working as a physician. On a traditional track you will be 30 when you are done with residency (ie becoming a doctor will suck up your 20s) If you start any later it will eat into your 30s as well. Just something to think about.


PHARM D, there was a pharmacist in my medical school class and I know 2 anesthesia residents who were pharmacists. You will have no problems getting in. Just do well on your MCAT and you should be set.

Good luck to all applying to medical school.

hi there. i was wondering if somebody is out there doing medicine at present was a nurse before? OR if you know somebody who was a nurse before but now studying medicine. any information is welcome. thanks in advance
Hey I'm an RN (17years) in 2nd year Medschool, It has helped some but man Medschool is different than Nursing school and Nursing. Contrary to what many people and some nurses think, Nurses do not know as much as Doctors, the practices are different and so is the training.

Is this what you are looking for?:idea:

Contrary to what many people and some nurses think, Nurses do not know as much as Doctors, the practices are different and so is the training.

Is this what you are looking for?:idea:

Of course nurses do not know as much as doctors. You got to remember that nursing is a three year program and med school is more like 8 when you consider pre-reqs.
On a side note, I made all Bs and one C in nursing school, but have made all As in all pre-reqs and all As except one B in the BSN program. Basic science like physics might be hard, but applied science like nursing is much harder because you have to know basic science in order to apply it.

Of course nurses do not know as much as doctors. You got to remember that nursing is a three year program and med school is more like 8 when you consider pre-reqs.
On a side note, I made all Bs and one C in nursing school, but have made all As in all pre-reqs and all As except one B in the BSN program. Basic science like physics might be hard, but applied science like nursing is much harder because you have to know basic science in order to apply it.
Ya know what practice 17 years and hear the crap then tell me. I heard it all from jerk nurses who do nothing but tear MD's down and trash talk them!
Of course I know ( 2nd year Medschool now) but man you may not have practice as long as me! I've heard a lot stuff in my time!
And when does a BSN take 3 years ? It is a 4 year degree? Hey Im not an Idiot! I reallly take offense to your post!
:thumbdown

uh-oh. Nurse on nurse crime here.

Ya know what practice 17 years and hear the crap then tell me. I heard it all from jerk nurses who do nothing but tear MD's down and trash talk them!
Of course I know ( 2nd year Medschool now) but man you may not have practice as long as me! I've heard a lot stuff in my time!
And when does a BSN take 3 years ? It is a 4 year degree? Hey Im not an Idiot! I reallly take offense to your post!
:thumbdown

I don't even know what to say to this stupid post. It takes three years for an ADN. Most nurses pracice with an ADN. You might have been in the profession for a long time but apparently you missed the lessons on interpersonal skills and communication. Your shining personality really shows through these posts.

burntcrispy, your post was soo speaking to me. congrats on your acceptance. i got a BSN in 2003, practiced in a medical ICU in a teaching hospital for one year. In that year, I was so impressed with the training and curriculum of medical docs and wished that for myself. my nurse manager wouldn't let me work part time for the postbacc courses i needed so i reluctantly resigned. i've been doing a very expensive postbacc and next april i plan on doing the mcat. i have ulcers when i think of the amt of money going into this.

i was working a lot of the summer and hadn't done physics so my mock mcat is a pathetic 22. i'm praying this score will improve. but i know i have a long ways to go. it's great to hear a fellow nurse got in. do you have any opinions on what schools are receptive to nurses?

did any of you start applying to MD school your senior year of nursing school or did you work for a while first? For those that applied their senior year did you receive any criticism from teh admissions councils? Any questions regarding why you chose to switch and not practice nursing and how you were adding to the national shortage of nurses and had taken the seat from another applicant? I'm not a nursing student but a Pharm. D. student and was just wondering waht I may face.
Thanks,
Julia

They won't care if you are just finishing another program. Just say something to the effect that when you were training for X you realized you wanted more responsiblity and in depth knowledge of disease processes and you will be fine. Don't waste any time because it is a LONG road.