Nursing as an undergraduate major for med school

[Heart against Head]

I'm a first year student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Currently I am a biology major with pre-med intent but i am finding my heart just isn't in biology. I have shadowed a nurse practitioner for a pediatric office before and I absolutely loved it. I know the medical field is where I want to be but I'm not sure how to get there. I have recently though about applying for the nursing school at the end of my sophomore year. I have done some research and read that most medical schools look down on students who major in nursing then apply straight to medical school. What would their view be if I worked as a nurse for 2 or 3 years, saved some money, gained some life/clinical experience, and then applied for medical school? I would really love some input on this! I feel like I would love working as a nurse but I don't want nursing to prevent me from being accepted at a medical school.

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[Deranged Medic]

There are plenty of nurses who have went to medical school. That being said, if nursing is anything like EMS, you will start to enjoy the comforts of a decent paying job, and medical school could get put on the back burner. Figure out if you like nursing or medicine better, then pursue that goal. If you change your mind in between, so be it, but I wouldn't try to split yourself between the two. If you do change your mind, there are quite a few BS to BSN programs, or you can always do a post-bacc program, either formal of DIY, to go from BSN to premed.

If bio sounds terrible, pick something you would enjoy. My degree is in Emergency Medicine, and I know physicians and medical students with degrees in Music, Theater, Fire Science Administration, Communications, Political Science, and English.

 

[2Pints]

Get more shadowing in before you officially make the decision to switch into nursing. Volunteer at a hospital and talk to nurses, doctors, NPs, PAs. Ask what they like about their job and what they hate. You need to be able to answer questions for yourself, like why are you interested in medicine? What is appealing about being an MD vs an NP for you? Keep in mind, you shadowed an NP and not a nurse. These are very different roles.

I don't think nursing school will prepare you as well for medical school having gone through both the pre-med route and then later the nursing route. My nursing classes were enough for what I need to know at the bedside but we only scratched the surface when it came to things like pathology. You will get some great clinical experiences as a nurse and it's not a horrible idea to get out into the real world for a few years before going to medical school but there are SO many other options than nursing.

Like @Deranged Medic mentioned, you can always choose another major and then take the pre-reqs for medical school on top.

Feel free to PM me. Spent a lot of time thinking and talking about this topic as I made the decision. Didn't have a lot of people making the transition from nurse to MD, so I would have appreciated having somebody to bounce questions off during the process.

 

[ResQRN144]

I currently work as a nurse and did the DIY post-bacc route, I'll be attending Louisville in the fall. I agree with the above, gain some experience and shadow. Be prepared to articulate and describe your passion for medicine regardless. I feel my clinical experience in the Emergency Department gave me numerous topics to discuss with interviewers. My nursing background was never once looked down upon. My application was quite successful with 1 MD hold, 1 MD acceptance, and 3 DO acceptances at schools I chose to interview at. Feel free to PM with questions.

 

[allojay]

I agree with the post above mine. Ignore the ones discouraging you pursuing nursing. If you love nursing, do it. I personally worked as an RN for two years before starting an MD program. It's possible as long as you work hard and do your part. My advice would be that if you choose this route, do not rush the process take the time to learn the material and score well on your MCAT. Life as an RN is honestly tough but the rewards are tremendous.

 

[MinnesotaMrs]

I'm pre-med and nursing. Is it easy? No. Is it best for me? Yes. Why would I spend my time getting a useless (to me) undergrad when I could instead help people and do what I love meanwhile? Do what you want and excel.

 

[Mad Jack]

Be careful with the nursing premed route. Nursing professors are notorious for having "I don't give As" attitudes, which can crush your GPA. The other big problem is that nursing curriculums often don't leave enough room for med school prerequisites, meaning you'll need to spend more time as a premed. Be careful with this route- it can pay big dividends, but can slow you down a lot if done wrong.

 

[NursepractitionertoM.D.]

Be careful with the nursing premed route. Nursing professors are notorious for having "I don't give As" attitudes, which can crush your GPA. The other big problem is that nursing curriculums often don't leave enough room for med school prerequisites, meaning you'll need to spend more time as a premed. Be careful with this route- it can pay big dividends, but can slow you down a lot if done wrong.

The comment "I don't give As" is absolutely true. In the nursing school I attended a 95% was an A a 93% a B -

 

[jellyrose]

I have a question!
I am a RN and am currently doing my premed.
I was wondering if it is okay not to finish another bachelor degree of science and just i finish pre-med only since i have bachelor degree of nursing. Is it possible??

 

[AlteredScale]

I have a question!
I am a RN and am currently doing my premed.
I was wondering if it is okay not to finish another bachelor degree of science and just i finish pre-med only since i have bachelor degree of nursing. Is it possible??

As long as you complete the prerequisite courses for medical schools then you'll be fine. You will not need to completed another B.S.

 

[Allan Chandy]

Hello everyone,

I'm a current junior undergraduate attending the university of Delaware majoring in something called Health Behavior Science (falls under health promotion/health education), and since late 2014, I've become interested in public health. During my winter, I took the time to research what kinds of jobs I can get with a bachelors in health behavior science, with a minor in public health, I'm also waiting to minor in business administration because I'm raising my GPA to enter the program. Anyway, I have read up on what the profession of infection prevention is all about, and I'm writing to ask you if it would be possible for someone like me to get involved in this field, without having a nursing degree...I was given the opportunity to shadow an infection preventionist at a hospital. I have yet to fulfill that opportunity, but first I want to understand if I will he able to get a job out of this in the end. Could I end up getting an internship, and research experience? I know I would really need to get a certification, but even then...would I be able to work as an infection preventionist? I am looking to work as one even if it is a temp job for a couple or few years that's if they allow me, before going for my masters in hospital epidemiology. Thank you!

 

[RNtoMDDO]

Following. Also finishing up my ADN while contemplating the best route to MD school.

 

[deleted307836]

BTW, according to AAMC data, of the 7 categories of majors that apply to medical school, the worst acceptance rate are those in specialized health fields of which nursing is part of. While the sample size is small, between 400-500 of the almost 50,000 total applicants per cycle, it does raise some concern. My perception is that many who do apply believe that their specialized coursework fulfills the prereqs, which in many cases, it does not. I also find that working professionals trying to juggle classes and MCAT prep have pressures against them in doing well. I bring this up not to dissuade but to let people know that these are challenges that need to be prepared for.

The last time I looked at those stats, those in specialized health fields also tended to have the lowest MCAT score and (this is fuzzier -- may not be correct--) GPA, which would certainly contribute to the lower acceptance rate.

 

[DrMidlife]

Public service announcement, with respect to the original post: If you know as a freshman that biology isn't something you like, then it makes no sense to pursue a health sciences career. If you don't like biology because it's too hard, then double don't go into health sciences.