Nursing or Life Sciences for Undergrad

[ibrainedmydamage]

I'm currently in grade 12 and live in Ontario, Canada. My hopes are to go to medical school in the long run, but that may not be guaranteed. Now, I have been accepted to both Nursing and Life Science programs. My dilemma is this:

PROS of Life Sciences [Bachelor's of Science (BSc) Degree]

• Provide me with a science background; helpful for MCAT
• The universities I have been accepted to provide research opportunities for students enrolled in the Life Sciences program
• I can apply to a wide range of programs (optometry, pharmacy, dentistry etc., assuming I meet the pre-requisite courses)

CONS of Life Sciences [Bachelor's of Science (BSc) Degree]

• I may fail/barley pass some courses and ultimately kill my GPA thus, shattering my hopes and dreams of medical school - leaving me with a useless BSc degree (unless I decide to pursue a Master's/PHD to further increase my chances of medical school, which is just more stressful and more debt)

PROS of Nursing [Bachelor's of Science in Nursing(BScN) Degree]

• Guaranteed a job after a BScN (assuming I pass the Nursing exam)
• Exposes me to the health care world when doing clinical practices
• Able to network with physicians; can provide me letters of reference/research opportunities
• Can continue to pursue a Master's Degree in Nursing and become a Nurse practitioner and work closely with physicians

CONS of Nursing [Bachelor's of Science in Nursing(BScN) Degree]

• Not a flexible program when taking pre-reqs/science courses; not helpful for MCAT; will have to take summer courses to meet pre-req requirements
• I need a 63% to pass each course. If I don't, I have to redo the entire year

I am a fairly hardworking/intelligent student (disregard my username lol) and I do have a interest in both programs. However, what worries me the most is the future and if I don't get into Medical School. At least with Nursing, I have a backup plan whereas Life Sciences, I will continue to study (pursue Masters/pHD) and be in a $h!t load of debt. But then again, Life Sciences can prepare me for the MCAT, whereas Nursing will not.

I have until June 1st to decide which program I want to accept and what I want to do with my life. I really need your input. Please don't mention anything about "believe in yourself, you can do it." "have some self confidence." blahblahblah, I'm trying to be realistic here

Thank you for reading!!

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[Para-dox]

Disclaimer: I know nothing about the Canadian educational system.

I feel like with a BSN/BScN you're spending more time, effort, and money to get to the same goal. You're looking to become a physician. You will also have to reset your approach/mindset upon entering medical school as you were trained as a nurse beforehand. Not to say someone with a nursing background can't become a physician. Also note that many people that fall under the category have some (a few years or more) experience as a nurse.

I understand the idea of having a backup, but I think this is one situation where you need to work your butt off for what you want and only resort to a backup if needed. For example, I am about to graduate with a BS in Biology. Had I not been accepted to medical school, my plan was to work for a year in a healthcare setting (in the same position I am in now) and reapply. If I didn't get in after a second cycle, I'd likely pursue a degree in another healthcare field (accelerated BSN, possibly PA -- not really sure), work in a stable career for a few years, and if the desire was still there, reapply.

Also, another point is if you're REALLY sure you want to be in medicine! I won't presume to know you and your experiences, but what if you get exposed to another health career and end up seeing yourself in that rather than in medicine? Maybe something thats not even in healthcare! Never know unless you get exposure, and I think the BSN would limit that.

Not telling you to NOT go the nursing route, but just put some thought into it. Maybe talk to someone at your school who knows you well and understands the field?

All in all, believe in yourself, have some confidence, you can do it! Seriously, work directly towards your goal, pay attention to alternate routes, but don't go the long route if you don't have to. And make the best with what you've got no matter what decision you make!

 

[DesertPT]

I need a 63% to pass each course.

Would this not be true with the biology degree too??

 

[Slowpoke]

I can't speak to the newer version of the MCAT, but I would hardly say that my pursuit of a biology degree prepped me for the MCAT. What prepped me for the MCAT were the pre-reqs that you're required to take while on the pre-med track as well as actually studying for the MCAT.

Picking majors is difficult, no doubt. You want some realistic, practical advice? Get the nursing degree. You were right to conclude that medical school admissions is tough and that there is no guarantee.

The usual advice on picking majors is to pick something you're interested in - presumably so that you enjoy the subject matter that you're learning about - sometimes what this translates to is an Art degree and a 9-5 at starbucks. If you're truly unsure of your academic abilities, go the practical route and do nursing. If you're confident in your abilities as a student, then it really doesn't matter what major you pick, now does it?

 

[clutch21]

I'm a 2nd year med student in the U.S. who majored in nursing. After obtaining my RN, BSN, I went straight into medical school without any work experience. I decided half way through nursing school that it wasn't exactly right for me (though I still enjoyed it) and decided to straight to med school. Given this, I can only offer advice to address a couple of your concerns pertaining to nursing.

The first thing I'd say is, only consider majoring in nursing if its something that interests you, even if you are leaning towards medicine. Nursing school is fairly challenging in ways unique from medical school. You have to at least be open minded towards going into a career in nursing to succeed in nursing school. Thus, if you know with reasonable certainty that nursing is not for you, major in a science.

With that said, I'll just offer some brief commentary on some of your nursing pros/cons.

PROS of Nursing [Bachelor's of Science in Nursing(BScN) Degree]

• Guaranteed a job after a BScN (assuming I pass the Nursing exam)- In the US, you wouldn't be guaranteed a job, but finding a job would likely be pretty easy.

• Exposes me to the health care world when doing clinical practices- Absolutely, this is a big advantage of coming from a nursing background.

• Able to network with physicians; can provide me letters of reference/research opportunities- At least in the US, you'd likely have to work as a nurse for several years to be able build relationships with doctors that would result in a LOR. On a side note, it's not expected that your LORs would come from a doctor when your applying to med school so I wouldn't really worry about this.

• Can continue to pursue a Master's Degree in Nursing and become a Nurse practitioner and work closely with physicians- This is one of the biggest pros about being a nurse. There are a broad array of options for furthering your education.

CONS of Nursing [Bachelor's of Science in Nursing(BScN) Degree]

• Not a flexible program when taking pre-reqs/science courses; not helpful for MCAT; will have to take summer courses to meet pre-req requirements- The inflexibility of nursing school is it's greatest downside if you still might want to go to med school. It was very challenging fitting all the necessary pre-reqs into my schedule. I came into college with several AP credits and took summer classes throughout college. I was able to fit it all in in 4 years and go to med school, but this is pretty rare. You'll likely need another year to obtain all the necessary pre-reqs. As far as the MCAT goes, I wouldn't worry about it. If you take all the necessary pre-reqs for med school (which you have to do) and succeed in them, you'll be prepared fine for the MCAT regardless of your major.

• I need a 63% to pass each course. If I don't, I have to redo the entire year- If you're still hoping to go to medical school after nursing then your grades will have to be much higher than the minimum needed to pass.

If you have have any specific questions, let me know. Good luck.