RN to MD?

[IDD]

Hello. I am currently a junior in nursing school and after I graduate, I plan on finishing my pre-requisites and applying to med school. Do not get me wrong, I think nurses are the backbones of the healthcare system and I have a great respect for all of them. However, after speaking with many RNs and NPs in the specialty that I want to pursue, most of them have stated that if they could do it all over again, they would become physicians because they could do much more with their career. I also want to conduct research and after speaking with many clinical research nurses, they informed me that if they are even offered to be a Principal Investigator, it could be months before they are able to touch their research because patient care comes first. Throughout my undergraduate career, most of my professors have told me that they see me as a doctor instead of a nurse.

Is there any tips you guys could give me? It seems that with what I want to do, I will not be able to do it as a nurse. Thank you in advance for all of your help!

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[captain.howdy]

When you apply, I'd imagine it's important for you to present an incredibly strong argument on why you initially decided to become a nurse over a physician, and what made you change your mind, in your application and during the interview (they are two very different careers.) You've obviously put some thought into why M.D./D.O. over nursing, but I imagine you should have a lock tight argument for your reasons to switch. These are just my inexperienced thoughts, I'm sure that there are more experienced people on this board that could expand on this! Good luck

 

[IDD]

Thank you for your help!

 

[Almighty Saguaro]

@IDD

I think you're already on the right track in that 1. You're not being negative about the nursing profession and 2. You know what you want in life and have done your research to find out that medicine is the best way to achieve it.

I had several interviews, and only once was I asked something like "Why the switch to medicine?"

Make sure to really highlight the breadth and depth of your clinical exposure, and try to get good letter(s) from people who have supervised your clinical work, in addition to letters from your professors

 

[NoTownPreMed]

There are many clinicians whom I have come across would make excellent physicians. Sadly, the many sacrifices one would have to make to become docs have driven them away. Have a strong conviction as to why you want to become a doc, understand the many sacrifices you will make, and most importantly through tough times just remember that light at the end of the tunnel . I'm an RN as well!!!

 

[Almighty Saguaro]

I'll add that, as a student, you might want to give SERIOUS thought to how open you are about your plans to leave the profession you're currently training in. Notwithstanding your sincere motives, having your classmates and clinical supervisors know that you already planning a way out may subject you to unnecessary antagonism, especially since there is a good chance that some of the people you work with may have entertained dreams of practicing medicine...

Of course, you'll need to come out when you ask for references but for the next few years, focus on portraying yourself as a hardworking, highly motivated nursing student.

 

[IDD]

Thank you guys! This was very helpful!

 

[mw18]

All of this info is great. It may come up in an interview, but I wouldn't expect it to be a huge hurdle. There was this idea that they (med schools) don't wanna take one health professional and replace them with another (as opposed to someone who isnt yet in the field) but I haven't really seen that. You've gotten great advice, don't ruffle feathers of your teachers now and have a good explanation for the switch for interviews.

FWIW, I changed my major after a semester in nursing school so I could more quickly finish all my prereqs, and it didn't come up once in an interview. An explanation that with true exposure to the medical field, you realized that your ambitions more closely align with that of the physician for these reasons... will be fine. Good luck!

 

[Psai]

Be a doctor. You don't want to spend the rest of your life pretending to be a doctor and having a huge inferiority complex "Well I could have done medical school but I chose not to"

 

[allantois]

It's up to debate who is the fool in a situation where a nurse is pretending to be a doctor all while the doctor has the same clinical duties as the said nurse.

 

[Moose A Moose]

It's up to debate who is the fool in a situation where a nurse is pretending to be a doctor all while the doctor has the same clinical duties as the said nurse.

Come again?

 

[allantois]

Come again?

If I were to go through 8 years of post college education and have the same job description as someone who did 2 years, I'd be pretty upset about it. But that's just me.

 

[TBV]

If I were to go through 8 years of post college education and have the same job description as someone who did 2 years, I'd be pretty upset about it. But that's just me.

Which specialty are you describing?

 

[allantois]

Which specialty are you describing?

Primary care ... for now. Of course that extra years of making sacrifices is offset by a higher salary.

 

[TBV]

Primary care ... for now. Of course that extra years of making sacrifices is offset by a higher salary.

Nah I worked in primary care for a year before med you're way off. First off nursing is a 4 year degree. Secondly you would be pressed to find an actual RN working primary care, all I have ever seen is MAs. And they don't do anything similar to what physicians do, asking 3 specific questions to these inferiority complexed individuals will allow you to see that.

 

[allantois]

Nah I worked in primary care for a year before med you're way off. First off nursing is a 4 year degree. Secondly you would be pressed to find an actual RN working primary care, all I have ever seen is MAs. And they don't do anything similar to what physicians do, asking 3 specific questions to these inferiority complexed individuals will allow you to see that.

I was referring to 2 year (post college) APRN degrees.

And btw RN is not necessarily a 4 degree program, BSN is.

 

[Cali sunshine]

Hello. I am currently a junior in nursing school and after I graduate, I plan on finishing my pre-requisites and applying to med school. Do not get me wrong, I think nurses are the backbones of the healthcare system and I have a great respect for all of them. However, after speaking with many RNs and NPs in the specialty that I want to pursue, most of them have stated that if they could do it all over again, they would become physicians because they could do much more with their career. I also want to conduct research and after speaking with many clinical research nurses, they informed me that if they are even offered to be a Principal Investigator, it could be months before they are able to touch their research because patient care comes first. Throughout my undergraduate career, most of my professors have told me that they see me as a doctor instead of a nurse.

Is there any tips you guys could give me? It seems that with what I want to do, I will not be able to do it as a nurse. Thank you in advance for all of your help!

You can do it! read my story: http://wichita.kumc.edu/news/jimenezfeature120115.html

Good luck!!

 

[Psai]

If I were to go through 8 years of post college education and have the same job description as someone who did 2 years, I'd be pretty upset about it. But that's just me.

That's because you're begging the question

 

[kmp0410]

I was referring to 2 year (post college) APRN degrees.

And btw RN is not necessarily a 4 degree program, BSN is.

Pre-reqs + nursing school is usually going to be 4 years. And most places are trending towards requiring BSN, so they will likely have to get it at some point. Though the BSN vs Associates in Nursing distinction is quite silly in terms of education.

I understand what your saying, but theres a lot more factors that distinguish a RN and a Doc even in a primary care setting than you are giving credit for.

 

[kmp0410]

Anyways to the OP: If you want to do it then do it. Would have been nice to figure it out before you were in nursing school...but what can you do. Both have their pro's and cons depending on what you want to do with your life. My wife is a nurse, is quite smart, but being a Dr. is just not for her and she (for the most part) loves nursing. Different fields.

Seems like you have the right reasons and ideas for wanting to make the change. I gave nursing a thought at some point. But having wanted to do medicine as well, I knew I would live with a complex...whether valid or not.

 

[Biochemistry2014]

Just make sure you understand what you are sacrificing for medicine and address it. Do this for not only adcoms but also for yourself.

You're going to get a lot of biased anti-NP sentiment here because...well its SDN. However, keep in mind that NP's do have a pretty good gig. 2-3 extra years of schooling, no true residency, a decent salary on the border of 5 and 6 figures, comfortable hours, relatively rewarding career, etc. CRNA is another great option, and arguably the best option in healthcare if your focus is on extrinsic reward.

Think about what you want, shadow a variety of APNPs and physicians, and take the time in deep self reflection to determine what you want out of your career not just now, but also in the future.

Medicine is not an easy path, and the last thing you want to do is to force yourself down this long and difficult path with hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt before you begin to think, "Wow, I could have done X instead." Good luck.

 

[takeonme]

Well, while many people may see you in one profession more than the other, it's really up to you. Both are hard professions if it's not something you are passionate about. Nursing is different once you're out of school and working as a nurse would help you see that. Definitely try to explore those research opportunities yourself rather than completely taking what you hear from others.

I'm saying this because the journey towards medicine is tough and it'll only get harder. It'll be easier if you know 100% that is what you want, no question. I'm sure I wouldn't have made it this far if I didn't feel that way (yep, another RN-->MD, applied this cycle and still waiting). I wish you the best of luck!

 

[Mad Jack]

Primary care ... for now. Of course that extra years of making sacrifices is offset by a higher salary.

To say that they do the same job is rather incorrect- physicians tend to take the more difficult and complicated patients, give the difficult cases a second look, and can handle Ob/Gyn far more competently than primary care NPs. I've yet to see a practice where NPs and MDs are truly interchangeable behind the scenes, despite what it looks like to the patients and public.

 

[Moose A Moose]

If I were to go through 8 years of post college education and have the same job description as someone who did 2 years, I'd be pretty upset about it. But that's just me.

If I'm reading correctly, I can assure you in any medical realm a nurse's job description is very different from that of a physician. So I wouldn't let that worry you.

 

[allantois]

If I'm reading correctly, I can assure you in any medical realm a nurse's job description is very different from that of a physician. So I wouldn't let that worry you.

Lol, that's why employers advertise that they are looking for either an MD/DO or an NP/PA to fill whatever position. Anyways, I have no dog in this fight.

 

[Catagebo]

why not just stop and go to medical school? how will finishing RN help you?