My story: I always wanted to go to medical school. Went to get my BSN for the experience and closeness an RN gets with patients to build my emotional/psychosocial/psychological/medical skills. I always figured that a biology degree is teaching you, well, biology and what better way to be a doctor than to train and spend your time being with patients for 12 hours at a time? A nurse!
So, I took the general chemistry instead of the joke introductory that is required at my school. I applied and got into the honors college, I took Calculus instead of the lowest possible (again required). I also TA'd an anatomy lab. All of these changes were PRIOR to starting nursing school.
Once in nursing school, I looked at EVERYTHING from a medical perspective. It's amazing how much nurses are REQUIRED to know provided a motivated student. I say motivated because most of my peers didn't read to 'know' more or to be the best RN and just got by with C's or B's if they could. An 'A' student and a just-barely-passing 'C' student would be profoundly distinct in their medical and nursing knowledge and skills.
I would have to say a BSN is a more difficult pre-med degree than traditional ones. This is due in part to the nursing grading scale being scaled up (85-93 = A). Not to mention the nature of the program of clinicals on top of classes, etc.
However, I would HIGHTLY recommend nursing, ESPECIALLY the BSN route as a pre-med major. I would fill in the BCPM courses in the summers, work a year after you graduate to get REAL experience, and then apply to medical school. This is the route I took except I externed my summers and will have 2 years of experience prior to applying.
The experiences I have gained as an RN in the Neuro ICU are invaluable. It also depends on how you looked at things in nursing school. I paid close attention and studied hard to the medical aspects more so than the others, which I believe is the true reward if you are RN pre-med (next to the clinical experience). I feel like I have a fairly good and broad handle on internal medicine with a strong point in neuro
I personally think that going to medical school
NOW will expand my knowledge and make me a much better provider to my patients than I otherwise could be.
In terms of anyone 'hating' you for being an RN is a flat out joke and lie. Most of the traditional route students in my BCPM classes always comment, I wish I would have done something like that knowing what I know now! I know numerous MD's and DO's who were RN's prior and they all recommend it. I also remember reading a survey somewhere that 85% of RN's get into medical school.
I apply and take my MCAT this summer.
