Accelerated BSN vs. 1 Year Post Bacc for MD Admission??

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

ElJamo17

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2015
Messages
69
Reaction score
8
.

Members don't see this ad.
 
Last edited:
Hi guys,
I have applied to an accelerated Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (BSN) program as I didn't think I'd be competitive for medical school. However, I recently learned about post-bacc and masters programs in medicine.
My question is which would be better for gaining admission into Med School? The post bacc or the accelerated BSN? If I get into the BSN program, I may choose to go simply to have more skills in case med school doesn't pan out.
Thanks!
-ElJamo17

Post-bacc by a mile, but if you don’t crush it you will be empty handed (& indebted)
 
Hi guys,
I have applied to an accelerated Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (BSN) program as I didn't think I'd be competitive for medical school. However, I recently learned about post-bacc and masters programs in medicine.
My question is which would be better for gaining admission into Med School? The post bacc or the accelerated BSN? If I get into the BSN program, I may choose to go simply to have more skills in case med school doesn't pan out.
Thanks!
-ElJamo17

Which is better for eating soup: a spoon or chopsticks?
 
  • Haha
Reactions: 1 user
Members don't see this ad :)
How uncompetitive are you? If your stats are way out of range for medical school admission, then BSN-to-NP would be a reasonable path to pursue.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
We really can’t help you because we don’t know anything about you. Like your GPAs, where you are in school. Where you live etc..
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Which is better for eating soup: a spoon or chopsticks?
I see your point, if I want to be competitive to med school I should do the post -bacc. The thing is that I already applied to the nursing program.
 
I'll be honest with you, I'm currently a RN in VA, and unless you dont already have a Bachelors there's no reason to do accelerated BSN.

Feel free to PM me @ElJamo17

but if you want to do medicine, go post bac route, you shouldn't have the mindset of doing nursing "in case medical school doesn't pan out". Winners Win, if medicine is your goal, achieve it. If you've tried your best and decide ultimately not to pursue medicine, then you should look into other healthcare professions if patient care is something you'd still want.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I'll be honest with you, I'm currently a RN in VA, and unless you dont already have a Bachelors there's no reason to do accelerated BSN.

Feel free to PM me @ElJamo17

but if you want to do medicine, go post bac route, you shouldn't have the mindset of doing nursing "in case medical school doesn't pan out". Winners Win, if medicine is your goal, achieve it. If you've tried your best and decide ultimately not to pursue medicine, then you should look into other healthcare professions if patient care is something you'd still want.
I'm not sure how to do a PM, so I'll put my question here. What do you mean there is no reason to do an accelerated BSN? How else would I get my BSN needed to work as a nurse? Currently I do have an undergraduate degree, but it is not relevant to nursing or healthcare in general. I did however take all of the pre-reqs for med school.
 
Here is the ultimate question: do you want to be a doctor or a nurse?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
I'm not sure how to do a PM, so I'll put my question here. What do you mean there is no reason to do an accelerated BSN? How else would I get my BSN needed to work as a nurse? Currently I do have an undergraduate degree, but it is not relevant to nursing or healthcare in general. I did however take all of the pre-reqs for med school.

I'm confused by your mindset.

You don't need to be a Nurse if you're trying to pursue medicine. There are other ways of gaining clinical exposure and experience to put on a medical school application.

Also, if you become a Nurse and then immediately go into pursuing medicine with such a short career you have to explain why the quick turnaround from Nursing to Medicine? Why not NP?

You have a 3.4 gpa why dont you just get the ECs you need and kill the MCAT? With a 3.4 some people may even argue you dont need a SMP especially if you do well on the MCAT.

I think everyone is confused on why you're hung up on getting a BSN, if you just want to pursue Medicine.

imo it shows that you don't really know if you want to do MD or RN.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
Here is the ultimate question: do you want to be a doctor or a nurse?

Dr. But in order to get into the schools I want to go to I'd need at least a 1 year of post bacc work. So I was wondering if I should simply stick to getting my MD via a post bacc or go to the nursing program I've already applied for.
 
I'm confused by your mindset.

You don't need to be a Nurse if you're trying to pursue medicine. There are other ways of gaining clinical exposure and experience to put on a medical school application.

Also, if you become a Nurse and then immediately go into pursuing medicine with such a short career you have to explain why the quick turnaround from Nursing to Medicine? Why not NP?

You have a 3.4 gpa why dont you just get the ECs you need and kill the MCAT? With a 3.4 some people may even argue you dont need a SMP especially if you do well on the MCAT.

I think everyone is confused on why you're hung up on getting a BSN, if you just want to pursue Medicine.

imo it shows that you don't really know if you want to do MD or RN.
thanks. I see your point
 
The BSN coursework won't help you much. Maybe boost your cGPA if you do well, but it wouldn't do anything for your sGPA. But adcoms will likely look down upon it because not only are you not doing courses relevant to med school, you're likely taking a spot in the school away from a student who actually wants to be a nurse.

Just do a regular post-bacc.
 
Dr. But in order to get into the schools I want to go to I'd need at least a 1 year of post bacc work. So I was wondering if I should simply stick to getting my MD via a post bacc or go to the nursing program I've already applied for.
Who said you need “at least 1year of post bacc work”? And why would they tell you that? A nursing degree is a nursing degree not a true post bacc! It won’t count for a thing when applying to med schools. If a med school advised you to do a post bacc they mean for you to take 2 semesters(at least) of full time upper division science courses and achieve a 3.8+ GPA. They certainly didn’t mean for you to go to nursing school.
Now if you want to be a nurse that’s a totally different story.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
Dr. But in order to get into the schools I want to go to I'd need at least a 1 year of post bacc work. So I was wondering if I should simply stick to getting my MD via a post bacc or go to the nursing program I've already applied for.
I didnt even finish nursing school and had to explain it at like all of my interviews why i didnt want to do nursing.

Nursing courses are not the courses you’ll need for a med school application. Post-bacc stuff is usually premed courses, but def not nursing courses.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
Doing a BSN would be a disservice to your medical school application. Don't do it if you want to be a doctor. I have seen nurses get into medical school.... after 12 years working as a nurse. Going from a BSN straight to applying to medical school just shows a lack of commitment or a lack of understanding of the process, neither of which are good if you want to get into med school. Study and take the MCAT, then see if you need to also raise your GPA (through a post-bacc, NOT A NEW DEGREE)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
With a good MCAT (515+, minimum), you'll have a shot for MD. With something like a 508+, you'll be competitive for DO. This is all without a post bac or SMP, so if your goal is to be a physician, then do one of those.

BSN shouldn't even be a consideration if you want to be a physician.

Kevin W, MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
The BSN coursework won't help you much. Maybe boost your cGPA if you do well, but it wouldn't do anything for your sGPA. But adcoms will likely look down upon it because not only are you not doing courses relevant to med school, you're likely taking a spot in the school away from a student who actually wants to be a nurse.

Just do a regular post-bacc.
Thanks
Doing a BSN would be a disservice to your medical school application. Don't do it if you want to be a doctor. I have seen nurses get into medical school.... after 12 years working as a nurse. Going from a BSN straight to applying to medical school just shows a lack of commitment or a lack of understanding of the process, neither of which are good if you want to get into med school. Study and take the MCAT, then see if you need to also raise your GPA (through a post-bacc, NOT A NEW DEGREE)
thanks I think I’m gonna apply for the post bacc
 
Go for the postbacc! The BSN is only useful if you are very much on the fence about medicine and want to work as a nurse for a couple of years. In fact, with a 3.4 I'd recommend the cheaper DIY option, especially if you think you can crack a 508+ (for DO) or 515+ (for MD) on the MCAT.
 
Top