Advice for a 22-year old Nurse planning on potentially pursuing medicine?

[Bolt308]

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Hello all, I am currently working as a RN and have only been working for a short-while (2-months), but in this short time frame I have realized that the nursing model is not for me long term and I really enjoy understanding and truly dissecting what is going on with each patient and the direction their care may go. Nursing is a great profession do not get me wrong and I do not regret going into nursing, but I have quickly realized that most of nursing is following orders almost blindly and then being unable to provide patients answers about their care plan (From a scope of practice standpoint) and that has been really difficult. I have thought about NP, but I want to have the best clinical knowledge and the best training to treat each patient to the best of my ability, and I feel medical school provides that knowledge.

I graduated from an Upper Division Nursing program with a cumulative GPA of 3.87, I found the coursework to be pretty easy and have been really considering medical school over NP school due to the wealth of knowledge and clinical practice available during medical school and residency that is unavailable in NP school. (Both MD and DO are options at this point). That being said, I have not taken most of the pre-requisite courses (Other than General Chemistry 1 w/ lab, Microbiology w/ lab, English Courses, and some of the "softer sciences" like psychology and sociology). I am planning on taking the required courses while I work as a nurse and plan on this whole process taking up to 1-2 years.

Is there any advice that current physicians/residents/med-students/RN-MD/Pre-Med/etc. would be willing to give me about any step in the process? Anything would be greatly appreciated. I am about to get married soon and will be living with my soon to be wife on our own with little support from family as far as financially. I also do not have any friends or constituents that are following this path so I am kind of trying to find my own way through the whole process. I know I want to practice medicine and am willing to give my all to be able to make that a reality. So, once again any advice would be greatly appreciated! God Bless!

 

[Faha]

After you have taken all the prerequisites, take the MCAT but only after your practice scores are consistently 505+. A score of 500+ is fine for the majority of DO schools (especially the newer schools). If you score 508+ you could receive MD interviews. You should accumulate 50 hours of in person physician shadowing (including primary care) and 150+ hours of non clinical volunteering such as food bank, homeless shelter.

 

[ajaxmonkey]

RN here, I’ve just got accepted into an MD and DO program. Feel free to message me anytime.

 

[deleted1192955]

Well, it sounds like you know what you want and you're prepared for what it takes to become a doctor.

After you're midway/mostly through your pre-reqs, I would take an official AAMC practice MCAT. The ones from the test prep companies tend to be extra difficult, so that you become terrified and buy access to the course. If you want to wait until you're through the pre-reqs, you'll get an even better idea.

The nursing model is very different from the M.D./D.O. model, as I'm sure you know. More emphasis on care/hygiene/activities of daily living and not as much pharm/orders/charting/paperwork/delegation.

What type of doctor do you see yourself being? Obviously the N.P. route is easiest at this point.

You will need a clear reason for:
1) Why medicine
2) Why this school
3) Why should we pick you
Etc.

Be sure that you have a clear plan for how you will afford:
1) Test prep for the MCAT (most people take a course, so that's what you'll be competing against)
2) Spare finances for your family
3) Funds for a rainy day
4) Funds for interviews/interview attire/secondaries/supplemental resources that you may req. at any point in the process.

I graduated from Wayne State approx. 11 years ago and did a lot of shadowing/working at free clinics along the way. I found this to be most helpful w/respect to figuring out what kind of doctor I wanted to be/what the day-to-day life of a doctor is like. Feel free to PM me as well! <3

 

[operaman]

Given your current position, the time/cost of med school vs NP school is substantial. While goals can change, if you know you want to go into a primary care field or something like anesthesia with a strong nursing alternative, you could end up with an identical day to day practice and comparable salary in a fraction of the time. Having a deeper understanding of everything is nice, but may not be as useful day to day in many jobs - one of the reasons many docs feel so burned out.

If you have your eye on something that only docs can do, then definitely go for the med school route. You’re teed up to be a strong applicant and should have minimal trouble getting in.