Advice needed!

[drdoom12]

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Currently, I'm majoring in nursing. My desire to pursue medical school was a bit of a later choice for me, but I am fully invested down that path currently. I went into a BSN program with intentions of going to nurse anesthesia school, but I quickly found out that nursing wasn't for me at all. My clinicals as a nursing student really opened my eyes to how unhappy I'd truly be as a nurse, or even a CRNA, and shadowing both a physician and CRNA sealed the deal.

However, I'm in a bit of a conundrum. Should I finish up my nursing major or switch over to something I enjoy more? I'm finishing up my Fall semester of my Senior year, but I still haven't had physics or organic chem, so I would have to take a year off before applying to finish those classes up. Also, I am doing research through the nursing department at my college and am the Vice President of the nursing association on campus, so I would lose the leadership position if I switched majors. I'm also the Vice President of the most prestigious honor society on campus, as well, though, so I would, of course, keep that position.

I guess my questions are: Would it look flighty for me to change majors going into my last semester as an undergraduate student? I will graduate in the Spring if I stick with nursing, but I will be back next Fall to finish up those aforementioned classes regardless.

Would it bring up a red flag for adcomms that I majored in nursing even though my time spent in nursing has showed me that I truly desire to be a physician?

Has anyone else done anything similar with success? (Changed majors as a senior and took an extra year to graduate)

 

[Ismet]

Currently, I'm majoring in nursing. My desire to pursue medical school was a bit of a later choice for me, but I am fully invested down that path currently. I went into a BSN program with intentions of going to nurse anesthesia school, but I quickly found out that nursing wasn't for me at all. My clinicals as a nursing student really opened my eyes to how unhappy I'd truly be as a nurse, or even a CRNA, and shadowing both a physician and CRNA sealed the deal.

However, I'm in a bit of a conundrum. Should I finish up my nursing major or switch over to something I enjoy more? I'm finishing up my Fall semester of my Senior year, but I still haven't had physics or organic chem, so I would have to take a year off before applying to finish those classes up. Also, I am doing research through the nursing department at my college and am the Vice President of the nursing association on campus, so I would lose the leadership position if I switched majors. I'm also the Vice President of the most prestigious honor society on campus, as well, though, so I would, of course, keep that position.

I guess my questions are: Would it look flighty for me to change majors going into my last semester as an undergraduate student? I will graduate in the Spring if I stick with nursing, but I will be back next Fall to finish up those aforementioned classes regardless.

Would it bring up a red flag for adcomms that I majored in nursing even though my time spent in nursing has showed me that I truly desire to be a physician?

Has anyone else done anything similar with success? (Changed majors as a senior and took an extra year to graduate)

My 2 cents...

Since you're so close to graduating, I think you might as well go one last semester and graduate with the nursing degree. If anything, it gives you more clinical experience, and I'm sure it is much more hands-on that most pre-meds are able to do. If you were to change your major, what would you change it to? Do you already have most of the classes for that major completed, or would you have to load up next year in addition to ochem and physics? You might be better off devoting next year to just those two courses.

It sounds like you have a great story, which interviewers will like. A lot of times they ask "why medicine? why not nursing/dentistry/pharmacy/physical therapy?" and you will have a good answer!

 

[drdoom12]

Awesome reply! Thank you.

If I didn't major in Nursing, I would probably switch to something like english or economics. However, I have very few courses complete in either of those majors. It would definitely be a large increase in workload for the next two semesters. I just thoroughly despise some of my nursing professors, and I feel as though the whole BSN degree is mounds of fluff over very little needed information.

I know that sometimes adcomms dislike nursing majors due to them taking a spot from another future nurse or whatever their rationale is, but I feel as though without nursing, I would have never pursued medicine in the first place. Hopefully, I can get that point across well enough in my personal statement.

Also, I don't plan on working as a nurse for longer than I have to, so would it be seen as flighty to work as a nurse for a year and then jump ship to medical school? I know that DO schools look highly upon people with past healthcare experience, but what about MD schools? Are they similar?

 

[azerkail]

when i was asked by an advisor about a similar thing (was studying to get into a nursing program then switched with a pre-med track in mind) i was unable to explain it. where am i going with this lol...

i would imagine that since you can explain your change of heart, its timing should not matter. if anything you could make the arguement you had to really make sure that nursing wasn't for you and took a while for it.

there's a non-traditional forum on here too for people who are career changers and switchers...

 

[zwitterion34]

My 50 dollars..

I would graduate with teh nercing degreez. 😎