Am I on the right track?

[xDNA]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I am currently a Registered Nurse at a Level IV NICU. Originally I was going to go college undecided and was encouraged by my mom to go to school for my BSN. I went to a good university in my area but even with my scholarship and financial aid it was too much for my family to pay. So I worked full time and went through an accelerated associates program and obtained my AAS degree because at first nursing felt like the right decision, I was in love with the science and learning about the human body and its application into the real world to help others. Now that I am in the career field of nursing, I am not satisfied. After a lot of soul searching I undoubtedly know I want to pursue a M.D/D.O
I'm currently in a Bachelor's program starting 7/9/18 and should be completed by 5/1/19. With that completion date it TECHNICALLY allows me to apply to many Post Bacc programs with start dates in Summer semester, but since I really havent started my BSN program I would assume they would use my cGPA from my associates program which is only a 3.26gpa. So would it be better to just wait a little and try for a Fall 2019 semester or should I try my luck for Summer?

Also In regards to Medical School I know they want clinical experience, since I am a nurse I have tons of clinical experience working with interdisciplinary teams to provide high levels of quality care. Are my working hours as a RN acceptable as clinical experience?
I am also on a Neonatal anesthesia and surgery commitee at my hospital where we implement EBPs. We look at quality improvement opportunities, trial new ideas and such. Does this count as research?
And whats the best way to find a Physician to shadow?

 

[GoodLawd]

1. It depends on which post-bacc program you want to pursue/which you find will best suit your needs to get to MD/DO. Things to consider: Can you can handle obtaining A's, working as an RN, and the application process?, what type of financial aid/scholarships are available at the post-bacc programs?, if there is a GPA requirement does your current cGPA satisfy? Or would you like to beef up the GPA more before applying?

2. Yep, RN for sure counts as clinical experience.

3. Not entirely sure about the EBPs, to me that is more of the action after the traditional research has been implemented. You could certainly try to argue that it is a form of research. However, the traditional definition of research is deriving new/extracting information in an effort to prove a hypothesis. In this you support previous conclusions or come up with your own conclusion. During your BS or post-bacc. you can ask professors or advisors for more traditional research opportunities or even a publication name drop.

4. Hey you work as an RN, you certainly work with physicians. Ask them or even ask if they know any physician you could shadow! Now is the time to start using the network of professionals you've known while working as an RN.

Also, look into volunteer opportunities if you want to hit all bases of the activities section you'll fill out one day.

One thing that I worked on in my application outside of all of the points I just made was ensuring that I had interests outside of science. I devolved into various hobbies until I found a few I really enjoyed and allowed me to destress.

Yep, seems like you are on your way. Keep on trucking!

 

[xDNA]

Thanks boss, really helpful post! I actually had used the physician directory at my job and reached out to some physicians. And one Doc that replied actually allowed me to shadow him during clinic and afterwards we went to grab a bite to eat and chit-chatted. It was awesome! he offered me more shadowing opportunities in his office and said he would be like mentor to help me get on a path to my desired specialty (which he is a physician as currently). I'm super happy, and excited.

"Love The Grind, Trust The Process"