Anyone who has ever gone RN to MD/DO

[sena]

I was just curious as to how many of you actually ended up getting grilled about "Why are you leaving nursing to pursue MD/DO" I see so many people saying that "They won't accept you because you chose RN", but I have a hard time believing them, due to:
A) I have a hard time being convinced my a "med student" who has enough time to frequent forums
B) My neighbor sits on an admissions panel and she told me for their institution, it would help, due to prior exposure to the medical field as compared to someone who majored in English and filled pre-req's.
C) I myself know of 4 people I currently work with who went RN to MD within the last 10 years.

So how many of you were denied solely on the reason that "We don't want to take a nurse out of the field". I'm not saying this is not true per se, but I can't find any solid evidence proving it such.

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[fiznat]

The doc I shadowed was a paramedic, then an RN, then a DO. I don't know exactly what his application process was like but obviously it didn't stop him... I met a bunch of people on the interview trail who had other careers, including healthcare careers. I personally think adcoms think it's interesting (because it is!).

 

[sena]

I do not understand where people get their solid information other than "I read it previously on the forums".

 

[tideleonheart]

I was just curious as to how many of you actually ended up getting grilled about "Why are you leaving nursing to pursue MD/DO" I see so many people saying that "They won't accept you because you chose RN", but I have a hard time believing them, due to:
A) I have a hard time being convinced my a "med student" who has enough time to frequent forums
B) My neighbor sits on an admissions panel and she told me for their institution, it would help, due to prior exposure to the medical field as compared to someone who majored in English and filled pre-req's.
C) I myself know of 4 people I currently work with who went RN to MD within the last 10 years.

So how many of you were denied solely on the reason that "We don't want to take a nurse out of the field". I'm not saying this is not true per se, but I can't find any solid evidence proving it such.

You can go from X to MD/DO. X = anything... literally...

 

[Poliphilo]

Don't listen to people saying they wont accept you. It'll eventually help. Not at first, but clinical especially. Do what you want. There are a few RN's in our class.

 

[sena]

What do you mean by not at first?

 

[willen101383]

What do you mean by not at first?

As in your RN experience wont help you with your pre clinical coursework but will later on.

OP RELAX I had a career in another allied health profession before I went back to med school. I was never questioned about why I wanted to bail on that and become a doc. I have several RN/BSNs in my class.

 

[JeetKuneDo]

I do not understand where people get their solid information other than "I read it previously on the forums".

Sometimes, an "I read it previously on the forums" is enough.

 

[kcin]

You can go from X to MD/DO. X = anything... literally...

pedophile?

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I do not understand where people get their solid information other than "I read it previously on the forums".

We get our information from posts made by Real advisers, Real doctors, Real Adcoms, and Real medical school students who got in to medical school. We also have the ability to conduct our own individual research by buying/downloading books such as the MSAR & CIB, or other creditable sources of information which display easy to digest statistics. All of which, pretty much gives us a ton of information to which we can discuss on SDN, and thusly supplies a bunch of pre-meds on here with the information to succeed.

 

[drctother]

We get our information from posts made by Real advisers, Real doctors, Real Adcoms, and Real medical school students who got in to medical school. We also have the ability to conduct our own individual research by buying/downloading books such as the MSAR & CIB, or other creditable sources of information which display easy to digest statistics. All of which, pretty much gives us a ton of information to which we can discuss on SDN, and thusly supplies a bunch of pre-meds on here with the information to succeed.

Agreed

 

[sena]

We get our information from posts made by Real advisers, Real doctors, Real Adcoms, and Real medical school students who got in to medical school. We also have the ability to conduct our own individual research by buying/downloading books such as the MSAR & CIB, or other creditable sources of information which display easy to digest statistics. All of which, pretty much gives us a ton of information to which we can discuss on SDN, and thusly supplies a bunch of pre-meds on here with the information to succeed.

I agree, but on cases such as RN acceptance, I have not seen anything at all backing the claims of rejection, but more so showing it to be a benefit.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I agree, but on cases such as RN acceptance, I have not seen anything at all backing the claims of rejection, but more so showing it to be a benefit.

It's pretty easy to look up statistics on nursing majors and acceptance to medical school. Last I checked on the Knox website it was like 29% as opposed to 44% of biology students. It has also been stated by a few adcoms that nursing is a vocational major and as such medical schools are less interested in taking them. Another issue in the past was the nursing deficiency, if you went from being a nursing major and directly went onto apply for medicine you were seen as someone who wasted a seat that someone could have had and actually joined the workforce.

 

[Poliphilo]

What I meant is that an RN degree doesn't help with the core courses in medical school, like biochemistry, at least for me anyway. The courses that it helped in was pharmacology, and clinical correlation courses, along with actual clinical settings. I have never been asked, why are you leaving nursing to be a doctor, it has never been an issue.

 

[DeLaughterDO]

I've been asked lots of times, mostly by nurses contemplating the move. If I remember correctly, it came up as a discussion point and as background info during interviews for med school, but never got the idea it was a big deal. This was 2001 when I was applying - height of the "nursing shortage" (which, coincidentally has never improved, despite all the new schools/expanded matriculation), and no mention of "why did you waste a seat in nursing school for someone who wanted to be a nurse, blah blah blah." I worked for 4 years, so that might have been why.

Took real chemistry, biology, micro, etc instead of nursing versions after making sure they would count toward my nursing degree.

Got into med school first attempt.

Agree, nursing won't help with pre-clinical coursework, but once in clinic/hospital, those years of training definitely made a difference.

 

[RNueve]

hopefully I can let you know this cycle! i've spoke to a couple docs on admission boards and they have said it can only help. i've heard a lot of stories with the other point of view as well though, so who knows.

 

[Goro]

It's NEVER happened at our school. I've not only had students who were RNs, but a DO faculty colleague as well.

Where do you guys come up with these notions???





So how many of you were denied solely on the reason that "We don't want to take a nurse out of the field". I'm not saying this is not true per se, but I can't find any solid evidence proving it such.[/QUOTE]