Backup Plan ? Would you consider being a nurse anesthetist ?

[NeverStopMeEver]

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If you didnt get into med school would you consider a career as a nurse anesthetist ? Another option would be to go to PA school but a friend of mine who is an ortho surgeon tells me one of the best jobs in the hospital is to be a CRNA. Good money and great hours combined with interesting work - would you consider it ?

 

[Sundarban1]

If you didnt get into med school would you consider a career as a nurse anesthetist ? Another option would be to go to PA school but a friend of mine who is an ortho surgeon tells me one of the best jobs in the hospital is to be a CRNA. Good money and great hours combined with interesting work - would you consider it ?

If becoming a physician is your true goal, your "backup plan" assuming you are rejected the first time should be to try to make your application better and try again. There are so many resources available and so many ways to acheive this goal that if you really want to be a CRNA or PA you should start now and not waste your time, money and effort into becoming a physicain if you are not 100% it is your career goal.

Having said that I am also a realist, and know that not everyone who wants to be a physician can acheive this, however if you go into the process with this mindset you are ultimately setting yourself up for defeat.

Being prepared is one thing, having a defeatest attitude will doom you.

 

[Febrifuge]

Agreed. Almost by definition, a postbac is someone who is tired of living their "backup plan," and is now working on doing what they really want to do. That's definitely how I feel.

 

[medanthgirl]

yes, my goal would be that if i didn't get in my first time after post-bacc for either md or do, i would at least try one more time. after that, i think i would try nurse practicioner. at least for that profession you still have continuity of care, whether you're doing peds or oncology or something. i guess it depends what kind of doctor you are interested in being in the first place. if like the continuity of care aspect, then np or pa might be the a good option. but if you think would like procedures or more critical medicine, then yes, i could see how nurse anethsitist (sp?) or an ER or NICU or critical care NP would be interesting. but for me even though the career would be more 'friendly' time wise and family wise, there's an intellectual and diagnostic edge that would be missing for me personally, that is there in a doctor's training and work.

 

[sunnyjohn]

yes, I would.... but I'm gonna stick with this plan until I am old and gray!