BSN..then medical school?

[MSmentor018]

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You have to sit down and have a serious discussion with yourself. If you know NOW that you'd like to become a physician, and you already have an undergrad degree, you could take the tuitions dollars and put them into pre-med coursework.

Personally, I honestly think that BSN is OK if you went to it to become a nurse, became a RN, learned and grew, but came to the realization that the practice of nursing may not be enough debth. For me it was the fact that I realized I thought quite differently from many in nursing--not all of course--but many. Physicians around me picked up on this and encouraged me to consider medical school, but with family and such, I didn't feel it was attainable. Truth is that I know in my heart of hearts that I am a physician more than a nurse, and I have loved many aspects of being a nurse.



You really can't bypass the tough face-to-face you have to have with yourself over this.
If you were maybe 3/4s or more along the way, I'd say, "Finish the BSN." And yes, 1/2 of the way is a considerable investment as well. But you do not need the Bachelor's in Nursing to meet med school admissions requirements. If you had no other Bachelor's, than I say finish the BSN first. If you had a less than competitive undergrad GPA, and completing the BSN would pull that up, I'd say complete the BSN.


Don't worry so much about if they might ask you this or that. You only have to be concerned about having a truly honest and compelling reason for pursuing medical school. They could ask any number of questions for which you may not be able to prepare an ideal response.

Figure out what YOU really want and need to do. After that, work on making the very best application package for yourself that you can.

The BSN won't necessarily prepare anyone for medical school. What may give some nurses an edge is the clinical areas and experience and expertise they picked up after years of working as RNs in certain areas.


So look at your whole situation--your undergrad GPA, money issues, how you will go about obtaining and growing your BPCM GPA as well. What do you want, and what is the best way for YOU to get there?

Good luck.

good advice 👍 I couldn't say anything different. i was in your shoes at one time, older than you, and now about to start residency. age shouldn't even be one of your considerations. it's a long but well rewarding road, good luck!

 

[jl lin]

good advice 👍 I couldn't say anything different. i was in your shoes at one time, older than you, and now about to start residency. age shouldn't even be one of your considerations. it's a long but well rewarding road, good luck!

Thanks for the thumbs up.

Great to hear that you made it through and are moving ahead to residency. The age factor used to be an issue. . .now it's the debt factor that has me nervous. One foot in front of the other.

Thanks for sharing in a positive way. MSmentor, may I ask what kind of residency you matched into? Might it be emergency medicine? I am looking forward to hearing back. It's so good to hear the reassurance.

 

[MSmentor018]

Thanks for the thumbs up.

Great to hear that you made it through and are moving ahead to residency. The age factor used to be an issue. . .now it's the debt factor that has me nervous. One foot in front of the other.

Thanks for sharing in a positive way. MSmentor, may I ask what kind of residency you matched into? Might it be emergency medicine? I am looking forward to hearing back. It's so good to hear the reassurance.

USF/tampa emergency medicine. don't worry about debt, it'll be there. I am having this discussion in the EM thread about repayment and such. the laws have changed last yr. so obama wants more money from loans but seriously don't worry about it. I've heard this from every physician I know...live modestly, enjoy life, pay all your debt off, then go crazy and do whatever you want. truly sound advice.

 

[jl lin]

USF/tampa emergency medicine. don't worry about debt, it'll be there. I am having this discussion in the EM thread about repayment and such. the laws have changed last yr. so obama wants more money from loans but seriously don't worry about it. I've heard this from every physician I know...live modestly, enjoy life, pay all your debt off, then go crazy and do whatever you want. truly sound advice.

Wow. Tampa. NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEEEEE.

It would so be worth it all to match in Tampa.

Yea, I'm going for it; but it doesn't mean I'm not a little nervous about it. I tell myself that there are some friends of ours that have put their money in vacation houses, etc. So I guess med. school will be like a "vacation house." . . .??? Um, that doesn't quite seem right. LOL I have more peace about this "fit" though.

The best to you down in Tampa, you lucky SOB. 😉

 

[MSmentor018]

Wow. Tampa. NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEEEEE.

It would so be worth it all to match in Tampa.

Yea, I'm going for it; but it doesn't mean I'm not a little nervous about it. I tell myself that there are some friends of ours that have put their money in vacation houses, etc. So I guess med. school will be like a "vacation house." . . .??? Um, that doesn't quite seem right. LOL I have more peace about this "fit" though.

The best to you down in Tampa, you lucky SOB. 😉

thanks, competition was tough over 1000 applied, 10 accepted. I am a DO so that make things a little harder in applying to a MD program. here's how I looked at med school: once you get that magic acceptance, you'll graduate. period. end of story. I didn't keep my nursing license active as a fallback, didn't keep up any creds, nothing. I knew once I got on this roller coaster, tighten the strap on the financial belt, there's no getting off it. honestly I can't even say I worried about loans at all, although I did almost exhaust all my savings from nursing. the vacation home comparison is pretty accurate. the loan I have from school is allowing me to live in tampa! and yes...it is all worth it!!! and it will be for you. good luck.

 

[jl lin]

thanks, competition was tough over 1000 applied, 10 accepted. I am a DO so that make things a little harder in applying to a MD program. here's how I looked at med school: once you get that magic acceptance, you'll graduate. period. end of story. I didn't keep my nursing license active as a fallback, didn't keep up any creds, nothing. I knew once I got on this roller coaster, tighten the strap on the financial belt, there's no getting off it. honestly I can't even say I worried about loans at all, although I did almost exhaust all my savings from nursing. the vacation home comparison is pretty accurate. the loan I have from school is allowing me to live in tampa! and yes...it is all worth it!!! and it will be for you. good luck.

Like I said, you lucky SOB. 😉 LOL

Hope it is a great place to grow and learn as a physician-then I'll be doubly jealous. But I'm not really the jealous type. . .so I feel happy for you. . .for real.

I do hope that one day I am as lucky or blessed or whatever you want to call it, as you. Whatever it is, I call it NICE. Everyone I know, and I mean everyone, living in that area loves it.

 

[MSmentor018]

Like I said, you lucky SOB. 😉 LOL

Hope it is a great place to grow and learn as a physician-then I'll be doubly jealous. But I'm not really the jealous type. . .so I feel happy for you. . .for real.

I do hope that one day I am as lucky or blessed or whatever you want to call it, as you. Whatever it is, I call it NICE. Everyone I know, and I mean everyone, living in that area loves it.

there's no doubt, you can do it. I made an excel spreadsheet of where I wanted to go based on many factors, training was definitely 1 of them. I can easily say the training I've had as a student there has been phenomenal! decent lectures, more hands on procedures and ultrasound training than I could ask for....so i stayed and did a few more months. I don't know if I got extra attention because they wanted me or just like to teach. nice budget, brand new ER located on an island, resident lounge has a large patio sundeck that overlooks all the bays/rivers. tons of great restaurants and got the standard FL type home. after 17 yrs on this trek, very very blessed, lucky, persevered....however you can describe it!

 

[amygdaloideum]

Pick a major you are going to excel in and complete the pre-med curriculum. It doesn't matter if that major is a BSN, a BA in basket-weaving, english, etc. Med school admissions want to know you can excel in something you enjoy and perform well on the standard pre-requisites everyone is required to take. Whether that's a BS in Biochem, a BA in English, or a BA in Psych that's your call. Just make sure you take (Calc, Stats, Physics and all the other fun courses as well).

I think it's a wonderful endeavor and certainly makes you a unique candidate, but definitely a more challenging path due to the lack of course overlap. It is easier to do a major more accommodating to excelling at the pre-medical courses than to burn yourself out with 200 credit hours before you even get to medical school. If I could have done it all over I would have chosen another major as my route to medical school. However, the satisfaction of completing both curriculums, and be successful, is great.

Shadow a physician and summarize what you want from your career. Once you have some clear goals in mind it will become more fathomable. Don't let anything (including a past academic performance) or anyone (who might try to cap your capabilities) set the standard for your success.


Best of luck, whatever you decide to choose.

 

[amygdaloideum]

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[amygdaloideum]

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