BSN to Osteopathic Med school

[CT782]

Hello, I currently am in my 3rd year enrolled in a nursing school pursing my BSN. Towards the beginning of my clinical exposure in nursing, I became increasingly interested in the medical perspective over the nursing perspective. After researching medical schools, I found that osteopathic medicine is what I consider my true calling. Since I have no room in my nursing schedule, I have been going to school full time during summer to get all of the mandatory science classes in. Needless to say, I have kept my intentions to apply to medical school to myself, fearing the kinds of nasty backlash that undergraduate nursing professors reserve only for people considering medicine or nurse anesthesia. Does anyone have any suggestions? I feel bad misleading my fellow students, but at the same time, I feel its necessary. I have no clue as to how to even get a letter of recommendation from my instructors. Most feel that the nursing model and medical models of thought have irresolvable differences and one can never be the other. Help!

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[Noeljan]

hey there CT,
I have noticed angry comments from other nurses I have worked with(I am a senior in my BSN now), but I have not really had any negativity from professors or students. Actually all my nursing students are my friends, and they always encourage me. Some of them want to be NP's, some midwifes(midwives??), some CRNA, some RN's. We all respect eachother. Don't feel intimidated and just tell them about it and why. I always tell my friends and professors I want to be the one making the diagnosis not treating the problems from the diagnosis🙂 I find that the most negative nurses are associate level RN's who don't even feel a BSN is needed. Im not saying all associate RN's, but some. Good luck

 

[Noeljan]

oh and also, I have been doing what you have do for the most part...I have been pre-med from day one.
Needless to say after the intensity from nursing "easy sciences" my pre-med physics and biology were jokes, yep right along side all those strictly "pre-med", bio or psych(who for some strange reason are assumed to have more difficult classes than us..haha) That is why I love to defend BSN majors because I have done both at the same time, and let me tell you the simplicity involved in the premed sciences(where I have all A's) compared to nursing classes(where you have to devote yourself) good luck and don't listen to ANYONE🙂

 

[manna]

So, do you mind me asking (as I've been considernig pursuing BSN/pre-med myself)..

If you were just going to go pre-med anyway, why did you choose to get a BSN and not a BS in some other field?

 

[Noeljan]

hey there
I think that answer is easy for me. Why would I pick something else? Why not pick something else? I guess it's just up to an individual. BSN is an undergrad degree just like anything else, and in my book it's far more intense than plenty of undergraduate majors. I hate when people compare it to medical school(ex doctors) like nursing is watered down from med school, etc. Well news flash, it's not med school. It is not on the same level of med school, it's an undergraduate degree just like bio or psych. My question is, what makes a psych major better prepared for med school than a nursing major? You could go on all day with such questions. Do you think there is a certain med school only undergrad major that is the right answer?? No there is not. And unless you are accepted right from high school there are not many schools you can go to to "just be pre-med"
Also, I got a lot of clinical experience from my own clinicals. I am not sure about people who get the associates RN. Now that I don't believe is fair to try and go from any associates degree to medical school, I don't think you can anywhere but I could be wrong. Good luck

 

[manna]

>>Do you think there is a certain med school only >>undergrad major that is the right answer??

Whoa...... calm down! I was just asking, I didn't intend for my question to come across as rude at all.

I've been waffling over deciding the same thing - whether to pursue a BSN as undergrad or go into something else (which would probably be education).

I've just gotten alot of negative feedback about the BSN route re: the fact that ad coms would question your motives in pursuing med school directly after a BSN since you were already in the health care field, blah, blah, blah. It's nice
to see someone who puts a positive spin on taking that path.

Oh, and to answer, I certainly don't think any major matters more than another... my brother just graduated med school last year and his BS is in forestry of all things! LOL 🙂

 

[Noeljan]

hey there mana
I didn't take offense to your question, it was a general statement aimed at everyone to ask themselves. I know you will get pre-meds saying this or that, but don't worry. If you know in your heart and mind what you want to do you can do it. If anyone asks you that question or says why the change from nursing, etc....well turn around and ask them the same question...ex: why psych and now medical school, or why biology, or why dance, or whatever. If you think about it, the same could be said for anything. There is not any(for the most part) a strictly pre-med undergrad program. I was just in my clinical today(peds🙂 and my preceptor RN was telling me about her doctor who used to be a nurse with her back in the day.....well she ended up going to medical school(allopathic) at 30+ years of age! Granted I am 23 and in a different situation, but believe me there are nurses who will think it's a great idea and I have not come across a person yet who has not said their doctor(who once was a nurse) was the best doctor they ever had. I don't know how much more experience you could get with patients than in nursing. Also, if you are in a good BSN program, and take the required pre med sciences right along with "pre-meds" there should be no reason you cannot do it. Plus, while you are applying you can make some cash and not be a poor student like always🙂 Also, on vacations work some per diem and you have a way better paycheck than working in that lab in the summers making six bucks an hour. Can you see my reasons now?
They are not right for everyone, and may not even be right. But they have been working for me, and I am graduating this may Magna...have been on a varsity sport which in itself takes sooo much time, and have held high positions in my sorority. If some little snotty xyz major wants to say for some strange reason I am not good enough for medical school because I got my BSN and not my BS in psychology then they need to not talk to me. I am also getting my BA in bio🙂
Good luck and if you have any questions please let me know, we will be applying together.

 

[Aaron151]

I know this is an old post but fits my situation exactly and I would love to hear an update if possible. I am currently a 3rd year nursing student who has a passion for medicine but is also afraid of the "backlash" I will receive if I even suggest the medical school route. I hold, not only nurses, but lab techs, pharmacists, radiology techs, respiratory therapists etc. in the highest regard. They are all essential aspects of the health care team that no one scope of practice could do without. I don't want to be a physician for the authority, prestige, or any of the common stereotypes that come along with being a physician. I want to be a physician because I am passionately curious (I want to "learn everything about everything"), opportunity to not only work with, but also learn from patients, and also to be part of the team that strives for the common goal of getting the patient well. I just feel that the MD scope of practice is really where I want to be.

 

[chrish0204]

Absolutely nothing wrong with a nurse heading to med school, but it is sort of sad to waste a spot in a nursing class when it could be filled with someone that actually wants to be an RN.

 

[chimichanga]

...but it is sort of sad to waste a spot in a nursing class when it could be filled with someone that actually wants to be an RN.

I've taught nursing, and was on the admissions committee for our school. I'll take a nursing student who has her eye on med school in the future, without question, over some of the 'candidates' we've been getting the last five years...

Not a 'sad waste' at all

 

[chrish0204]

Is it really a sad waste or a well-rounded physician-to-be?

I see your point, but ideally, med school candidates could become well-rounded without going to nursing school (I realize that the loops you have yo jump through to get into med-school might not make this possible). Also I'm just talking about people that go into nursing school with the express purpose of then going to medical school. There are waiting lists for nursing programs and it doesn't seem fair to take up a spot when you know you won't be practicing as a nurse (at least, very long). It's different if you practice as a nurse for a while and then decide you would like to become a physician.

 

[chrish0204]

I've taught nursing, and was on the admissions committee for our school. I'll take a nursing student who has her eye on med school in the future, without question, over some of the 'candidates' we've been getting the last five years...

Not a 'sad waste' at all

Really? If you were hiring someone for a position that requires substantial training, and someone said they only planned to work there for a few months and then move on, would you give them the job? I think the same principle is at work here.

Anecdotally I don't know that a desire to go to med school can be used as a proxy for a motivated, go-getter nurse in all cases. The only person in my class that was trying to use nursing as a "back door" to med school was definitely not that type.

 

[Aaron151]

To be fair, I did not know if I was medical school material when I started the nursing program. The one thing I did know is that I LOVED working at the hospital or in any clinical setting for that matter. I have worked in the lab as a phlebotomist for a little over two years and I love it. The one thing, however, is that I often felt distant from patients and I really missed my interaction with them. I would only be able to be in their room for a short while before I needed to draw my next patient. This is why I chose nursing, for the direct patient interaction. However, following my clinical rotation, although I loved the patient interaction and care, I really missed the science that was behind the disease process that was affecting these individuals. I love bombarding the lab techs with questions about what indications mean, and what values are indicated for a person with this disease and the complications that could arise (I have so much respect for lab techs, they are VERY intelligent people). I had no intent on "wasting" a spot for another student. I am very well respected by the faculty in the nursing department and have been asked to speak at an international nursing convention, do nursing research, be a teachers assistant for the next year and a half in a med surg course, etc. I hold a very high regard for all nurses and feel that the nursing education I have received has not only been educationally valuable but has also given me something else that no other major in college could have, and that is perspective. To understand the stress and work load that all nurses go through day in and day out. Dealing with such a broad spectrum of issues from psychosocial issues to trying to do assessments, and maybe even finding something that the doctor missed. It is not that I don't want to be a nurse, I just feel that I would be happier in the scope of practice that a doctor has. All I know is that I want to be the best physician that I can be through compassion, curiosity, and the respect of my co-workers.

 

[chimichanga]

Really? If you were hiring someone for a position that requires substantial training, and someone said they only planned to work there for a few months and then move on, would you give them the job? I think the same principle is at work here.

Anecdotally I don't know that a desire to go to med school can be used as a proxy for a motivated, go-getter nurse in all cases. The only person in my class that was trying to use nursing as a "back door" to med school was definitely not that type.

Well, as a (nursing) clinical instructor, I have mentored several students that I thought had the ____________ to go to med school. (I have had many students that I have encouraged to do so, all for various reasons, some have, and are docs now)

It made me proud that I could be a very small part, in their decision to pursue med school after nursing.

I feel the nursing and medical profession can benefit and learn from those that have chosen to put nursing behind them, and pursue a noble calling such as medicine.

And nursing school, though certainly pales in comparison (time, knowledge depth, etc) to med school, is no cakewalk, and I would argue will contribute to some of the "well roundedness" posed by another poster.

 

[The right Path]

To be fair, I did not know if I was medical school material when I started the nursing program. The one thing I did know is that I LOVED working at the hospital or in any clinical setting for that matter. I have worked in the lab as a phlebotomist for a little over two years and I love it. The one thing, however, is that I often felt distant from patients and I really missed my interaction with them. I would only be able to be in their room for a short while before I needed to draw my next patient. This is why I chose nursing, for the direct patient interaction. However, following my clinical rotation, although I loved the patient interaction and care, I really missed the science that was behind the disease process that was affecting these individuals. I love bombarding the lab techs with questions about what indications mean, and what values are indicated for a person with this disease and the complications that could arise (I have so much respect for lab techs, they are VERY intelligent people). I had no intent on "wasting" a spot for another student. I am very well respected by the faculty in the nursing department and have been asked to speak at an international nursing convention, do nursing research, be a teachers assistant for the next year and a half in a med surg course, etc. I hold a very high regard for all nurses and feel that the nursing education I have received has not only been educationally valuable but has also given me something else that no other major in college could have, and that is perspective. To understand the stress and work load that all nurses go through day in and day out. Dealing with such a broad spectrum of issues from psychosocial issues to trying to do assessments, and maybe even finding something that the doctor missed. It is not that I don't want to be a nurse, I just feel that I would be happier in the scope of practice that a doctor has. All I know is that I want to be the best physician that I can be through compassion, curiosity, and the respect of my co-workers.

👍

 

[chrish0204]

It is not that I don't want to be a nurse, I just feel that I would be happier in the scope of practice that a doctor has. All I know is that I want to be the best physician that I can be through compassion, curiosity, and the respect of my co-workers.

Sounds like you have a good plan then! 👍👍👍

 

[TheEarDoc]

Who cares if you're a BSN or pre med major. If you want to go to osteopathic school then go for it. Take the non nursing pre med reqs and apply.

As for saying nursing is tougher than pre med, I can't speak for you, but I know at my university pre med was a heck of a lot harder than when I got my RN. Granted I got my associates RN, but I took half of the BSN courses.

If you want to become an osteo doc and think you can make it through it then I say go for it!

 

[studiddy]

I had a BS in Chem/Bio (intending to go to medical school) before going to Nursing school and getting my BSN. My first BS was way harder than the BSN, but I was also less interested in nursing than I was in bio so that could be part of it.
The main reasons I went to nursing school in the first place were family health issues and a general lack of confidence, but those things are gone and I'm glad to say that I'm (finally) starting med school in the fall. Based solely on my own experience I can only recommend that if you finish nursing school you take a school break and work for a couple years, make some money and have some fun. The good thing about nursing is that it's pretty easy to make pediatrician-type money if you are willing to pick up a little overtime, and you also have the flexibility to swap shifts with people and have two weeks off without missing more than a day or two of work. To be clear, I'm not suggesting you do it for the money - what I'm saying is that it will be a good chance to save, play and enjoy life a little while getting some patient-care time.
More to the point of the thread, I haven't actually started med school yet but I feel good about finally deciding to go. There are at least two docs I know of where I work (a surgeon and an anesthesiologist) that were nurses for years (as in 10-15) before they went to med school, so it's certainly doable, and I've never felt like anyone I interviewed with held it against me. Come to think of it, it wasn't really brought up other than as part of a 'why med school, why now?' type question, but no matter what you've done they are going to ask you that. I worked the answer to that into my personal statement, saying that after giving it a shot nursing left me unfulfilled and in a position sort of sitting on the sideline constantly seeing others doing what I wanted to. The only people who ever really talked crap or hated on me were some of my nursing classmates (particularly those planning on CRNA school) who found out through a friend what I was planning. Insecure people will resent you for trying to excel anywhere though, nursing school or not, so keeping your plans to yourself is something to consider.
If you work in some varied environments, say the floor, OR and ICU there is certainly something to be said for well-roundedness, but as with anything else it depends on what you personally get out of it and what you can verbalize to those who will be asking you about it. Nursing might not directly make you a better doctor but it will give you a perspective of health care that some others will lack. You'll also have the opportunity to work with plenty of docs you love and a handful you absolutely hate and want to be nothing like, and both are worthwhile experiences.
Anyway, this post is getting way too long but if you want to go to med school you might as well try.

 

[Aaron151]

I had a BS in Chem/Bio (intending to go to medical school) before going to Nursing school and getting my BSN. My first BS was way harder than the BSN, but I was also less interested in nursing than I was in bio so that could be part of it.
The main reasons I went to nursing school in the first place were family health issues and a general lack of confidence, but those things are gone and I'm glad to say that I'm (finally) starting med school in the fall. Based solely on my own experience I can only recommend that if you finish nursing school you take a school break and work for a couple years, make some money and have some fun. The good thing about nursing is that it's pretty easy to make pediatrician-type money if you are willing to pick up a little overtime, and you also have the flexibility to swap shifts with people and have two weeks off without missing more than a day or two of work. To be clear, I'm not suggesting you do it for the money - what I'm saying is that it will be a good chance to save, play and enjoy life a little while getting some patient-care time.
More to the point of the thread, I haven't actually started med school yet but I feel good about finally deciding to go. There are at least two docs I know of where I work (a surgeon and an anesthesiologist) that were nurses for years (as in 10-15) before they went to med school, so it's certainly doable, and I've never felt like anyone I interviewed with held it against me. Come to think of it, it wasn't really brought up other than as part of a 'why med school, why now?' type question, but no matter what you've done they are going to ask you that. I worked the answer to that into my personal statement, saying that after giving it a shot nursing left me unfulfilled and in a position sort of sitting on the sideline constantly seeing others doing what I wanted to. The only people who ever really talked crap or hated on me were some of my nursing classmates (particularly those planning on CRNA school) who found out through a friend what I was planning. Insecure people will resent you for trying to excel anywhere though, nursing school or not, so keeping your plans to yourself is something to consider.
If you work in some varied environments, say the floor, OR and ICU there is certainly something to be said for well-roundedness, but as with anything else it depends on what you personally get out of it and what you can verbalize to those who will be asking you about it. Nursing might not directly make you a better doctor but it will give you a perspective of health care that some others will lack. You'll also have the opportunity to work with plenty of docs you love and a handful you absolutely hate and want to be nothing like, and both are worthwhile experiences.
Anyway, this post is getting way too long but if you want to go to med school you might as well try.

Thank you very much for your input, it is greatly appreciated! That is very impressive that you have a chem/bio major and a BSN!!!! 😱 You do bring up one of my biggest concerns, which is the difficulty of my degree. Although I do feel challenged in my BSN it is very different from any other type of course where you simply learn the information and take the test. The NCLEX type questions are very different than your typical biology or chemistry courses. I also do have to admit that before taking my nursing courses I was very excited to learn everything I could especially in Medical/Surgical nursing, alas, I did not find it as informative or as deep as I had hoped. I really wanted to get down to the causes of disease and the biochemistry of what exactly was going on and the the real "why?" But instead it was very focused on the psychosocial aspect of nursing, which I do believe is a very important and essential aspect to patient care and should not be ignored by any means. However, I always feel that I am sitting there wanting to learn more and do not have the resources at my fingertips to do so. I want the tools in my tool belt to solve problems, learn new things, while at the same time doing the thing I love most, which anyone who knows me well enough would know is talking to people. I am very much a people person and I love to joke around and make people laugh but I am also insanely passionate about physiology and the human body, I LOVE LEARNING! I feel that there is no other occupation on the face of this earth that would be as satisfying as being a physician. I know that this type of comment may overlook the many negative aspects of being a physician, including the sacrifices that are involved in all aspects of the individuals life, dealing with politics, difficult patients etc. I would never know these sacrifices unless I become one, I am a simple minded naive pre-med haha. But I try to remain optimistic, I honestly do not know if I have what it takes to be a doctor. I get the best grade in many of the classes that I take and after 95 college credits have all A's and one B, (although upper level science courses are yet ahead). When I talk to the doctors at the hospital I often think that there is no way I could be as smart as them or as competitive as medical school is I could never get in. There are a lot of brilliant people out there who are much smarter than me and who are still getting rejected for medical schools. It is very daunting to think about for me sometimes. However, if I don't try and give 100% I know I will regret it for the rest of my life and thus far in my short life on this earth that is one thing that I have tried to steer away from, regret. But thank you very much for your in-depth response it is greatly appreciated!

 

[panamishe]

Be sure to check out the nontraditional student section of sdn to get more support. For now, just focus on completing your bsn and enjoy working and freedom as a nurse for as long as you can. I worked as a nurse for 3 years before going back to med school and it was the best decision ever because I was able to enjoy my early 20's. Med school/residency is a 7+ year committment so REALLY REALLY have a ton of fun now! Good luck!