can any one help me

[ladyscorpian14]

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Hi I'm offically twenty in 3 days I have to make up my mind here is my
plan to get my associate in Nursing first to get a better paying job to not have to rely on to much student loans and not eating right I'm tired of being sick and un happy. then take my pre-med courses that I need
I don't get that much in finacial aid and it's really hard. What do u guys think😕

 

[MeowMix]

I think it's a great idea to plan ahead and choose an option that makes the most sense financially. Stay out of debt as much as you can. Enjoy life now. Keep working towards your goals, which still may change. I think you're on a good path.

 

[princekc]

Hi I'm offically twenty in 3 days I have to make up my mind here is my
plan to get my associate in Nursing first to get a better paying job to not have to rely on to much student loans and not eating right I'm tired of being sick and un happy. then take my pre-med courses that I need
I don't get that much in finacial aid and it's really hard. What do u guys think😕

i agree with the other post. i think you're doing the right thing. matter of fact, if i knew early on when i came to the u.s (9yrs ago), i should have done nursing->med sch. (however, now a PA->MD). My advise for you; do it now that you're still young and quick.

 

[Nasrudin]

Third in the affirmative. You sound like you are moving towards a plan that makes good sense for you--that's the rub....whatever makes sense for your situation.

The benefits of working as a nurse are innumerable. You can make all the quid you need to fund your med school project working fri-sun 12 hour shifts. And because nurses are in such demand you can basically write your own ticket once you get your license.

The only time it makes sense to do otherwise is if your fully funded and live at home. I am neither. I am halso hard-deaded as they come. I wish I would have gone straight to nursing school first. Then I'd be driving, not riding the bus. Sitting on a roll of cash ready for the app. cycle instead of counting on my grandmother who despite all evidence to the contrary still thinks I'm awesome.

 

[SIGMACHIGUY]

I'd have to agree and I can tell you from personal experience too!! I was interested in anesthesiology and was pre-med but decided to go into nurse anesthesia instead. But I had a horrific undergrad GPA so I thought I had no chance at med school anyways. I got my BS in biochem, worked for 4 years doing pharma/medical device research and got compensated pretty decently. I just finished a ADN program in nursing at a community college and have been working for 2 months now and the paychecks are pretty darn great I'd have to say!! I do live at home but that allows me to save a lot more to fund my entire medical school route. I've recently decided to leave nurse anesthesia for medical anesthesiology and am thankful in many ways to be an RN...and I just got offered a spot in the RN ICU residency program at UCLA Medical Center so I'm totally stoked about the package they offered me!! And while, I'm already 28 years old and rush myself sometimes in getting into a medical school, I think in your case too it is important to have a plan and getting your ASN in nursing is a great route I think...it may take a few more years but you will be happy with the financial freedom of working THREE days a week and making great money to fund your medical school dreams as I am!!

I'm re-taking some classes in the spring and summer of 2009 as well as the MCAT and will be applying on June 1, 2009 for medical school...and having thought about how much this is all going to cost, it is sooooooooo nice to be saving thousands of dollars in my bank accounts only after 2 months of work!! Even though a lot if not all of that money will be going towards my medical school pursuit, it's better than having to borrow it!

Also, being an RN gives you great clinical exposure too! I have great relationships with hospital personnel and doctors and I think that being an RN is an advantage during the medical school application process. Adcoms will know that you have a much better idea of what being a doctor is since you are a nurse and that you are still interested in pursuing medicine. I was talking to an anesthesiologist at my hospital about my situation and he was telling me he knows of several nurses who are IN medical school and work as RNs during slower weeks and winter/summer breaks just to make some money to better support themselves.

So yes, great idea if you ask me!! Heck, I'm DOING it and I can't tell you how great it is working with patients, being in the hosptial setting, and all the while getting paid for it albeit it from a nursing perspective!!

 

[princekc]

Also, being an RN gives you great clinical exposure too!

I agree.

I think that being an RN is an advantage during the medical school application process. Adcoms will know that you have a much better idea of what being a doctor is since you are a nurse and that you are still interested in pursuing medicine.

absolutely not true!

you would need to tighten-up your belt during the application process. Do well on the MCAT. Have a good GPA. your application would be process just like everyone else regardless of your nursing degree (just an adverse).

 

[SIGMACHIGUY]

I agree.



absolutely not true!

you would need to tighten-up your belt during the application process. Do well on the MCAT. Have a good GPA. your application would be process just like everyone else regardless of your nursing degree (just an adverse).

Oh, I didn't mean it would be advantageous during the admissions processing but I think it could be advantageous during your interviews because it solidifies your clinical exposure and exposure to medicine and affirms your decision to pursue medicine after all that...🙂 So advantageous not so much in the numbers processing of applicants but to the overall picture of the candidate...

 

[princekc]

Oh, I didn't mean it would be advantageous during the admissions processing but I think it could be advantageous during your interviews because it solidifies your clinical exposure

I do agree that working as a nurse gives one a solid clinical experience/exposure as compare to an applicant who doesn't have a nursing degree. However, it doesn't put you at an advantage during interview. During interview, be ready to explain what made you to decide on transitioning from nursing to med sch.

So advantageous not so much in the numbers processing of applicants but to the overall picture of the candidate...

An overall picture of a candidate are base on the following factors: undergrad GPA, completing all the necessary pre-req, an undergraduate degree,MCAT score, direct patient contact/clinical exposure (volunteer or pay employment,MD/DO shadowing or +/- research exp) and a strong desire for medicine etc.

Final advise; work on improving your undergrad gpa or consider a SMP, do well on the mcat and apply broadly (MD/DO sch). would strongly discourage going to the Caribbean.



p.s I'm an ER-PA. I frankly don't give a damn about my PA degree. My primary focus right now is to do well on the mcat and apply like everyone else.

 

[punkiedad]

working now and banking money for school later sounds good but.......lots o things come up..marriage, kids maybe?

I am going back with a wife and two kids. doable but very tough. If I had to do all over again...no way would I wait. I guess if it is something I know I like now, versus what I thought I liked when I first graduated, why not do it sooner?

Very tough to go backwards financially too. Plus, that first year of two of med school, you wont get squat for aid, cause you will have made good money working full time before you started. Stay poor now. you are alwready used to it. just my $ 0.02

Either way, good luck.

 

[SIGMACHIGUY]

Guess either way has it's pros and cons. The only reason I'm an RN and going the medical school route now was because I only recently realized after about 2 years of HARD soul searching that I wanted to be a physician because being a nurse isn't enough for me. I respect all nurses 100% and it kinda sucked that I had to do it this way but only after going through nursing school did I realize that my passions truly lie in medicine even though I do enjoy nursing and appreciate all I've been through in the field thus far.

I never planned on going to nursing school with the ultimate intention of going to medical school which would be your scenario so I guess my situation would differ from yours. But being in my shoes, I am very grateful for the exposure to medicine, patients, and the clinical setting that I've gained through the nursing route, albeit from a nursing perspective. But it also showed my my true passions in medicine so I can't say I regret it...it's the journey, not the destination that matters in life!

If you go the nursing route first, it would be 2 years and I have to say it can be tough taking your prereqs for med school while in nursing. I have my BS in biochem from UCSD and nursing school was just as hard if not harder...way harder than I had anticipated that's for sure. Best of luck to ya either route you take!! 🙄

 

[Quasar]

It sounds like a good plan but beware-
1. Nursing school is not a cake walk.
2. Entrance into nursing school is extremely competitive.
The reality is- the shortage of nurses is not because no one wants to be a nurse, it is because there is an extreme shortage of nurse educators.
3. In general, to get into most RN programs, you need an A in A&P I, A&P II, PSY I, and ENG I.

I went back to school to become nurse and feel in love with the mechanism of disease and the quest for diagnostics and cure. I graduated and passed my NCLEX but never left school. The pre requisites for med school are easy compared to nursing school, that is a benefit.

Tips to make the most of nursing school to enhance your portfolio for med school:
1. Search out the most unusual cases in clinical. I was lucky enough to have a patient with Guillain Barre on my very first day. I ran with it and got the most unusual cases from then on! Trigeminal Neuralgia, ketogenic diet, etc.
2. Be active in the SNA. You can make valuable contacts that will help you in the future.
I had someone tell me about RN before MD.
"I don't want to make 3 left turns to make a right."
I completely disagree. Sometimes it takes the 3 left turns to know you are on the right path.
Go for it and good luck with your journey!

 

[NTF]

If you know it's what you want I honestly suggest going straight for medicine. You can get a nurse's aide job at a university hospital, get your classes paid for, get clinical exposure, all without taking NCLEX or delaying your application to medical school.

That being said I do think being an RN offers alot of benefits. I just don't think it necessarily benefits you in long run as a stepping stone to medical school.