Can I Get In?

[Lifesaver23]

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Currently, I am a Junior in a four year BSN (nursing) program. I originally was seeking to be a CRNA, however, now I am considering going to medical school and specializing in anesthesia. I will graduate with all of the prerequisites for the medical school in my state(6 hours English, 8 hours Biology, 8 hours Chemistry, 8 hours Organic Chemistry, 8 hours Physics, and Calculus). My current GPA is 3.5, and due to the few courses I have remaining, it will not increase significantly. Furthermore, my first semester of college I made a "D" in Physiological Chemistry. (*This class is not one of the prerequisites I will be using to meet the Chemistry criteria.) The accepted applicants to the medical school I would like to attend had a 3.63 average GPA along with a 28 average MCAT score in 2007. My target medical school gives in-state applicants a huge advantage in the admission process, as every in-state applicant receives an interview opportunity. I will apply after having worked for two years in the busiest ER in my state as both a patient care technician and a LPN, and six months of Level 1 ICU experience. I will also be ACLS and PALS certified. I would prefer to attend medical school. Assuming I do well on the MCAT do I have a chance? What could I do to increase my chances?

 

[DrMidlife]

First, you should absolutely not put all your eggs in one school basket. See the other very active recent thread (in this forum) about applying to only one school. It's extremely preferable to get into a state school; it's extremely foolish to assume you'll get in there.

Second, double check the premed prereqs (find the premed advising web page for your school). Hours of science classes don't directly translate to completed prereqs, and typically the nursing sciences are a subset of the premed sciences. Functionally, the premed prereqs prepare you for the topics on the MCAT. You can find the MCAT topic list here. At most med schools, in addition to highly variable requirements for math and English, the following are required:

one year of general chemistry with labs
one year of organic chemistry with labs
one year of general physics with labs (calc-based is not required)
one year of general biology with labs (this includes botany, ecology etc.)

Third, it's generally frowned upon to decide what specialty you want to pursue prior to your 3rd year of med school. If your mindset is CRNA vs. anesthesiologist, this is misguided. You should be thinking "do I want to make the commitment to 7-12 years of medical training" vs. not wanting that. (Edit: I had said 3-12 years, which is clearly wrong.)

Fourth, if you're not going to be a nurse, then I personally think you should change your major, even if it adds time to your undergrad career. The final year of nursing study is completely orthogonal to medicine.

Lastly, keep that GPA up over 3.5 no matter what. See the MCAT forum for tips on that.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Lifesaver23]

I understand your points. The reason I want to continue my nursing degree is so that I CAN attend CRNA school, if I am not accepted into medical school. (Kind of a last resort type thing.) The reason I was focused on one school is because that is the only med school in my state. I thought that without the best GPA, an in-state school would be my only chance.

I am not totally set on anesthesia, it is just a thought. I also like emergency and internal.

Thanks for your help.

 

[J ROD]

Finish your nursing degree first. That way you get something for your effort, time, and money. Plus, you have a very nice backup!

It does not matter what your undergrad is in as long as you have the prereqs.

Your GPA is lower than the average so you need to get around a 30 to make yourself academically competitive it looks like.

In addition to the work experience, I would say that you need to get some volunteering in somewhere. I know ER techs that still volunteer somewhere to show you can give of yourself. Also, get some shadowing in.

Lastly, call and introduce yourself to your in-state school. Let them know who you are and that they are your only choice. Be a face and not a name to them basically.

I plan to apply only to my two instate schools. I can not afford to go out of state.

If you do not get in, you can always reapply too. Just work on your CRNA until then. You are still young enough to burn a few years to get in.

I think with a 30 and some additional extras you will have a shot. 👍

 

[The Clash]

I know that most medical schools say their pre-reqs are 8-12 bio credits, but be prepared to answer why you took the minimum requirements. for instance: the medical school I was accepted to usually doesn't even send out secondary applications unless you have a combined total of at least 70 science credits (with the majority of biological sciences, they questioned me, and I have 74 science credits) this proves to them that you'll be able to handle the rigorous science curriculum of med school. As for your amazing amount of experience, that will definately work to your advantage. I can tell you that during my interview, the other students being interviewed all had much more clinical experience than me, and my interviewers questioned my being a restaurant server, rather than persuing something in a clinical or laboratory setting.
What I would do, is try to boost your GPA with more science/biology classes, and study your butt off for the MCAT. APPLY EARLY!!! I don't necessarily know why you would finish you BS in nursing, if that isn't the field you really want to enter. If you want to be a physician, and you think that you'll always regret it if you don't go for it, then do it.