Career changer looking for advice

[MD.30]

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Hi all,

I'm a current ICU Nurse (male) headstrong on going to medical school. A bit on my background:

Undergraduate degree: went to a CUNY school in NYC

• Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology w/ minors in chemistry & Biochem
• cGPA 3.1 sGPA: 3.1
• I got A's in all of my upper-level science courses and A/B's in the General Science courses (gen chem/bio, etc). The damage to my GPA was done freshman & sophomore year with classes that weren't even needed; I was an oblivious 17yr old who was immature - leading to a lower GPA. I'm glad I was able to get myself together before I finished undergrad and finish on a very strong note.

I then worked in Biotech on an Oncology/immunology R & D Team; I was an Associate Scientist I - I actually conducted several experiments (not published because it was industry work). I did this for a whole year. I moved states for this position, being hired directly from graduating undergrad.

After that one year, I decided to leave that career because I did not enjoy the people and the daily work after a while. I loved the science, but the corporate atmosphere was ruining it for me. I decided to go to Nursing school. It was more fulfilling to work with patients. I attended Thomas Jefferson University, got my Nursing BS in 1 year, with a 4.0.

I loved nursing, but now I want to pursue medicine after being around it and interacting with doctors constantly. I took the MCAT and got a 513. I haven't applied yet because I'm wondering if my GPA will still bottleneck my application.

I do have EC's and relationships with physicians - LOR's are not an issue, neither is speaking about my experience.
I want to apply to MD/MPH programs since I do sincerely care about public health matters. I would like some input on whether anyone believes I should do an SMP or maybe even a Masters? I would want to get my Masters's in nutrition or public health- even if I go to medical school because I really enjoy those research fields. I am also not a fan of the NP route. It's very limiting and I would not be one to enjoy it, even though some of them are superb - personally, not for me.

Thanks for reading!

 

[MomMed92]

Your story is similar to mine, and not uncommon in the medical community! My cGPA was about the same as yours, also from being immature at 18. I had a higher sGPA, but a lower MCAT, as well as years of direct patient care as a CNA, and I was offered a spot at the school I wanted. With the amount of clinical experience you have, the passion for medicine, and that MCAT score, I would not sweat too much about the lower end GPA. Most schools look more closely at your final 60-ish hours, since those are the higher level courses, to determine if they feel you're ready for medical school level academics. More and more they are looking at applicants as whole people, not defining them by one shortcoming. Good luck!

 

[MD.30]

Your story is similar to mine, and not uncommon in the medical community! My cGPA was about the same as yours, also from being immature at 18. I had a higher sGPA, but a lower MCAT, as well as years of direct patient care as a CNA, and I was offered a spot at the school I wanted. With the amount of clinical experience you have, the passion for medicine, and that MCAT score, I would not sweat too much about the lower end GPA. Most schools look more closely at your final 60-ish hours, since those are the higher level courses, to determine if they feel you're ready for medical school level academics. More and more they are looking at applicants as whole people, not defining them by one shortcoming. Good luck!

Thank you for your input, I really appreciate it

 

[hammerlindjo]

Sounds like you're a great applicant! Having that nursing experience, they're not going to question that you know what you're getting yourself into and you're motivated to become an MD.

I applied this cycle with an undergrad sGPA of 3.17 and I've gotten 3 interviews and 1 acceptance thus far. I also have >4000 hrs of clinical experience from working as a cardiac device tech, and an MCAT score slightly lower than yours.

I think your story is extremely compelling! As long as you can write stellar essays about your experiences and really convey the "why medicine" clearly, I bet you have a great shot. With your upward trend from undergrad, your 4.0 from nursing school AND an awesome MCAT score, I don't think you really need the masters to be a competitive applicant! Best of luck!

 

[LindaAccepted]

Hi all,

I'm a current ICU Nurse (male) headstrong on going to medical school. A bit on my background:

Undergraduate degree: went to a CUNY school in NYC

• Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology w/ minors in chemistry & Biochem
• cGPA 3.1 sGPA: 3.1
• I got A's in all of my upper-level science courses and A/B's in the General Science courses (gen chem/bio, etc). The damage to my GPA was done freshman & sophomore year with classes that weren't even needed; I was an oblivious 17yr old who was immature - leading to a lower GPA. I'm glad I was able to get myself together before I finished undergrad and finish on a very strong note.

I then worked in Biotech on an Oncology/immunology R & D Team; I was an Associate Scientist I - I actually conducted several experiments (not published because it was industry work). I did this for a whole year. I moved states for this position, being hired directly from graduating undergrad.

After that one year, I decided to leave that career because I did not enjoy the people and the daily work after a while. I loved the science, but the corporate atmosphere was ruining it for me. I decided to go to Nursing school. It was more fulfilling to work with patients. I attended Thomas Jefferson University, got my Nursing BS in 1 year, with a 4.0.

I loved nursing, but now I want to pursue medicine after being around it and interacting with doctors constantly. I took the MCAT and got a 513. I haven't applied yet because I'm wondering if my GPA will still bottleneck my application.

I do have EC's and relationships with physicians - LOR's are not an issue, neither is speaking about my experience.
I want to apply to MD/MPH programs since I do sincerely care about public health matters. I would like some input on whether anyone believes I should do an SMP or maybe even a Masters? I would want to get my Masters's in nutrition or public health- even if I go to medical school because I really enjoy those research fields. I am also not a fan of the NP route. It's very limiting and I would not be one to enjoy it, even though some of them are superb - personally, not for me.

Thanks for reading!

Don't aim for HMS or Stanford and do include some DO programs, but I think you have a shot given your 4.0 and the MCAT. You could also apply this summer to med schools and see how it goes. If you're not getting IIs, apply to masters programs next fall before the January deadlines.

 

[gramnegative]

Welcome, brother. I'm an ICU RN and an M1 at a US MD.

I would echo what Linda said and make sure to include some DO schools. Make sure to figure out how to explain why you are leaving nursing in a way that doesn't denigrate the profession or advanced practice and that shows that despite your incredible clinical experience that you will be humble and teachable. Your ICU experience, especially if you have worked through the pandemic, will be prized on the interview trail. I have never met so many physicians who talked so positively about nurses (compared to the ones I worked with) than those who interviewed me. Feel free to reach out to me, if you have any questions.

 

[MD.30]

Hi everyone,

I want to thank you all for your feedback. I cannot express how thankful I am for the insight on this forum. I will be updating this forum as my application process progresses.

Thanks again.