Conflicted Pre-Med

[Smb8041]

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I am a 26 year old male and just graduated from nursing school, which is my second degree. I have been offered a job in the ICU at a very good teaching hospital. I am conflicted as to whether or not I should take the position. I realize through my experiences that I want to become a doctor. And I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is what I want to do. But here are the reasons why I am conflicted...

I am 26 years-old and have depended on my father so far financially. He desperately wants me to go into nursing and start working so that I can become financially independent. In a way I feel that I owe this to him because he financed me through 2 degrees and I don't want him to feel that he wasted his money. Although I feel indebted to my father and feel a need to become financially independent, a large part of me wants to refuse the ICU offer and just focus on completing my pre-requisites (which will take only a year if I don't work). I just feel pulled in two different directions at this point, and any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

 

[The right Path]

I think you should take the position. Otherwise, you're wasting the opportunity to gain valuable experience and insight into patient care and health care issues. You'd be missing out on the opportunity to build important professional relationships. You would be depriving yourself of the real education that begins after nursing school. Seriously, hospitals invest heavily into their ICU new grads with expensive orientation programs (i.e. AACN's ECCO) and setting them up with a 1 on 1 preceptor for several months (6 at my hospital).

This experience will give you something valuable to write about in your PS and to discuss in interviews. It will set you apart from the towel folding, water fetching traditional applicants. I don't know how well an adcom will view someone who did nothing with their nursing education. It may raise the question that you really know what you want to do.

Furthermore, how are you going to support yourself and pay for your prereqs? Your dad has every right to feel that he's wasted his money and have reservations about funding a hugely expensive pursuit of another degree which many people can tell you isn't as lush and green once you're in it. Working to support yourself and your education not only demonstrates responsibility to your father, but also an adcom. So, maybe you have to stretch out your prereqs over another year. Big deal in the grand scheme of things. It'll take a lot of pressure off of you and you'll have more time to study for the MCAT and get yourself involved in other activities that will strengthen your application, such as getting involved in leadership and/or research activities at your hospital.

The flexibility of nursing scheduling and the opportunity to pick up extra shifts makes this the ideal set up for working while taking classes. The pay doesn't suck either. You can even start saving some money that you'll desperately need later. Another thing to consider is just how lucky you are to be offered such a position. In general, a hospital, particularly in the ICU, will take an experienced RN any day over a new grad. In this economy it is particularly difficult for new grads to get good positions. Many have to settle for putting in their dues at the "Shady Shoals Nursing Home" in order to get a better job. I can almost guarantee that if you turn down this offer and then change your mind 6 months from now, you'll be SOL.

Best of luck to you whichever way you go! I really do think you have a lot to gain by stretching out your timeline and getting some real experience as a nurse, not to mention the other opportunities for leadership, research, public service, and relationship building that come along with it.

 

[DitchDoc73]

Take the job, and gain the clinical experience (that will help to set you apart from other applicants). Take an extra year to complete your pre-reqs and to prepare to apply to medical school. This will also give you a couple of years to pay off debt, and to try and save some money to make your time in medical school a little more comfortable!

 

[da Vincis World]

I agree that you should take the job. Finishing nursing school without actually doing any nursing work may not look so good to an adcom. I would just work while doing the prereqs and preparing for the MCAT.

 

[wholeheartedly]

While time is definitely precious, I'm going to agree that taking the job for two year is going to be far more beneficial to you. For all of the reasons listed above.

I'm not a nurse, but rather a clinical lab scientist and the things I've learned and skills I've developed just in the first year and a half I've worked my current job still kind of amaze me. Very little is related to things specific to anything I learned in school. I've learned a whole new level of communication and teamwork with other services, my supervisors say my leadership skills are blossoming, I can manage some pretty high pressure situations like doing complex compatibility testing for blood products on trauma patients that are bleeding heavily in the OR that can't safely get O neg units, and my troubleshooting and thinking on my feet skills are really growing also, since nothing ever quite happens as its supposed to.

So if I can develop all these skills working in a hospital lab where I get minimal patient contact, just think of what you could get as an ICU nurse. Be a sponge there and soak up everything you can. Do it wisely and you can show adcoms a whole new level of experience and you can make use of the funding your father provided while probably saving more on your own for school and apps. Just my two cents.

 

[J ROD]

I would highly recommend getting in 2 yrs of ICU experience while you complete your classes and MCAT....it will be great experience....I would also recommend getting in some volunteering and shadowing too.

You could also use the time to save money for med school and help there...

Overall, I think it is a win/win to take the extra yr and do it right....

 

[NTF]

Get a job at a university hospital. Use tuition benefits to do your post-bacc. Save some money for the med school app process, med school years, or buy your pops a thank-you gift.

Given that nursing is a stable and well-paying field, there's no reason you can't pursue your med school dreams and be financially independent. I'd say >90% of the people in the non-trad forum were financially independent through the whole process.

 

[Catalystik]

Take the job and work as a nurse. I agree with the advice and reasons above, and I'll add that ex-nurses are head and shoulders above the rest of the med students when it comes patient assessment scenarios. The job experience won't just help you get into med school, it will help you shine once you're there.

 

[Smb8041]

Great Thank you all for the replies. I am going to take the ICU position to not only set up myself financially for the MED school pre-reqs. but also for applying to med school. Thanks again!

 

[ArkansasRanger]

Yep, take the job. You'll have...

an income

freedom

the ability to schmooze with doctors

clinical experience

adequate time to take the few prereqs you need

and you won't feel so indebted to your dad.