Considering Medical School

[NathanDH]

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Hello, I am currently a nursing student in a Baccalaureate program. I will be graduating in May '08.
I have 8 credit hours of Anatomy and Physiology, and I am wondering if those would fulfill the Biology requirement at most medical schools.
I have not yet taken Physics, or Organic Chemistry, so I am not planning on taking the MCAT or applying anytime in the near future.
I have a fairly decent GPA, my Sciences are 4.0 and Nursing GPA is 3.5, everything else is a 4.0.
I am rather young (19) so I suppose I have a lifetime ahead of myself, however I have always been on the accelerated track of life.

Would everyone here agree that perhaps working my butt off for a year or two to earn money and take the courses I have left, as well as the MCAT, be worth my while?
Do you think I would have any chance of working on the side while in medical school?

Thanks,
Nathan

Edit - I should also point out that I am open to both DO and MD schools. I am somewhat drawn to the holistic aspect of DO, although I am very interested in surgery.

 

[drizzt3117]

If you're interested in medicine as opposed to nursing then it would be worthwhile to pursue. Certainly your academic performance to date is fine and wouldn't be a hindrance towards a career in medicine.

As far as working during med school, that will most likely be a no-go for most people. There may be some exceptions but the consensus is likely going to be that you won't have the time if you want to perform at a high level, especially if you're looking to go into a field as competitive as surgery.

 

[soonereng]

Would everyone here agree that perhaps working my butt off for a year or two to earn money and take the courses I have left, as well as the MCAT, be worth my while?

If you think medicine is what you would do rather then nursing, then go for it.

Do you think I would have any chance of working on the side while in medical school?

There are a few who pull it off, but the general consensus is no. I have a couple hours her and there and probably could work a little doing some contract engineering, but I also need downtime to minimize the stress in my life (twins on the way 😱).

Edit - I should also point out that I am open to both DO and MD schools. I am somewhat drawn to the holistic aspect of DO, although I am very interested in surgery.

DOs do surgery too. I'm at an MD school, but the best man in my wedding is at a DO school and is seriously considering surgery, so don't let that be an issue.

 

[DrMidlife]

I have 8 credit hours of Anatomy and Physiology, and I am wondering if those would fulfill the Biology requirement at most medical schools.

Nope. The year-long bio sequence with lab is the bio requirement. A&P is about 5 weeks of that year of bio, and it's not exclusively human.

Would everyone here agree that perhaps working my butt off for a year or two to earn money and take the courses I have left, as well as the MCAT, be worth my while?

How close are you to graduating? If you're talking about working as a nurse while you do med school prereqs, that's a great plan.

Do you think I would have any chance of working on the side while in medical school?

No. Med school owns you. Sometimes you get your first summer off, but that's about it. I suggest you work as a nurse as long as you like it before heading for med school. There are a bazillion ways to finance med school.

Edit - I should also point out that I am open to both DO and MD schools. I am somewhat drawn to the holistic aspect of DO, although I am very interested in surgery.

You can find MD schools that are more holistic than some DO schools. Lots of DO's do surgery - neuro, ortho, etc. The differences between MD & DO aren't really about training or practice opportunities, and philosophy isn't so much of a divider either.

Best of luck to you.

 

[CycleCA]

I'm a nursing student, too, graduating in spring 09' at a BSN prog. I am going to have to do the prereqs just like you after I graduate. I want to become a doctor because -- as you may already know -- nurses have a limited scope of practice, and I'm drawn to the technical aspects of medicine. Good luck to you! Good thing to remember is that you should get some letters of reference from some of your profs, but don't do it until you are close to graduating, because I've heard from several sources that you may alienate yourself from the nursing crowd if they find out you want to become an MD.

 

[zebalong]

Wow your going to be a young nurse @ 19-20 y/o. became an RN (BSN) when i just turned 22 and many people considered that real young. Congrats, bein a nurse is a great job! But i understand that at your age it probably isn't the end point you want to have in your career.

You might want to look at california bay area if you are looking to make $. Hands down we make the most of all nurses in the US (six figures easily your first year if your willing to work 40hrs/week and some overtime). I've saved enough to do a post-bac to finish up my pre-req courses, but of course if you want, you can do the classes you need at a cheapie state school and save your money. Just SAVE SAVE SAVE! I just like the linkage opportunities at many of the post-bac programs, and feel that i would do better in one focused year. not juggling work and school constantly. (trust me with the shortage of nurses a lot of jobs will suck you dry if you let them... overtime is very hard to say no to esp. at close to 100/hr)

Your young though, if i were you, i would consider holding off medical preparation for at least 6 months after you graduate to really become accustomed to nursing and to make sure you do well in your first RN position. This would be a GREAT benefit for letters of rec., i got management of the ED i work at to write me a great letter of rec, about my clinical judgement, about my str. as a patient advocate, about my communication skills, my ability to prioritize and lead a plan of care, ect. I say this also because medical school is going to wonder if you were able to work in a clinical setting and thrive, since you had the opprotunity to do so as an RN, which is not an opprotunity that many pre-medical students get. Remember medical schools are aware that there is a nursing shortage, and i hate to say it, but they are loathed to pull a sub-standard nurse into medicine, because at least that is one nurse that is still working at the bedside instead of being a "so-so" physician. If they are going to have a "cross over" (i hate that phrase but you gotta get used to it) they will want the best.

Also i would pick ER or ICU to work, somewhere where you have lots of interactions with docs so that you have many experiences to draw from when you are writing your essay about why you want to pursue medicine.

If your really driven and focused you could easily work 1-8 hour shift a week in med school. per diem is great $ i know some ca bay area hospitals pay close to 65/hr, while that definitely wouldn't pay for all your expenses in med school, every bit counts. But i wouldn't push yourself for more then 1 8 hour shift/week, and to prepare to handle that i would try and work a ton your first year of nursing to really make yourself comfortable with your skill sets.

if you have any questions jus pm me

 

[Old Grunt]

Hello, I am currently a nursing student in a Baccalaureate program. I will be graduating in May '08.
I have 8 credit hours of Anatomy and Physiology, and I am wondering if those would fulfill the Biology requirement at most medical schools.
I have not yet taken Physics, or Organic Chemistry, so I am not planning on taking the MCAT or applying anytime in the near future.
I have a fairly decent GPA, my Sciences are 4.0 and Nursing GPA is 3.5, everything else is a 4.0.
I am rather young (19) so I suppose I have a lifetime ahead of myself, however I have always been on the accelerated track of life.

Would everyone here agree that perhaps working my butt off for a year or two to earn money and take the courses I have left, as well as the MCAT, be worth my while?
Do you think I would have any chance of working on the side while in medical school?

Thanks,
Nathan

Edit - I should also point out that I am open to both DO and MD schools. I am somewhat drawn to the holistic aspect of DO, although I am very interested in surgery.

If you want my advice, and for what it's worth, if you are even considering medical school, knock out your pre-reqs now. That way, if and when you decide to apply you won't have to go back to school to do it. Then you won't find yourself taking a couple years worth of 8-12 hour semesters and then stare the "lag year" in the face because you are off cycle.

Since most schools don't look at MCAT scores that are over three years old, I don't think I'd take the MCAT until I was sure I wanted to apply.

 

[NathanDH]

I know this is an inflammatory topic on this forum, but I am also interested in becoming a CRNA. So that may fit into my path of nursing better, however I am still undecided.

 

[njbmd]

Hello, I am currently a nursing student in a Baccalaureate program. I will be graduating in May '08.
I have 8 credit hours of Anatomy and Physiology, and I am wondering if those would fulfill the Biology requirement at most medical schools.
I have not yet taken Physics, or Organic Chemistry, so I am not planning on taking the MCAT or applying anytime in the near future.
I have a fairly decent GPA, my Sciences are 4.0 and Nursing GPA is 3.5, everything else is a 4.0.
I am rather young (19) so I suppose I have a lifetime ahead of myself, however I have always been on the accelerated track of life.

Would everyone here agree that perhaps working my butt off for a year or two to earn money and take the courses I have left, as well as the MCAT, be worth my while?
Do you think I would have any chance of working on the side while in medical school?

Thanks,
Nathan

Edit - I should also point out that I am open to both DO and MD schools. I am somewhat drawn to the holistic aspect of DO, although I am very interested in surgery.

I know this is an inflammatory topic on this forum, but I am also interested in becoming a CRNA. So that may fit into my path of nursing better, however I am still undecided.

To address a couple of your questions:

First, Anatomy and Physiology will NOT cover the pre-med Biology requirement. It will contribute to your BCPM undergraduate GPA but you need a year of university-level General Biology with lab. Even though your A & P course may have included a lab component, there is much more to a good General Biology course than just anatomy and physiology which are components of a good General Biology course.

In addition, you need a year of General Chemistry with lab and a year of General Physics with lab in addition to a year of Organic Chemistry with lab all at university-level. Your General Physics may be calculus-based or non-calculus based.

Third, becoming a CRNA is not an inflammatory topic on the Student Doctor Network. CRNA is a very worthwhile profession to pursue which requires some investigation and preparation. It makes sense to ask questions about this profession before you make the commitment. There are loads of excellent websites that can provide you with the information that you need. Rather than attempting to engage in a "which profession is better" debate, get some objective information that can help you best determine which profession you may want to pursue that best meets your career needs.

Last, since you are just completing your RN training, you may want to invest some time shadowing in the professions that you have interest beyond nursing. While you are working is a great time to explore these and see what suits you best.