Current NP student, want to be a surgeon, though.

[RNNowWannaBeASurgeon]

Hi everyone! I would really appreciate any advice and answers you guys have for me. I’ve been browsing SDN for a while now and decided it was time to step out of the shadows and make a post!

I'm 24 and working full time as a nurse. I initially did not want to be a doctor, but after working as a nurse, I realized just how much I loved medicine and wanted to do more. I really love surgery, especially reconstructive plastic surgery, but was nervous about the long road of medical school and residency. I started NP school and I’ve taken 4 months of classes and I’ve realized it isn’t for me. I want to be a surgeon more than anything else in the entire world. I’ve done a lot of research into this and I’ve spent a lot of time shadowing the surgeons at my job, so I realize what a massive commitment it is. If I decide to leave NP school and finish my pre-requisites, I would be done with those in 1 year. I currently have a 3.9 undergrad GPA and have a 4.0 in the NP classes I have taken already. If I stuck with NP, I would probably have a job out the gate, since I am close with the directors of the departments I am interested in. Money is not an issue, as I have not accrued any debt from NP school. I have not taken the MCAT yet of course, but I plan to study my butt off for it, and I think I could get a higher than average score, just based on my experiences with standardized testing in the past.

Would leaving NP school this early look like bailing on the profession and be looked down on by schools? I wish I hadn't rushed into it, but I thought it would fulfill me more than it has.

I would greatly appreciate any answers you guys have! I have been stressing about this an awful lot.

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[DO_or_Die]

Hi everyone! I would really appreciate any advice and answers you guys have for me. I’ve been browsing SDN for a while now and decided it was time to step out of the shadows and make a post!

I'm 24 and working full time as a nurse. I initially did not want to be a doctor, but after working as a nurse, I realized just how much I loved medicine and wanted to do more. I really love surgery, especially reconstructive plastic surgery, but was nervous about the long road of medical school and residency. I started NP school and I’ve taken 4 months of classes and I’ve realized it isn’t for me. I want to be a surgeon more than anything else in the entire world. I’ve done a lot of research into this and I’ve spent a lot of time shadowing the surgeons at my job, so I realize what a massive commitment it is. If I decide to leave NP school and finish my pre-requisites, I would be done with those in 1 year. I currently have a 3.9 undergrad GPA and have a 4.0 in the NP classes I have taken already. If I stuck with NP, I would probably have a job out the gate, since I am close with the directors of the departments I am interested in. Money is not an issue, as I have not accrued any debt from NP school. I have not taken the MCAT yet of course, but I plan to study my butt off for it, and I think I could get a higher than average score, just based on my experiences with standardized testing in the past.

Would leaving NP school this early look like bailing on the profession and be looked down on by schools? I wish I hadn't rushed into it, but I thought it would fulfill me more than it has.

I would greatly appreciate any answers you guys have! I have been stressing about this an awful lot.

I think you would be in a good position to go to medical school, so long as you take the required prerequisites and did well on the MCAT. What you have learned in NP school will be only of benefit in med school. I'm currently an RN and have just been accepted to med school so I can speak to the fact that the process of getting through the med school applications is brutal. I decided I wanted to go to med school when I was your age at about 24 and it has taken me 2.5 years to take the prerequisites part time while also working. I feel that my experience has only been a positive during my interviews and yours would be as well. If you wanted to do only primary care, I would say stay in NP school. Seeing as how you are wanting to do a surgical specialty, you will have to become a physician for full autonomy. Do know that surgical specialties are one of the hardest to obtain and everyone you are competing against will be the cream of the crop as they were in undergrad. I wanted to go to medical school because I want to learn as much as a I can about the human body and how to treat my patients to the best of my abilities, not for the money or for prestige or power. It is very likely you might not end up in a surgical specialty and might end up in internal medicine or family medicine. I do not say that to be negative, but to the point that a surgical specialty is not a guaranteed and you need to be okay with that.

 

[Ultimax]

Keep in mind that many classes you took for nursing do not satisfy pre-requisite requirement for medical school. Also, MCAT score will make or break your application. I am an NP myself, and it may take 2 years to get everything done to apply to medical school. You may have to retake microbiology, organic chemistry, physics, genetics, statistic, molecular biology, and other classes. Good luck!

 

[THEBACKANDFORTH]

I personally think that leaving NP school in good standing while wanting to learn more would be reasonable to most people in medicine, but you'd need to back it up with good upper level science grades and a good MCAT.

To be more certain of success, I'd maybe seek people who have taken both RN and upper level pre med coursework to feel out the differences in rigor and make sure you can come out of those types of exams with A's. I suspect that the tests in nursing school might be a little easier to ace, but I've also never been there and am in no position to make that statement. What I can say is that getting A's in courses like orgo and biochem requires a certain academic muster that some have and many don't. My guess is that you have it... but make sure before you jump.

@bent1993 sounds like a good person to ask this question

also... saying you want to be a plastic surgeon=application poison.
saying you want to be an anything surgeon because you've been involved as a nurse and want a leadership role=good

general surgery is not terribly hard to get into and is an okay goal to have from the start. Is tougher at DO, but any med student, DO or MD, should go in knowing that family med may be their career.

 

[RNNowWannaBeASurgeon]

Thank you guys so much from the responses! It's very encouraging that others have been in my boat and made it.

I know it's a long road ahead, and I've never taken science courses on the level of biochem or O Chem. Definitely plastics is my goal, but I've reconciled the fact that statistically, I'm more likely to wind up in general surgery. I can always aim for a plastic surgery residency after general surgery, if I still have the energy for that after 5 years of grueling residency!

 

[operaman]

Personally I think that’s a fantastic story for why you wanted to become a physician. Agree that plastic surgery may have some stigma from the applicant perspective, so just saying surgery is more than sufficient. Besides, whatever is attracting you to plastics can also be found in other surgical fields.

You’ll also want to demonstrate that you know what it’s like to be a surgeon and also throw the medicine folks on the adcoms a bone and say something nice about primary care along the way. But in the end it’s very reasonable to say you love caring for sick people but really feel that you can best do this as a surgeon and that means you have to go the Med school route.

Agree that the mcat is going to be the big determining factor. Your grades are awesome so you just need a solid performance and you should have little difficulty securing a spot if you apply intelligently and early.

 

[MusicDOc124]

If you only want to do reconstructive plastics, I'd reconsider as it is competitive, and unless you go through med school, you really don't know how competitive some of these fields really are - and your undergrad or grad school performance does not always translate to med school performance or board performance. Therefore you don't know that you'd even end up in that field. People also change their minds with a lot of things when exposed to the rigor of med school and the rotations through all of the fields, and if your mind were to change (say for example back to what you're currently heading into), consider whether you'd be happier as a physician than as an NP, and consider that you have no debt now and that you'd be finished sooner compared to the longer road of med school (likely with debt since scholarships and few and far between, and employers don't pay for med school), leading to pay that is half by comparison in residency with double the hours before you're practicing as an attending.

Also, since you're far enough along that it's too late for the school to replace you with someone else, I'd consider not leaving immediately as grades and such don't always mean you'd do well on the MCAT, and thus I'd consider hanging on if possible until you know you have an MCAT that can get you into med school.

This is just food for though before you make the decision.

 

[Dave1980]

Stick with NP! You will regret it if you go down this long road with no guarantees.

 

[scoopdaboop]

If you plan on surgery, definitely aim for MD aka high GPA and MCAT > 512. I don't think age is a problem for you. I have classmates (i'ma OMS-1) that are well into their 30s, some with kids etc. At 24, with your GPA and the fact that you're a RN means you likely knocked out the earlier classes, so it might take 2 years to get all the other pre-reqs (which are tons more difficult than your standard RN anatomy and basic bio prereqs- like organic, physical chem etc.). To start med school at 26 is really not that late, seeing as the average age for matriculation is ~ 24-25. However, this is best case scenario.

You should also consider the possibility of not being competitive enough to go into surgery or plastics, and then have to be okay with other specilalties.

 

[Goro]

Hi everyone! I would really appreciate any advice and answers you guys have for me. I’ve been browsing SDN for a while now and decided it was time to step out of the shadows and make a post!

I'm 24 and working full time as a nurse. I initially did not want to be a doctor, but after working as a nurse, I realized just how much I loved medicine and wanted to do more. I really love surgery, especially reconstructive plastic surgery, but was nervous about the long road of medical school and residency. I started NP school and I’ve taken 4 months of classes and I’ve realized it isn’t for me. I want to be a surgeon more than anything else in the entire world. I’ve done a lot of research into this and I’ve spent a lot of time shadowing the surgeons at my job, so I realize what a massive commitment it is. If I decide to leave NP school and finish my pre-requisites, I would be done with those in 1 year. I currently have a 3.9 undergrad GPA and have a 4.0 in the NP classes I have taken already. If I stuck with NP, I would probably have a job out the gate, since I am close with the directors of the departments I am interested in. Money is not an issue, as I have not accrued any debt from NP school. I have not taken the MCAT yet of course, but I plan to study my butt off for it, and I think I could get a higher than average score, just based on my experiences with standardized testing in the past.

Would leaving NP school this early look like bailing on the profession and be looked down on by schools? I wish I hadn't rushed into it, but I thought it would fulfill me more than it has.

I would greatly appreciate any answers you guys have! I have been stressing about this an awful lot.

Yes. Your bailing would make me worry about your bailing on med school.

 

[RNNowWannaBeASurgeon]

Thank you everyone for all the responses! Much to consider.

 

[deleted1013752]

Won't NPs be able to independently practice surgery in like 5 years anyway? Only half kidding.

 

[chicandtoughness]

Yes. Your bailing would make me worry about your bailing on med school.

I’m curious what the recommendation would be instead. Should s/he finished NP school and then return for MD after a few years?

 

[Goro]

I’m curious what the recommendation would be instead. Should s/he finished NP school and then return for MD after a few years?

At the minimum, finish NP school

 

[scoopdaboop]

At the minimum, finish NP school

2 years of fulfilling prerequisites and taking the MCAT shows that she is dedicated for med school. idk how it’s really “bailing” when she’s clearly just realizing she wants more out of a career. I would consider a med school drop out going to dds or NP/PA ”bailing”

 

[Goro]

2 years of fulfilling prerequisites and taking the MCAT shows that she is dedicated for med school. idk how it’s really “bailing” when she’s clearly just realizing she wants more out of a career. I would consider a med school drop out going to dds or NP/PA ”bailing”

Op started something that required just as much prep, and only now OP realizes that this isn't the path for them? Sorry, but having seen plenty of student bail on Medicine in one form or another, we like to see commitment.

 

[ThetisAntithesis]

You're only 4 months into NP school, I say stop now, get your pre-reqs and aim for med school.
I'm 7 yrs in as an NP and I'll say if you're itching now, the itch will never stop - whether its at the end of this semester or 10 yrs as an NP.
Go for it and don't look back (that is if you're 100% sure about wanting to be a doctor).

 

[Pound4Pound]

Op started something that required just as much prep, and only now OP realizes that this isn't the path for them? Sorry, but having seen plenty of student bail on Medicine in one form or another, we like to see commitment.

NP school does not require as much prep as medical school. Also the barrier to entry is super low. Most NP schools are online and dont require any prerequisites, GRE, or experience. They prefer if you've taken the GRE but will waive that requirement if your GPA is above 3.5. As long as you have the money to pay for school, you will get in. In addition, the difficulty doesnt even come close to the difficulty of PA schools. Most nurses work full time while going to NP school.

 

[deleted1013752]

NP school does not require as much prep as medical school. Also the barrier to entry is super low. Most NP schools are online and dont require any prerequisites, GRE, or experience. They prefer if you've taken the GRE but will waive that requirement if your GPA is above 3.5. As long as you have the money to pay for school, you will get in. In addition, the difficulty doesnt even come close to the difficulty of PA schools. Most nurses work full time while going to NP school.

One of my cousins is taking upper level science prereqs and having to retake anything below an A because of how competitive her academic program is. She has a 3.9 sGPA (with repeats). The program has a two-year waitlist. Med school? NP? RN? Nope... dental hygienist!