Drop out of nursing school for pre-med? I have no idea what the hell to do

[D-Rob]

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I've been at a fork in the road for the past while and I can't decide what to do.

Ever since i was a little kid, I wanted to be a doctor. I guess you could say it's been a life-long dream of mine. but when I graduated highschool, my parents really discouraged me from entering the medical profession. They said it was too much work, would cost too much money and there was no guarantee that I'd be accepted in the end anyway. their reasoning became drilled in my head and I didn't think I'd be able to pull off the grades and be able to handle the education load.

I still wanted to work in a meaningful profession...one that helps people. Nursing is a good line of work- we help people, and the job is rewarding. So I applied and was accepted to my 4 year RN program.

I'm currently in the middle of year 2, and as the days go by I just know that this isn't the right profession for me. I didn't like 1st year at all, but I thought that was just because I was still adjusting to being one of only 5 males in a class out of 110 students.

I've gotten over that fact, and have made friends with a ton of people in the course, but I feel as though I'm still in the wrong line of work. Whenever I'm in clinical, i always watch what the doctors are doing. It's hard to explain...I like the nursing profession, but I can't stop feeling as though it isn't for me.

I've been looking at dropping out at the end of this semester and enrolling in medical pre-reqs, but here is where I hit a wall.

Currently I'm in $12,000 of debt for school. If I drop out now and start taking pre-med, there is no guarantee I'd make it into medical school. I'd have even more loans, and no job to pay it off.

But on the other hand, I feel as though I'm going to be wasting the next two years of my life because I know I won't stay with this profession. I'd most likely work for a year to pay loans then start pre-med, but i am having a hard time justifying spending these next 2 years in this program.

Do I quit now, take pre-reqs and hope I get into med school? I have the determination and I get good grades. Or do I finish school and become an RN, then leave the profession immediately and work towards medical school just so I have a job to fall back on incase I don't make it?

So confused 🙁

 

[FoughtFyr]

I've been at a fork in the road for the past while and I can't decide what to do.

Ever since i was a little kid, I wanted to be a doctor. I guess you could say it's been a life-long dream of mine. but when I graduated highschool, my parents really discouraged me from entering the medical profession. They said it was too much work, would cost too much money and there was no guarantee that I'd be accepted in the end anyway. their reasoning became drilled in my head and I didn't think I'd be able to pull off the grades and be able to handle the education load.

I still wanted to work in a meaningful profession...one that helps people. Nursing is a good line of work- we help people, and the job is rewarding. So I applied and was accepted to my 4 year RN program.

I'm currently in the middle of year 2, and as the days go by I just know that this isn't the right profession for me. I didn't like 1st year at all, but I thought that was just because I was still adjusting to being one of only 5 males in a class out of 110 students.

I've gotten over that fact, and have made friends with a ton of people in the course, but I feel as though I'm still in the wrong line of work. Whenever I'm in clinical, i always watch what the doctors are doing. It's hard to explain...I like the nursing profession, but I can't stop feeling as though it isn't for me.

I've been looking at dropping out at the end of this semester and enrolling in medical pre-reqs, but here is where I hit a wall.

Currently I'm in $12,000 of debt for school. If I drop out now and start taking pre-med, there is no guarantee I'd make it into medical school. I'd have even more loans, and no job to pay it off.

But on the other hand, I feel as though I'm going to be wasting the next two years of my life because I know I won't stay with this profession. I'd most likely work for a year to pay loans then start pre-med, but i am having a hard time justifying spending these next 2 years in this program.

Do I quit now, take pre-reqs and hope I get into med school? I have the determination and I get good grades. Or do I finish school and become an RN, then leave the profession immediately and work towards medical school just so I have a job to fall back on incase I don't make it?

So confused 🙁

I left nursing school and got a degree in Community Health - Health Education instead. Then I went on for a MPH, then to Medical School. Now I'm 200K in debt, working my a$$ off in residency, but it was all worth it.

- H

 

[D-Rob]

I left nursing school and got a degree in Community Health - Health Education instead. Then I went on for a MPH, then to Medical School. Now I'm 200K in debt, working my a$$ off in residency, but it was all worth it.

- H

thanks for the reply

I guess I'm more concerned with the fact that if I drop out and don't get accepted to med school, I would have wasted time and money with no job to pay it back.

I get encouraged when I hear people like you say "but it was all worth it".


If I'm successful, I'm sure it will be worth it. it's the alternative (no acceptance from medschool) that scares me.

 

[truthseeker]

thanks for the reply

I guess I'm more concerned with the fact that if I drop out and don't get accepted to med school, I would have wasted time and money with no job to pay it back.

I get encouraged when I hear people like you say "but it was all worth it".


If I'm successful, I'm sure it will be worth it. it's the alternative (no acceptance from medschool) that scares me.

If you want it bad enough, you will get in.

 

[FoughtFyr]

thanks for the reply

I guess I'm more concerned with the fact that if I drop out and don't get accepted to med school, I would have wasted time and money with no job to pay it back.

I get encouraged when I hear people like you say "but it was all worth it".


If I'm successful, I'm sure it will be worth it. it's the alternative (no acceptance from medschool) that scares me.

I had a decent job with my MPH. I worked for a municipal consulting firm and spent most of my time working for FEMA. My wife, with her MPH works as the education coordinator at a MAJOR medical center. She never has intended to go to medical school. I guess my point is that there are many jobs in healthcare that could be "fall-back" positions other than nursing.

- H

 

[ayndim]

thanks for the reply

I guess I'm more concerned with the fact that if I drop out and don't get accepted to med school, I would have wasted time and money with no job to pay it back.

I get encouraged when I hear people like you say "but it was all worth it".


If I'm successful, I'm sure it will be worth it. it's the alternative (no acceptance from medschool) that scares me.

I say finish nursing school, take some time to do the additional prereqs for med school, or do them over the summer. I believe there is just the chemistry sequence for most schools that is additional. Then if you don't get into med school you can go for your NP or PA. And if you do get in you can work summers as an RN for extra cash.

 

[NurseyK]

There is always Community College programs in Nursing. Can get your ADN and work as a nurse as you finish your medschool pre-reqs/get your BS/BA.

GL -

Kat

 

[sones]

There is always Community College programs in Nursing. Can get your ADN and work as a nurse as you finish your medschool pre-reqs/get your BS/BA.

GL -

Kat

If you want to be a doctor....be a doctor!! Don't do something because you think it might be a good substitute...it never will be! I had a friend in college who got very good grades and did all kinds of medical volunteer work etc...he didn't get into medical school the first time, or the second time applying. he did get in the third time...and it's what he wants. To thine own self be true!! 😎

 

[OneiroKnight]

Nursing makes decent money, is pretty flexible once you have a bit of experience. So I would agree with the other poster. Get your nursing education, and then use it to support you while you get the pre reqs and get yourself on into med school. It won't do you any harm, and will probably help.

 

[D-Rob]

thanks for the replies everyone! they were helpful 😎

i've done a TON of thinking the last little while. I've never been so determined to be a doctor in my entire life. Last night, I had dreams about reading acceptance letters from med schools

I've decided to finish this current semester in my course, then discontinue. the med school I'm looking at getting into only accepts full undergrad years from september to april, so I'm going to start taking pre-reqs next semester. After that, I may start in political science b/c I find politics interesting.

This was one of the most difficult decisions I've made in my life. I've been thinking of nothing else for the last while, and it's such a relief that I've finally found what's right for me.

I'm going to work my ass off these next few years. If I don't get accepted after my first application, I will try again, and again. I'm not giving up.

Thanks a lot for your input

😀

 

[cecilia]

I would say, also consider applying to med schools in other places like the caribean. I know some people that went there, and passed the boards without problems and are in their residencies right now.

 

[A1cfox21]

If you want to be a doctor....be a doctor!! Don't do something because you think it might be a good substitute...it never will be! I had a friend in college who got very good grades and did all kinds of medical volunteer work etc...he didn't get into medical school the first time, or the second time applying. he did get in the third time...and it's what he wants. To thine own self be true!! 😎

I'm going to have to disagree with you some on this. This is a choice that the individual should contemplate themselves and should be based on their own uniqe situation. Some of us have families or just different situations that may need a backup plan. I'm realistic with my own situation. And that's why I will have a backup plan in place in case Med school doesn't pan out. I'm even considering nursing or PA or PT or OT, etc.. My goal is to help people and to live a descent life while providing a good life for my family. If after 2 or 3 yrs of no success with med school, then I will move on. I won't put my family at risk while persuing something that is getting even harder to achieve. Just my beliefs. I tend to think that if I was single, I'd probably pursue medicine harder and longer if necessary. But theres a line for me, and for others it might be shorter or longer depending on their situations. Again, just my beliefs.

 

[Febrifuge]

...Whenever I'm in clinical, i always watch what the doctors are doing. It's hard to explain...I like the nursing profession, but I can't stop feeling as though it isn't for me...

Currently I'm in $12,000 of debt for school. If I drop out now and start taking pre-med, there is no guarantee I'd make it into medical school. I'd have even more loans, and no job to pay it off. ... But on the other hand, I feel as though I'm going to be wasting the next two years of my life because I know I won't stay with this profession.

Go for it.

I've been working in Corporate America for about 10 or 15 years. I took my time finishing my BA because I had no clue what to do with myself. My ambitions and altruism were also overshadowed by parents who emphasized being practical and not getting too far into debt. But that backfired, and I have $38,000 in loans just from all that undergrad.

Even with my job experience, which has been good, and the advanced level of esteem and responsibility I've accrued, it's obvious I don't belong in this world. I don't come in very early, stay very late, or do the other go-getter stuff that would get me a salary that's higher than my student loan debt. So I got a second job, in healthcare, and finally it sank in. I'm saying, you're actually doing just fine.

Only now, at age 34, am I focused on the real deal, and I'm chucking it all to go to a Post-Bac next year. I'll be a doctor in 2011, god willing and the creek don't rise.

If my last 21 months working an a busy urban ED (13 of those as a paid employee) have taught me anything, it's that both RNs and docs have important, interesting, rewarding jobs. But they are entirely different jobs. Anyone who's had the chance to learn that first-hand, and develop a concrete sense of where they belong, has gained something many applicants do not. It's worth it.

 

[Febrifuge]

If I'm successful, I'm sure it will be worth it. it's the alternative (no acceptance from medschool) that scares me.

If I don't get accepted my first year applying, my plan is to:

1) Get drunk,
2) Play videogames in the dark for 2 weeks,
3) Get work in an ED as a tech again, or on an ambulance crew,
4) Study my arse off/ work staff for more and better LORs/ dazzle people with my poise and clinical ability within what is obviously a limited scope of practice for my impressive array of skills, and
5) Re-apply.

...and I'll repeat that process til I die, if I have to. Or until I hit the Lotto.

 

[leviathan]

...and I'll repeat that process til I die, if I have to. Or until I hit the Lotto.

Until you hit the Lotto? Well, I guess it's a lot easier to get accepted to a medical school if their faculty now has a $5 Million building built in your name. 😀

 

[agent]

Gosh, I haven't posted in awhile.. feels good to be back.

Well what can I say, I started out not knowing what the hell I would do.. fianlly got my Associates and then decided I would go pre-med.

The wife didn't like it and I backed off. Decided I could do nursing and I would probably be very successful.

Now I'm divorced and I'm thinking about med school again. I am currently taking pre-reqs for nursing and classes to finish my BA at DePaul.

It seems like instead of going nursing I could take all the pre-reqs for med and finish depaul and be in med school in 2-3 years if I put my head to it.

 

[jetskiters]

D-Rob, we sure have the same problem. I'm a first year nursing stude, and I've always been thinking about shifting to a premed course. I'm sooooo confused for sooooooo long already, i can't sleep at night some times.

any help you guys?

 

[agent]

D-Rob, we sure have the same problem. I'm a first year nursing stude, and I've always been thinking about shifting to a premed course. I'm sooooo confused for sooooooo long already, i can't sleep at night some times.

any help you guys?

what is stopping you?

 

[lloydchristmas]

D-Rob, we sure have the same problem. I'm a first year nursing stude, and I've always been thinking about shifting to a premed course. I'm sooooo confused for sooooooo long already, i can't sleep at night some times.

any help you guys?

Don't lose sleep over it. Stay in RN school and get the bachelor's and if you want med school, just get the extra pre reqs done. It doesn't matter what your undergrad degree is in. You can get in with a bachelor's of anything.

 

[jetskiters]

what is stopping you?

the possibility that med school won't pan out and the prospect of having a fallback profession (nursing). and the fact that nurses are offered high salaries abroad, and I could earn some money to finance medschool. arrrgh! so confused! 🙁

 

[jetskiters]

Don't lose sleep over it. Stay in RN school and get the bachelor's and if you want med school, just get the extra pre reqs done. It doesn't matter what your undergrad degree is in. You can get in with a bachelor's of anything.

yeah, that's what my folks and relatives have been telling me...but the problem is, I'm not so sure I want to be a nurse all my life in case medschool won't happen. 🙁

 

[ckv34l]

yeah, that's what my folks and relatives have been telling me...but the problem is, I'm not so sure I want to be a nurse all my life in case medschool won't happen. 🙁

If you'r e not sure there are many other option out there for you. I think If you get your BSN, you will have a degree, and also learn some clinical skills, and get a broader perspective about healthcare. Once youre finished with the degree and the prereqs for premed you can (hopefully) decide if you want to continue being a nuse, go to med school, or go to PA or NP school, or other professions/education. Just my $ 0.02
Kevin

 

[deleted6669]

If you'r e not sure there are many other option out there for you. I think If you get your BSN, you will have a degree, and also learn some clinical skills, and get a broader perspective about healthcare. Once youre finished with the degree and the prereqs for premed you can (hopefully) decide if you want to continue being a nuse, go to med school, or go to PA or NP school, or other professions/education. Kevin

Keep in mind that an rn program with md prereqs might not meet all entry requirements for pa/np programs as the prereqs vary quite a bit among these programs

 

[jetskiters]

thanks for all the advice guys. right now, im still thinking things over. il keep u updated.

 

[novasnob]

You have to be happy-- it's your life. Do prereqs for DO/MD and even if you don't get accepted-- you're in a great position to apply to PA as backup.

If you don't want to be an RN, don't suffer by getting deeper in debt and going to classes you hate. Life's to short for that.

I've been at a fork in the road for the past while and I can't decide what to do.

Ever since i was a little kid, I wanted to be a doctor. I guess you could say it's been a life-long dream of mine. but when I graduated highschool, my parents really discouraged me from entering the medical profession. They said it was too much work, would cost too much money and there was no guarantee that I'd be accepted in the end anyway. their reasoning became drilled in my head and I didn't think I'd be able to pull off the grades and be able to handle the education load.

I still wanted to work in a meaningful profession...one that helps people. Nursing is a good line of work- we help people, and the job is rewarding. So I applied and was accepted to my 4 year RN program.

I'm currently in the middle of year 2, and as the days go by I just know that this isn't the right profession for me. I didn't like 1st year at all, but I thought that was just because I was still adjusting to being one of only 5 males in a class out of 110 students.

I've gotten over that fact, and have made friends with a ton of people in the course, but I feel as though I'm still in the wrong line of work. Whenever I'm in clinical, i always watch what the doctors are doing. It's hard to explain...I like the nursing profession, but I can't stop feeling as though it isn't for me.

I've been looking at dropping out at the end of this semester and enrolling in medical pre-reqs, but here is where I hit a wall.

Currently I'm in $12,000 of debt for school. If I drop out now and start taking pre-med, there is no guarantee I'd make it into medical school. I'd have even more loans, and no job to pay it off.

But on the other hand, I feel as though I'm going to be wasting the next two years of my life because I know I won't stay with this profession. I'd most likely work for a year to pay loans then start pre-med, but i am having a hard time justifying spending these next 2 years in this program.

Do I quit now, take pre-reqs and hope I get into med school? I have the determination and I get good grades. Or do I finish school and become an RN, then leave the profession immediately and work towards medical school just so I have a job to fall back on incase I don't make it?

So confused 🙁