How long will it take for me to finish my pre-reqs for med school?

[IDD]

I am on the BSN track and will hopefully finish my pre-reqs after graduating nursing school to apply to med school. These are the science and math classes I currently have. Thanks!


- Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II with lab
- Intro to Chem with lab (I already know I need to redo chem. I wanted to take gen chem but it conflicted with my schedule)
- Financial and Quantitative Literacy
- Honors Elementary Statistics
- Honors Intro to General Psych
- Developmental Psych
- Microbiology with lab
- Intro to Nutrition
- Undergraduate Research
- Pathophysiology
- Pharmacology
- Assessement
_ Concepts and Clinical Competencies

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[candbgirl]

Well you know what the prereqs are(if you don't look them up).Are you going to be working full time or part time ? Figure out how many classes you can successfully take each semester with work and everything else in your life. That will tell you what you need to know. Good luck!

 

[dreamadream]

You need biochem(required for most med schools, intro to sociology, biology 1 and 2(separate)w/ lab, general chem 1 and 2(with lab), calc 1, organic chem 1 and 2 w/ lab(separate) and inorganic chem 1(dpending on if the school requires it)it should take you 2-4 semsters oh and I'm pretty sure you have English composition 1 and 2?

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

The prereqs actually vary a bit depending on the school. But the main ones you should plan to take are: biochem, gen chem 1 & 2, physics 1 & 2, organic chem (definitely 1 and most likely 2--although some schools are moving to accept biochem as a replacement for orgo 2), and bio 1 &2.

Other schools may require/recommend: calc 1, intro statistics, and at least a few humanities classes. Psych/Sociology aren't typically required but it's great that you already have Psych as that will be tested on the MCAT.

How long it will take you depends on how many classes you can comfortably take at once and still maintain a good GPA.

 

[md-2020]

Biochem is actually only a requirement for roughly ~1/4-1/3 of med schools for my cycle (entering in '16) so it's not 100% a requirement, as long as you can do well on the MCAT section.

Don't take calc unless you're good at it, any stats/basic math is more than okay.

@dreamadream you realize that inorganic chem and general chem are the same thing, right?

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

Don't take calc unless you're good at it, any stats/basic math is more than okay.

I tend to agree but maybe think ahead to schools you might be interested in applying to? I wasn't planning on taking calc but several schools I applied to (Brown, OHSU, WashU) require it. You could always apply and plan to take it in the spring before matriculation, if you end up getting into a school that requires it.

 

[notofimportance143]

This is a hard question to answer. It will heavily depend on how much you are working and how many classes you feel comfortable taking at once. A lot of the prereqs are time consuming and you many not want to take a full load of them.

That being said I have a friend who graduated nursing school and decided to go back and finish the prereqs. She has been taking them two at a time during the semester plus summer courses and it took her about two years. She was also working night shift as an RN at a hospital part-time.

Good luck with everything!!!

 

[raiderette]

Although only a few schools are requiring biochem this year, it will probably increase as the old MCAT expires.

 

[Germanicus89]

The gen chem to organic chem/biochem sequence is probably the rate limiting factor. That sequence is typically done over 2 years unless you get creative.