ICU RN to MD

[TacMed556]

I’m in a unique situation.

Four years ago, I got an associates degree in general science. 4.0 GPA. It covers all of the basics (Biology, Chem 1, English, Calc, Anatomy, Microbiology, etc.) I wanted to go to med school, but I had no way to afford it and my parents advised against taking out loans. 17 year old me took their advise and went to nursing school because it’s a “stable career choice.”

I went to nursing school, didn’t enjoy it, and got my BSN in nursing with a 3.1 GPA. Aside from a sucky GPA, I was very successful. Numerous awards, leadership positions, nursing residency offers, recommendations, and prestigious recognitions.

When I graduated nursing school I got super focused on finding a way to make med school happen. I’ve worked full-time nights as an ICU nurse for the past two years while taking the rest of my med school pre-reqs during the day. Since I already have a BSN, I took these classes as a non-degree seeking student. These included Physics I and II, Biology II, Chem II, Genetics, Organic, and Biochemistry. I rocked these and ended up with a 4.0 GPA in these additional pre-reqs. My MCAT is coming up soon, and I plan to apply next cycle.

The good?
I have an awesome story about my journey to applying to med school, and my decision is solidified by thousands of hours of patient care working alongside physicians in the critical care setting. This gives me a unique perspective and makes me stand out as an applicant. Also, science GPA of 4.0.

The bad?
My nursing school GPA was a 3.1 and there’s nothing I can do about it now.


QUESTIONS:


1.) How will my GPA be calculated?

-4.0 GPA for 74 credits Associate of General Science

-3.1 GPA for 60 credits towards my BSN

-4.0 GPA for 30 credits of additional pre-reqs


2.) How should I explain my poor grades in nursing school during the interview?


3.) Is there anything I could have done differently? (I have an RN friend in a similar situation seeking advice.)

4.)What should I be doing now?

Thank you in advance.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[deleted367183]

I got a BSN but never practiced as a nurse. All of my nursing credits did NOT count as BCPM (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics) on the AMCAS. There was another category like "Health Sciences" or something to that effect. It looks like that is still the case: AMCAS® Course Classification Guide. So they don't count in your science GPA.

I had abysmal grades in nursing school because I hated it (should have dropped out), and they never came up in my interviews.

Best of luck!! Sounds like you're on the right track.

 

[gramnegative]

I had the reverse situation as you do; I originally left college with a 3.0 GPA, went back to get my BSN at a 3.8, and ended up with a cumulative GPA of a 3.4-3.5. You can look for excel spreadsheet templates and utilize the AAMC guidelines to determine your overall cGPA and sGPA, which I would suggest doing soon to get a sense of where you are at. I don't think you are in some insurmountable hole by any means, and I wouldn't worry about what you could have done differently now, just focus on a plan moving forward to reach the goals you set.

I'm an ICU RN who has had a successful career, which was a big part of my application, and I was very lucky this application cycle. On all of the interviews I attended, my experience in the ICU was lauded, literally. You can definitely get into medical school, but first figure out what your GPAs look like. From there, I would suggest taking the usual suite of prerequisites, since that will open the most doors for you in terms of applying as well as prepare for the MCAT. I would also suggest taking a handful of upper division science classes - the adcoms know you know your **** clinically, but want to know if you can handle the classroom part of med school. Doing well on the MCAT will also silence those concerns. After that comes the application process itself, which is much more time-consuming than it may appear. Don't get too ahead of yourself yet, but at least start thinking about how you are going to answer the question of 'why' medicine and not NP/CRNA/PA school and put to rest any concerns that you will be coming in as arrogant or unteachable. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any other questions or concerns about the process.