Hi everyone! I’ve been lurking on here for years and over the past several months have been feeling the pull to pursue medicine again.
For a little background, I’m 29 and am currently an RN in a CVICU. I have my BSN, as well as a prior bachelor’s in cell biology and neuroscience. I was pre med my first go in college, but I struggled quite a bit and graduated with a cGPA of 2.5. I got myself in gear and had a strong upward trend- I achieved honors my last 3 semesters in that degree, but freshman year hit me hard. I lost my confidence and my drive.
Fast forward to 2021- I began working as an ER tech at a level 2 trauma center and realized that I wanted to make a difference in healthcare, and nursing seemed like a natural fit for me. I finished my bachelor’s in nursing this past December as part of an accelerated 2 year program. My gpa for that program was a 3.57, and I felt like I was back in my academic groove. Nursing courses are different from anything I had taken with my first degree, but I felt like I had my confidence back. Every now and then I felt the “why not med school?” question pop back into my head. But I kept my focus and finished what was ahead of me.
Now, almost two months into being an ICU nurse, I’m more inspired than ever to take it a step further and pursue medicine. I feel like I needed the detour to find myself and figure out what is truly important to me. Becoming a physician has always been a dream of mine, and I feel that since time will pass anyway, I might as well try to achieve that dream. I didn’t have the confidence or the drive previously, but I feel that I have that inspiration stronger than ever.
With that said, I’m trying to plan my next steps. I would like to continue with my nursing role and learn all that I can as I get ready to apply; I need to learn to be a good nurse and take advantage of the opportunities I have right now. I also plan on getting my critical care certification.
As far as pre reqs, I would need to retake gen chem, physics, and organic chem. I am open to taking other courses as part of a diy post bacc, but I am wondering if applying to a special master’s program would do more harm than good in my case. I believe that my cGPA currently hovers at around a 3.0 right now. My sGPA is very low due to prior Fs that I had received freshman year of my first degree. Within the next half of this year, I plan on redoing these classes at a local university. After this, I would begin prep for the MCAT. Ideally, I would aim to apply broadly to DO programs.
I’d love any tips or input! If anyone has any similar experiences, please share!
For a little background, I’m 29 and am currently an RN in a CVICU. I have my BSN, as well as a prior bachelor’s in cell biology and neuroscience. I was pre med my first go in college, but I struggled quite a bit and graduated with a cGPA of 2.5. I got myself in gear and had a strong upward trend- I achieved honors my last 3 semesters in that degree, but freshman year hit me hard. I lost my confidence and my drive.
Fast forward to 2021- I began working as an ER tech at a level 2 trauma center and realized that I wanted to make a difference in healthcare, and nursing seemed like a natural fit for me. I finished my bachelor’s in nursing this past December as part of an accelerated 2 year program. My gpa for that program was a 3.57, and I felt like I was back in my academic groove. Nursing courses are different from anything I had taken with my first degree, but I felt like I had my confidence back. Every now and then I felt the “why not med school?” question pop back into my head. But I kept my focus and finished what was ahead of me.
Now, almost two months into being an ICU nurse, I’m more inspired than ever to take it a step further and pursue medicine. I feel like I needed the detour to find myself and figure out what is truly important to me. Becoming a physician has always been a dream of mine, and I feel that since time will pass anyway, I might as well try to achieve that dream. I didn’t have the confidence or the drive previously, but I feel that I have that inspiration stronger than ever.
With that said, I’m trying to plan my next steps. I would like to continue with my nursing role and learn all that I can as I get ready to apply; I need to learn to be a good nurse and take advantage of the opportunities I have right now. I also plan on getting my critical care certification.
As far as pre reqs, I would need to retake gen chem, physics, and organic chem. I am open to taking other courses as part of a diy post bacc, but I am wondering if applying to a special master’s program would do more harm than good in my case. I believe that my cGPA currently hovers at around a 3.0 right now. My sGPA is very low due to prior Fs that I had received freshman year of my first degree. Within the next half of this year, I plan on redoing these classes at a local university. After this, I would begin prep for the MCAT. Ideally, I would aim to apply broadly to DO programs.
I’d love any tips or input! If anyone has any similar experiences, please share!
