MD & DO Is getting a nursing degree beneficial to help get into med school?

[Medjunkie01]

Hello everyone,

I have three semesters left in my undergrad and currently have a 2.7 GPA. If I get a 4.0 for the next three semesters I still wont be able to get a 3.0. I have not taken my MCAT yet, but plan to do so after I graduate. I am currently working as a ED scribe as well as a pharmacy technician. I have read a good amount about other students improving their GPAs with completion of a post bac or masters program, but I was curious if it would be more beneficial to get my nursing degree and then apply to med school?

Note: I am also considering pursuing a career as an NP, which is why I think it may be beneficial to get a nursing degree.

Please, comment with some ideas or advise. It is greatly appreciated!!

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[Go_Pokes_11]

If you want a career as an NP you don't need to go to medical school, you would go to nursing school become an RN or BSN, then continue to get your masters or doctorate in nursing.

 

[Medjunkie01]

If you want a career as an NP you don't need to go to medical school, you would go to nursing school become an RN or BSN, then continue to get your masters or doctorate in nursing.

Yes. I should have been more clear. I meant I'm considering both options, either med school OR becoming a NP. That's why I was considering getting my nursing degree. My concern is my low undergrad GPA, and I wanted to know if getting a nursing degree would work the same way a masters program/post bac would for improving my GPA?

 

[Go_Pokes_11]

Yes. I should have been more clear. I meant I'm considering both options, either med school OR becoming a NP. That's why I was considering getting my nursing degree. My concern is my low undergrad GPA, and I wanted to know if getting a nursing degree would work the same way a masters program/post bac would for improving my GPA?

If you stay below 3.0 for your undergrad, to even be considered you would need to 4.0 a post-bacc program or masters, and even then it may be tough for you still. If you really want to go to medical school I would suggest not getting your nursing degree and going with the masters and looking into DO/Caribbean schools. However, if you think NP is really what you want to do, my girlfriend made a 2.7 in her undergrad and raised it to a 3.0 taking the nursing pre-reqs and got into school and is about to start her masters in nursing, so that can be done!

 

[piii]

No the nursing degree wouldn't help.

 

[DrDreams]

If you stay below 3.0 for your undergrad, to even be considered you would need to 4.0 a post-bacc program or masters, and even then it may be tough for you still. If you really want to go to medical school I would suggest not getting your nursing degree and going with the masters and looking into DO/Caribbean schools. However, if you think NP is really what you want to do, my girlfriend made a 2.7 in her undergrad and raised it to a 3.0 taking the nursing pre-reqs and got into school and is about to start her masters in nursing, so that can be done!

No DO school would take with a 3.0. You are either looking at Caribbean (don't do it) or NP.

Alternatively you can work on a master's degree, work your ass off and then apply MD/DO in the US. But expect atleast a couple to a few years before you get in.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Grade replacement is your friend

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

Id say go for a career in nursing, you have basically no chance of admission at any MD or DO school (without substantial grade repair)

 

[ThoracicGuy]

Hello everyone,

I have three semesters left in my undergrad and currently have a 2.7 GPA. If I get a 4.0 for the next three semesters I still wont be able to get a 3.0. I have not taken my MCAT yet, but plan to do so after I graduate. I am currently working as a ED scribe as well as a pharmacy technician. I have read a good amount about other students improving their GPAs with completion of a post bac or masters program, but I was curious if it would be more beneficial to get my nursing degree and then apply to med school?

Note: I am also considering pursuing a career as an NP, which is why I think it may be beneficial to get a nursing degree.

Please, comment with some ideas or advise. It is greatly appreciated!!

If you are wanting medical school, you need to look at grade replacement and apply to DO schools once your GPA is in range and you have a good MCAT score that you have taken once you are ready.

A nursing degree will not help.

 

[Moose A Moose]

One or the other, Bae.


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[Crooklyn]

if you're serious about medical school then I would suggest finishing your remaining undergrad semesters on the deans list and start racking up on serious volunteer and/or research/clinical experience. When you're done go to a postbacc masters program and beast mode through those classes while continuing to rack up on volunteer and research/clinical experience. With three years of A's plus lots of experience and a 510+ on your mcat i think you have a really good shot at most DO schools and definitely quite a few MD schools

If you're willing to put the work in, it's definitely doable. Speaking from experience.

 

[Akewataru]

It would be one thing if you were already a nurse, and had worked in the field for a few years then decided you wanted to go into medicine. You would definitely get the "why medicine" question for sure. However, to get a nursing degree just for the sake of improving your GPA would be a BAD idea. Not only are you going to get the "why medicine" question, but adcoms will look at your application very harshly for essentially taking a spot from someone who wants to be nurse as their career and using it as a stepping stone to medicine.


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[Turkishking]

No

 

[floatingribs]

If you're planning to do pre med requirements w/ nursing classes 1) your nursing school dean will hate you 2) it's incredibly hard to manage all the classes and you'll probably have to take a course overload (I speak from experience). Nursing school and pre med are both pretty hard and literally no classes overlap like people assume. Also the nursing school at my university at least doesn't review your application unless it's a 3.6 and accept only 10-15 students a year and once your a transfer nursing student you work double time to catch up so you can be on time for clinicals which would definitely leave no room for pre med requirements.

If you're asking if a nursing degree will supplement a med school app the answer's no and you better have a reason ready to explain why you took the path you did.

 

[bornunderatree]

The average GPA of my nursing class was something obscene like 3.92.
Nursing is very challenging from an academic standpoint. From my experience most schools have very unclear grading criteria, and a you get what you get and don't throw a fit mentality.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

The average GPA of my nursing class was something obscene like 3.92.
Nursing is very challenging from an academic standpoint. From my experience most schools have very unclear grading criteria, and a you get what you get and don't throw a fit mentality.

I recently took what is considered the "hardest class" in our school's nursing program because it also was an elective for my major. It wasn't even close in difficulty to ochem or any other hard pre-med class.

Our undergrad has the most rigorous nursing program in the state and has an average GPA of 3.9 and a 30 ACT.