Jobs between Pre-Med & Med School?

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melissa042804

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I am a single mother getting ready to start as Pre-Med but have one major concern. What kind of jobs are possible if lets say I finish with Undergraduate Pre-Med but for whatever reasons need to take a year or two before I start Med School? I want to be able to provide for my child if my other means of living fall through. What kind of positions are out there for someone who is waiting to go into Medical School? What do they pay? I feel tempted to just go into Nursing and try Medical School from there because at least from there I know that I will have a reliable job, but that is NOT the field that I want to be in, not to mention I will end up not being properly prepared education wise for Medical School.

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melissa042804 said:
I am a single mother getting ready to start as Pre-Med but have one major concern. What kind of jobs are possible if lets say I finish with Undergraduate Pre-Med but for whatever reasons need to take a year or two before I start Med School? I want to be able to provide for my child if my other means of living fall through. What kind of positions are out there for someone who is waiting to go into Medical School? What do they pay? I feel tempted to just go into Nursing and try Medical School from there because at least from there I know that I will have a reliable job, but that is NOT the field that I want to be in, not to mention I will end up not being properly prepared education wise for Medical School.

I would major in something you are interested in persuing in the event you have to take a couple years off. If you are interested in working in nursing, getting a BSN will take care of many of the pre-med requirements (you probably have to take some additional o-chem, perhaps physics.) Interested in social work - sociology; interested in research - biology/biochem, etc. I would NOT major in pre-med (if your school even has such a major) because it will be difficult to find a career-type job with that as your major. There's lots of possibilities depending on what most interests you. Teaching science in high school (major in science and get your teaching credential, for ex/); working with autistic children (psychology?); managing a healthcare office (business); etc. There's always the option of getting your EMT-B as well as a 4 year degree, and working as an EMT.
 
Most of the Universities around here have a Pre-Med program with specific classes assigned. There are other routes that are suggested are majors such as Biology, Microbiology, etc. which I am very interested in, but what careers can you have with a degree in those fields?
Does anyone know if it is an easy transition from RN to Medical School? Has anyone done that, or know someone who has?
 
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melissa042804 said:
Most of the Universities around here have a Pre-Med program with specific classes assigned. There are other routes that are suggested are majors such as Biology, Microbiology, etc. which I am very interested in, but what careers can you have with a degree in those fields?
Does anyone know if it is an easy transition from RN to Medical School? Has anyone done that, or know someone who has?

Believe me, you don't even have to major in a science to be a competitive applicant to medical school as long as you complete the pre-med requirements. Most of these requirements overlap with a biology-type major, so many people do just choose to major in that. With a bio/microbio type degree you would most likely be able to get a lab and/or research position (Post-graduate researcher, etc) as long as you also get experience while in undergrad.

Yes, I do know 2 people that went from nursing to MD (one an RN, one an NP). Both did fine, especially since they had experience in the field. Their biggest hurdle was eloquently explaining why a doctor when you're already working with patients, etc (because adcoms want to know your not pursuing an MD for the prestige, the $$, the power, etc.)
 
melissa042804 said:
I am a single mother getting ready to start as Pre-Med but have one major concern. What kind of jobs are possible if lets say I finish with Undergraduate Pre-Med but for whatever reasons need to take a year or two before I start Med School? I want to be able to provide for my child if my other means of living fall through. What kind of positions are out there for someone who is waiting to go into Medical School? What do they pay? I feel tempted to just go into Nursing and try Medical School from there because at least from there I know that I will have a reliable job, but that is NOT the field that I want to be in, not to mention I will end up not being properly prepared education wise for Medical School.

Don't do it. Can you really see yourself enduring 2 or 4 years(BSN) of nursing school without wishing you had just gone for med school?

Your post says no.
 
Nurses do not take the same classes as premeds. They take a semester of chemistry that skims the year long requirement. Same with organic. They do typically allow you to use the year long classes as substitutes for their overview class. They actually have no physics or basic biology requirements.

You do not say if you have any college background at all??? I do know a few physicans who were nurses first and they are great. One of them specifically majored in nursing because she knew she could work a bit through medical school. These people I know still love injections, IVs, and other skills typically given to RNs. RNs at this point can make a lot of money, even with an associate degree. For instance, if you work one 8 hour shift a week on a off shift, weekend, you can easily pull $280 for that!

In 1950, physicians were "over" nurses and were their superiors. In today's health care climate they are team members with different responsibilities. Majoring in nursing would be great, but DON'T go into it with the attitude that nursing is beneath you. You will be miserable and unhappy, and your patients and peers will definitely be able to tell. If you like healthcare and patients, then nursing would be great. Remember, it's just a different job than medicine.
 
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