MD willing to mentor a nursing student?

[ThrombusParty]

Well, first off, new here as a member and poster but been a loiterer and a probably a fall risk meandering these forums for some time.

Nursing is a second degree for me, second career. I did Information Systems before with focus on networking and server side programming. But that didn't mean I liked it. Had a kid. Special needs kid, moved.

My education options are a bit limited due to location and I didn't exactly fall in love with the idea of... Wait for it, it's probably going to make people cringe, a community college nursing program. (The other options were accounting or welding). However the program has exception pass rates and faculty that are very involved with student success.

However, I'm the kinda person who is never satisfied in knowing what something is, I need to know why.

I took unnecessary calculus and chemistry courses because it's become my philosophy in life to first, never be that person that says it's over my head and walk away, and second, be the smartest person I know (I don't even mean that in hubris, I don't think I'm anywhere near that, I just refuse to not learn about a concept because my tiny, insipid artist liberal arts brain falls over it. Ironically enough I'd be a straight 3.9 student were it not for having done horribly in that one art course...)

I'd love to do med school honestly. I've been fascinated by Psychopharmacology since I was 8. I just don't think it would be in the best interest of my rampant kinderbeast to miss out on his life.

So I'm doing nursing, likely aiming for the oft considered somehow anathematic Practitioner path. Nothing I'm saying against traditional med school. I can see the wisdom in both areas.

Honestly hoping this doesn't come off as a rant. I like to learn. I take every opportunity I can to absorb and not just memorize procedures for orders, but understand the pathology of the problem. I'm on the same team as everyone else. I love going into the lab and asking the techs questions if they have moments. At first they seemed really confused I even said anything to them. Same with the OTs, PTs, anyone else I could do a favor for in return for gaining from their practical experience.

Highlight of my clinical yesterday was being able to discuss what the implications of TV Vegetation were with a Cardiologist who was waiting at the same Taco Bell with me, just by chance.

That was the only doctor that was willing to say anything to me for the entire semester and he worked at the competing hospital.

I just want to know if there's an MD who is willing to put up with a Nursing Student who wants to understand things the right way, and is tired of getting 'you wouldn't understand' from Doctors and the response 'But you don't need to know that' from nursing faculty. I dont fight, I'm not trying to prove I'm right. I DO get excitable and ask alot of questions.

I'm interested in all specialties, though I have an inordinate fondness for Nephrology, Psychopharmacology, and Neurology.

Thank you if you read this, and bonus thanks if you found it only mildly hilarious?

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[Eccesignum]

I'm not entirely sure what it is you're looking for.

If you're looking for a long-term PM-buddy with an MD to talk about the science of healthcare, I can't help you (yet).

If you just want someone to vent to, I'm a former ED nurse who's now an M1. Feel free to PM, or not. Either way, good luck finding what you're seeking.

 

[popopopop]

It's probably more practical to read a book or watch lectures on youtube. If you want, maybe find physician shadowing around your area. I'm not sure how receptive they'll be to it, but it's worth a try.

 

[nlax30]

Yea, honestly I'm not entirely sure what you're looking for or what your goal is. You already said you pursuing nursing and ultimately NP so I would think the most prudent path would be to do some shadowing and/or mentorship with a NP so you can see what their field is like and hopefully receive some advice along the way.

Certainly appreciate your interest and overall curiosity which should drive you to always learn, but speaking practically I just don't see a physician taking more time out of their schedule to work out some arrangement for teaching/shadowing a future nursing student going into a different field.

It would be different if you were still considering various fields and just wanted to do some shadowing to SOME exposure to a specific field though it appears you were looking more for something that could offer more educational/instructional value? Also, you seem intelligent and ultimately it's not that 'you wouldn't understand', but at some level you may have unrealistic expectations on what exactly you would get out of spending time with a physician. We'll occasionally have a high school student, nursing or EMT/medic student come around for a few hours to watch some procedures and they may ask "what's that" or "what's aortic stenosis" and while I try to explain it to them in very simple terms in a way that relates to their knowledge level, it's taken me 4 years of med school and now 6 post-graduate years of training at this point to get a good detailed knowledge of this material, so no, I'm not going to be able to just explain it to someone if they are expecting to have a certain depth of knowledge of it. Granted I know they don't mean it that why and are just curious about something they may have never seen before and a simple explanation is all they are really looking for, but I just hope you are not setting yourself up for disappointment based on some of your other comments earlier in your post about courses and schooling. On that topic, if your ultimate satisfaction and self-worth is going to come from having a deep, detailed knowledge of particular medical topics than maybe your current plans of nursing is not something that's going to fulfill you.....

 

[QofQuimica]

I'm an MD/PhD in pharmaceutical chemistry getting ready to start a fellowship in a subspecialty that uses a lot of psychopharmacology. As others have already asked, what exactly is it that you're looking for in terms of mentoring?