Mother starting to reconsider nursing school

[hexyminx]

I'm 26 with a 21 month old toddler. I got my BS in psych at 22. I didn't actually want a career in psychology but I had no idea what I did want and it was fascinating enough for me. It wasn't until I got pregnant that I realized I wanted a career in healthcare. Specifically women's health. My OB, midwife and postpartum nurses were phenomenal and I just know I need to be in that field somehow. I looked into nursing and realized my previous degree fulfilled all of my prereqs except three. I'm currently taking A&P I and I can apply for the nursing program in May. My GPA is 3.49 so not at all competitive but I excel at test taking.

But while the idea of being an OB or postpartum nurse is great, I keep thinking about wanting more. Like being able to deliver babies. And I wonder if nursing will be fulfilling enough. I've been really stuck on going the med school route instead. But I know it's a whole other ball game. Nursing feels doable as a mom. Tough but doable. And I know there are women who have become doctors while raising children. I just want the honest and realistic facts about what I'm up against. I'm very scared to make that leap.

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[Naruhodo]

Congratulations of pursuing the career you want! I'd take a serious look (and talk to people who are in these lines of work) at the various roles and responsibilities of OBGYNs, Certified Nurse Midwives (a form of advanced practice nurse) and Labor and Delivery Nurses. What aspects of birth are you drawn to? If you love surgery and the OR, yes, you will only get to do C-sections if you are an OBGYN (though often midwives and OR nurses are assisting). Are you all about the vaginal deliveries? In that case, many institutions have midwives on the frontlines of caring for low-risk pregnancies (including doing the deliveries). If you want to be with the moms throughout labor and not just swoop in for the delivery, then take a hard look at the L&D nurses. I will say it's probably easier to go from L&D nurse --> certified nurse midwife if you decide you want a career change than it is to go back and do med school, but I'm sure it has been done. At 26 you have so much of your life ahead of you that you shouldn't think of anything as out of reach if you work for it. But make sure you're talking to be IRL (and not just online ) to do the best to can to chose the path that you will find most fulfilling.

Also, if you already have a bachelors you may consider looking into masters entry nursing programs. You can always also take a look at preparing for the MCAT, and if as you say you're a strong test-taker and get a good score then med school is not out of reach by any means. I will say OBGYN residencies are somewhat notorious for getting more competitive and having long-hours once you get there...but many things worth doing aren't necessarily easy so I don't mean to scare you off either. Also, many family medicine residents also practice women's health and deliver babies, but you may have to live in a smaller community when you're done to get the hospital rights to do many deliveries.

 

[Dave1980]

To figure out how "doable" it is it would be important to know what your support system like (husband, partner, family) and what your financial status is (independently wealthy, partner with a good job). Sorry to be nosy but if you want a helpful answer you need to provide helpful info.

 

[Ultimax]

Having a good support system is crucial. The path to become a physician is challenging, but not impossible. "What does not kill you will only make you stronger." I was in your shoes, and am currently applying to medical schools. My wife and I were debating the impact that it would have on our future and our 2 sons, considering that I have a stable nursing career and the challenges for the next 10 years. Being passionate about medicine is a good starting point, but it is not enough without a good support system. Who will take care of you when you feel burned out? Who will share the burden of taking care of your toddler when you are busy preparing for the board exam?
Keep in mind that if finance becomes a problem, the military offers HPSP scholarship that will take care of that for you. Be strong, be realistic, and be bold.

 

[Blueprint Med School]

In med school, you're up against quite a lot. First, up to $240,000 in costs, lower obviously if you go to your state school and depending on your housing situation. Next, you're going to be up against being busier than a person working a full time job for the 8-10 years between medical school and residency. As an M1-M2, that's going to be mainly classes and studying so you'll at least be able to study from home. As an M3, you'll have more wonky schedules as you go through clinical rotations, and then as an M4, you'll likely be flying all over to do residency interviews.

Is all this doable? Absolutely. If you have a partner or parents who can help you take care of your child, then your life becomes significantly easier. However, specifics will vary from person to person and how much of a support system they have.

Congratulations on opting towards a career change!
Kevin W, MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[Bonne Nuit]

I'm 26 with a 21 month old toddler. I got my BS in psych at 22. I didn't actually want a career in psychology but I had no idea what I did want and it was fascinating enough for me. It wasn't until I got pregnant that I realized I wanted a career in healthcare. Specifically women's health. My OB, midwife and postpartum nurses were phenomenal and I just know I need to be in that field somehow. I looked into nursing and realized my previous degree fulfilled all of my prereqs except three. I'm currently taking A&P I and I can apply for the nursing program in May. My GPA is 3.49 so not at all competitive but I excel at test taking.

But while the idea of being an OB or postpartum nurse is great, I keep thinking about wanting more. Like being able to deliver babies. And I wonder if nursing will be fulfilling enough. I've been really stuck on going the med school route instead. But I know it's a whole other ball game. Nursing feels doable as a mom. Tough but doable. And I know there are women who have become doctors while raising children. I just want the honest and realistic facts about what I'm up against. I'm very scared to make that leap.

I will keep it simple and tell you to start by shadowing an OBGYN as soon as possible - if the physician is also a parent him/herself, even better. Yes, you will need a support system in place for whatever future educational plans you put in action, but we might be getting ahead of ourselves at this point. Start by answering the “Do I want to be an obstetrician/gynecologist vs a nurse?” question.

What you see as a patient is nothing like what you see on the “other side”, so shadowing is a must (and also 40-60ish hours shadowing are a de facto medical school prerequisite anyway). You will have a better sense what’s right for you after observing a physician practice.

 

[DO_or_Die]

I am a pediatric nurse (not a mom), that is applying to medical school right now. I would only go med if there is nothing else you could imagine yourself doing. I love nursing, but I do want more. That is just me. Many other nurses are very satisfied with their career and I never leave the hospital feeling unappreciated by both my staff, patients and their families. If you choose to go into nursing, you will have a proper work life balance with your children. Only you can really make this decision, but going into medicine will change everything and it will be difficult to spread yourself between your career and motherhood, this is one reason I am waiting to have children until after residency.

 

[RNthenDoc]

MS2 who had to carefully weigh out APRN/DNP Vs. MD.

At the end of the day you have to decide which scope will make you happy. As others here have said, RN->L&D->Nurse Midwife is a great path.

Nurse midwives have a really cool scope in many states, and are a *lot* safer than the baloney Doula-only thing that so many crunchy people are doing these days.

I will tell you that the amount of free time a career in nursing will give you is superior to medicine, but the money and prestige is unquestionably higher as a physician, and that matters to many people! Take your time shadowing all options and decide what will make *you* happy, and realize that you would likely be happy in any of the roles, so there may be no wrong answer.