Need a reality check - 3rd Career Change Public Health to RN to now considering Med school. Low Stats as well :/

[CanadianPalm]

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Hey all, I need a reality check and advice as to whether this path is worth pursing or if I am romanticizing the idea of becoming a physician.

I'm a 26M ORM in California who originally obtained a BA in public health before deciding to pursue a career in nursing after working in the public health sector for a couple of years. However now that I've been working as a nurse for the past year, I'm now realizing that I feeling unfulfilled as a nurse.

I realized that I desire to know more as to why certain disease processes are being treated the way they are and to be a more active participant in the care plan of a patient rather than executing the care plan/orders and then reporting on the status of a patient.

I have considered FNP schools and CRNA school, but was turned off by the lack of standardization between NP programs and their curriculum when further looking into it, while with CRNA I am not completely set on the idea of specializing in anesthesia.

My main concern is this: I have an abysmally low GPA and no research experience beyond doing a QI presentation at my hospital

My cumulative is a 3.31 (3.32 at local CC as I was a transfer student, 2.97 at first degree [pandemic whooped my ass kicking my depression into overdrive unfortunately without making too much of an excuse], 3.50 [ Nursing School])

sGPA - 2.97 (If I calculated that correctly, I excluded any public health, psych, socio classes + any nursing courses I took for my second degree)

My saving grace in this I suppose is that I have yet to take some of the prerequisites for medical school (Physics, Ochem and Biochemistry) as well as I have yet to take the MCAT at all, having strong clinical hours due to work and volunteering, and that I have the possibility of strong LORs from the physicians I work with + some of my nursing school professors.

If I somehow manage to obtain all As in the remaining prerequisites, my sGPA should be a 3.14 and my cumulative 3.35.

Knowing all of this, should I consider even remotely pursuing the idea of medical school or is this a pipe dream?

 

[Dral]

Your GPA is in striking distance of DO schools. If you do well on the MCAT, you should have a good chance. MD would be more difficult with those GPA numbers. You might find a few MD schools that accept lower GPAs and/or have a certain mission fit for you. Otherwise, I would focus on DO if you decide to go through with the career switch.

 

[ecobio]

I wouldn't count you out for either MD or DO, but it depends a lot on what your MCAT, trend, and ECs would look like. Do you have a lot of experience working with underserved populations? Research? Is your GPA an upward trend? Etc.

Here is the MCAT-GPA acceptance grid. As you can see, the higher MCAT you can get, the better off you are. If you are able to get a 510-513, you're at about the national average acceptance chance. If you can get higher than that, even better! Med schools aren't just about stats, though, its important you have a clear narrative of "why physician?" as well as evidence of community involvement/scientific inquiry.

For context: I have a similar cGPA and sGPA to your projected. I was able to (miraculously lol) get a 520 on my MCAT. It's pretty early in the cycle and I've already gotten love from both MD and DO. So, I certainly think it's possible!

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. However, keep in mind I'm just an applicant and have limited knowledge about the internal admissions process... I just have my experience from the outside looking in.

 

[esob]

I agree that DO is a possibility, but you would need a rockstar MCAT score to be considered for most MD schools (and even then, you would likely be automatically screened out via GPA for most schools).

 

[Splenda88]

If you can manage to get A in your remaining prerequisites, you will be ok for DO school GPA-wise.

 

[CanadianPalm]

Thank you all for your replies! You've given me a lot to consider. I personally would not have an qualms about being a DO over an MD, so I may consider only applying to DO in the future barring my gpa.

I think that my goal current goals for the next year will be to do my remaining prerequisites as well as some additional courses to see if I can increase my GPA a bit to make me viable for MD applications while also looking for opportunities to volunteer and potentially do research if the opportunity presents itself. Once I complete my prerequisites, I will then look to take the MCAT shortly after.

 

[esob]

Thank you all for your replies! You've given me a lot to consider. I personally would not have an qualms about being a DO over an MD, so I may consider only applying to DO in the future barring my gpa.

I think that my goal current goals for the next year will be to do my remaining prerequisites as well as some additional courses to see if I can increase my GPA a bit to make me viable for MD applications while also looking for opportunities to volunteer and potentially do research if the opportunity presents itself. Once I complete my prerequisites, I will then look to take the MCAT shortly after.

As an MD, I can tell you that nobody really cares in the workplace about DO vs MD. Half of the doctors I work with I couldn't even tell you if they are MD's or DO's, and this is coming from someone who was once terrified of the stigma and chose an MD school over a DO school that I preferred.