new RN to MD

[superRN]

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Hey guys, I've been reading the forums for some time but it's about time I get some insight about my situation. I'm 22 and about to graduate as a RN-BSN at a CA state school with a 3.63 GPA. I made the realization after a year into the program (uninterested in nursing model, want more scope of practice) but decided to finish it up (it fits as a great back-up plan if all else fails). I need to take all my prereqs but have run into a few questions.

CA state schools, due to budget cuts, are not taking 2nd degree bacc. Only options are CC's and two postbacc, Scripps (1 year) and CSUF (2 year). As it is, it's about 35k for Scripps and 20K for CSUF. CC's are getting increasingly hard to get classes, esp here in SoCal. Given these choices, what would you do? I'm leaning towards taking one year to ease my way into my job, then taking the year off to go to Scripps (but at an additional 35k cost).

Also, I'm about to choose my specialty as a nurse and have come to a halt. I really enjoy critical care (ICU, PICU, etc.) but realize that it takes a bit of time and training to get comfortable. Should I choose an easier (quicker transitioning) position like med-surg instead so that I can concentrate on prereqs?

At this rate, how do you feel about taking 4 years instead of 3 to get into med school (1 year to get in gear + 2 years postbacc + 1 glide)? Is it worth it to make some money with the extra year vs. finishing med school faster?

Thanks for all your help. From the last few months of reading your posts and all the sacrifices I've read from you all, I've gained the strength to make the switch.

 

[The right Path]

Hey guys, I've been reading the forums for some time but it's about time I get some insight about my situation. I'm 22 and about to graduate as a RN-BSN at a CA state school with a 3.63 GPA. I made the realization after a year into the program (uninterested in nursing model, want more scope of practice) but decided to finish it up (it fits as a great back-up plan if all else fails). I need to take all my prereqs but have run into a few questions.

CA state schools, due to budget cuts, are not taking 2nd degree bacc. Only options are CC's and two postbacc, Scripps (1 year) and CSUF (2 year). As it is, it's about 35k for Scripps and 20K for CSUF. CC's are getting increasingly hard to get classes, esp here in SoCal. Given these choices, what would you do? I'm leaning towards taking one year to ease my way into my job, then taking the year off to go to Scripps (but at an additional 35k cost).

Also, I'm about to choose my specialty as a nurse and have come to a halt. I really enjoy critical care (ICU, PICU, etc.) but realize that it takes a bit of time and training to get comfortable. Should I choose an easier (quicker transitioning) position like med-surg instead so that I can concentrate on prereqs?

At this rate, how do you feel about taking 4 years instead of 3 to get into med school (1 year to get in gear + 2 years postbacc + 1 glide)? Is it worth it to make some money with the extra year vs. finishing med school faster?

Thanks for all your help. From the last few months of reading your posts and all the sacrifices I've read from you all, I've gained the strength to make the switch.

I wouldn't worry about rushing to start med school. Start researchinig all your postbacc possibities, take the GRE (if needed), get your letters of rec in order, write up your personal statement/required admission essays etc. Get that all done and submit all your apps by Dec 2012.

As far as work goes, do what you can to get into the department of your choice. Your first year as a nurse is stressful no matter what, but it's better to be stressed and happy than stressed and miserable. If you go straight from nursing school into critical care, most hospitals would do a very good job to ensure that you have a thorough orientation. If you start this summer, you should be good to go independently by December.

During all this time, save up as much money as you can for your postbacc tuition and start reviewing your sciences.

I don't know anything about the So-Cal postbacc options, but if you have questions about Nor-Cal postbaccs, feel free to PM me. I am very happy with the one I am attending. Some postbacc programs offer linkages that would allow you to skip the glide year, so that might appeal to you.

Congratulations on your upcoming graduation and good luck with everything!

 

[Tatiana3325]

Hey guys, I've been reading the forums for some time but it's about time I get some insight about my situation. I'm 22 and about to graduate as a RN-BSN at a CA state school with a 3.63 GPA. I made the realization after a year into the program (uninterested in nursing model, want more scope of practice) but decided to finish it up (it fits as a great back-up plan if all else fails). I need to take all my prereqs but have run into a few questions.

CA state schools, due to budget cuts, are not taking 2nd degree bacc. Only options are CC's and two postbacc, Scripps (1 year) and CSUF (2 year). As it is, it's about 35k for Scripps and 20K for CSUF. CC's are getting increasingly hard to get classes, esp here in SoCal. Given these choices, what would you do? I'm leaning towards taking one year to ease my way into my job, then taking the year off to go to Scripps (but at an additional 35k cost).

Also, I'm about to choose my specialty as a nurse and have come to a halt. I really enjoy critical care (ICU, PICU, etc.) but realize that it takes a bit of time and training to get comfortable. Should I choose an easier (quicker transitioning) position like med-surg instead so that I can concentrate on prereqs?

At this rate, how do you feel about taking 4 years instead of 3 to get into med school (1 year to get in gear + 2 years postbacc + 1 glide)? Is it worth it to make some money with the extra year vs. finishing med school faster?

Thanks for all your help. From the last few months of reading your posts and all the sacrifices I've read from you all, I've gained the strength to make the switch.

Don't take this the wrong way but it seems like you have trouble making decisions. You had the opportunity to change your major and you didn't. Despite knowing that nursing wasn't for you. I don't understand that personally. You're pigeonholing yourself into a field you know you're not committed to.

Why do you have so many prereq's to take? a friend of mine has her BSN and she had to take a year of calculus, physics, and organic chemistry. She also had to take biochemistry (1 semester).

 

[TexasPhysician]

Are you dedicated enough to go the MD route after not following up on your realization almost 3 years ago? 4 years of preparation will put you at 26 years old. 4 years of med school (if you get in the first year) will put you at 30. Average another 4+ years of residency makes you 34+ to start paying off loans/debt, and you are already concerned about post-bacc costs.

Are you sure a 2 year NP or CNA wouldn't be more beneficial to you?

 

[Tatiana3325]

Are you dedicated enough to go the MD route after not following up on your realization almost 3 years ago? 4 years of preparation will put you at 26 years old. 4 years of med school (if you get in the first year) will put you at 30. Average another 4+ years of residency makes you 34+ to start paying off loans/debt, and you are already concerned about post-bacc costs.

Are you sure a 2 year NP or CNA wouldn't be more beneficial to you?

I agree about DNP being a good option. It would expand the scope of your practice in the way that you have talked about. 🙂

 

[superRN]

Thanks for all your responses. To clarify things, I chose to finish my RN degree because I was in year 1 of clinical year (3rd year for nursing) and only a few semesters away from receiving a degree and a license. Had I decided to switch to something more pre-med friendly, I'd be adding 4+ years because the RN sciences dont count for med school ones at all. I have been shadowing two physicians, one in primary care and one in the ER where I have my clinicals and have come the conclusion that advanced nursing is not for me.

In regards to cost, I am worried because I support myself. My parents recently declared bankruptcy and I support them as the head of household. However, loans will cover it. The thought of saving 35k is kinda cool though.

 

[popopopop]

Don't listen to these people, pursue your MD as there is no substitute 🙂. I like the nursing model, I like critical thinking, but in the end, a lot of the sciences we learn are superfluous and can't be utilize in real practice.

1. Go to ICU your first year and do well during that year's orientation. The specialized patient population in ICU will allow you to focus more on the medicine, and not get bog down by a lot of the "customer service" of med-surg nursing.

2. You can tell your interviewer your wish, and see if they will work with you and help you out. Tell them you are committed for at least two years. They invested a lot of time into you, don't expect a LOR or even getting hired if you tell them you plan to leave after a year.

3. Referring to #1, apply broadly. Don't expect to get any job you want, have some backups.

 

[Tatiana3325]

Thanks for all your responses. To clarify things, I chose to finish my RN degree because I was in year 1 of clinical year (3rd year for nursing) and only a few semesters away from receiving a degree and a license. Had I decided to switch to something more pre-med friendly, I'd be adding 4+ years because the RN sciences dont count for med school ones at all. I have been shadowing two physicians, one in primary care and one in the ER where I have my clinicals and have come the conclusion that advanced nursing is not for me.

In regards to cost, I am worried because I support myself. My parents recently declared bankruptcy and I support them as the head of household. However, loans will cover it. The thought of saving 35k is kinda cool though.

Believe me, I can relate with your current situation. My parents are financial train wrecks.

So,ok, NOW what you're doing makes sense. Honestly, I'm coming to you from several years in the future- don't worry about how long this is going to take you. Everything will be fine.

 

[superRN]

Thankfully, I was able to secure a contract for a Socal hospital to work in a specialty of my choosing. I agree that the nursing model is nice to use, but definitely lacking in terms of basic sciences. Seems like you may be in a similar position or have gone through it. Cheers.

 

[Tatiana3325]

Don't listen to these people, pursue your MD as there is no substitute 🙂

That's the point. She is supposed to have the stuff to not listen to other people tell her what to do with her life. Youre not helping her in this particular situation by holding her hand. She wants to be a doctor. This isnt a hand holding situation. She isnt asking specific questions about the process or the MCAT, or about life as a doctor. I'm sure she can figure this out for herself. Shes smart. No one should be taking responsibility for the next few years of her life by answering her questions or offering an opinion that will influence her decision.

 

[superRN]

Don't listen to these people, pursue your MD as there is no substitute 🙂

That's the point. She is supposed to have the stuff to not listen to other people tell her what to do with her life. Youre not helping her in this particular situation by holding her hand. She wants to be a doctor. This isnt a hand holding situation. She isnt asking specific questions about the process or the MCAT, or about life as a doctor. I'm sure she can figure this out for herself. Shes smart. No one should be taking responsibility for the next few years of her life by answering her questions or offering an opinion that will influence her decision.

Forgot to add that I'm a guy. I posted this hoping to find people that were in the same shoes as I to give me some tips so that I can avoid it. I'll have to disagree with you if you feel I am trying to find the direction of my life goals. I will agree though, that having trainwreck parents makes everything that much more difficult. Oh well, I'll just play the cards that I'm dealt 😎

 

[Tatiana3325]

Thankfully, I was able to secure a contract for a Socal hospital to work in a specialty of my choosing. I agree that the nursing model is nice to use, but definitely lacking in terms of basic sciences. Seems like you may be in a similar position or have gone through it. Cheers.

Nursing programs everywhere are NOT lacking in sciences. Like I said before, here in the northeast most BSN programs require a year of organic chemistry and calculus. Along with A&P, two years of bio and one year of inorganic chem.

Some people think that this curriculum over educates nurses and is unnecessary. But regardless, you should know that there are many BSN's out there with a more comprehensive education than yours. This is why higher level nursing degrees, starting with the bachelors degree, don't get as much respect as they should or could. The difference between two BSN programs can be night and day.

 

[superRN]

Nursing programs everywhere are NOT lacking in sciences. Like I said before, here in the northeast most BSN programs require a year of organic chemistry and calculus. Along with A&P, two years of bio and one year of inorganic chem.

Some people think that this curriculum over educates nurses and is unnecessary. But regardless, you should know that there are many BSN's out there with a more comprehensive education than yours. This is why higher level nursing degrees, starting with the bachelors degree, don't get as much respect as they should or could. The difference between two BSN programs can be night and day.

I can only gather this from the programs here in SoCal. The requirements are A&P, no physics, a combined inorg,org,biochem "allied health" chem class, statistics, and microbio. That may be different from your area because pretty much all the ADN and BSN programs here are like that (except UCLA, UCI which accepts ~10 students a year).

 

[blahoslovennyy]

here in the northeast most BSN programs require a year of organic chemistry and calculus. Along with A&P, two years of bio and one year of inorganic chem.

Holy Cow. For my BSN in the central plains all I needed was Chem I, A&P, Micro, Statistics and Nutrition. And then, I heard without end, "I don't understand why we need Nutrition. We're not going to school to be nutritionists. I don't understand why we need Micro. We won't be looking under microscopes in the real world." 🙁

 

[Temperature101]

Holy Cow. For my BSN in the central plains all I needed was Chem I, A&P, Micro, Statistics and Nutrition. And then, I heard without end, "I don't understand why we need Nutrition. We're not going to school to be nutritionists. I don't understand why we need Micro. We won't be looking under microscopes in the real world." 🙁

You need micro in case you decide to go further such as becoming an ARNP.

 

[blahoslovennyy]

OP,
I agree with the advice to get into the field and start working.
Also, do you need to do an "official" post-bacc program? You can't take classes piecemeal? Working three 12's you'll have four days off, free for academics.
Oh, and I'm not sure if you should tell your manager/coworkers about your plans until they're in motion. They may not be, um, encouraging.

 

[blahoslovennyy]

@Temp,
Every day I read culture results, "Positive for gram positive growth in clusters..." on some report.
Very necessary in my book.

 

[Temperature101]

@Temp,
Every day I read culture results, "Positive for gram positive growth in clusters..." on some report.
Very necessary in my book.

Not necessarily...LPN or LVN read cultures...The cultures come with sensitivity results as well. You dont need to know anything about micro to call a physician and tell him/her what the patient is positive for and what antibiotics the organism is sensitive to. For general knowledge, you do. But not knowing it won't affect your ability to do your job.

 

[popopopop]

That's the point. She is supposed to have the stuff to not listen to other people tell her what to do with her life. Youre not helping her in this particular situation by holding her hand. She wants to be a doctor. This isnt a hand holding situation. She isnt asking specific questions about the process or the MCAT, or about life as a doctor. I'm sure she can figure this out for herself. Shes smart. No one should be taking responsibility for the next few years of her life by answering her questions or offering an opinion that will influence her decision.

This is a forum. The whole point is have discussions/give opininions with some rationales. What the heck are we suppose to talk about here? What to buy with our nice doctor salaries? I'm not holding his hand or helping him apply for jobs.

I've been reading here for the last three months and doing my own research about this transition and so has the OP. Someone on here mentioned that the hardest decision to make as a doctor was deciding to become one. It's a huge comitment, especially from a non-traditional standpoint. SuperRN, I'm in a similar boat, 23 and supporting myself with no help from my parents. If you can secure a job, work a year while knocking out maybe 1 class a semester (don't even try 2 with the amount of learning you'll be doing trying to stay afloat), then you can probably drop to part-time like I'll be doing and focus on the last few pre-reqs, EC's, and shadowing. We have great schedules as nurses where it can be consolidated into three days, plenty of time for you to work and go to class. If you don't work, your other option will be private loans/savings for living expenses. That's up to you, but don't rush now and get mediocre grades in the end.

 

[Tatiana3325]

Holy Cow. For my BSN in the central plains all I needed was Chem I, A&P, Micro, Statistics and Nutrition. And then, I heard without end, "I don't understand why we need Nutrition. We're not going to school to be nutritionists. I don't understand why we need Micro. We won't be looking under microscopes in the real world." 🙁

There is a debate among students and professionals as to whether or not a lot of these nurses are being over educated. At least where i am. Some think that it is an attempt by colleges to draw nursing students by selling their program as superior thus capitalizing on the demand for RN's. Others think that nurses should be able to figure out and do well with the more intense curriculum thereby raising the quality of the individual, decreasing the # of graduates and increasing a nurses $ value. I can tell you that some of the major hospitals will only hire BSN's and it matters where you went to school. My friend has told me that the older nurses with 2 year RN degrees have it made. I guess they are being paid a ton and had a really easy education compared to the BSN nurses. I've also heard that the difference in education is noticeable. But this could just be my friends resentment talking! I don't have an opinion on it either way because I don't know enough about nursing to form one.

I DO think that having a tougher undergrad curriculum puts graduates in better positions to apply to graduate programs.

 

[Tatiana3325]

This is a forum. The whole point is have discussions/give opininions with some rationales. What the heck are we suppose to talk about here? What to buy with our nice doctor salaries? I'm not holding his hand or helping him apply for jobs.

I've been reading here for the last three months and doing my own research about this transition and so has the OP. Someone on here mentioned that the hardest decision to make as a doctor was deciding to become one. It's a huge comitment, especially from a non-traditional standpoint. SuperRN, I'm in a similar boat, 23 and supporting myself with no help from my parents. If you can secure a job, work a year while knocking out maybe 1 class a semester (don't even try 2 with the amount of learning you'll be doing trying to stay afloat), then you can probably drop to part-time like I'll be doing and focus on the last few pre-reqs, EC's, and shadowing. We have great schedules as nurses where it can be consolidated into three days, plenty of time for you to work and go to class. If you don't work, your other option will be private loans/savings for living expenses. That's up to you, but don't rush now and get mediocre grades in the end.

I simply meant that if the point is to help him (btw, I had though that OP's user name had the name Sarah in it. My mistake), then we need to read between the lines. It seemed to me that what he really needed was a confidence boost. Which is understandsble because when youre going this alone and have no safety net its hard. I know what thats like. Telling him what to do and stuff sends the message that he can't figure it out or needs help or whatever. He clearly has things figured out and to me seemed like he needed someone to tell him to just do it and not worry about it.

At least that was my take anyway! 🙂

 

[Tatiana3325]

Forgot to add that I'm a guy. I posted this hoping to find people that were in the same shoes as I to give me some tips so that I can avoid it. I'll have to disagree with you if you feel I am trying to find the direction of my life goals. I will agree though, that having trainwreck parents makes everything that much more difficult. Oh well, I'll just play the cards that I'm dealt 😎

.

 

[RNAB]

Hi -- I copy pasted this from the "what are my chances" thread so I apologize for the length - but I'm an RN applying in 2013 for med school! I'm really excited but so nervous about the mcat.... Anyway, if you want to know more about me - read on. Good luck!!

Hi - I'm new this this - but I am about 2 weeks out of taking the MCAT. I attached my resume below - I have a solid 4.0 science GPA and otherwise a 3.9 something. I graduated from Emory University with a BSN in 2008 and have a ton of experience as an RN - mostly ICU and research. I volunteer (this CV isn't quite up to date) and I'm working on a poster presentation and also started a new study with my current job. I have really strong letters of recommendation from 2 science professors, 2 instructors from nursing school at Emory (1 clinical), a few attendings that I have worked with at various jobs and one from my current employer who is a well established Neurosurgeon. I think my personal statement is strong so far...and I have pretty solid interviewing skills. (I've had the time to learn! Plus I've had a lot of intensive very long job interviews...) Nonetheless, I feel like the only unknown is my MCAT scores. I am taking it in 2 weeks and I am pretty much a solid 30. I think with review over the next week and a half (the weak areas) I will see some improvement - (I am very busy - working too - and I haven't taken most of these classes since 2003! The only classes I've had recently and post-bac are Ochem1/2 and Bio 2.) ANYWAY - I am just curious what my chances will be like depending on what happens...

What will my chances be if:

a) I choke or have a bad day and get a 27 (fingers crossed knock on wood)

b) I get a 28 or 29 - am I doomed to not be accepted to school if I get a 27 or 28 or 29?

c) I get a solid 30

d) How does my applications competitiveness change if I get say a 33?

I am applying to schools all over - including some less competitive and some public in the state in which I reside... anyway. (I attached some random list to give you an idea of where I'm thinking. I realize some are a pipe dream no matter what - ie. UCSF...) I don't have an advisor and it's very hard to gauge so a little help and feedback would be wonderful.

Anyway, thank you so much in advance (I hope I get a 30+!!!) I'm so nervous. It has been so hard to prepare for this having not done a post bac... Would love to talk to anyone who is a nurse applying or has done this before... etc. or other non trads.

and please see attached!!

Happy Sunday!
AB