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- Apr 13, 2004
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I posted this earlier today in the nursing forum, but I thought that I should post it here too, thank you for taking the time to read and respond:
Hi, I am new to this site and this will be my first post. I was just hoping that someone out there reading this will be able to give me some kind of response. I have always been interested in a career in health care, as a physician, not a nurse. I enrolled at a California jc/cc (junior college/community college) to try to get into an ADN program. I figured I would have great job security and if I really wanted to pursue a career in medicine I would already have job experience as an RN and not have to take out a big loan or anything to pay for medical school. After the second semester (out of 4) I left the program, to never ever return to the world of nursing education. I just did not feel that nursing would give me the autonomy I was looking for in a career. Also, I wanted to be in a position to earn respect for what I did to help improve a patient?s condition, both from society and all members of the health care team. Another thing I didn?t like about being in nursing school was learning to do the things that a CNA would actually be doing in the hospital (i.e. bed-making and wiping excrement from the patient?s behind). It was just a bunch of BS, if I can speak frankly, because even our preceptors said that we would probably never have to do this during our careers. My parents (who both have a BSN) were not particularly pleased with the fact that I dropped out of nursing. They said I should just finish what I started, so I could at least have something to fall back on. I refused; I didn?t want to waste another academic year studying something I wasn?t passionate about, I didn?t want to be another RN who hates his job, and lastly, I should have never taken away a seat in that nursing class from someone in the applicant pool who in their heart of hearts truly wanted to be an RN. I am still at that California jc/cc, but now I am working on prerequisites for medical school: organic chem., gen. physics, calc, and gen. bio (not all at the same time, mind you). I already got gen. chemistry done (A in 1st semester and a B in 2nd semester).
Since I will be taking all my prerequisites at a cc, I plan on transferring as a Biological Sciences major to University of California, Riverside in order show admissions committees that I am fully capable of completing upper-division science coursework successfully. I have heard it said that the prof?s there are approachable and easy to talk to and I know that they have a premed club and pre-health professions advisors. As far as getting experience, I am thinking about volunteering at Loma Linda University Medical Center or another community hospital. I have also been tinkering with the idea of pursing a career in pharmacy (went to an info. session at University of Southern California) or going through a post-baccalaureate program if I am not admitted to a medical school the first time (I only plan on applying in my home state of California). If anyone could please comment on any of these questions I would be very much obliged. 1.) Should I just go crawling back to that ADN program or continue with what I am doing now? 2.) Will admissions committees, pre-health advisors, or even other premed students look down on me for once being in a nursing program and leaving for medicine? 3.) Are those test-prep/study guides for the MCAT really worth the time and money? If so, would you be kind enough to recommend one? 4.) Is there another web-site or chat/forum where I could talk to other young men who have left nursing school to pursue a career in medicine? 5.) Are there summer programs offered by colleges or universities in California to help undergrad?s in their quest for a medical education? I would like to thank each and everyone of you for reading this very long-winded 1st post of mine and hope to hear from you and reply to your posts as well.
PS: Please do not feel obligated in any way to respond to all 5 of my questions. All feedback and responses will be greatly appreciated. Thank you again everyone!
Hi, I am new to this site and this will be my first post. I was just hoping that someone out there reading this will be able to give me some kind of response. I have always been interested in a career in health care, as a physician, not a nurse. I enrolled at a California jc/cc (junior college/community college) to try to get into an ADN program. I figured I would have great job security and if I really wanted to pursue a career in medicine I would already have job experience as an RN and not have to take out a big loan or anything to pay for medical school. After the second semester (out of 4) I left the program, to never ever return to the world of nursing education. I just did not feel that nursing would give me the autonomy I was looking for in a career. Also, I wanted to be in a position to earn respect for what I did to help improve a patient?s condition, both from society and all members of the health care team. Another thing I didn?t like about being in nursing school was learning to do the things that a CNA would actually be doing in the hospital (i.e. bed-making and wiping excrement from the patient?s behind). It was just a bunch of BS, if I can speak frankly, because even our preceptors said that we would probably never have to do this during our careers. My parents (who both have a BSN) were not particularly pleased with the fact that I dropped out of nursing. They said I should just finish what I started, so I could at least have something to fall back on. I refused; I didn?t want to waste another academic year studying something I wasn?t passionate about, I didn?t want to be another RN who hates his job, and lastly, I should have never taken away a seat in that nursing class from someone in the applicant pool who in their heart of hearts truly wanted to be an RN. I am still at that California jc/cc, but now I am working on prerequisites for medical school: organic chem., gen. physics, calc, and gen. bio (not all at the same time, mind you). I already got gen. chemistry done (A in 1st semester and a B in 2nd semester).
Since I will be taking all my prerequisites at a cc, I plan on transferring as a Biological Sciences major to University of California, Riverside in order show admissions committees that I am fully capable of completing upper-division science coursework successfully. I have heard it said that the prof?s there are approachable and easy to talk to and I know that they have a premed club and pre-health professions advisors. As far as getting experience, I am thinking about volunteering at Loma Linda University Medical Center or another community hospital. I have also been tinkering with the idea of pursing a career in pharmacy (went to an info. session at University of Southern California) or going through a post-baccalaureate program if I am not admitted to a medical school the first time (I only plan on applying in my home state of California). If anyone could please comment on any of these questions I would be very much obliged. 1.) Should I just go crawling back to that ADN program or continue with what I am doing now? 2.) Will admissions committees, pre-health advisors, or even other premed students look down on me for once being in a nursing program and leaving for medicine? 3.) Are those test-prep/study guides for the MCAT really worth the time and money? If so, would you be kind enough to recommend one? 4.) Is there another web-site or chat/forum where I could talk to other young men who have left nursing school to pursue a career in medicine? 5.) Are there summer programs offered by colleges or universities in California to help undergrad?s in their quest for a medical education? I would like to thank each and everyone of you for reading this very long-winded 1st post of mine and hope to hear from you and reply to your posts as well.
PS: Please do not feel obligated in any way to respond to all 5 of my questions. All feedback and responses will be greatly appreciated. Thank you again everyone!
