Non-Traditional Student Class selection advice.

[Ry348bu]

I am an RN with a BSN going back to school in hopes of applying to medical school in a few years. I am doing a post-bac at a local university and had a question about which classes I should take. I previously took A&P and micro at a JC but the school I'm at now offers upper-division versions of those classes. These upper-division classes would count towards the Biology degree I'm hoping to attain. Would it be advisable to take these courses at the upper-division levels or take different classes? I got A's previously in all prior classes. Thank you!

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[GreenDuck12]

In your case, I would recommend taking the prerequisite courses plus any other upper division courses recommended by programs you are interested in applying to. Unless there are other reasons for pursuing a degree in biology, I would not repeat the course but look for other courses that may be applicable. Genetics, cell bio, etc would be useful though certainly not required.

 

[Ry348bu]

In your case, I would recommend taking the prerequisite courses plus any other upper division courses recommended by programs you are interested in applying to. Unless there are other reasons for pursuing a degree in biology, I would not repeat the course but look for other courses that may be applicable. Genetics, cell bio, etc would be useful though certainly not required.

Thank you for your input. My pre-med advisor said that it is harder for nurses to get in to medical school and they want to see a commitment to the sciences. She said the best way to do that is to get a second degree in biology or chemistry etc…

 

[gyngyn]

Thank you for your input. My pre-med advisor said that it is harder for nurses to get in to medical school and they want to see a commitment to the sciences. She said the best way to do that is to get a second degree in biology or chemistry etc…

You do not need a second degree as long as you demonstrate sustained excellence in pertinent coursework.

 

[GreenDuck12]

Do well in your prereq courses, treat preparing for the mcat like a full-time job (only take it when you’re ready), and gather clinical/non clinical experience and you should be well on your way. Best of luck to you!

 

[Ry348bu]

While it is harder in some respects for nurses and others who have a specialized health major, you do not, repeat, do not need a second degree, nor do the vast majority of nontrads trying to get into medical school. Depending on your previous academic record, you need to take the proper level of prereqs (that would count toward Bio or Chem majors is rule of thumb) and perhaps some additional advanced course work. If you have a year of General Bio. General Chem, General Physics, Organic/Biochem, all with lab about 35 credits along with strong previous academic work, you may have enough.


The reasons that nurses and other health professionals have the lowest acceptance rate to medical school across a broad swath of majors (see https://www.aamc.org/media/6061/download ) includes the following

1) showing commitment and motivation: you made a decision/judgement to get a BSN and now you are changing fields. This is particularly to those trying to go directly from BSN UG to medical school. You should have at least a few years working in the nursing field (which I believe you have or will have)
2) Time to prep: If you are working full time in nursing, it may be difficult to find sufficient time to take course work, prep for MCAT and work on the applications.
3) academic rigor: in many BSN programs the course work is specifically designed for nursing and therefore limits the scope and depth of the course. Indeed, most health science course will not be classified as BCPM ("science") for purposes of AMCAS GPA.
4) MCAT scores. Specialized health major applicants have the lowest MCAT scores partly due to the less rigorous coursework and the lack of time to prep for the exam

Thank you for the feedback. I’ve been a nurse since 2017 and in the ICU since 2019. Prior to that I was a tech since 2009. It wasn’t until I moved to a large city and started working in a academic hospital Medical ICU that my shift towards medicine started to happen. I’m doing The BIO series right now over the summer. Doing the equivalent of 1 quarter in three weeks and getting all As thus far while working full time nights. So one year of biology in ~9weeks. Plan to take Gen chem this fall/winter/spring. A math class and molecular biology in fall then start physics/o chem next year. I appreciate everyone’s feedback!

 

[gramnegative]

I'm a ICU RN who had a successful app season last year - feel free to reach out to me with questions. I'd agree that taking upper-division science courses will help bolster your app and prepare you for the MCAT. Do well on both to answer any concerns about whether you can handle the academic rigor of med school and I think that your nursing background will be seen as very positive, as mine was.