NP student, thinking of returning to pre-med...

[Lee1232]

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I went to college thinking I wanted to go to med school, then I changed my mind and went the NP route instead. I'm in an accelerated master's program, which means I'll get a BSN + MSN. I am about to finish the BSN part, and let me tell you... I hate it. I think it's all bull****, I feel like I'm too smart for this, that I could be doing better things... I just feel like it's not for me and that I decided to settle for nursing because I was afraid of failing in med school.
I currently attend a top 10 university and have a 3.94. I graduated college with a 3.5. I have to take organic chemistry and one semester of physics, and I'll have all of my requirements.
I am in a place in my life where I feel like I can actually do this, and that I should just go ahead and do it. Does anyone have any advice for me? Is it okay to take the pre-requisites at a local 4-year state school? Are my grades competitive? Is it stupid to want to go to med school even though I could be done with an NP degree by August of next year?
Thanks for any input guys, sorry if this is a little all over the place.

 

[patel2]

I went to college thinking I wanted to go to med school, then I changed my mind and went the NP route instead. I'm in an accelerated master's program, which means I'll get a BSN + MSN. I am about to finish the BSN part, and let me tell you... I hate it. I think it's all bull****, I feel like I'm too smart for this, that I could be doing better things... I just feel like it's not for me and that I decided to settle for nursing because I was afraid of failing in med school.
I currently attend a top 10 university and have a 3.94. I graduated college with a 3.5. I have to take organic chemistry and one semester of physics, and I'll have all of my requirements.
I am in a place in my life where I feel like I can actually do this, and that I should just go ahead and do it. Does anyone have any advice for me? Is it okay to take the pre-requisites at a local 4-year state school? Are my grades competitive? Is it stupid to want to go to med school even though I could be done with an NP degree by August of next year?
Thanks for any input guys, sorry if this is a little all over the place.

There is some potential for cash flow to be made in mursing, particularly as a militant CRNA or future NP after Obamacare expands the rights of nurses to play doctor. Are you a man or woman? If man, I would go for the MD (srs)...murse/10 is generally not a good look, and the bolded implies you don't find the nursing to be very intellectually stimulating.

Grades look good, but keep in mind that for prerequisites, it has to be the real bio/chem/phys . Often times when you get a NP degree the courses are a dumbed down version that is like "Physics principles for nursing students" and these won't count towards pre-med requirements.

 

[ShenanigansMD]

Grades look good, but keep in mind that for prerequisites, it has to be the real bio/chem/phys . Often times when you get a NP degree the courses are a dumbed down version that is like "Physics principles for nursing students" and these won't count towards pre-med requirements.

Roflmao c'mon, most physics/chemistry pre-med classes have the calculus taken out, those are not real classes either.

Do the MD dude, sounds like you have cool dreams and something to live up to.

 

[lobo.solo]

Do it. You'll be miserable if you age and look back regretting your decision to do NP rather than MD.

 

[Desp]

Roflmao c'mon, most physics/chemistry pre-med classes have the calculus taken out, those are not real classes either.

Do the MD dude, sounds like you have cool dreams and something to live up to.

From what I've seen the nursing versions are even further simplified.

 

[oGatsby]

I went to college thinking I wanted to go to med school, then I changed my mind and went the NP route instead. I'm in an accelerated master's program, which means I'll get a BSN + MSN. I am about to finish the BSN part, and let me tell you... I hate it. I think it's all bull****, I feel like I'm too smart for this, that I could be doing better things... I just feel like it's not for me and that I decided to settle for nursing because I was afraid of failing in med school.
I currently attend a top 10 university and have a 3.94. I graduated college with a 3.5. I have to take organic chemistry and one semester of physics, and I'll have all of my requirements.
I am in a place in my life where I feel like I can actually do this, and that I should just go ahead and do it. Does anyone have any advice for me? Is it okay to take the pre-requisites at a local 4-year state school? Are my grades competitive? Is it stupid to want to go to med school even though I could be done with an NP degree by August of next year?
Thanks for any input guys, sorry if this is a little all over the place.

Your grades are competitive. It's not stupid to want to go to medical school, it sounds like it's what you really wanted to do all along. Don't wake up at 40 hating yourself because you didn't follow a dream. Your prereqs are fine at state schools. You don't have to pay for a brand name school because the truth is, bad schools can't keep good students down. It doesn't matter where you go as long as you know it.

Go for it dude. Buy an MCAT study book and rock that ****.

 

[cdistel]

To give you some perspective, I am a pharmacist but I always wanted to go to med school. Family issues kept me from going, I have been a pharmacist for 4 years and everyday wishing I went with my gut. I am now trying to work things out so that I can get time to study for mcat. Truth of the matter is if you are thinking about it now it won't go away and you will not be happy/satisfied until you try! Go for it, If it doesn't work out, fall back on NP degree

 

[Lee1232]

Grades look good, but keep in mind that for prerequisites, it has to be the real bio/chem/phys . Often times when you get a NP degree the courses are a dumbed down version that is like "Physics principles for nursing students" and these won't count towards pre-med requirements.

I took the prerequisites in college while I still thought I would be going to med school. I majored in biology + international business, so the science courses were the real deal 🙂
On a different note, how bad would it be to take orgo I and II and physics II at a local community college? Not because of the fact that I think it'll be easier, but because it's a LOT cheaper - but I don't want it to seem like I did it because it was easier.

Thanks for all the encouragement guys. I guess there's no harm in trying, right?

 

[ShenanigansMD]

On a different note, how bad would it be to take orgo I and II and physics II at a local community college? Not because of the fact that I think it'll be easier, but because it's a LOT cheaper - but I don't want it to seem like I did it because it was easier.

If you're dedicated, it won't be that hard. Keep in mind though that the first assumption ADCOMS make is that you're looking for easier classes. In addition, some schools want classes taken at a "preferred institution," and community/junior college doesn't fit the bill.

Just be ready to explain why, and how it's cheaper and your financial situation; however, I bet they get this explanation a lot from people.

 

[Juxxtaposition]

Just be ready to explain why, and how it's cheaper and your financial situation; however, I bet they get this explanation a lot from people.

This is really important. Usually, nurses get grilled a lot during interviews.

 

[Lee1232]

So I should probably just go ahead and take them at a four year state school, right? Would anyone recommend doing a post-bac? Also, what are some things that I should be doing at the moment to enhance my application? Thanks so much for the help!

 

[sliceofbread136]

You will have trouble if you can't articulate very well why you need to do MD instead of nursing. Apparently adcoms have a huge bias towards this for whatever silly reason...

 

[Slack3r]

Why bother? Give it another 4 years and NPs will likely be doing most of what physicians do and getting reimbursed equally as well!

 

[MedPR]

From what I've seen the nursing versions are even further simplified.

At my UG all the nursing classes were way easier than pre-med.

 

[Lee1232]

Why bother? Give it another 4 years and NPs will likely be doing most of what physicians do and getting reimbursed equally as well!

Not surgery though, right? 🙂 Honestly this is one of the things that concern me the most.

 

[ShenanigansMD]

Not surgery though, right? 🙂 Honestly this is one of the things that concern me the most.

Yeah I'll be honest, I'm all about surgery too. Just one more reason to do MD.

 

[thesauce]

Not surgery though, right? 🙂 Honestly this is one of the things that concern me the most.

Not much fear of that in surgery or most subspecialties.

 

[qqDipps]

Re: community college pre-reqs

Most places won't even look twice as long as you get A's and do well on the MCAT to back it up.




...

 

[Lee1232]

Re: community college pre-reqs

Most places won't even look twice as long as you get A's and do well on the MCAT to back it up.

...

really? source? (sorry I'm annoying)

 

[Juxxtaposition]

You will have trouble if you can't articulate very well why you need to do MD instead of nursing. Apparently adcoms have a huge bias towards this for whatever silly reason...

Well, I don't think it is too silly of a reason. There was an interesting video a while back as to why med schools do not favor taking pharmacists/nurses/etc. The idea is that these people provide an invaluable service to our society. Now consider this scenario. It is not how I look at the situation, but you may encounter an adcom member who looks at it like this:

When a nurse goes to nursing school, she takes away a spot from a different--perhaps not as competitive--person. A person who REALLY REALLY wants to be a nurse. That spot is used to train a nurse and resources are used for that purpose. So when a nurse goes into med school, they kind of look at it like stealing someone from an important sector of healthcare, and screwing over the other potential nurse.

Again, I do not quite agree with this, but that is the argument...

 

[qqDipps]

really? source? (sorry I'm annoying)

Nah.not at all. I talked to admin at UW and PNWU because I went to CC and took all my pre-reqs there except physics because their calc based physics was a joke. It appears to be a general consensus, but then again that maybe an over generalization on my part regarding previous post; very small sample size.

Applying next year so I guess we'll see how it goes. 🙂

 

[Lee1232]

Nah.not at all. I talked to admin at UW and PNWU because I went to CC and took all my pre-reqs there except physics because their calc based physics was a joke. It appears to be a general consensus, but then again that maybe an over generalization on my part regarding previous post; very small sample size.

Applying next year so I guess we'll see how it goes. 🙂

Thank you 🙂 and best of luck! I guess you're right, maybe it won't be too bad.

 

[drdoom12]

Current RN, BSN here. I just graduated this past May, but I realized about halfway through my nursing degree that it wasn't for me. However, I decided to go ahead and finish it up. I'm currently working, volunteering, doing research, and preparing for prerequisite classes to start back in the Fall. Like others have said, go for it. I went into nursing to be a CRNA, and it wasn't for me. Whenever I was in the hospital for clinicals, I was following the physicians around, listening to medical students discuss patients, and otherwise salivating at the thought of being in their position. It was clear to me from that point on that the CRNA salary and lifestyle could never satiate my true desire. Fast forward to my state of mind after a few physician shadowing experiences and volunteer opportunities (such as Remote Area Medical), and it amazes me that I ever wanted to do anything else. Life is a journey, though, and you learn as you go. If adcoms hold it against me for truly discovering who I really want to be when I grow up, then I'll go elsewhere. However, at the schools I've contacted (MD only thus far, and I know that DO schools are mostly friendly towards healthcare professionals applying), this doesn't seem to be the case. Most schools don't like someone who jumps from one profession to another, such as someone using nursing as a mere stepping stone to something else, but if you have a reasoning, you're golden.

 

[Disinence2]

If you want to be a doctor go to medical school. If you want to be a nurse go to nursing school. Easy decision if you ask me!

 

[Lee1232]

Current RN, BSN here. I just graduated this past May, but I realized about halfway through my nursing degree that it wasn't for me. However, I decided to go ahead and finish it up. I'm currently working, volunteering, doing research, and preparing for prerequisite classes to start back in the Fall. Like others have said, go for it. I went into nursing to be a CRNA, and it wasn't for me. Whenever I was in the hospital for clinicals, I was following the physicians around, listening to medical students discuss patients, and otherwise salivating at the thought of being in their position. It was clear to me from that point on that the CRNA salary and lifestyle could never satiate my true desire. Fast forward to my state of mind after a few physician shadowing experiences and volunteer opportunities (such as Remote Area Medical), and it amazes me that I ever wanted to do anything else. Life is a journey, though, and you learn as you go. If adcoms hold it against me for truly discovering who I really want to be when I grow up, then I'll go elsewhere. However, at the schools I've contacted (MD only thus far, and I know that DO schools are mostly friendly towards healthcare professionals applying), this doesn't seem to be the case. Most schools don't like someone who jumps from one profession to another, such as someone using nursing as a mere stepping stone to something else, but if you have a reasoning, you're golden.

This is how I feel, exactly. Thank you for your words.

 

[violinist23]

OP, I know how you feel and I didn't even make it to nursing school before I changed my mind! I took A&P I and II last spring for prerequisites for nursing - with the plan of doing an accelerated BSN, then go on for and MSN and either CRNA or NP. But being in the pre-req courses with pre-nursing students was a nightmare: nobody cared about the science. I immediately said, "these are not my people!" I looked into a post-bac program to get myself into medical school and I'm not looking back!

Also, I have to say that I feel good about giving up my spot in the nursing program where I was accepted. Those spots are competitive and the pre-nursing students I met were very worried about getting into school.

 

[Lee1232]

OP, I know how you feel and I didn't even make it to nursing school before I changed my mind! I took A&P I and II last spring for prerequisites for nursing - with the plan of doing an accelerated BSN, then go on for and MSN and either CRNA or NP. But being in the pre-req courses with pre-nursing students was a nightmare: nobody cared about the science. I immediately said, "these are not my people!" I looked into a post-bac program to get myself into medical school and I'm not looking back!

Also, I have to say that I feel good about giving up my spot in the nursing program where I was accepted. Those spots are competitive and the pre-nursing students I met were very worried about getting into school.

I swear when I had a one hour lecture on how to give someone a BED BATH I nearly wanted to choke myself to death. It's like, seriously, I can do more than this...

 

[2008orbust]

I was an NP and found that I loved surgery too. I am now an ortho resident. If you are not happy with the idea of a future as an NP, there is little chance you will be happy with the reality of being an NP.

I, myself, enjoyed being an NP, but kept landing back on the surgery conundrum. It ate at me enough to take one single shot at an MD school. I'm looking forward to my future as an ortho surgeon now.

Side note, being an NP during medical school was great because NPs make great money for casual work. A half shift or two a week payed all my bills all the way through school.

Good luck.