Nurse instead?

[NurseorDO]

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I am having trouble getting into an osteopathic school, and am wondering if I should try nursing instead. I have a 2.3 GPA, 2.1 Science GPA, 11N MCAT, with little medical and volunteering experience. I failed O-Chem twice but got a B on my third try. What do you think?

 

[HunterGatherer]

Getting into nursing school is no duck walk. Good luck.

 

[nev]

I am having trouble getting into an osteopathic school, and am wondering if I should try nursing instead. I have a 2.3 GPA, 2.1 Science GPA, 11N MCAT, with little medical and volunteering experience. I failed O-Chem twice but got a B on my third try. What do you think?

Hi NurseorDO,
Your stats look pretty low. You might want to retake those classes once again and try to ace 'em. Also put a lot of time into preparting for the MCAT. Do some more volunteer service and see what suits u.....being a doctor or a nurse.

 

[Packamylase]

I am having trouble getting into an osteopathic school, and am wondering if I should try nursing instead. I have a 2.3 GPA, 2.1 Science GPA, 11N MCAT, with little medical and volunteering experience. I failed O-Chem twice but got a B on my third try. What do you think?

I don't think this person is serious... 🙄

 

[jays2cool4u]

I don't think this person is serious... 🙄

I agree.

 

[24IdaFire]

Troll

 

[NurseorDO]

I am not trolling, I am just not the best student in the world. I have always wanted to do osteopathic medicine, but now I am not sure that I can do it. Nursing seems like a great alternative for me. BTW what is a post bac program and would it help?

 

[tucomnvms1]

I am not trolling, I am just not the best student in the world. I have always wanted to do osteopathic medicine, but now I am not sure that I can do it. Nursing seems like a great alternative for me. BTW what is a post bac program and would it help?

Hey I don't think you could even get into nursing school with numbers that low. I have never seen anyone on the SDN with numbers that low. unbelievable.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

I think you might have a chance getting into an associate's degree RN program, but probably not a BSN program. Of course, if you are that poor of a student, I wouldn't want you as my nurse or my doc.

 

[24IdaFire]

Maybe you should look into being a CNA.

 

[Kuba]

Don't listen to some of the posters above. Yes, your numbers are very low, and yes it may be nearly impossible even with a couple years of hard work to get into a DO school. But if you can change your study habits and start acing classes and improve your MCAT score then you do have a chance. As far as nursing goes, start putting your name down on a wailtist for an associate in nursing program and retake thos prereqs for A's.

 

[dryuja]

I am not trolling, I am just not the best student in the world. I have always wanted to do osteopathic medicine, but now I am not sure that I can do it. Nursing seems like a great alternative for me. BTW what is a post bac program and would it help?

I suggest that you sign up for volunteer work at a hospital to see if nursing is really for you. If you like it, than go for it. With your stats, you may be limited to where you can go to nursing school, but don't be discouraged because there ARE schools out there that will accept you. There are some nursing schools that have a 2.0 gpa requirement.

Nursing is a really good career, but It's a totally different career than being a doctor. Just make sure you really want to do it. Other careers to think about are surgery or radiology tech or respiratory therapy.

 

[DiverDoc]

11 for an MCAT cant you score like a 13 by default? wowzers

 

[Orthodoc40]

Guys, lay off the OP about the low test score, for cryin' out loud. Do you think he/she isn't aware of it being a non-competitive one as it currently stands??
IF this person isn't a troll, then it took a lot of genuine courage to post those stats here so that people could give some constructive feedback - not to make a bunch of rude comments. Tearing people down in order to build yourself up, even subtly so, is not really a skill physicians need to grow.

The OP has many options available if they decide to pursue nursing. Getting a job in a hospital, you can often have the hospital pay for you to go through a nursing program (usually in exchange for a commitment to work there afterwards for a set period of time). Or you can re-take classes, try to do better, re-take the MCAT after that, and re-apply to DO programs, if your heart is set on it.

 

[timmah2k]

First, do some shadowing and see if DO is really what you want. This is extremely important because if you decide this route, then you have to prepare for the next couple of years.

OK so you've made up your mind and want to be a DO.

1. Retake all prereq classes that you've done poorly in. This is important to raise your GPA above the cut off as well as prove to admissions that you can handle those courses. If your GPA is still below a 3.0, retake other classes that you did poorly in and then take upper level science classes.

2. While taking class you should get some kind of experience in the health field. I did EMT. It's a good intro to basic medicine and gives you plenty of patient interaction.

3. Study for your MCAT well and score at least upper 20's.

4. Reapply.

I was in a similar position as you with a low GPA and low MCAT. I spent the last 2 years retaking classes (34 credits) bringing my GPA from a 2.5 to a 3.2. I've also gotten my certification as an EMT and have been working. The experience is invaluable. I'm planning to retake my MCAT next week because I got a 21 last time. After studying and practicing I manage to steadily hit 29-32 on my practices. With enough dedication and hard work you can do it. Just make sure you really want it because becoming a DO is no joke. I hope I get in. Good luck!

 

[xTinaBna]

I am having trouble getting into an osteopathic school, and am wondering if I should try nursing instead. I have a 2.3 GPA, 2.1 Science GPA, 11N MCAT, with little medical and volunteering experience. I failed O-Chem twice but got a B on my third try. What do you think?

Here are some links for you to check out for post-bacc programs:
http://services.aamc.org/postbac/

http://hpap.syr.edu/listpb.htm

This next link is from my undergrad institution..i found it helpful to find more info on med school preparation:
http://www.cpp.umich.edu/students/healthmedlaw/med/medinternet.html

I guess my advice is to first and foremost, decide which goal you would like to pursue...nursing and osteo. medicine are both rewarding and respected fields with very different job descriptions. Once you decide which route is good for you, then you can concentrate on improving your application. But always remember never let your scores determine who you are. Entering a post-bacc program may be a good thing..you can significantly change your gpa and it will also help you be better prepared for the mcat. for me, i did about 30 credits of post-bacc work and managed to get A's in them. Those 30 credits of A's boosted my science gpa by 0.6..which is alot! You may also find volunteering at your local hospital useful so you can observe both the role of the physician and the role of the nurse simultaneously to help you decide which career path is best for you. Anyways, i sincerely hope you do achieve your goals..it may take time but in the end it will be all worth it 🙂

 

[dtrain5]

Don't take this as an insult, because I am truly only making a suggestion. You may want to go to the learning center on your campus and see if you have a learning disability. I am not saying that you do, and of course without knowing the circumstances surrounding your grades I am in no position to do so. But........if by some crazy chance you do, then that is something that you would want to get figured out. For example, maybe you have some clinical form of test anxiety. If the people at the learning center determine this, they may allow you to take tests in a room by yourself, and you will be allowed all the time you need to finish. Again, this is only a suggestion, and I am in no way trying to put you down or attack you.

 

[OSUdoc08]

I am having trouble getting into an osteopathic school, and am wondering if I should try nursing instead. I have a 2.3 GPA, 2.1 Science GPA, 11N MCAT, with little medical and volunteering experience. I failed O-Chem twice but got a B on my third try. What do you think?

Yes, you should become a nurse. It is not realistic to try for medical school.

 

[PlasticMan]

I am having trouble getting into an osteopathic school, and am wondering if I should try nursing instead. I have a 2.3 GPA, 2.1 Science GPA, 11N MCAT, with little medical and volunteering experience. I failed O-Chem twice but got a B on my third try. What do you think?

Getting a B in O-Chem shows that you have the ability to do well in a dificult course. What did you do differently the 3rd time around? Did you put alot more effort into it this time? If you put that same effort into re-taking other classes, raising your GPA, retaking the MCAT and possibly doing a post-bac program, you still can have a chance at getting in. Give us more details. Did you prepare for the MCAT at all? A 11 is a very low score; did you not give yourself a fair chance by preparing enough for it?

 

[OnMyWayThere]

How about the option of taking a year off, studying for the MCAT again (possibly with the help of a prep course) and retaking the MCAT? That way, you might get into a caribbean med school. Unfortunately, I don't think you can get into a U.S. medical school with a 2.1 / 2.3 GPA... if you do choose to go caribbean, make sure the schools you apply to are accredited by the state you would like to practice in. The top caribbean schools do have averages ranging significantly highers than yours (in the 3.3 - 3.5 range). No idea about how nursing schools go, but I hear they're high in demand now hence competitive.

 

[stretch210]

Maybe you should look into being a CNA.

I'm thinking a CPA is a better option, although you are already not all that good with numbers.


come on people this is a troll!

 

[NewNick]

I am having trouble getting into an osteopathic school, and am wondering if I should try nursing instead. I have a 2.3 GPA, 2.1 Science GPA, 11N MCAT, with little medical and volunteering experience. I failed O-Chem twice but got a B on my third try. What do you think?

You gotta be kidding, right ? What do you think ?

 

[NurseorDO]

I would like to think everyone who gave me some postive commets. And for the person who told me to go to the learning center I think I'll take that advice. For everyone else who put me down, go F**K Yourselfs.

 

[LINYKid]

I would like to think everyone who gave me some postive commets. And for the person who told me to go to the learning center I think I'll take that advice. For everyone else who put me down, go F**K Yourselfs.

Good luck, ttry doing some shdowing to see which you enjoy more. While a nurse is a good profession they arent the 'decision' markers vs a doctor who usually does more of the decisions re: patient care and treatment.

 

[CCEMTP2DOC]

11 for an MCAT cant you score like a 13 by default? wowzers

Don't you get 10 points for spelling your name right?. Seriously, you need to step back and focus on what you really want. I can tell you, you won't get in to a medical school with those numbers. The beauty of Osteopathic schools is thsat they take the higher grade. Take some time off, figure out what you ant to do, get those replacement grades, and study for the MCAT. Good luck in what ever you decide.


Rob

 

[theraball]

I would like to think everyone who gave me some postive commets. And for the person who told me to go to the learning center I think I'll take that advice. For everyone else who put me down, go F**K Yourselfs.

NurseOrDO,
Is English not your native language? Just wondering,
Therapy Ball

 

[Krazykritter]

Something that bothers me about people on SDN: Giving false hope. It takes a lot of time & MONEY to apply to med schools.

I'm all for people applying to med school to fulfill their dreams, but highly qualified people fail classes in med school all the time. You can't take a couple of months to figure our what is going on in med school or you have already failed a bunch of tests if not whole classes.

NurseorDo, it would take one hell of a post-bacc or re-taking an entire year of classes to bring your GPA up not even talking about your MCAT score. I wish I had more encouraging words for you, but at this point it would be a waste of time & money. Sorry

 

[miasapearl]

Something that bothers me about people on SDN: Giving false hope. It takes a lot of time & MONEY to apply to med schools.

I'm all for people applying to med school to fulfill their dreams, but highly qualified people fail classes in med school all the time. You can't take a couple of months to figure our what is going on in med school or you have already failed a bunch of tests if not whole classes.

NurseorDo, it would take one hell of a post-bacc or re-taking an entire year of classes to bring your GPA up not even talking about your MCAT score. I wish I had more encouraging words for you, but at this point it would be a waste of time & money. Sorry

Although that might be true, that is not a reason to give up hope. If medicine is the dream and NurseorDo doesn't pursue it then we'll never know if it would be realized or not. In the end it's up to NurseorDo to decide whether it is worth it to pursued medicine. I think that we should give NurseorDo a break and provide some encouragement so that the decision can be thought out carefully.

 

[MaximusD]

Although that might be true, that is not a reason to give up hope. If medicine is the dream and NurseorDo doesn't pursue it then we'll never know if it would be realized or not. In the end it's up to NurseorDo to decide whether it is worth it to pursued medicine. I think that we should give NurseorDo a break and provide some encouragement so that the decision can be thought out carefully.

Unfortunately the OP would not be realistic in thinking that he or she could get into (osteo or allo-)medical school with a 2.1/2.3 and 11N. You woudn't even get glanced at by the adcomm 🙁 And not to be a jerk, but thankfully so. Only the best and brightest deserve to be doctors...and for that matter, nurses. These are the people which Americans pay billions to every year to heal them..

That said, the OP should know that this isn't the end if they are willing to put in a vast amount of time, effort, and money.

1. Retake most of your prereq courses. Get nothing less than B+'s. AACOMAS (American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service) does not average your new grades. They REPLACE your old grades with retakes for hte purpose of calculating GPA. Therefore, if you retake all of your old premed classes you could end up well within the 3.0+ range.

2. Take a Kaplan/Princeton Review course. With those numbers, I doubt you have the die-hard drive to study on your own adequately (no offense.).

3. Once your GPA is enhanced to at least a 3.0, take the MCAT.

4. You MUST score at least a 22 for DO schools. You won't be "safe" until you score at least a 28 or so.

If you decide on nursing, which isn't a bad choice, you should know that it is significantly different from being a medical doctor (MD or DO). Nurses, while gaining more autonomy by the year, are still the work-horses of the medical community. They work enormous hours, get paid only moderately well, and are underappreciated. Also, be advised that nursing programs will be quite hard to enter, too. On the upside, you don't need to take the MCAT...

You said you had very little in the way of clinical experience. Improve this. Volunteer with the Red Cross or at your local hospital. Shadow nurses and doctors.. this should help immensely to understand what you want for your future. Perhaps you'd rather be a nurse with less responsibility but more patient contact... many see this as their goal.

Please just make an educated decision, and you MUST work hard to improve your stats or else you haven't a hope. There are no kids' gloves anymore... not to be cliche, but this is the real deal.

Best of luck!! 😉

 

[mshheaddoc]

First off - NurseorDO - I am in the same position as you, although I haven't taken the MCAT. I am taking Ochem I for the 4th time in 8 yrs, I have been enrolled in the class last fall (had to withdraw), last spring (got a C) and this fall. I took it 8 years ago and got a C. I should have had at least a B last semester but personal life took over priority.

I agree with some of the posters that you might want to re-evaluate what you want, but for those people who say you don't have a chance obviously haven't heard some of the stories and know some of the people I do.

It is going to take alot of work. I looked into BSN programs 3 years ago and I wouldn't have qualified for the accelerated program but I could try for the 2 year BSN program.

If you really have changed your study habits and know why you didn't do well in college you can turn your life around. It will take time and a few years to correct your mistakes.

Those who state you can not do it can really go suck some donkey balls 😉 Only you know what you can overcome. Its a hard long road.

I agree with some of these posters, such as this posters.

First, do some shadowing and see if DO is really what you want. This is extremely important because if you decide this route, then you have to prepare for the next couple of years.

OK so you've made up your mind and want to be a DO.

1. Retake all prereq classes that you've done poorly in. This is important to raise your GPA above the cut off as well as prove to admissions that you can handle those courses. If your GPA is still below a 3.0, retake other classes that you did poorly in and then take upper level science classes.

2. While taking class you should get some kind of experience in the health field.

3. Study for your MCAT well and score at least upper 20's.

4. Reapply.

I was in a similar position as you with a low GPA and low MCAT. I spent the last 2 years retaking classes (34 credits) bringing my GPA from a 2.5 to a 3.2. I've also gotten my certification as an EMT and have been working. The experience is invaluable. I'm planning to retake my MCAT next week because I got a 21 last time. After studying and practicing I manage to steadily hit 29-32 on my practices. With enough dedication and hard work you can do it. Just make sure you really want it because becoming a DO is no joke. I hope I get in. Good luck!

 

[24IdaFire]

I would like to think everyone who gave me some postive commets. And for the person who told me to go to the learning center I think I'll take that advice. For everyone else who put me down, go F**K Yourselfs.

Sorry dude, no need to be vulgar.

 

[MedGrl@2022]

I am having trouble getting into an osteopathic school, and am wondering if I should try nursing instead. I have a 2.3 GPA, 2.1 Science GPA, 11N MCAT, with little medical and volunteering experience. I failed O-Chem twice but got a B on my third try. What do you think?

I think if you are serious about this you should continue to work at it. Why does D.O. school appeal to you? Why does nursing appeal to you? I think you do need to work on your grades though. For someone who is going to be either a nurse or a D.O. you need a strong understanding of the science concepts and your GPA does not reflect that. So continue working on your path to your dreams. I am sure if you work hard enough someday you will find yourself fulfilling your goals. 🙂