Nursing Major switching to Pre-Med?

[coolsongno2]

Hi everybody,
I'm new here and I wanted to get some advice for my situation.

I'm 18, a freshman in college and just finished my first semester. I'm in a direct entry BSN program and in the first semester I took Spanish 101, English and the nursing specific Bio & Chem classes. I got A's in everything and a B+ in chem for a 3.83 GPA.

In the past few months, I've been seriously considering switching to another major and being pre-med. I had that thought in the back of my mind before, but I doubted my own intellectual ability and whether or not I could commit to so many years of school. I honestly never believed I could succeed in science classes and actually enjoy them, but I'm finding that I really loved what I was learning in bio and chem and I'm excited for anatomy & physiology next semester. I signed up for the general biology class as well and I might have a research internship with one of my professors this summer. (I did beat myself up over that B+ though..)

I chose to major in nursing with the intention of eventually becoming a nurse practitioner. My plan was to work as an RN for a few years after graduating and then go back to grad school. The idea of being able to keep learning and advancing my career and doing new things was very appealing to me, on top of being able to help people in such a direct way. However, the more I researched the responsibilities and roles of nurse practitioners, the more I thought about becoming a doctor. I have huge respect for what NP's do, but I feel like I would personally want all the education I could get if I was to take on any leadership/primary care position.

I'm just so conflicted now because the sciences I took this past semester only count for nursing so I'd be behind in the chem requirements for pre-med. I'm stuck between the "nursing model" vs the "medical model" and what I would be better suited for. I'd appreciate any advice / stories of people in similar situations!
Thank you so much

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[ciestar]

Hi everybody,
I'm new here and I wanted to get some advice for my situation.

I'm 18, a freshman in college and just finished my first semester. I'm in a direct entry BSN program and in the first semester I took Spanish 101, English and the nursing specific Bio & Chem classes. I got A's in everything and a B+ in chem for a 3.83 GPA.

In the past few months, I've been seriously considering switching to another major and being pre-med. I had that thought in the back of my mind before, but I doubted my own intellectual ability and whether or not I could commit to so many years of school. I honestly never believed I could succeed in science classes and actually enjoy them, but I'm finding that I really loved what I was learning in bio and chem and I'm excited for anatomy & physiology next semester. I signed up for the general biology class as well and I might have a research internship with one of my professors this summer. (I did beat myself up over that B+ though..)

I chose to major in nursing with the intention of eventually becoming a nurse practitioner. My plan was to work as an RN for a few years after graduating and then go back to grad school. The idea of being able to keep learning and advancing my career and doing new things was very appealing to me, on top of being able to help people in such a direct way. However, the more I researched the responsibilities and roles of nurse practitioners, the more I thought about becoming a Doctor. I have a huge respect for what NP's do, but I feel like I would personally want all the education I could get if I was to take on any leadership/primary care position.

I'm just so conflicted now because the sciences I took this past semester only count for nursing so I'd be behind in the chem requirements for pre-med. I'm stuck between the "nursing model" vs the "medical model" and what I would be better suited for. I'd appreciate any advice / stories of people in similar situations!
Thank you so much,
Confused Freshman

Geez. I think you're me. Try taking pre-med classes over the nursing level ones. Try shadowing too, to get a feel for it all, it will help. (I didn't get out of nursing until second semester of junior year..)

 

[Dr.Kitty]

You're not behind if you just switch to pre-med and take more classes during the summer, i'm sure you could graduate under the traditional 4 year degree that way. As far as MD vs. NP, I think you answered which one is more appealing to you. And the reasoning of wanting to have the last say in your patients care is very common and something i'm glad you thought about now and not 10 years from now when a career in nursing just doesn't do it for you.

 

[----x----]

If your goal is to become an NP at age 18, I'd probably just do MD/DO instead. NP, in my opinion, is more for seasoned nurses hoping to make a step up rather than a "straight through" sequence. Don't let the sunk cost of 2 classes determine your entire career.

See this post for comparison between PA/MD - NP is not much different than PA in many states, though for some they can have their own practice/patients if it's primary care.

https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/md-do-or-pa.1235954/#post-18466095

 

[Sardinia]

@coolsongno2 Check this thread: https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/rn-to-md-progress-support-thread.1155404/

"I'd appreciate any advice / stories of people in similar situations!"

 

[DokterMom]

Good for you for asking the questions now and evaluating your options! It's SO not too late to switch!

Careers to investigate:

1. RN
2. RN -> NP
3. PA
4. MD / DO
5. Other health careers -- PT, OT, ST, Podiatry, Dentistry

You've considered your own academic limitations (and under-estimated yourself, it seems). Also consider the length and difficulty of the training path (but don't 'write off' the medical school and residency years as if they're 'lost time' - they're not!) and what a 'day in the life' is like for each profession. Balance your desire for family time, child-rearing, marriage and personal time and your own values about how much needs to be done by you personally versus with help. (For example, stay-at-home parenting vs. day care or nanny. For many, that's a prime factor behind nursing vs. MD.)

Try out each job. Consider your strengths, weaknesses, values, personality -- then Go for it!

 

[coolsongno2]

If your goal is to become an NP at age 18, I'd probably just do MD/DO instead. NP, in my opinion, is more for seasoned nurses hoping to make a step up rather than a "straight through" sequence. Don't let the sunk cost of 2 classes determine your entire career.

See this post for comparison between PA/MD - NP is not much different than PA in many states, though for some they can have their own practice/patients if it's primary care.

https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/md-do-or-pa.1235954/#post-18466095

Thank you so much for this reply!! I read the post in your link and it really hit the nail on the head of what I was afraid being an NP right after undergrad would be like. I'll definitely take your experiences into account while I'm considering my options. Thank you!!