Nursing school before med school?

[DavidP]

Hello everyone. I've been struggling with a pretty big decision lately, and I was hoping I could get some advice from someone with some more experience that what I have. I am currently completing my undergrad, and have just finished my prerequisites for nursing. I recently got accepted into the nursing program at my university and am expected to start in the Spring. However, I have lately been very seriously considering going to medical school. I guess the idea has always been in the back of my mind, but I havent had the self confidence to think I was smart enough to make it through. That being said, I've been doing very well in all of my courses, and I've been able to maintain a 4.0 GPA. Now, I'm fairly certain that I have what it takes. Here's my problem, all of my prerequisites don't tranfer to the premed undergrad degree. If I decided to switch my major, I would essentially have to do another 2 years before I could graduate with an AA in premedical sciences. Should I switch my major, and just bite the bullet, or get a BSN and finsish my prerequisites for medical school afterwards?

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[Praf12]

Never posted before but felt compelled as I was in a similar situation.

I completed all my prenursing course work and decided to change paths and pursue med school. I too found myself with a ton of science (prenursing) coursework that did not satisfy premed requirements. Instead of starting the nursing program, I graduated with a psych degree (and a minor in cultural studies) and completed my post bacc immediately after in order to satisfy required premed course. The psych degree allowed me to finish with my bachelors rather quickly while the post bacc allowed me to focus on only required premed courses without having to take additional science courses (already took a good bit during prenursing).

With that being said, if you are seriously considering medical school DO NOT go for your BSN. As AirBlizzard say, medical school admissions commitees will definitely question your choice. It’s an aspect of your app you could try and turn into a positive but you would certainly have to explain why you went through with 2 years of nursing if you knew medical school was what you wanted to pursue. The other option would be to make up a different story which I do NOT recommend. You really need to able to speak honestly about yourself during the medical school application process.

Also, as I’m sure you know, nursing school is difficult. I wouldn’t subject myself to that, only to have it be a red flag on my apps to medical school. Instead save the brain space and energy for medical school.

 

[DavidP]

Never posted before but felt compelled as I was in a similar situation.

I completed all my prenursing course work and decided to change paths and pursue med school. I too found myself with a ton of science (prenursing) coursework that did not satisfy premed requirements. Instead of starting the nursing program, I graduated with a psych degree (and a minor in cultural studies) and completed my post bacc immediately after in order to satisfy required premed course. The psych degree allowed me to finish with my bachelors rather quickly while the post bacc allowed me to focus on only required premed courses without having to take additional science courses (already took a good bit during prenursing).

With that being said, if you are seriously considering medical school DO NOT go for your BSN. As AirBlizzard say, medical school admissions commitees will definitely question your choice. It’s an aspect of your app you could try and turn into a positive but you would certainly have to explain why you went through with 2 years of nursing if you knew medical school was what you wanted to pursue. The other option would be to make up a different story which I do NOT recommend. You really need to able to speak honestly about yourself during the medical school application process.

Also, as I’m sure you know, nursing school is difficult. I wouldn’t subject myself to that, only to have it be a red flag on my apps to medical school. Instead save the brain space and energy for medical school.

PRaf12, thank you for the thoughtful reply. Since my last post I've been doing a lot of thinking, as well as meeting with a few advisors. I have to say that despite the backtracking I have to do with some of my courses, I'm really excited to pursue medical school. In fact, the advisor that I just spoke to recommended that I major in pyschology because of all the general education requirments that I can use for my science courses. So it seems like our paths are becoming even more similar. Just out of curiosity, can I ask why you decided to minor in cultural studies? Also, do you have any tips when it comes to shadowing/extracurricular activities? Are you in medical school now?

Thanks again for the advice. I never considered that nursing might look bad on a med school application.

 

[Praf12]

PRaf12, thank you for the thoughtful reply. Since my last post I've been doing a lot of thinking, as well as meeting with a few advisors. I have to say that despite the backtracking I have to do with some of my courses, I'm really excited to pursue medical school. In fact, the advisor that I just spoke to recommended that I major in pyschology because of all the general education requirments that I can use for my science courses. So it seems like our paths are becoming even more similar. Just out of curiosity, can I ask why you decided to minor in cultural studies? Also, do you have any tips when it comes to shadowing/extracurricular activities? Are you in medical school now?

Thanks again for the advice. I never considered that nursing might look bad on a med school application.

Warning: Extremely long post......

I decided to minor in cultural studies because I was interested in the topic and believed it would add a unique aspect to my degree in psychology.

Tips for shadowing/extracurricular – This depends on a few things. Do you have a job? If so, do you work full-time or part-time? Do you support yourself entirely? How much time can you commit a week for shadowing/extracurricular? Do you have any connections to hospitals/doctors? Do you have any clinical experience?

I’ll tell you what I did to give you an idea but before I get into that let me answer your other question first. I am NOT in med school but, I applied this cycle and have gotten 2 acceptances so far. Still waiting to hear back from some schools so not sure where I will be going but I will be starting med school in 2018. To give you a time reference, I made the decision to pursue med school in 2014. Graduated in 2015, started my post-bacc that fall and completed it this spring.

Now here is what I did - I became a scribe around the time I made the decision to pursue med school and scribed full-time for 3+ years. I switched to part-time earlier this year because I got a full-time job as a research assistant. I chose to keep scribing part-time for a couple of reasons. First off, you learn so, so much as scribe (though this depends on where you are scribing). I work at an urgent care that has no nurses so it’s just you and the doctor. After a year or so you really develop a trusting relationship with the doctors and get even more involved. I didn’t want to lose any of the clinical skills I gained from scribing so I couldn’t bring myself to quit. Second off all, I wanted to keep scribing on my med school apps. Now, if you have help and don’t need to work to support yourself, I wouldn’t recommend working a full-time job during post-bacc years let alone one full-time and one part-time job. It was definitely easier to work as a scribe full-time while I was completing my psych degree.

With that being said, I highly recommend trying to land a scribing job. You learn a ton, make relationships with doctors and gain clinical skills that will definitely be an advantage in med school. My work scribing seems to have impressed admissions committees because I did it for so long and was able to be really hands on (also got 2 letters of rec from doctors I scribed for). Sometimes, without having a connection, getting a decent amount of shadowing hours in and establishing relationships with doctors can be difficult.

I would also recommend getting involved in research. It really is something schools like to see you on your application. This was difficult for me to get involved with because the majority of research opportunities where I live are unpaid and require quite a bit of a time commitment. With my financial responsibilities I couldn’t take most positions that were offered so I just applied to paid research positions which are competitive, especially because I had no experience, but I did eventually land one. I tell you this because if you are in similar situation it can be discouraging but just know it is possible. If landing a paid position isn’t necessary, you shouldn’t have as difficult of a time to find research to get involved in.

Last but not least, if you aren’t already doing so definitely get into community work/volunteering. Between work and school my schedule was pretty limited but I still maintained a few hours of community service here and there throughout the years which added up to a good amount of hours (med school app has you total the hours of extracurricular/activities you’ve done). The type of volunteering I would recommend depends on your interests. Get involved with whatever means something to you so that devoting time to it doesn’t feel like a chore and so that you can REALLY speak to it during interviews.

Let me know if have any more questions or if there is something more specific you would like to know. Happy to hear that you have spoken to advisors and are continuing to give med school serious consideration. Sounds like you really gained the confidence you needed to not allow self-doubt impact your decision, good for you!!!

 

[SteyrFWB]

Being a nurse will NOT hinder your admission to medical school.

I graduated from UF medical school. The number one graduate of my class was a nurse. There were a number of PAs and nurses in the class above me and in my class. They all done very well in medical school.

Being a nurse will NOT hinder your medical career.

I do know a number of nurses in my hospital who tried to apply to medical school, and had a hard time. But the reason they had a hard time is because those few nurses had low MCAT scores.

If your MCAT is higher than 512, I would say you stand as good a chance to medical school as any Joe Schmoe out of college.

 

[DavidP]

Warning: Extremely long post......

I decided to minor in cultural studies because I was interested in the topic and believed it would add a unique aspect to my degree in psychology.

Tips for shadowing/extracurricular – This depends on a few things. Do you have a job? If so, do you work full-time or part-time? Do you support yourself entirely? How much time can you commit a week for shadowing/extracurricular? Do you have any connections to hospitals/doctors? Do you have any clinical experience?

I’ll tell you what I did to give you an idea but before I get into that let me answer your other question first. I am NOT in med school but, I applied this cycle and have gotten 2 acceptances so far. Still waiting to hear back from some schools so not sure where I will be going but I will be starting med school in 2018. To give you a time reference, I made the decision to pursue med school in 2014. Graduated in 2015, started my post-bacc that fall and completed it this spring.

Now here is what I did - I became a scribe around the time I made the decision to pursue med school and scribed full-time for 3+ years. I switched to part-time earlier this year because I got a full-time job as a research assistant. I chose to keep scribing part-time for a couple of reasons. First off, you learn so, so much as scribe (though this depends on where you are scribing). I work at an urgent care that has no nurses so it’s just you and the doctor. After a year or so you really develop a trusting relationship with the doctors and get even more involved. I didn’t want to lose any of the clinical skills I gained from scribing so I couldn’t bring myself to quit. Second off all, I wanted to keep scribing on my med school apps. Now, if you have help and don’t need to work to support yourself, I wouldn’t recommend working a full-time job during post-bacc years let alone one full-time and one part-time job. It was definitely easier to work as a scribe full-time while I was completing my psych degree.

With that being said, I highly recommend trying to land a scribing job. You learn a ton, make relationships with doctors and gain clinical skills that will definitely be an advantage in med school. My work scribing seems to have impressed admissions committees because I did it for so long and was able to be really hands on (also got 2 letters of rec from doctors I scribed for). Sometimes, without having a connection, getting a decent amount of shadowing hours in and establishing relationships with doctors can be difficult.

I would also recommend getting involved in research. It really is something schools like to see you on your application. This was difficult for me to get involved with because the majority of research opportunities where I live are unpaid and require quite a bit of a time commitment. With my financial responsibilities I couldn’t take most positions that were offered so I just applied to paid research positions which are competitive, especially because I had no experience, but I did eventually land one. I tell you this because if you are in similar situation it can be discouraging but just know it is possible. If landing a paid position isn’t necessary, you shouldn’t have as difficult of a time to find research to get involved in.

Last but not least, if you aren’t already doing so definitely get into community work/volunteering. Between work and school my schedule was pretty limited but I still maintained a few hours of community service here and there throughout the years which added up to a good amount of hours (med school app has you total the hours of extracurricular/activities you’ve done). The type of volunteering I would recommend depends on your interests. Get involved with whatever means something to you so that devoting time to it doesn’t feel like a chore and so that you can REALLY speak to it during interviews.

Let me know if have any more questions or if there is something more specific you would like to know. Happy to hear that you have spoken to advisors and are continuing to give med school serious consideration. Sounds like you really gained the confidence you needed to not allow self-doubt impact your decision, good for you!!!

Tips for shadowing/extracurricular: I am currently not working, but I do support myself. Right now my school and rent are paid for with the GI bill, but that will only last for another 2 years. With that in mind, I could probably commit about 10 hours a week to shadowing or working, but I wouldnt want to go much over that. Partly because I'm usually taking 5 classes a semester and partly because I like to have a lot of time to study to ensure I maintain a 4.0. I'm not sure if this is even enough to put on my resume, but I do have a small amount of clinical experience working as a patient transporter (about 300 hours). As for connections in the hospital, my step-mother is a respiratory therapist so I can ask her if she knows anyone.

Scribe sounds like a good job to get some clinical exposure, and it sounds a lot more interesting than patient transport, which I didn't like at all. In addition, it sounds like the relationship you developed with the doctors was invaluable. I'm definitely going to see if any hospitals are hiring. I've also been looking into phlebotomy. Do you have any thoughts on that? It seems like the certification is more or less pretty quick, the pay seems decent, and the experience sounds like it would be valuble as well.

As for research oppertunities, I don't neccessarily need a paid position because my GI bill is covering my housing expenses. However, I don't really know where to start. I've been thinking about asking one of my science professors if they know of any openings. Other than that, I could could search the interent for an position. Is that what you did?

The last thing you mentioned is volunteering. I don't think it would be too difficult for me to find something that I am interested in to donate my time to. Would you recommend that I find something in healthcare, or do you think it doesnt matter? Also, between work, school, volunteering, and shadowing how do you find the time to get good grades?! Is it wise to be involved in all of these things at once, or should I only focus on a few things at a time? I know its probably important to have continuity, but at the same time, I don't want other aspects of my GPA to suffer.

Thanks again for the fantastic advice. It really helps to have a mentor who can help point me in the right direction. With that being said, I apologize for such a late reply. It seems like everyone I know is getting married or having a birthday this time of year. Also, I'm happy to hear that you got into medical school, congratulations!

 

[deleted862527]

Hello everyone. I've been struggling with a pretty big decision lately, and I was hoping I could get some advice from someone with some more experience that what I have. I am currently completing my undergrad, and have just finished my prerequisites for nursing. I recently got accepted into the nursing program at my university and am expected to start in the Spring. However, I have lately been very seriously considering going to medical school. I guess the idea has always been in the back of my mind, but I havent had the self confidence to think I was smart enough to make it through. That being said, I've been doing very well in all of my courses, and I've been able to maintain a 4.0 GPA. Now, I'm fairly certain that I have what it takes. Here's my problem, all of my prerequisites don't tranfer to the premed undergrad degree. If I decided to switch my major, I would essentially have to do another 2 years before I could graduate with an AA in premedical sciences. Should I switch my major, and just bite the bullet, or get a BSN and finsish my prerequisites for medical school afterwards?

Being a Nurse will not 'flag' you by medical school admission officers. I know a BSN who right upon graduation went straight to medical school (he got his acceptance right before graduation from the BSN program). I am not exactly sure how he managed to complete all of the pre-medical pre-requisite courses in time for graduation, I assume he took summer courses but that would have been super intense. There are plenty of Nurses that went to Medical School so don't feel as though that the medical admissions committee will look down on you for pursuing medicine after subsequently practicing Nursing. Do not listen to SDNers on here who claim being a Nurse will hurt your chances of being accepted to Medical School---it won't. You can major in anything in U.G. for med school.

This depends all on you. If your main goal in life is to become a Physician, do NOT pursue Nursing School. It's a fundamental waste of time. Many on here will advise if you want to be a doctor but are a Nurse, then go to N.P. school upon BSN graduation because being an N.P. is sort of like being a G.P. and it wouldn't surprise me if the admissions officer were to question: "Why not N.P. school? CRNA school? Or P.A. School?" You must have solid answers to these questions. Meanwhile, the science classes or 'Pre-Nursing' science classes are watered down versions of the pre-med science core classes, and will not adequately prepare you for the MCAT. This is the reason why your science classes for the Nursing was not accepted, they are easier versions. They are mostly watered down because Nurses will never use that type of material in their practice. With this said, considering you have maintained a 4.0 GPA, it sounds you have a pretty strong interest in the medical sciences and have developed pretty good and strong studying habits I certainly commend you on. Congrats, bud 🙂 you're off to a good start. You sound like you will be able to handle the rigors of a pre-med student and thus far should be proud of your accomplishments.

The last thing you mentioned is volunteering. I don't think it would be too difficult for me to find something that I am interested in to donate my time to. Would you recommend that I find something in healthcare, or do you think it doesnt matter? Also, between work, school, volunteering, and shadowing how do you find the time to get good grades?! Is it wise to be involved in all of these things at once, or should I only focus on a few things at a time? I know its probably important to have continuity, but at the same time, I don't want other aspects of my GPA to suffer.

According to @Goro very good applicants have at least over 200 hours of volunteering. Admissions officers LOVE applicants who volunteered in underserved populations, so free clinics. Try to find one near you.

NO, do not volunteer, shadow, work, etc. all at once. Especially if you work. That will kill your GPA because you won't have time to study. Usually the pre-meds who are able to volunteer, shadow, and actually have a 4.0 GPA maintained at the same time do not have outside work commitments (such as a part-time job). Don't get me wrong some may do, but a lot don't and that's ok. Pre-meds will take a gap year after graduation to volunteer more, get more clinical experience, etc. after UG graduation if they couldn't find the time. Just explain that in your application and you're fine.

I'd recommend (if you could) if you decide to take a gap year to get an EMT license, as not only will you be making $$$ but also will get some pretty good clinical experience for your app.