Nursing/specialized health sciences and MD acceptance rates

[cerno]

Just out of curiosity...does anyone know why those majoring in specialized health sciences, most notably nursing, have particularly low acceptance rates to medical schools, even with a competitive application? I was under the impression that majors did not matter as long as you completed and did well in prerequisite course work. Semi-related, is Pharmaceutical Sciences (NOT Pharm.D, referring to undergraduate degree) considered a specialized health science, or physical science?

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[HughMyron]

EDIT: Derp, misread.

I think they have lower acceptances for a couple reasons. One, nursing majors think that they are at an advantage when they aren't, so they apply en masse. Two, adcoms to some extent look down on nursing majors applying to med school, because they are seen as women who took the spots of women that were actually interested in nursing. Three, well, the AAMC and others still talk (maybe kinda emptily hehe) about the importance of a liberal arts education to a physician, as opposed to going to college to learn a trade such as nursing.

 

[gravitywave]

One reason could be because people applying out of health sciences tend to have lower MCAT scores. I don't know why that is (false sense of confidence given their background, so don't self-select out as well?) but that's what the data show.

Pharmacy school is a specialized health science. Physical sciences are physics, chemistry, and the like.

 

[cerno]

I clarified my original post, as I just realized it was quite unclear. I meant those who study nursing, or other specialized health sciences, i.e. BS Nursing but end up deciding to apply to medical school, and complete the necessary prerequisites.

Also, I didn't mean pharmacy (Pharm.D), but rather, an undergraduate degree. Coursework consists of medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutics/pharmacology, and biochemistry (pharmacology focused)

 

[sinombre]

EDIT: Derp, misread.

I think they have lower acceptances for a couple reasons. One, nursing majors think that they are at an advantage when they aren't, so they apply en masse. Two, adcoms to some extent look down on nursing majors applying to med school, because they are seen as women who took the spots of women that were actually interested in nursing. Three, well, the AAMC and others still talk (maybe kinda emptily hehe) about the importance of a liberal arts education to a physician, as opposed to going to college to learn a trade such as nursing.

 

[CrimsonKing]

EDIT: Derp, misread.

I think they have lower acceptances for a couple reasons. One, nursing majors think that they are at an advantage when they aren't, so they apply en masse. Two, adcoms to some extent look down on nursing majors applying to med school, because they are seen as women who took the spots of women that were actually interested in nursing. Three, well, the AAMC and others still talk (maybe kinda emptily hehe) about the importance of a liberal arts education to a physician, as opposed to going to college to learn a trade such as nursing.

Nice sexism bro

 

[takeonme]

It could also have something to do with less amount of people in health sciences applying and those that do apply end up having some of the reasons listed above, therefore not being accepted/low acceptance rates.

Also I'm finding that working in a field such as nursing can make it hard to squeeze in pre-reqs. Lots of sacrifices need to be made.

 

[HughMyron]

Nice sexism bro

95% of people in nursing are women IIRC.

 

[Sidereum]

95% of people in nursing are women IIRC.

Even so, there's no need to generalize.

 

[PreMedOrDead]

AAMC data indicates that those applying to medical school with specialized health care degrees have significantly lower MCAT/GPA combinations, leading to significantly lower matriculation rates.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I know pharmacy counts, but does pharmacology count? I don't know. I myself am a pharmacology (and toxicology) major.

In any case, these majors usually have a very weak foundation when it comes to the prereqs. You take biology and whatnot the first year and then basically never touch it again on that conceptual of a level. The same goes, I think, for a couple other of the "specialized" health sciences.