nursing vs. med (DO) school

[jav316]

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hi everyone,
i just found this site yesterday and am glad i found it - it's been so helpful 🙂 i was wondering if i could get advice on the board. i graduated in 2001 with a degree in biology. i graduated from an ivy league school but my bio and orgo grades werent good (Bs and Cs) so i didnt apply to med school. now i am working full time in clinical research and have applied into a nursing program for 2005. after i applied into the nursing program and felt like i was moving into the clinical profession, i started rethinking med school (and dental school). after about 2 weeks consideration, i quit my second job and enrolled in kaplans mcat course and am planning to take the test in april and am thinking about the dat. i am completely overwhelmed with making these decisions and what my next steps should be. any advice from someone familiar with the process would be helpful. my gpa was about a 2.8. i'm really attracted to dental school now for a couple of reasons. one thing that dissuades me about both nursing and medicine is that i'm not sure how i will deal with terminal patients. another reason i'm interested in dental school is that because you specialize while in school there is no grueling residency.
sorry this message is so long and thanks for any advice 🙂

 

[hospPA]

Regardless of what you choose, your grades are a little low for medical school entrance. If you have some stellar experience and seriously rock the MCAT, you may get considered.
I am unsure of dental school requirements. I think you could get into nursing school somewhere with any grades. PA school would also be a stretch with those grades. I am sorry to be so blunt, but maybe try and retake some of the courses you got C's in to boost your GPA.
Pat

 

[medicalcami]

I think you could get into nursing school somewhere with any grades.
Pat

Not in Texas, try a 3.7 just for your application to get in the applicant pool!

And that's the minimum GPA

 

[docsumday]

I am in AZ trying to get into nursing school. I have a 3.9 and won't find out unitl March. Out of 360 applicants only 106 will be taken. There just aren't enough teachers. Maybe the ADN will be less competative if you are looking to get in. Either way good luck in whatever you choose!

 

[jav316]

thanks for the advice. i'm thinking about retaking some of those earlier science courses. it seems like such a long process though

 

[lawguil]

thanks for the advice. i'm thinking about retaking some of those earlier science courses. it seems like such a long process though

I say you study for the MCAT and see how you do!!! 👍 If you do well, you have a chance. Further, I would volunteer/shadow a physician and dentist and see if it's for you. You better be sure this is what you want in life before you commit to it.

If you do well on the MCAT, apply to a DO program, exspecially if there is one in the state that you live. If you don't get accepted, so what! Retake courses and study for the MCAT again. Remember, all that can happen is you fail. Big Deal!!! You reapply the following year after to strengthen you application. L.

 

[hospPA]

Not in Texas, try a 3.7 just for your application to get in the applicant pool!

And that's the minimum GPA

Huh? At a technical school? So you need a high school GPA of 3.7! As an entry level degree, how does this work?

Pat

 

[lawguil]

😕 😕

Huh? At a technical school? So you need a high school GPA of 3.7! As an entry level degree, how does this work?

Pat

Great point hospPA!!! I saw this earlier and tried to ignore it, but it's tuff to ignore this kind of thing.

 

[box29]

Not in Texas, try a 3.7 just for your application to get in the applicant pool!

And that's the minimum GPA

That's the average cumulative undergrad GPA, I believe. I had heard that trying to get into Texas Med Schools was absolutely ultra competitive this (or last)cycle for the TDMAS, since the caliber of students applying was so high.

 

[ntmed]

thanks for the advice. i'm thinking about retaking some of those earlier science courses. it seems like such a long process though

If you really want to be a physician (or dentist), then you'll probably need to commit yourself to a 2 to 4 year plan. It know it seem like a long process. But 10 years from now, when your a doctor, it won't matter if it took 4 days or 4 years to get in.

1. Retake all your premed courses or enter a post-bacc program. You'll need all A's, or very close to it.

2. Take the MCAT. You'll likely need an above-average score (above 30).

3. Apply to medical school.

4. While your application is being processed (a 15-month process), start a non-thesis masters program in biology. This way if you don't get in the first time, you can reapply after completing your masters degree.

 

[GASDR]

If you want to be a physician, then you will very unsatisfied going to nursing school or even dental school for that matter.

However if you are not committed to becoming a physician (it's a pretty long and hard road, but pays off in the end, I hope.) you should go for nursing. It is a great job, in demand, and can pay pretty well. I am an anesthesia resident and my wife who is a nurse makes about twice what I make and works about 1/2 the hours. Also from nursing you have the option of advanced training. You can be a nurse anesthetist or NP. A friend of mine is a CRNA and made 200k coming out of Nurse anesthesia school and now has a job paying $140/hr. (He is a traveller though, they make more).

A viable option that myself and many others that I know have taken is going to medical school abroad, whether it be in the Caribbean, Ireland, Australia, Eastern Europe, Russia, wherever.

Even with your low GPA you could still get into many overseas schools. Most of them will give you the opportunity to take the exams, give you an MD in exchange for a pile of cash. You still have to put in the time to pass the USMLEs 1,2,3 and get a residency, but they will give you the opportunity to do so.

I personally would recommend my medical school (Saba University School of Medicine) but any of them will give you a chance. Check out the various forums on VALUEMD.com.

Good luck.

 

[Sinnman]

No offence (truly) but do you think you are really ready for medical school? Medical school is a huge undertaking. You have to be completely ready for tremendous sacrifice for at least seven years. While, I think that it is wise that you want to avoid a "grueling residency" that is only part of the process. Also, osteopathic school is just as difficult as an allopathic school and requires similar stats for admission. Even the "good" foreign schools are somewhat competitive and require a lot of sacrifice.

Nursing and medicine are completely different. Having experienced both I feel that I can say this with some authority. Having said that, nursing is a great career now. You can have a lot of patient contact and make a great salary. But don't make the mistake of thinking that it will fulfill your desire to be a physician. I think it's also a mistake to think that you can be just like a doctor by becoming an advanced practice nurse.

I think if you really want to be a physician, retake the classes you performed poorly in, get some good medical experience and kick butt on the MCAT. If not, nursing may be a great option. BTW, nursing school is not that competitive. There are also a lot of schools that allow you to get an MSN is about two years if you have a BS/BA in an unrelated field. In fact, I still get letters from nursing programs trying to get me to apply to one of these MSN programs.

Good luck.

 

[cure4cancer]

Also from nursing you have the option of advanced training. You can be a nurse anesthetist or NP. A friend of mine is a CRNA and made 200k coming out of Nurse anesthesia school and now has a job paying $140/hr. (He is a traveller though, they make more).

wow... where does your friend work?
Thats more than a typical family physician ...

and what do you mean by travelling?? On call?

 

[busupshot83]

hi everyone,
after about 2 weeks consideration, i quit my second job and enrolled in kaplans mcat course and am planning to take the test in april and am thinking about the dat. i am completely overwhelmed with making these decisions and what my next steps should be. any advice from someone familiar with the process would be helpful. my gpa was about a 2.8. i'm really attracted to dental school now for a couple of reasons. one thing that dissuades me about both nursing and medicine is that i'm not sure how i will deal with terminal patients. another reason i'm interested in dental school is that because you specialize while in school there is no grueling residency.
sorry this message is so long and thanks for any advice 🙂

Get a 3.3+ GPA, and 18+ on the DAT, and you should be competitve for many dental schools.

 

[smkoepke]

nursing school can be extremely competitive, it simply depends on where you live. Many states have a huge shortage of instructors, so there could be 500 applicants (or more) for 60-80 spots in the program... and this is at the Community college level, as well as the University level. In my area, Pacific Northwest, you can't get into any of the programs with less than a 3.5 gpa, and in some schools that is not high enough, also your science GPA is weighted more heavily so you need mostly A's for consideration. I am not trying to say it is as difficult to get into nursing school as it is medical school, but people who make blanket statements about "any" gpa being acceptable or "anyone" can get into nursing school are pretty uninformed. Your best bet for a nursing program is to find a school that has a lottery system, instead of GPA based. Of course you could just retake your sciences to raise your GPA and then you would have more options for Med/Dent/Nursing schools. Good luck!

 

[burlypie]

I'm at a good med school and my grades included:
Orgo: C+ B-
Physics: B- B


It can be done, don't sell yourself short if you know what you want to do. But speaking of that...if you are thinking of the MACT and the DAT right now, maybe you should take a little time to figure out what you want. Those are 2 hard tests; why prepare for them both? Medicine and Dentistry are pretty different, so think about it and decide. Everything will still be there a year from now -- in the meantime, get a little clinical exposure to both and that might help you decide.

 

[tupac_don]

If you want to be a physician, then you will very unsatisfied going to nursing school or even dental school for that matter.

However if you are not committed to becoming a physician (it's a pretty long and hard road, but pays off in the end, I hope.) you should go for nursing. It is a great job, in demand, and can pay pretty well. I am an anesthesia resident and my wife who is a nurse makes about twice what I make and works about 1/2 the hours. Also from nursing you have the option of advanced training. You can be a nurse anesthetist or NP. A friend of mine is a CRNA and made 200k coming out of Nurse anesthesia school and now has a job paying $140/hr. (He is a traveller though, they make more).

A viable option that myself and many others that I know have taken is going to medical school abroad, whether it be in the Caribbean, Ireland, Australia, Eastern Europe, Russia, wherever.

Even with your low GPA you could still get into many overseas schools. Most of them will give you the opportunity to take the exams, give you an MD in exchange for a pile of cash. You still have to put in the time to pass the USMLEs 1,2,3 and get a residency, but they will give you the opportunity to do so.

I personally would recommend my medical school (Saba University School of Medicine) but any of them will give you a chance. Check out the various forums on VALUEMD.com.

Good luck.

Well she makes twice what you make, b/c you are a resident. Pretty much a McDonalds employee will make than you. Well not that drastic but you get my point. True comparison would be if you are an attending. Also big thing to consider is also job satisfaction.