Hi all! I am new here, so I am sorry if this post is in the wrong place. Anyways, I have a dilemma. I am currently finishing up with my prerequisites for nursing and should be starting a BSN program this Fall. Lately, I feel as if I am more interested in becoming a doctor instead of a nurse. I know that some people go get their BSN and then go to medical school. But I have also heard that medical schools frown upon nurses because they do not want to take them from their field. The BSN is a great backup plan for if I would not get accepted into medical school, but I feel as if I would be wasting my time getting the BSN because I would not plan to work as one for long. After finishing, I would just finish up my medical school requirements and MCAT and apply straight away. I have thought about switching my major to Biology or Digital Forensics, more leaning towards the Digital Forensics. A lot of people get a Biology degree and then apply to medical schools, and I feel as if the Digital Forensics degree would make me stand out a little bit more, plus I am more interested in that than Biology. It would also allow me to finish the medical school prerequisites a little bit more quickly. I just get more excited at the thought of medical school than nursing school. I do not feel as if my nursing prerequisites would go to waste, I feel as if the Anatomy, Physiology, and Microbiology classes I have taken would help a little bit in the long run, or at least look good on my application that I have taken them. The only good things about getting my BSN would be a great job outlook when I am done and I could apply to CRNA school or another school of the sort for BSN graduates. I also have gotten a job as a CNA at a local hospital. Would working as a CNA during undergrad look good on med school applications? Also if I did the BSN route, I think my GPA would take a tumble because nursing school is tough, and I know that is an important factor in the application process. What would you do if you were in my shoes? Would you continue on with the BSN or switch your major? I am completely torn as to what to do and I just want to take a good route. Thanks!
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Very few people actually do that, and the next part is speculation. Also, let me clear some stuff up for you. BSN prerequisites are different than Biology requirements. Intro Chemistry 1&2 1406/1407, Biology requires General Chemistry 1411/1412 with labs, nursing Microbiology is just intro Microbiology, some programs require the upper level Microbiology to complete your program in Biology. All the medical schools in Texas require the upper division Microbiology. Also, the nursing statistic and mathematical courses are different for Biology, and Nursing courses do not typically fulfill the needed credit hours for a Biology degree. You may have to retake 6 courses that are similar in nature if you switch to Biology. Both routes are completely different and only you can answer the question on which one you should take. The work required for medical is a lot more involved and stressful than the route for nursing school. If it were me (and I am not you), I would never take the long way around to get into medical school. In my mind, getting a BSN is just a waste of time if you plan on attempting the long hard process of getting into medical school.
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I switched my major. I was accepted into a bsn program this semester, we did almost 2 months of clinicals and decided nursing wasnt for me and I have to chase my real dream.
It is a good back up degree BUT you will be wasting your time with a lot of the prereqs. I took 3 bios, and a math etc, and none of them are helpful towards my new major(my new major is psychology and im minoring in biochem)/med school admins.
If being a doctor is REALLY what you want, change majors and chase it. Make it a priority, and if you can't get into MD OR DO schools, you can use your 4 year degree to do a 1.5yr BSN program.
It is a good back up degree BUT you will be wasting your time with a lot of the prereqs. I took 3 bios, and a math etc, and none of them are helpful towards my new major(my new major is psychology and im minoring in biochem)/med school admins.
If being a doctor is REALLY what you want, change majors and chase it. Make it a priority, and if you can't get into MD OR DO schools, you can use your 4 year degree to do a 1.5yr BSN program.
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definitely change it. nursing school is demanding and despite common beliefs fulfills close to none of the pre med reqs. If it's really what you want to do and you've got other undergrad majors which you'd be interested in pursuing I'd say take that route.
But at the end of the day, regardless of major it comes down to your grades and if you do have your reasonings to do nursing with pre med, and plan it all correctly then it's not an option you should completely throw away. I'm sure if you did take this route you'd be able to harness the experiences learnt in nursing school/ as a nurse (if you plan to take a gap year to work) to better your application. One thing that pushed me towards pre med was how interested I was in the sciences of the nursing, and when I started dabbling in more science courses (gen bios/chem) since I was ahead credit wise I realized I really had an interest to study the human body in greater depth then go to DNP school. Shadowing nurses/learning how nursing science works in the clinical setting also greatly pushed me towards pre med.
^^^^^ if MD/DO school doesn't work out accelerated BSN programs are definitely still an option so you wouldn't be completely out of a safety net (esp considering you completed your pre-nursing reqs). Good luck tho!
But at the end of the day, regardless of major it comes down to your grades and if you do have your reasonings to do nursing with pre med, and plan it all correctly then it's not an option you should completely throw away. I'm sure if you did take this route you'd be able to harness the experiences learnt in nursing school/ as a nurse (if you plan to take a gap year to work) to better your application. One thing that pushed me towards pre med was how interested I was in the sciences of the nursing, and when I started dabbling in more science courses (gen bios/chem) since I was ahead credit wise I realized I really had an interest to study the human body in greater depth then go to DNP school. Shadowing nurses/learning how nursing science works in the clinical setting also greatly pushed me towards pre med.
^^^^^ if MD/DO school doesn't work out accelerated BSN programs are definitely still an option so you wouldn't be completely out of a safety net (esp considering you completed your pre-nursing reqs). Good luck tho!
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It's up to you. Just be honest with yourself and obviously weigh the pros and cons.
I am in my 4th year of university (in Canada) and my last year of a compressed 2-year Nursing program. I realized somewhere during the end of my first year of nursing that I want to become a Doctor.
It was hard deciding what I should do next, and it was becoming stressful, and going to classes and clinical knowing this is not the career i want was kind of depressing. I thought of dropping out, however I talked to many people, and also weighed the pros and cons. If i stayed, i was gaining experience working in a setting which i did intend to work in, and i was learning tons! I was also making good connections.
If i left, i would still need to complete an undergraduate degree to apply to many med schools and this would have added at a minimum 1 more year to my studies. The pro would be that the major i switched into would have been less time consuming and work heavy.
Long story short, I stayed because it was what felt right to me.
I understand your situation is a little different because you know you don't want to pursue Nursing before you enter the program. If i was in your position would I go into Nursing? Probably not. However, this is your decision, and at the end of the day If you are truly passionate of becoming a Doctor, you will eventually end up as one.
I am in my 4th year of university (in Canada) and my last year of a compressed 2-year Nursing program. I realized somewhere during the end of my first year of nursing that I want to become a Doctor.
It was hard deciding what I should do next, and it was becoming stressful, and going to classes and clinical knowing this is not the career i want was kind of depressing. I thought of dropping out, however I talked to many people, and also weighed the pros and cons. If i stayed, i was gaining experience working in a setting which i did intend to work in, and i was learning tons! I was also making good connections.
If i left, i would still need to complete an undergraduate degree to apply to many med schools and this would have added at a minimum 1 more year to my studies. The pro would be that the major i switched into would have been less time consuming and work heavy.
Long story short, I stayed because it was what felt right to me.
I understand your situation is a little different because you know you don't want to pursue Nursing before you enter the program. If i was in your position would I go into Nursing? Probably not. However, this is your decision, and at the end of the day If you are truly passionate of becoming a Doctor, you will eventually end up as one.
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Do both. I did and it worked great.
Don't listen to folks saying RN to MD is a bad idea, you will be ill prepared, you will be looked down upon. The path less followed is a fruitful one.
Got my BSN in December 2013, took a semester off to get settled into my critical care job, then attacked prerequisites while working full time. Did very well on the interview circuit. Attending UCI school of medicine this August.
Best of luck!
Don't listen to folks saying RN to MD is a bad idea, you will be ill prepared, you will be looked down upon. The path less followed is a fruitful one.
Got my BSN in December 2013, took a semester off to get settled into my critical care job, then attacked prerequisites while working full time. Did very well on the interview circuit. Attending UCI school of medicine this August.
Best of luck!
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Our nurses at my medical school were awesome! They were knowledgable and great at procedures. Once you get into medical school, no one cares where you came from.
In other words, I can't agree more with this sentiment.
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This explanation for BSN prereqs and Biology prereqs is school specific and is not true everywhere. At my school, the BSN prereqs for chemistry, micro, physiology, and anatomy are all the exact same classes as chemistry majors or biology majors. You will have all three majors present in the same class. It may be that the OP's school also has nursing students take the same classes as biology students, meaning that it would not take that much more time if you got a BSN and then went back to school for a semester or two to finish physics 1 and 2, orgo 1 and 2, and Biochem.
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This is not true at all. Just doing a quick search for Baylor, UT Southwestern, and looking at the basic prerequisites for TMDSAS says that a certain number of credit hours in Biology are required (depending on the school), but nowhere does anything say that Microbiology is a requirement. They just list it under courses that can count towards those Biology credits.
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As someone who has decided to pursue the BSN as my pre-med this makes me so happy to see this thread! I'm sure that it's not the easiest or fastest route to medicine but for me I'm not in a terrible rush. I want to get a degree in something useful and work towards the ultimate goal. Thanks for the encouragement !!
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+1. In Texas, none of the schools require any specific upper-division coursework (other than biochemistry 1). However, all of them recommend it (microbiology, A&P, genetics, etc.)
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Former nursing student here. If I were you, I would consider switching to a major with more flexibility like bio or forensics, because you can always go back and do an accelerated BSN, apply for med school, or even switch to the PA route from there! If you start your BSN-specific courses they will leave little room for doing any pre-med prerequisites in any way that could fast-track you into med school like you indicate wanting to do above.
