One year nursing program

[slick27]

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Okay, so i applied last application cycle and I only ended up on a couple of waitlist. Do you think completing or starting a nursing program would hurt my chances as a reapplicant? I kind of want to get into a program that can lead to a good career other than just pursuing a masters degree which may or may not get me a job.

 

[mattng]

Okay, so i applied last application cycle and I only ended up on a couple of waitlist. Do you think completing or starting a nursing program would hurt my chances as a reapplicant? I kind of want to get into a program that can lead to a good career other than just pursuing a masters degree which may or may not get me a job.

Definitely not. It shows that you are still interested in the medical field. You'll be getting clinical experience as well as physician interactions which is very beneficial. I would address maybe in your secondaries why you chose to go to nursing school instead of maybe a special masters program or something like that. But yea, Drexel has an excellent nursing program and maybe you can get some hookups for their med school as well. Good luck!

 

[slick27]

My undergrad GPA was a 3.7 so i don't think i need a SMP. also i don't think a SMP will get me a job when completed if i don't get into medical school. this is why i'm thinking about nursing.

 

[Revilla]

Honestly, I think this is a bad idea.

We have a nursing shortage right now and you're taking a seat away from someone who wants to be a nurse when your intention is med school. Now if you want to actually be a nurse and work as a nurse for a few years before applying to med school, I think that's fine, but to go through nursing school and then bolt without intentions of practicing the profession will go over poorly with admissions committees, in my opinion. It shows lack of commitment and given that we have a nursing shortage, that's going reflect badly on you. Once again, this is all my opinion.

If you want something to do until you get into med school, why not be an EMT or a CNA? That will also help you get into nursing school later if the med school thing doesn't work that.

 

[Blade28]

You're thinking of getting your RN/BSN? That takes a while...

 

[slick27]

i could get it in 15 months. i just thought i could start the program and if i don't get into medical school, finish the program.

 

[MedStudentWanna]

Bad, bad, BAD idea!!!

 

[slick27]

what would you suggest then? i don't want to get a masters degree that might not get me a job, but at the same time i don't want to be left without a career option if i don't get into medical school on my second attempt.

 

[Revilla]

what would you suggest then? i don't want to get a masters degree that might not get me a job, but at the same time i don't want to be left without a career option if i don't get into medical school on my second attempt.

How old are you? If you're in your 20s, you have plenty of time to establish a career.

 

[slick27]

yeah, i'm in my 20's, but i have pressure from my parents that i need to start doing something. basically, i need to stop wasting time.

 

[Revilla]

yeah, i'm in my 20's, but i have pressure from my parents that i need to start doing something. basically, i need to stop wasting time.

I think you should give med school one more go. Did you find out why you didn't get in last year? Have you improved your application? Are you considering applying to osteopathic schools as well?

I honestly think that starting a program without the full intention of completing it will good bad.

 

[njbmd]

Okay, so i applied last application cycle and I only ended up on a couple of waitlist. Do you think completing or starting a nursing program would hurt my chances as a reapplicant? I kind of want to get into a program that can lead to a good career other than just pursuing a masters degree which may or may not get me a job.

You have actually answered your question in one sense in that you WANT to get a job. Taking a one-year nursing program WILL get you a job. The problem with doing this is that if you are not particularly interested in nursing, you have a very difficult road ahead of yourself. Nursing is a very demanding and difficult field. It is also a totally different career that works along side medicine but has a totally different approach to health care. If you don't love what you are doing in nursing, you will do it poorly and you won't achieve what you want. Nursing it definitely not a career to enter if you are just bent of "making money" (same as medicine).

If you are wanting reapply for medical school, you need to do something that will enhance your application. A one year nursing program is likely not to make you more competitive for medical school. If you ended up on a couple of wait lists, you need to figure out what was holding your back, correct the problems and then reapply.

By all means pursue nursing because your interests have changed and you believe that nursing will provide a great career for yourself but do not enter nursing with the idea that you will do this for a couple of years and then enter medicine because that is where you actually want to be. If you do not correct your original problems, you will find that you won't be successful as a re applicant to medical school either.

 

[DenaliView]

Honestly, I think this is a bad idea.

We have a nursing shortage right now and you're taking a seat away from someone who wants to be a nurse when your intention is med school. Now if you want to actually be a nurse and work as a nurse for a few years before applying to med school, I think that's fine, but to go through nursing school and then bolt without intentions of practicing the profession will go over poorly with admissions committees, in my opinion. It shows lack of commitment and given that we have a nursing shortage, that's going reflect badly on you. Once again, this is all my opinion.

If you want something to do until you get into med school, why not be an EMT or a CNA? That will also help you get into nursing school later if the med school thing doesn't work that.

I agree!

 

[DenaliView]

i could get it in 15 months. i just thought i could start the program and if i don't get into medical school, finish the program.

A nursing program in 15 months?? Wow that is exceptionally fast.....

 

[neuro1617]

I don't know of any 15 month RN programs but I do know a school close to me offers a "second degree BSN program;" if you already have your B.S. and have taken the basic biology prereqs, you just complete the accelerated nursing courses and can be done in a year. I'm actually thinking I'll do this if I don't get into med school on the first try but I won't be reapplying. Perhaps something like this is what the OP is talking about?

 

[slick27]

this is exactly what i am talking about, but i'm thinking about doing the one year nursing program as a backup if i don't get when reapplying. i think i would prefer nursing over PA.

I also don't want to spend a year working in a research lab, since i really have not intent of every being involved in research once i'm done with medical school. I also really don't have a real desire to pursue a Ph.d.

 

[diosa428]

Most medical schools require that you finish any graduate work that you're doing before you can matriculate. I don't know if getting a RN/BSN would qualify under these guidelines, but it might, making it difficult to just "drop out" if you get into medical school. Additionally, I think you would come off as a career jumper - most graduate programs don't want to deal with someone that starts in one professional school and then tries to jump into a different one - it looks like you didn't put much thought into what you wanted and they then have no guarantee that you'll stick with medical school. Why waste a spot on someone like that when you have people who are clearly dedicated to entering medical school and wanting to be a doctor?

It interests me that you'd rather be a nurse than a PA, considering a PA functions more like a doctor than a nurse does (in fact, aside from working with patients, there is very little in common with a nurse's job and a doctor's job). Are you sure that you even want to be a doctor?

 

[slick27]

I just think there are more benefits from becoming a nurse. With PA you need to be working under a physcian and without a physcian you cannot work. Nursing is its own seperat branch. plus, i could start working after a year.

 

[diosa428]

If your goal is to get a job asap, med school is not for you. You won't have a "real" job for AT LEAST 7 years, and then you'll be well over a quarter of a million dollars in debt.

 

[aunt ethel]

I just think there are more benefits from becoming a nurse. With PA you need to be working under a physcian and without a physcian you cannot work. Nursing is its own seperat branch. plus, i could start working after a year.

Have you ever shadowed a PA or RN or MD or DO? I think that shadowing people in the various health care professions would give you a lot of insight and help you determine the kinds of things that would interest you the most. If you want to be in charge of seeing patients in a clinic, then a PA or MD or DO or Nurse Practitioner might be the way to go for you. Of course PAs and NPs have less schooling and work with/under MDs to differing degrees, but basically have the opportunity to work independently, they get to see patients as their own, and consult/refer when needed. If you just have a BSN (as opposed to a master's in nursing or PA degree), you will have many many good, valuable and interesting job options, but they will be less similar to what a PA, NP, MD or DO does on a daily basis.

There's also physical therapy, occupational therapy, public health, and many other health-related careers that you could pursue, and shadowing may help steer you in the right direction.

 

[jasmine4494]

If the original poster is seriously considering nursing as a viable career option, checking into the nursing discussion boards (such as allnurses.com) might prove beneficial in providing additional insights into the perks and pitfalls of the profession.