Please help me understand the difference..

[KornKobs]

Ok, I'm basically new to this whole pre-med thing. I've been doing some searching on this site and one post I crossed was about med school not being concerned with what we major in. So, Biology is fine, English is fine...why is nursing a bad choice? I don't understand how med school doesn't care what you major in..but nursing they "frown on". Maybe I want to work a year as a nurse before applying to med school or perhaps if I could handle working part time during med school. Honestly, I can't find another major that I am at least semi-interested in. Shouldn't a degree in nursing be just as good as any other undergraduate major??

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[Matt0751]

I have only heard that they see nurses as nurses not potential medical students. Most nursing programs are competitive in their own right. Just like it does the medical community no good to train a doctor to go to med school, I guess schools dont like to empty out the nursing station to fill their classes. I'm not sure what major to pick, but I had a blast as an Exercise Science major. I took all the same pre-reqs and a lot more physiology... its just like BIo without plants. Perhaps look into other public health majors. I'd read the dissapointed Bio Grads thread before jumping in that boat.

 

[MollyMalone]

There are many reasons why nursing is a less-than-ideal choice of premed major.

We're currently in a nursing shortage that is exacerbated by a major lack of nursing educators, which means that slots in nursing programs are quite scarce. Many people feel that these slots should be given to people whose ultimate goal is to be a nurse and not to people who are using nursing as a stepping-stone degree. Comparable scarcity does not exist in other majors.

The prerequisites for nursing are usually very different from the premedical course requirements, and the path to a nursing degree generally doesn't have a lot of flexibility in terms of elective time (if you want to graduate in 4 years). This can make it an inconvenient major. (Obviously, this varies by state and by school.)

Getting a degree in nursing sends a message, rightly or wrongly, that you are ambivalent about what sort of career in health care it is that you want. Medical schools want to see commitment, not hedging.

I'm surprised that there's no other major that you might be interested in. Why do you think that is? What attracts you to nursing, then?

 

[Telemachus]

or perhaps if I could handle working part time during med school.

This is heavily frowned upon; many schools would tell you to your face that they consider it impossible to do so (I know a couple of people who do, but not shift work like nursing).

 

[KornKobs]

Well, after switching major three times and transferring to a smaller school, I realized that I wanted to get into a program and stick to it. Nursing stood out to me. It wasn't an option at my other school and I can finish the program in 3 years. Yes, I'm still very young and trying to figure out where my life is going. But I do have it narrowed down to healthcare. Nursing is a start. I actually already work in a hospital and get to interact with nurses. It is something I can see myself doing. But, I want more than a bsn. I want to continue to learn more about the healthcare system. Yea, NP is out there, but I'm not interested in that bc of the limitations. But like I said, I may take a year off to just work and get a feel for the nursing profession. Well, I guess I'll end up being a non-trad applicant.

 

[indo]

Ok, I'm basically new to this whole pre-med thing. I've been doing some searching on this site and one post I crossed was about med school not being concerned with what we major in. So, Biology is fine, English is fine...why is nursing a bad choice? I don't understand how med school doesn't care what you major in..but nursing they "frown on". Maybe I want to work a year as a nurse before applying to med school or perhaps if I could handle working part time during med school. Honestly, I can't find another major that I am at least semi-interested in. Shouldn't a degree in nursing be just as good as any other undergraduate major??

Don't tell anyone else this; people who claim to know what adcoms "frown" upon are almost always talking out of their asses.

 

[45408]

This is heavily frowned upon; many schools would tell you to your face that they consider it impossible to do so (I know a couple of people who do, but not shift work like nursing).

I met a guy at Northwestern who works two 12-hour shifts on the weekends as a nurse. That's pretty hard core, but it can be done.

 

[gary5]

I'd talk to your premed advisor about this. Adcoms may have a bias against nursing students - I'm not sure. If you're really interested in medicine, and you can't think of a major, then do the bio major route. You can always fall back on nursing if you change your mind.

 

[scalpel179]

I majored in nursing and then applied to medical school this past year. I too was worried with the whole nursing bias, however, I have found this to be totally untrue. I have interviewed at several medical schools, each impressed with my experience and knowledge with the health care system. I have been accepted many schools and hope that my background will be a tremendous assest to me once I start into my clinical education in a few years. I definitely will know my way around the hospital wards.

The only drawback for entering nursing and then continuing on is the amount of extra classes that one must take. There is also a delay if you wait until after nursing school to take organic chemistry and physics prior to taking the MCAT. This was my experience and I elected to take those classes immediately following my graduation. I took the MCAT that same year, but I have had to wait this year "out" so to speak, waiting and applying to several schools. This has provided me ample time to gain experience working in an intensive care unit. Furthermore, I have had many opportunities to interact with physicians and learn first hand regarding the treatment of critically ill patients. I realize I have a lot to learn, but I have many experiences as a nurse that I would not have achieved through any other route.

Let me know if I can answer any more specific questions.

 

[chickens]

I have been a nurse for two years in the ICU, and I have gotten in. In my interview I was fully able to discuss any issue facing healthcare (insurance, patient safety, etc...). I have also been able to be involved in codes, learn waveforms, interact with physicians, learn medication dosages. You will be fairly advanced in your clinical rotations. If granted an interview, this will definitely help you strike up conversation. However, a bio degree is more direct....if you go for nursing...plan on working a few years so it is at least useful.

 

[silas2642]

There are many reasons why nursing is a less-than-ideal choice of premed major.

We're currently in a nursing shortage that is exacerbated by a major lack of nursing educators, which means that slots in nursing programs are quite scarce. Many people feel that these slots should be given to people whose ultimate goal is to be a nurse and not to people who are using nursing as a stepping-stone degree. Comparable scarcity does not exist in other majors.

The prerequisites for nursing are usually very different from the premedical course requirements, and the path to a nursing degree generally doesn't have a lot of flexibility in terms of elective time (if you want to graduate in 4 years). This can make it an inconvenient major. (Obviously, this varies by state and by school.)

Getting a degree in nursing sends a message, rightly or wrongly, that you are ambivalent about what sort of career in health care it is that you want. Medical schools want to see commitment, not hedging.

I'm surprised that there's no other major that you might be interested in. Why do you think that is? What attracts you to nursing, then?

Listen to the DarkSide... she is wise, a stellar applicant, and she was a nurse.

 

[chickens]

I can see thedarkside's point, I wouldn't go into nursing knowing that you want to be a physician. Most nurses that venture on to be doctors realized that they could give more to healthcare than nursing into their career.

 

[Law2Doc]

There are many reasons why nursing is a less-than-ideal choice of premed major.

We're currently in a nursing shortage that is exacerbated by a major lack of nursing educators, which means that slots in nursing programs are quite scarce. Many people feel that these slots should be given to people whose ultimate goal is to be a nurse and not to people who are using nursing as a stepping-stone degree. Comparable scarcity does not exist in other majors.

The prerequisites for nursing are usually very different from the premedical course requirements, and the path to a nursing degree generally doesn't have a lot of flexibility in terms of elective time (if you want to graduate in 4 years). This can make it an inconvenient major. (Obviously, this varies by state and by school.)

Getting a degree in nursing sends a message, rightly or wrongly, that you are ambivalent about what sort of career in health care it is that you want. Medical schools want to see commitment, not hedging.

I'm surprised that there's no other major that you might be interested in. Why do you think that is? What attracts you to nursing, then?

I think this post is most on target. Med schools don't want to be seen as adding to the healthcare problem, so they prefer not to poach folks from the nursing track. The prereqs for nursing tend not to be identical (and in some cases courses with the same title are not even identical if taken in a nursing versus liberal arts program). And med schools don't like the kind of wobbly committment that having in a built in back-up career might provide -- they want folks with a relatively clear picture of what they want to be doing 15 years from now.