Dear fellow pre-DOs: I am a recently graduated RN who got a degree in nursing to be a family nurse practitioner. However, after a semester of the FNP program, I realized that nothing can subsitute for being a doctor. (I was young, naive, and convinced by a doctor that going to FNP school was just as good). Now, since I wasn't shooting for med school, I'm worried that my GPA will keep me out of med school. I have a 3.1 undergrad GPA (but I aced O Chem II in 1/2 semester in an accelerated science program). And, I got two A's and a B in the Master's of Nursing program. I know I'll need strong MCAT scores to have a chance, and I think I'll have them. I've always scored in the very top % on tests. I've got great health care experience, great Doc references, and I'm going into the interview with the attitude that "being a DO is the only way for me, and trust me, I've tried several different things". What are some of your responses to this situation?
First of all what is your science alone, GPA? Next, I'm not in medical school yet either, but I'd say that if I were in your shoes I'd feel pretty good about taking the necessary steps to prepare for applying and getting into Osteopathic school. If your science GPA is competitive, I'd feel confident if I were you. Study for MCATS, contact Osteopathic admissions people, read SDN make sure all prereqs are complete, etc... go for it I say! I'd feel confident in pursute of becoming a doctor if I had your credentials.
I'm assuming that you have all the pre-med requirements satisfied.... if not then see my last post for surfdoc. If you have all those requirements satisfied than all you need is the MCAT. I'm not sure if you are still enrolled in the NP program or if you dropped out to pursue your chances of getting into med school? If you quit the program and do not get accepted into med school than it's going to be difficult to improve your academic standing without a master's degree. Stay in the program and do the best you can to prepare for the MCAT. Definitely do Princeton Review not Kaplan for preparation and also study on your own with other prep materials. Don't let a 3.1 GPA discourage you. It shows something that you were accepted into a maser's program even though you don't want to pursue it. At my school we have several PA's and NP's who did the very same thing. Good luck!
Yes, I have dropped out of the FNP program, because it's simply not for me. It's basis is nursing and the nursing model, and I have a love for the medical model (one of my nursing instructors actually put that as a weakness on a letter of recommendation to FNP school). I have all prereqs done, and I don't know what counts toward science GPA since I majored in nursing. If all nursing classes are considered science, then it's probably close to the same GPA (3.1). If it's just the Bio, Chem, Phys, and O Chem, then my GPA is probably 3.0-3.2 or so. I imagine I'll score around 30-32 on the MCAT. I hope that's enough to at least grant me an interview at KCOM and OSU. Thanks for taking the time to read my post and reply.
Are any of those docs you know DOs? A letter from a DO will really help you out in the application process. I am a first year at KCOM and my GPA was a 3.2 (I think...funny how you forget something that used to seem so important!) I can not emphasize enough how much osteopathic schools look at your experiences and your desire to be a DO! Those things are so much more important than your scores. If your scores are at all decent, you'll get the interview, and from there it's just showing them how much you want it and how prepared you are to study medicine intensely! Whatever you do, don't let these boards get you down. I was in your shoes last year, wondering if I'd ever get in. I kept reading people comparing their numbers and freaking out because they thought their 3.8 (!) wasn't high enough! Just keep your eye on the prize and be ready to work when you get here! Best of luck with the process. I know it sucks, but I promise it will all be worth it when you get that white coat!
I really don't see any reason for you not to apply to medical school. Take the MCAT as planned (April?) and do your best and in the mean time maybe take some additional courses just to show that you're still in the mix. LOR's from a DO are VERY helpful, sometimes required, and your previous focus in family medicine will only make you stand out. Keep plugging away and best of luck.
First of all, I think your desire to be involved with health care is well documented by your experience. THis is a clear positive. Your GPA is a little lower than ideal, but mine was even lower than your's with some repeated classes. The main thing is to ace the CAT. Many circumstances can influence your grades, so just make a point during the next year to show improvement and a dedication to getting into med school. Also, never forget that getting into a school is somewhat political. You have to have good LORs from both DO's and academic references to show your academic capability. Never give up and continue to improve the weak points of your application. You are in a much better position than I was in when I applied the first time. I had to regroup and greatly improve some things after I was rejected. BUt, in the end everything is worked out. Look at the MCAT as a chance to balance out three or four years of mediocre class work in one Saturday. Good luck!!
GPA - Schmee-PA, MCAT - Schmemcat. You just need to hit the requirements to apply to medical school. I worry that you did not take the actual organic that medical schools require. Often times, some nursing programs or ARNP programs require some organic, but the organic they usually require is just a 4 credit class... not the two 3 credit classes plus the lab that medical school requires. Make sure you meet that requirement, as well as the 8 credit gen chem... i would suggest checking out the aacomas website and seeing exactly what the requirements are... I am a fourth year medical student in the process of applying for residency. I've taken a good retrospective look on my classmates and what we needed to get in. You can have a GPA of a 2.8 with a science GPA of 2.8 and sit right next to someone with a 4.0 in both. You can take the MCAT and get an 18 and be lab partners in anatomy with someone with a 35. You simply don't know what the admission committees look at when it comes to applying. Do your best, FINISH THE REQUIREMENTS (if you haven't already), and just apply. Don't nitpick over numbers or scores or grades or experiences or what not. Get your letters of rec, write a decent personal statement, submit, and keep praying.
I imagine I will win the lottery and move to Maui. You can imagine whatever you like, but that means bunk. Undoubtedly you can achieve that score, but until that little envelope arrives in the mail, its all up in the air. Good luck with everything.
In response to the original poster: I think you have a good chance at getting an interview, especially if you do well on the MCAT. Although your GPA is a bit low, it isn't so low that it makes you a questionable candidate. As others have stated, LOR's are extremely important---in fact, try to obtain one from a DO who graduated from one of the schools you'd like to attend. We have a few PA's and FNP's in our class, so DO schools are open to accepting those who later come to realize other fields of health care are not for them. In any case, you'll still have to sell your self as a unique individual who can add something a little bit special to the osteopathic medical field, as ought to be demonstrated by your background experiences in your personal statement. Good luck.
Soo very true. Past august mcats, I thought I would get at least a 30. But when I test came around I choked big time. The real test is a whole other beast compared to just taking practice tests. Good Luck.
Well, let me reword that for those of you who take words like imagine literally. "I am highly likely to score higher than 30 on the MCAT." (I at least have a better chance than 1 in 80 million, which is I believe where your lottery chances stand)
The O chem as well as the other 7 required sciences had nothing to do with the FNP program. I took all those before I changed my major to nursing. So, they all had labs and meet the med school requirements. The only thing I have left to do is take the MCAT. What's frustrating about that is they only offer the thing twice a year, and I have no chance at applying for matriculation in 2003, so there goes another year of my life. I'm getting old /
Yes, waiting another year to apply because of the MCAT has put me into a similar situation. I'll be 30 years old when I first start Osteopathic school 2004. I started this dream/pursute summer of 2001, quiting my teaching job and getting back in school for pre-med!! I feel the getting older thing, but really, we will live a long time right! Sorry this is off on a tangent to the original post!
