Hello to everybody who's reading this. As you've seen, this question has been asked dozens of times, but I wanted an up-to-date answer for this. I'm currently a freshman in my second semester of college. After this semester, I only have one semester left to complete all my prereqs to get into the nursing program. I'm currently pursuing my associate's in nursing (ASN) but I don't plan on working as a nurse my entire life. I want to take a 2 or 3-year break between pre-med and medical school. I thought nursing would be an excellent field to work in between that time as it’ll help get me exposed to the healthcare field early along with other things like help build my resume and help me save up a little for med school. But there's one problem: I'm having a problem with which route I should take. Should I get my BSN and do the med school prereqs after or after I get my ASN should I pursue a BS in either biology or chemistry? I know either will take more time than the normal biology to med school route, but as I’ve stated I want to take a few gap years in between and nursing just has more career opportunities than biology. So which one of these routes would be quicker to finish? Thanks!
RN to MD! Obtain a BSN or BS Chemistry/Biology?
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Your major doesn't matter to admissions officers. Honestly pick a major that you can get a high GPA in and ideally uses the pre-req credits for the major. A science is always a good choice, but you could technically do nursing or philosophy or whatever you want as long as you get the pre-reqs in and maintain a good GPA. This is kinda up to your personal preference and what will make you happiest.
You can be a RN with just an ASN, at least in Florida, and there are tons of jobs hiring around me for RNs (BSN is usually pref, but there's so many open slots I can't imagine they're too picky). So if it's an option to be a RN without getting a BSN in your state, I'd do that personally.
You can be a RN with just an ASN, at least in Florida, and there are tons of jobs hiring around me for RNs (BSN is usually pref, but there's so many open slots I can't imagine they're too picky). So if it's an option to be a RN without getting a BSN in your state, I'd do that personally.
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Get out of school as fast as possible. If that's through a BSN or science major, it doesn't matter. Your major doesn't matter, but your commitment to medicine does. You need to build your application in a way that says you have a passion for medicine and not just being a nurse. Get goods grades, get research, volunteering, shadowing, and party once in a while. Good luck
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Hi there I am an MS1, who has my BSN. Honestly, being a nurse prior to med school is amazing and probably the reason I got accepted on my first try. I would suggest go for your BSN, make some bank while you are applying to medical school and have some awesome clinical experience to draw upon when working on you AMCAS application.
I actually created a Youtube channel to share info for people like you who are going from RN to MD/DO.
I actually created a Youtube channel to share info for people like you who are going from RN to MD/DO.
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Typically your major doesn't matter in medical school admissions, but a BSN isn't a typical major. It's viewed as a declaration that you intend(ed) to be a nurse. Getting a simple BS is a more neutral choice.
Most of the students who go the nursing route end up staying in nursing, although a few do successfully transition to medical school.
If you go the nursing route be prepared to have a compelling reason beyond general interest medicine for wanting to go to medical school. Adcoms will ask, “why not stay in nursing or become a nurse practitioner?”
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