I'm in awe that you got 2 MD II's with a 498 MCAT, that's crazy. I'm not one to brag about my MCAT as it was only a 502, but I got 0 MD interviews although the DO schools I interviewed at had no problem with it. How did you do on the USMLE if you don't mind me asking?I figure now would be a decent time to throw my experience in the hat for you all given my free time.
I am Currently a 4th year USMD student getting ready to match and being the next chapter of my life. I will do my best to give my stats. I will also attempt to highlight things that I found to be crucial in not only preparing to apply to medical school from a nursing background, but also along the way in medical school.
Background : BSN degree. I worked for ~ 2 year's in a ICU. Was planning on CRNA however decided here I was going to attempt to get into medical school. Took 9 pre-requisites over the course of the next year (biology, chem,o-chem, physics and biochem all with labs). At this point in time I was ready to study for the MCAT and also decided to step down from the ICU and took a job in outpatient nursing for a more predictable schedule while preparing for MCAT.
Quick note on this decision to work outpatient. Turns out that having seen medicine through the lens of inpatient and outpatient setting was insanely beneficial in the eyes of all of my interviewers. I cannot stress how big this was and still is. Even on residency interviews people loved the fact that I had experience in Both.
MCAT prep : This was tough as I was not a great test taker at this time in my life. The key thing to remember here is Your non-traditional nursing background is only useful insofar as you are able to play the game effectively like all other pre-medical students. What I mean by this is that if you cannot get the MCAT score or the GPS's or pre-requesites, you will not get a chance to showcase your wonderful healthcare experience and the things that we all know will make you a great physician.
STATS : Overall GPA was 3.80, sGPA was 3.9. MCAT was 498 (not great at all). Tons of work experiences, tons of volunteering.
Letters of rec : I developed many relationships with physicians that wrote me fantastic letters. Perhaps one of the strongest parts of my application. Do. Not. Underestimate. This.
Application : I considered retaking the MCAT due to the low score, however it was a fairly new test and there was quite a bit of confusion how to use it. I decided to apply MD only (probably not smart), and applied smartly to about 25 programs in home state and places the MSAR appeared to give me a chance.
Interview season : I was fortunate to get 2 interviews. I will say that once you get the interview, this is your Time to Shine. Honestly on both medical school interviews and residency interviews. This dominates the conversation. All things being equal between you and another candidate, nursing experience is such an wonderful compliment to your physician toolbox.
Other lessons learned : I will say that some of people in the nursing world tried to tell me to keep my medical school ambitions down. Overall being vocal about wanting to attend medical school and wanting to become a physician opened many doors that led to close connections, mentors and letter writers. This was invaluable.
Some advice for those in medical school that are a nurse : The nursing card is a great experience to have. You have so much texture to add to each encounter and learning point. However, remember that everyone else also has something equally valuable to add. Don't get caught up in thinking your nursing experience precludes you from learning something from someone who does not have said experience.
I will try to peep this thread and answer any specific questions.
Best of luck out there everyone. I will leave you with my favorite quote that suck with me the whole experience of shifting to medicine and applying to medical school.
"You can never fail if you never give up"
RN to MD Progress/Support Thread
- Thread starter Straw Hat
- Start date
I'm in awe that you got 2 MD II's with a 498 MCAT, that's crazy. I'm not one to brag about my MCAT as it was only a 502, but I got 0 MD interviews although the DO schools I interviewed at had no problem with it. How did you do on the USMLE if you don't mind me asking?
Take the plunge and do it.
I was absolutely terrified when I woke up one day and told my SO that I wanted to go to medical school. Enrolling into biology 1 after having been out of nursing school for a few years was terrifying. After the first exam I made a 98 and remembered how much I had loved being in school, although I did miss the freedom of my 3 12's schedule as well. It was hard on me financially because I was not able to work FT, I had to cut down to PRN and ended up only working 2 12's/week so that I could be flexible with school and volunteering and I may not have made the grades if I was working FT. I might get some flack for this, but I did not find the "pre-med" courses any more challenging than my pre-nursing courses. Time intensive? Absolutely. But not crazy hard. I remembered grinding like crazy in A&P 1/2 before nursing school and that's what I had to do in the pre-med courses. Nursing school actually wrecked my GPA because the answers are more grey, where as in the hard sciences it's either A or B, there's no middle ground in physics or chemistry. The MCAT is a beast though, I underestimated it and it kicked my a$$. Do take biochemistry before you take it and allow adequate prep, ideally 4 months of dedicated time and I would not work more than PT during it, nor would I take classes. Apply early, statistically you have a better chance of interviewing if your application is complete and submitted by June, AMCAS releases this data and is where I'm pulling this from.
What I have enjoyed so much about this journey is it brought me back to my roots and I remember why I went into healthcare in the first place. I love nursing, because I love patient care. I want to understand more and to do more, but nursing will always be a part of me. As a nurse you know your patients inside and out because you spend so much time with them, there's something beautiful about that to me and if there's anything I will miss as a provider it will probably be that. The connection is just different, however nurses make an enormous impact in their own way.
I learned a lot in taking these pre-med courses that made the physiology I see in nursing make more sense, such as amyloid fibrils that effect beta-cells in type II diabetes and different biochemical relationships in general. I absolutely do not regret choosing to become a physician over an NP just because of how much this process has pushed me to grow as it will push you. NP's can prescribe and treat, but if you want to know the nitty gritty of medicine, as I do, medical school is the only thing that will ultimately satisfy you.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2014
- Messages
- 5,513
- Reaction score
- 9,518
Not the person you’re talking to, but if it makes you feel better I got 0 of 26 MD interviews in my cycle year with a 508.
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2011
- Messages
- 1,690
- Reaction score
- 1,373
Sounds good academically, just get the other stuff for your applications such as letter of recommendations and some volunteer work.
Theavalachesflight22
New Member
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2019
- Messages
- 7
- Reaction score
- 10
I was quite surprised as well. It was the first season with the new score, so I had that going for me. Also, my gpa was very high, all things considered.
As for USMLE, I did surprisingly well. I was >60th percentile on step 1 and step 2ck. Sample size of 1 leads me to believe that You can overcome poor test taking skills.
- Joined
- May 6, 2019
- Messages
- 10
- Reaction score
- 6
Did you take courses at your local CC's or UC's?
I did a mix of both, I started at the CC to save money but transitioned to the UC for only a few courses so about 80/20
Last edited:
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2016
- Messages
- 60
- Reaction score
- 401
Hi there! I had no idea this RN->MD thread existed, I was so spooked by the neuroticism of SDN a long time ago and I avoided it but I am so pleased to find a motivated bunch of people in the same boat I'm in.
I am currently enrolled in an SMP and waitlisted at the school's MD program--words cannot describe the stress I am feeling to crush this last semester to keep the WL odds ever in my favor. However, being in the position to practice as a licensed, "essential" healthcare worker, I almost cant bear the guilt of not going into my per diem RN job to help out during this crisis. At the same time I would feel awful to be that person who spreads the virus from my hospital to my school (in the rare occasion that I'm there, with classes now mostly online).
Is anyone else out there stuck in this position, of trying to stay fully committed to pursuing medicine, yet also feeling a responsibility to take advantage of this privileged position to be able to help others? For the most part I never felt guilty about not picking up a shift for a coworker who wants a day off, since I have exams to study for all the time. But these are different times and I'm not entirely sure what to make of it.
Curious to hear if anyone is going thru the same thing!
I am currently enrolled in an SMP and waitlisted at the school's MD program--words cannot describe the stress I am feeling to crush this last semester to keep the WL odds ever in my favor. However, being in the position to practice as a licensed, "essential" healthcare worker, I almost cant bear the guilt of not going into my per diem RN job to help out during this crisis. At the same time I would feel awful to be that person who spreads the virus from my hospital to my school (in the rare occasion that I'm there, with classes now mostly online).
Is anyone else out there stuck in this position, of trying to stay fully committed to pursuing medicine, yet also feeling a responsibility to take advantage of this privileged position to be able to help others? For the most part I never felt guilty about not picking up a shift for a coworker who wants a day off, since I have exams to study for all the time. But these are different times and I'm not entirely sure what to make of it.
Curious to hear if anyone is going thru the same thing!
Last edited:
What a nice thread to visit for those RN - MD people. I am in need of some advice and would greatly appreciate some. I'm open to criticism, good or bad, as maybe it will help me see things from a different perspective.
The MD school I want to apply to suggests having the BCPM courses but requires biochem, genetics, and cell biology. Would it be smarter to just take the those three classes so that way I can just study specifically for the MCAT, or take all of what I'm going to list below so I can apply to more schools? As a small caveat I would be putting all my eggs in one basket (if I only take the three classes, but would be able to study more) and where I work is affiliated with the school and the physicians I talk I associate with also have went/or know people in the school (so I feel getting a LOR from them would benefit in some way).
Currently I am taking classes through UNE online and plan on taking most of my pre-reqs online so I can still work my weekend alt position leaving M-F to complete classes.
In order to fulfill all the pre-reqs for most MD schools I would need to take: Bio 2, Chem 1 (almost 10 years old), Chem 2, Organic 1, Organic 2, Physics 1, Physics 2, and retake Biochem (I got a B- back in 2015 from Harvard's extension school)
I'm currently halfway done with Bio 2 and Chem 1 and feel a bit behind because there's so much busy work with the labs I feel like I can't study/learn anything. Between the two classes I will have 23 labs total. They are not hard by any means, just overly time consuming. What I've learned so far is that I should just take 1 class at a time so I can speed through it, opposed to taking 2 classes and focusing on one while falling behind in the other....I am aware that medical school is compared to drinking from a fire hydrant, but the 200th doctor in a graduating class is still a MD, whereas getting a B in chemistry could lower my GPA enough to not even get a look from the school.
My projection was to complete the essential classes in order to start studying for the MCAT around December/January with the goal of taking my first test in March, wait a month for the scores, then study my deficient areas during April, to then test again in early May. This would allow me to apply in June when everything opens up. Then take what remaining classes I have while I wait for a potential interview.
Costs: All the pre-reqs added up are going to cost ~15k in an ATTEMPT to take the MCAT with an even decreased chance of getting in. Also I will be missing out on around $5,200 through the year working one less day a week. I know there are cheaper options, and the way the country is, I'm glad I went with online, because everything has transitioned to it anyways. (Not bragging at all...for once got lucky)
...Side note, I receive a settlement at 30 years old from a car accident I was involved in when I was a child that included the death of my sister and two passengers of the other car (not our fault) - So, all my debt from undergrad/nursing will be zero before medical school, and if I do things right, may have very little debt from school, provided I don't attend a $200k+ school. Fortunate to have the money coming, but would rather have my sister.
Stats: Currently 29yo, would be 31 when I start. PCU nurse for 1 year and 2.5 years SICU. I absolutely love taking care of sick people, figuring out why they're sick, and then trying to fix them. While I think I would be satisfied with CRNA, I decided to pursue becoming a Doctor because the love helping people and knowing why the body responds to what we do. I am a very hard worker and am always asking questions trying to learn the why the patient is sick. If I have an unusually sick patient I'll go home after work and crack open some books/internet and try and see if I can learn why the patient is as sick as they are and what could I do, or help with, that could get the patient better.
I've tried to keep my pursuit somewhat hush among my coworkers, but have confided in a few of the physicians/residents and have received great support so far. I approached the initial physician about wanting to pursue med school and become a Doctor and the first thing he said was "Would you like to go get a coffee outside of work and talk about things" - Very encouraging to me. I also just completed a research project with one of the surgery residents and a pharmacy resident about an interesting trauma topic.
TLDR:
Take the 3 required classes, save money, learning the other classes by studying for the MCAT, and apply to ONE school?
or
Yolo, take all the classes, take MCAT, shoot my shot everywhere.
If you have made it this far down, I appreciate your attention and look forward to reading what you have to say,
Thank you
The MD school I want to apply to suggests having the BCPM courses but requires biochem, genetics, and cell biology. Would it be smarter to just take the those three classes so that way I can just study specifically for the MCAT, or take all of what I'm going to list below so I can apply to more schools? As a small caveat I would be putting all my eggs in one basket (if I only take the three classes, but would be able to study more) and where I work is affiliated with the school and the physicians I talk I associate with also have went/or know people in the school (so I feel getting a LOR from them would benefit in some way).
Currently I am taking classes through UNE online and plan on taking most of my pre-reqs online so I can still work my weekend alt position leaving M-F to complete classes.
In order to fulfill all the pre-reqs for most MD schools I would need to take: Bio 2, Chem 1 (almost 10 years old), Chem 2, Organic 1, Organic 2, Physics 1, Physics 2, and retake Biochem (I got a B- back in 2015 from Harvard's extension school)
I'm currently halfway done with Bio 2 and Chem 1 and feel a bit behind because there's so much busy work with the labs I feel like I can't study/learn anything. Between the two classes I will have 23 labs total. They are not hard by any means, just overly time consuming. What I've learned so far is that I should just take 1 class at a time so I can speed through it, opposed to taking 2 classes and focusing on one while falling behind in the other....I am aware that medical school is compared to drinking from a fire hydrant, but the 200th doctor in a graduating class is still a MD, whereas getting a B in chemistry could lower my GPA enough to not even get a look from the school.
My projection was to complete the essential classes in order to start studying for the MCAT around December/January with the goal of taking my first test in March, wait a month for the scores, then study my deficient areas during April, to then test again in early May. This would allow me to apply in June when everything opens up. Then take what remaining classes I have while I wait for a potential interview.
Costs: All the pre-reqs added up are going to cost ~15k in an ATTEMPT to take the MCAT with an even decreased chance of getting in. Also I will be missing out on around $5,200 through the year working one less day a week. I know there are cheaper options, and the way the country is, I'm glad I went with online, because everything has transitioned to it anyways. (Not bragging at all...for once got lucky)
...Side note, I receive a settlement at 30 years old from a car accident I was involved in when I was a child that included the death of my sister and two passengers of the other car (not our fault) - So, all my debt from undergrad/nursing will be zero before medical school, and if I do things right, may have very little debt from school, provided I don't attend a $200k+ school. Fortunate to have the money coming, but would rather have my sister.
Stats: Currently 29yo, would be 31 when I start. PCU nurse for 1 year and 2.5 years SICU. I absolutely love taking care of sick people, figuring out why they're sick, and then trying to fix them. While I think I would be satisfied with CRNA, I decided to pursue becoming a Doctor because the love helping people and knowing why the body responds to what we do. I am a very hard worker and am always asking questions trying to learn the why the patient is sick. If I have an unusually sick patient I'll go home after work and crack open some books/internet and try and see if I can learn why the patient is as sick as they are and what could I do, or help with, that could get the patient better.
I've tried to keep my pursuit somewhat hush among my coworkers, but have confided in a few of the physicians/residents and have received great support so far. I approached the initial physician about wanting to pursue med school and become a Doctor and the first thing he said was "Would you like to go get a coffee outside of work and talk about things" - Very encouraging to me. I also just completed a research project with one of the surgery residents and a pharmacy resident about an interesting trauma topic.
TLDR:
Take the 3 required classes, save money, learning the other classes by studying for the MCAT, and apply to ONE school?
or
Yolo, take all the classes, take MCAT, shoot my shot everywhere.
If you have made it this far down, I appreciate your attention and look forward to reading what you have to say,
Thank you
- Joined
- Feb 29, 2020
- Messages
- 32
- Reaction score
- 29
DISCLAIMER.... IM NOT AN APPLICANT.... IM JUST BEGINNING TO GET MY CRAP TOGETHER
Based on suggestions I received, these are things I personally would consider:
1. Do not retake sciences you already took especially if you received a C or higher. If you think you need a refresher for MCAT, audit the course instead, but most have suggested simply revisiting the material and refreshing your mind. You run the risk of doing worse in the course the 2nd time around which isn’t helpful.
2. All my pre-reqs are eons old but I’m creating a study guide from syllabi I found online and testifying chem and bio that way along with Khan academy. Then I’ll take the additional courses I need
3. I don’t know about you, but in my nursing program “recommended” pretty much meant to do it, so if it’s recommended to take BCPM in addition to, do it. I would suppose JUST taking the the required classes isn’t enough.
4. If you don’t retake courses, it frees up money to take additional courses
5. Don’t take the MCAT if you don’t feel ready. It’s been suggested to study for at lest a new months but not really more than 4 prior to testing. Med school will be there. Present the best you that you can. Also, like with GPA, many schools look at both attempts and average both attempts. Even if they don’t average, they can see all attempts which means if you do worse the second time, they will see it. You do not want to retake the MCAT if you don’t have to
6. Unless you cannot absolutely move, don’t limit yourself to just one school. Cast the widest net. For you that would mean taking more classes. It also might mean looking at DO programs depending on your overall application
7. The LORs would probably help but definitely don’t count them as a shoe in as Med schools seem very protective of their matriculates stats so a LOR doesn’t seem like it would trump a lower GPA or MCAT and probably not even a bad interview or horrible essays
8. Make sure all schools accept online courses, because they all don’t. I would gather thecurrent transition to online is temporary and once the virus is under control, it will go back to normal. I would gather for schools that want no pre-reqs or courses online, night classes at the local community college would be more acceptable. Yeah the transcripts don’t usually say “online course” but they ‘know the common online schools as well. If online is your ONLY option, make sure your list of schools accept them.
9. Community college is cheaper
10. Working night shift with weekends would give”free” time to take classes on campus during the day if night classes aren’t possible.
11. I plan to take NON pre-reqs online
12. Your sister is still with you cheering you on
This process is nothing like applying to nursing school. In my opinion, it it is infinitely more expensive, complicated, difficult and lengthy. A lot of it relies on doing things right the first time which isn’t very fair when it comes to change of profession people like us....that being said, it is what it is.
My process:
1. Building a study plan for bio, chem and bio chem to restudy the material.
2. Building a study plan to pre-study ochem calc and physics because I need to take them.
3. Create a DIY postbacc program full of upper level sciences
4. Volunteer in my community with a subset that I’m passionate about and fits the mission of my number 1 choice as well as a scholarship program I am looking at. I was going to do research projects but when I called my #1, and told them I was limited in free time since I workFT and take call, they confirmed volunteer work would be preferred. Based on the forums, research is only important to the schools that are research heavy. I’m not planning to apply to any.
5. Start mentor relationships now. I have several MDs and DOs that are absolutely amazing and supportive. They think I’m crazy, but not a single one has told me not to do it. Except for a resident.... she said “ if I could do it over again, I wouldn’t have gone to med school “ ....didn’t have the heart to tell her that based on her performance thus far, I agree that she shouldn’t have either....
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2015
- Messages
- 16
- Reaction score
- 5
Hi everyone. For those who did the ASN to BSN route (getting associates from a community college and finishing the bsn portion online) I need your advice. I plan on taking my online bsn classes and adding in 1 science prerequisite each semester. I am looking at the 5 and 6 semester options. Are BSN classes difficult? I heard they are mostly writing and what not so I assume I can handle a hard science on top of them?
Theavalachesflight22
New Member
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2019
- Messages
- 7
- Reaction score
- 10
So my 2 cents is that while you can focus on obstacles in your way, I highly suggest against it. Yes the costs are enormous, and they will continue to stack up. No one can know where you are with respect to comfort with content. But whatever pathway sets you up to maintain the BEST GPA you can attain, along with setting you up to get the BEST MCAT score you can. Money and everything else is a factor, but if your scores suck then really its all moot. Eventually you will have to take some chances with some things that seem to go against the grain.
Hope this helps and best of luck!
Hope this helps and best of luck!
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2011
- Messages
- 1,690
- Reaction score
- 1,373
1. It sounds like you're wanting to apply to one school? If so, it's not really wise to do so. Majority of applicants apply nationally unless they're really held down by a geographic location.
2. Why the planned retake of the MCAT? Schools want one good score. Multiple attempts are detrimental and hurt your application.
3. With your 3 required courses for that MD school, don't you need the proper bio/chem pre-reqs? I've taken all 3 and they're upper level bio classes at my school.
4. If I understand it correctly, you were going to take the 3 required classes and teach your self all of the chem/phys/some bio by yourself for the MCAT?
hiking2medicine
New Member
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2020
- Messages
- 9
- Reaction score
- 3
Hey everyone, I know I don't exactly fit the thread since I'm not an RN yet but I would greatly appreciate any help!
I am currently about to finish up my 3rd year in a BSN program at a large university in the midwest (not super highly ranked but well-known for medicine and a very competitive/strong nursing program) and I have decided that I 100% want to pursue medical school. I have felt the "tug" of medical school since right after my first year but until now talked myself out of it because I believed I wasn't smart enough. I just got a pre-med advisor and had a meeting with her and have decided the best option for now is to finish my current program and my psych minor and graduate next May as planned because changing my major to bio (or another Arts/sciences degree) at this point would require a lot of different gen-ed classes than the College of Nursing did; and would therefore take longer and be more $$ than finishing my degree + the pre-reqs themselves. I will take applied Calc this summer while working (I am a Patient Care Assistant at a local hospital), and graduate May 2021 but my current dilemma is whether I should take the NCLEX and get an RN job after graduation vs. going straight into a Post-bacc or taking full-time pre-med courses. I know that I want to be a doctor, and I really feel guilty for "taking a spot" in my nursing program already (though I didn't know I wanted to be a doc when I started), and I feel like I would be compounding on that if I took a nurse residency spot too when I would only be planning on keeping that job for a year or so. In my area nursing jobs are competitive for new-grads, and you basically have to do a nurse-residency (full-time, usually a year-long) especially if you want to work in the ICU or a high-acuity med-surg unit. My parents think that I'm crazy for even considering not working as an RN after graduating, but I know that during my first year working full-time, it would be tight even to take one lab science class a semester because as a new-grad I won't be able to necessarily schedule around my classes without any seniority; so it would significantly set back my potential application year.
1) If I were to go back to school full-time immediately after graduation, I could likely finish all the pre-reqs in 3 semesters and work a PRN (very light) schedule at my current job or a similar job, which would allow me to take the MCAT and apply in the 2023 cycle to matriculate 2024 vs. the 2024-25 cycle (at the very earliest).
2) From the research I've done on formal post-bacc programs, if I could get in to one of the more "prestigious" ones with rigorous MCAT prep and advising I might be able to apply in the 2022-2023 cycle
So my question is: work full-time as an RN, try to take classes part-time and make money? Do an informal post-bacc full-time while working a little and apply 2 years after I graduate? Or formal post bacc and possibly get my application done earliest (but most $$$ option)?
My main concern with doing an informal post-bacc full time is trying to find something to do for the "glide year" that would be beneficial, hopefully make some money, and get some more experience. With a formal post-bacc it seems like they have a lot of connections with research positions and things like that and some even have the linkage agreements which would bypass that issue. However, if I work full-time as an RN right after graduation and then go down to part-time after a year or so, that "glide year" I could just work as an RN.
If you read all of this thank you so much, any advice/wisdom would be appreciated. If it helps I'm 20, my GPA is 3.91, I have 1000+ hours of patient-care work experience in addition to clinical, I am a pharm and patho tutor for 2nd year nursing students, and I have a lot of volunteering (no research/physician shadowing though-working on that)
Thank you all!!
I am currently about to finish up my 3rd year in a BSN program at a large university in the midwest (not super highly ranked but well-known for medicine and a very competitive/strong nursing program) and I have decided that I 100% want to pursue medical school. I have felt the "tug" of medical school since right after my first year but until now talked myself out of it because I believed I wasn't smart enough. I just got a pre-med advisor and had a meeting with her and have decided the best option for now is to finish my current program and my psych minor and graduate next May as planned because changing my major to bio (or another Arts/sciences degree) at this point would require a lot of different gen-ed classes than the College of Nursing did; and would therefore take longer and be more $$ than finishing my degree + the pre-reqs themselves. I will take applied Calc this summer while working (I am a Patient Care Assistant at a local hospital), and graduate May 2021 but my current dilemma is whether I should take the NCLEX and get an RN job after graduation vs. going straight into a Post-bacc or taking full-time pre-med courses. I know that I want to be a doctor, and I really feel guilty for "taking a spot" in my nursing program already (though I didn't know I wanted to be a doc when I started), and I feel like I would be compounding on that if I took a nurse residency spot too when I would only be planning on keeping that job for a year or so. In my area nursing jobs are competitive for new-grads, and you basically have to do a nurse-residency (full-time, usually a year-long) especially if you want to work in the ICU or a high-acuity med-surg unit. My parents think that I'm crazy for even considering not working as an RN after graduating, but I know that during my first year working full-time, it would be tight even to take one lab science class a semester because as a new-grad I won't be able to necessarily schedule around my classes without any seniority; so it would significantly set back my potential application year.
1) If I were to go back to school full-time immediately after graduation, I could likely finish all the pre-reqs in 3 semesters and work a PRN (very light) schedule at my current job or a similar job, which would allow me to take the MCAT and apply in the 2023 cycle to matriculate 2024 vs. the 2024-25 cycle (at the very earliest).
2) From the research I've done on formal post-bacc programs, if I could get in to one of the more "prestigious" ones with rigorous MCAT prep and advising I might be able to apply in the 2022-2023 cycle
So my question is: work full-time as an RN, try to take classes part-time and make money? Do an informal post-bacc full-time while working a little and apply 2 years after I graduate? Or formal post bacc and possibly get my application done earliest (but most $$$ option)?
My main concern with doing an informal post-bacc full time is trying to find something to do for the "glide year" that would be beneficial, hopefully make some money, and get some more experience. With a formal post-bacc it seems like they have a lot of connections with research positions and things like that and some even have the linkage agreements which would bypass that issue. However, if I work full-time as an RN right after graduation and then go down to part-time after a year or so, that "glide year" I could just work as an RN.
If you read all of this thank you so much, any advice/wisdom would be appreciated. If it helps I'm 20, my GPA is 3.91, I have 1000+ hours of patient-care work experience in addition to clinical, I am a pharm and patho tutor for 2nd year nursing students, and I have a lot of volunteering (no research/physician shadowing though-working on that)
Thank you all!!
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2014
- Messages
- 5,513
- Reaction score
- 9,518
This is my vote: Do an informal post-bacc full-time while working a little and apply 2 years after I graduate.
(I’m an MS3. My undergrad was an ASN and then a BS in psychology while working 2 12s as an RN on the weekends. I took med school prerequisites simultaneously with my ASN and BS psych. No post-bacc or gap years after college. But given your choices that’s my vote).
hiking2medicine
New Member
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2020
- Messages
- 9
- Reaction score
- 3
Congratulations on med school! It's awesome to hear that it's possible because I already feel a lot of pushback from people with the whole "why not NP/CRNA? thing. Were you able to find an RN job for a "new grad" that was just a 24hr/wk? That's really my biggest concern because doing even one lab science class with a full-time 3 12s/week will be hard with scheduling lab + lecture. Thanks!
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2018
- Messages
- 187
- Reaction score
- 230
I found as job fresh outta nursing school that was 24hr/week while going to school part time. It was pediatric "private duty nursing". Basically home health but in the same patient's house all day, every day. They even let me go back to 12 hr/week when I decided to finish my prereqs full-time. This job is relatively simple that a 2/3rd semester nursing student should do.
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2015
- Messages
- 16
- Reaction score
- 5
I am in almost the exact same dilemma as you, a third-semester ASN student who has decided on medical school. I would take the NCLEX after you finish nursing school because medical school is not a guarantee, and having a backup nursing career is always a good idea since you will be graduating with that degree either way. Just take the NCLEX and become licensed, even if you do not decide to work as an RN while taking pre-med classes. I will be working as an RN because I think it will provide valuable experience, shadowing, clinical, and leadership opportunities, all of which you will need to have on your application anyway. I will be taking my BSN classes online and adding in one pre-med class+lab per semester, and hoping to apply in 2023. The fact that you are working right now during nursing school shows you most likely have the potential to work as an RN while doing your prerequisites.
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2014
- Messages
- 5,513
- Reaction score
- 9,518
I worked as a prison nurse. Hospitals I applied to as well would only take you full time as a new grad. I actually really enjoyed it, but I was also a correctional officer for years before I went to nursing school. No one in my interviews asked me why not NP, but I had an answer semi-ready because I had to make that decision for myself before even getting to that point. I only had one single nurse coworker who said “wow you must hate being a nurse” when he found out I was going to MEDICAL school not NP. Everyone else was encouraging and proud of me. As far as scheduling difficulty, that’s why I worked the weekends. School was dedicated to the week, and work to the weekends. On the weekends, sometimes I worked Friday night and Saturday night, sometimes I did Saturday day and Sunday day. On holiday and semester breaks I picked up extra shifts.
(PS I am a DO 3rd year in case that matters to you.)
hiking2medicine
New Member
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2020
- Messages
- 9
- Reaction score
- 3
That's awesome! We had a correctional nurse come talk to our class last semester, and she was incredible. It's great to hear that your coworkers were supportive for the most part, thanks so much for all your advice! Congrats on med school (I am leaning towards the DO path as well and I am hopefully going to shadow a few DOs when the COVID-19 situation slows down)!
hiking2medicine
New Member
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2020
- Messages
- 9
- Reaction score
- 3
It's good to know I'm not the only one, thanks for the advice- and good luck to you as well! We can do this!
You should absolutely take the NCLEX and work as an RN for at least 1-2 years before applying. I think the ADCOMS would be less forgiving of someone who had not worked as an RN before applying to medical school because it looks like you too easily flip flop and do not have loyalties to your profession which will make it a higher likelihood you won't stay in medicine. A majority of us on this thread have been practicing nurses for >3 years and were able to formulate that story and experiences into our applications. I feel like I had a high level of success because I was able to elaborate on my nursing skills, experience, and how the nursing model will benefit me as a future physician. I also say you should be a nurse because you may fall in love with nursing. Don't be mistaken, being a nurse on your own off of orientation is worlds apart from being a nursing student. You will learn so much and see so much more than you ever would have in clinicals and you will be responsible for making important decisions that can and will effect the treatment of your patients. If you are not satisfied after 2 years of being an RN, I would pursue medicine. I'm going into medicine for my own reasons but not because I don't absolutely love nursing. Nursing in an amazing profession and you won't know that unless you've done it. Nursing schedule is extremely flexible and you can take multiple vacations, I took minimum 4 weeks of vacation a year when I was full time nursing and traveled to many countries around the world. You're only 20, you have much room to grow. Being out of school for a bit, traveling, relaxing will help you to transition into a more mature adult and you will be able to make more grounded decisions which will only benefit you as a medical student/physician.
Last edited:
hiking2medicine
New Member
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2020
- Messages
- 9
- Reaction score
- 3
Thank you so much for your response! I think I will be similar to you in that my reason for desiring medicine is not related to disliking nursing. From what I have seen so far I do love nursing, so I know I will enjoy my time as an RN regardless of whether I end up going into medicine in the end. I know it is mostly the age thing that makes me nervous about practicing for a few years first, but the more I have been reading on SDN I am realizing how little that matters (and I know I am very young)! Congrats on your acceptances- I am sure you will be an incredible doctor!
Thank you, everyone gets there in their own time. If it's at 22, that's awesome, 27, that great too. It seems like a long time, but you'll still have well over 30 years to practice as a physician regardless. Me personally I don't regret how I went about it for a second, after working as a nurse you'll have the best physician-nurse relationship imaginable.
Hi all! Nice to read your stories and your progress.
I am a 24 year old ICU RN. Have my BSN and earned my CCRN. With a year and a half of experience, I have done precepting (already...
), served on my unit's Education committee, taught post cardiac arrest cooling & paralytic administration at skills fair, and am currently training to be a rapid responder (I would show up to the bedside of patients who are deteriorating). With the COVID population steadily growing in our hospital, I will probably be called upon to start actually responding to rapids by myself. Eek.
I have a cGPA of 3.93, having completed a previous bachelor's degree, an accelerated BSN, and several pre reqs done (bio 1&2, gen chem 1&2). Also took genetics and micro. Currently enrolled in Ochem 1 and Precalc at CC while working full time rotating day/night schedule. It is HARD. My sGPA is currently a 4.0 and I hope it will stay close to there. Still need to finish Ochem, physics, and biochem at minimum.
I have 40 hours volunteering in an adult ESOL program, 150 hours hospital volunteering from pre-nursing days, and some other random things I don't think I'll put down because they were not very important to me. I volunteered 8 hours at a remote medical clinic that provided free services to those in rural areas, and plan to do as many more as I can because it was awesome.
In my first bachelor's degree I studied music so I was involved in many ensembles and taught kids at music summer camps. I even won some competitions. Really that's just more of an interesting tidbit that might make adcoms remember me. But it did play a huge role in character development for me, too.
My biggest fear is that I simply do not have much control over my nursing schedule, especially with a rotating day/night schedule, which makes it hard to get consistent ECs on board. I am actively lobbying to get a day shift position though, and I am close!
I hope to apply next year (2021), but realize I may need to push that back a year depending on if I can get shadowing and strengthen my ECs. Oh yeah, and the MCAT....
Anyways, I love to hear about how others are navigating this process! Give me all the details!!! Best of luck to you all-- look forward to talking more.
I am a 24 year old ICU RN. Have my BSN and earned my CCRN. With a year and a half of experience, I have done precepting (already...
), served on my unit's Education committee, taught post cardiac arrest cooling & paralytic administration at skills fair, and am currently training to be a rapid responder (I would show up to the bedside of patients who are deteriorating). With the COVID population steadily growing in our hospital, I will probably be called upon to start actually responding to rapids by myself. Eek.I have a cGPA of 3.93, having completed a previous bachelor's degree, an accelerated BSN, and several pre reqs done (bio 1&2, gen chem 1&2). Also took genetics and micro. Currently enrolled in Ochem 1 and Precalc at CC while working full time rotating day/night schedule. It is HARD. My sGPA is currently a 4.0 and I hope it will stay close to there. Still need to finish Ochem, physics, and biochem at minimum.
I have 40 hours volunteering in an adult ESOL program, 150 hours hospital volunteering from pre-nursing days, and some other random things I don't think I'll put down because they were not very important to me. I volunteered 8 hours at a remote medical clinic that provided free services to those in rural areas, and plan to do as many more as I can because it was awesome.
In my first bachelor's degree I studied music so I was involved in many ensembles and taught kids at music summer camps. I even won some competitions. Really that's just more of an interesting tidbit that might make adcoms remember me. But it did play a huge role in character development for me, too.
My biggest fear is that I simply do not have much control over my nursing schedule, especially with a rotating day/night schedule, which makes it hard to get consistent ECs on board. I am actively lobbying to get a day shift position though, and I am close!
I hope to apply next year (2021), but realize I may need to push that back a year depending on if I can get shadowing and strengthen my ECs. Oh yeah, and the MCAT....
Anyways, I love to hear about how others are navigating this process! Give me all the details!!! Best of luck to you all-- look forward to talking more.
Hello all, I have been following this thread for a while now. I initially posted after finishing first semester of nursing school and was unsure if I wanted to continue with nursing school or pursue medical school. During research, I found that not having a green card (Visa holder here with work permit, I am eligible to apply for a green card next month actually) was going to be an issue to pursue medical school so I stuck with nursing as it could provide me a job that is reliable/versatile and I figured I could be satisfied. However, as I progressed through the nursing curriculum something was missing. I missed the hard sciences. Often, I would find myself studying the pathophysiology of disease process at a level that was not required.
Fast forward to now, I am 25 years old. I graduated nursing school December 2019. Since then, I have passed NCLEX-RN and have been working nights in a Medical ICU at a large level 1 trauma center in New Orleans, LA.
I started nursing school with a 3.9 GPA, but nursing school had a big impact on GPA as life happened and was also working a full time and a PRN job to pay for my own tuition, as I did not qualify for financial aid due to citizenship issues and cost of living. I graduated with 3.157 cumulative GPA (I def have to do some GPA repair) and right now my sGPA is a 3.7. I have taken General Bio 1 w/ Lab. General chemistry 1 w/ lab, Microbiology ( not science version, but for healthcare professionals ), Genetics, A&P 1 and 2 with labs.
So, I now find myself researching school again and I find myself still wanting to apply to medical school. It is something I have always wanted to do, so this is me allowing myself that opportunity.
I don't know if it would be best for me to complete an RN to BSN program as I did an ADN program and do a DIY pre-med program while completing RN to BSN OR pursue a BS in Biology to fulfill pre-med requirements and also allow me to take some elective, upper level bio courses.
Fast forward to now, I am 25 years old. I graduated nursing school December 2019. Since then, I have passed NCLEX-RN and have been working nights in a Medical ICU at a large level 1 trauma center in New Orleans, LA.
I started nursing school with a 3.9 GPA, but nursing school had a big impact on GPA as life happened and was also working a full time and a PRN job to pay for my own tuition, as I did not qualify for financial aid due to citizenship issues and cost of living. I graduated with 3.157 cumulative GPA (I def have to do some GPA repair) and right now my sGPA is a 3.7. I have taken General Bio 1 w/ Lab. General chemistry 1 w/ lab, Microbiology ( not science version, but for healthcare professionals ), Genetics, A&P 1 and 2 with labs.
So, I now find myself researching school again and I find myself still wanting to apply to medical school. It is something I have always wanted to do, so this is me allowing myself that opportunity.
I don't know if it would be best for me to complete an RN to BSN program as I did an ADN program and do a DIY pre-med program while completing RN to BSN OR pursue a BS in Biology to fulfill pre-med requirements and also allow me to take some elective, upper level bio courses.
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2018
- Messages
- 409
- Reaction score
- 1,077
If you know you want to go to medical school, definitely just get a BA or BS in biology and knock out the prerequisites. They truly don’t care what your undergrad degree is in, they care about your GPA. That’s my advice anyway!
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2018
- Messages
- 187
- Reaction score
- 230
I don't know how much college credits you have but some medical schools just require 90 hours and NOT a B.S. degree (tho they do give preference to those who do have one). Depending on how much credits you have, I think I would just complete only the premed prereqs for the schools you wish to go to as well as those you need for the MCAT. If your GPA can reach above a 3.4/3.5 (assuming you can move your GPA that much if you don't have many credits), that will be enough to apply to lower-tier schools and DO ( crushing your MCAT will give you even more flexibility). However, with a low GPA like that, you may need to take some upper level bio courses to show your strength in the sciences; so stick with the Bio major route. Just know you don't have to finish your degree.
absolutely agree with you. I have 98 credits right now. I will look into this option, but given that my cumulative gpa is low, I think I’m going to enroll in an uní as a BS in bio major that way I can take more upper level bio courses and also that way I can take additional classes to further help me paid my GPA some.
Nice to see that RN are making the steps to go to med school. I was the in the same position 8 yrs ago. You will find people (most likely your colleagues) that will try to dissuade you. Do NOT listen to them!
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2020
- Messages
- 10
- Reaction score
- 4
Hey guys, as like most of you, I am attempting to make this transition from nursing to medicine. I have a couple of questions and would appreciate any input or advice.
A little about myself: 25 year old Hispanic male, RN for the last three years. I've worked a year in neuro ICU, 1.5 years PCU, 6 months telemetry+pulmonary med surge. 3.2 cgpa, 3.5 sgpa (BSN classes beat my gpa up getting three C's). plan on taking the MCAT next spring, and applying broadly MD+DO the next cycle. I have organic chem 1+2, and biochem left to complete before I can apply.
1. Letters of recommendation: I figured I would start getting in touch with people who would be willing to write me a letter of recommendation for next application cycle. So far I have two former nursing managers, one chief nursing officer of the last hospital I worked at that agreed to write one. I will ask for one from the DO I will be shadowing once COVID-19 blows over. I know med schools like to see one from a science faculty member; so I reached out to two professors from nursing school and neither one of them were supportive of my choice to make this transition and declined to write LOR. Of course they both asked "Why not NP!?!?!". Has anyone else had a similar experience? Has anyone had success asking for one from a nursing school professor? If so how did you go about asking them? I intend to ask another instructor who I was close with, but possibly approach the question a different way. I could ask for one from my more recent general chemistry professor, or wait until organic chemistry next semester and ask that professor. I just do not feel like those professors know me as well as the ones from nursing school do, even though it has been more than three years since I was in nursing school.
2. Personal statements: All of us making this transition from nursing to medicine have our reasons of WHY. I am currently in the process of getting my thoughts together to write a personal statement, but I am having a difficult time articulating how I admire the autonomy the physician has and just having the hunger to learn more about medicine that nursing will not satisfy. I know this is a question that will be brought up in interviews if/when the time comes, and I want to be prepared. What are some of your reasons that influenced your decision to pursue medicine? Why not NP/PA? Any cool story that defined the moment you knew you wanted to pursue medicine? I really just want to pick everyone's brain and see how they approached these questions.
Thanks for taking the time to read, and I appreciate your input.
Good luck to everyone applying this cycle, looking forward to reading your success stories for some motivation!
A little about myself: 25 year old Hispanic male, RN for the last three years. I've worked a year in neuro ICU, 1.5 years PCU, 6 months telemetry+pulmonary med surge. 3.2 cgpa, 3.5 sgpa (BSN classes beat my gpa up getting three C's). plan on taking the MCAT next spring, and applying broadly MD+DO the next cycle. I have organic chem 1+2, and biochem left to complete before I can apply.
1. Letters of recommendation: I figured I would start getting in touch with people who would be willing to write me a letter of recommendation for next application cycle. So far I have two former nursing managers, one chief nursing officer of the last hospital I worked at that agreed to write one. I will ask for one from the DO I will be shadowing once COVID-19 blows over. I know med schools like to see one from a science faculty member; so I reached out to two professors from nursing school and neither one of them were supportive of my choice to make this transition and declined to write LOR. Of course they both asked "Why not NP!?!?!". Has anyone else had a similar experience? Has anyone had success asking for one from a nursing school professor? If so how did you go about asking them? I intend to ask another instructor who I was close with, but possibly approach the question a different way. I could ask for one from my more recent general chemistry professor, or wait until organic chemistry next semester and ask that professor. I just do not feel like those professors know me as well as the ones from nursing school do, even though it has been more than three years since I was in nursing school.
2. Personal statements: All of us making this transition from nursing to medicine have our reasons of WHY. I am currently in the process of getting my thoughts together to write a personal statement, but I am having a difficult time articulating how I admire the autonomy the physician has and just having the hunger to learn more about medicine that nursing will not satisfy. I know this is a question that will be brought up in interviews if/when the time comes, and I want to be prepared. What are some of your reasons that influenced your decision to pursue medicine? Why not NP/PA? Any cool story that defined the moment you knew you wanted to pursue medicine? I really just want to pick everyone's brain and see how they approached these questions.
Thanks for taking the time to read, and I appreciate your input.
Good luck to everyone applying this cycle, looking forward to reading your success stories for some motivation!
@RN2physician
I had similar experience when a nursing professor told me she was going to write me an LOR, but when I reached out to her by email several times, she never replied back.
I was lucky that I was very close on my gen chem1 professor. She wrote me a great letter from the feed back I had during interviews. My experience during that process was, nurse colleagues were not very supportive. On the contrary, physicians that I worked with were very supportive and few offered to write me LOR. It's not difficult to get LOR from science professors as long as you get A/A- in their class, chit/chat with them a few times after class and go to their office hours a few times.
I attended 3 interviews (2MD and 1 DO) and none asked me why not NP... Of course, they all asked me why medicine.
I had similar experience when a nursing professor told me she was going to write me an LOR, but when I reached out to her by email several times, she never replied back.
I was lucky that I was very close on my gen chem1 professor. She wrote me a great letter from the feed back I had during interviews. My experience during that process was, nurse colleagues were not very supportive. On the contrary, physicians that I worked with were very supportive and few offered to write me LOR. It's not difficult to get LOR from science professors as long as you get A/A- in their class, chit/chat with them a few times after class and go to their office hours a few times.
I attended 3 interviews (2MD and 1 DO) and none asked me why not NP... Of course, they all asked me why medicine.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2020
- Messages
- 10
- Reaction score
- 4
I appreciate the response. Looks like i'll be making the extra effort to establish a relationship with my organic chem professor this summer and see if I can get a LOR out of them later on. Glad things worked out for you.
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2014
- Messages
- 5,513
- Reaction score
- 9,518
I did get one from a nursing professor. I chose her wisely. We had a good relationship and she was very... on point. She didn’t ramble on about politics and “heart of a nurse” type stuff. I had her in various capacities throughout my program. I reached out to her by email about it, and then we set up an appointment time for me to come see her.
In my personal statement I didn’t compare and contrast NP, I just talked about my journey/decision to be a doctor, which obviously partially included being a nurse.
I was never asked why not NP/PA in any interview. I was asked why DO which again I answered from a pure “why physician” perspective not a “why not NP, PA, or MD” (I only got interviews at DO schools).
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2012
- Messages
- 108
- Reaction score
- 121
Im applying this cycle and was able to get one from the director of my nursing program and a physics teacher without any issue. I havent been in school for years but like the above poster said get an A and participate and it shouldnt be an issue.
Definitely do try and get that letter from the organic chem teacher, many medical schools do not view nursing as science and I don't feel like a recommendation letter from a nursing professor would help, it could really only serve to hurt you if it's not a very strong letter. If you're looking to apply next cycle then definitely see if your school offers a chance to interview for a "committee letter". Many medical schools would prefer a committee letter from your school rather than individual letters. Usually the committee will want 2-3 letters of recommendation and your personal statement which is good because it forces you to write it ahead of time so you'll have plenty of time to polish it by the time you apply. Truthfully with your GPA (and without a known MCAT) your best best is DO. I had a 3.8 cumulative GPA, 4.0 science GPA but my MCAT was bad and received 0 MD interviews albeit 3 DO acceptances including my in state DO school. As much as MD schools like to say they are holistic, without a 510 MCAT your chances are as good as anyone else. DO schools love nurses or at least that was the impression I got on my interviews as they all honed in on that immediately in a positive way. If you're not scoring at least 505 on your practice MCAT's I absolutely advise you do not sit for the exam. Do take biochem before the MCAT. I didn't, I self studied and bombed it big time. I'm taking biochem now as a prerequisite for my med school and feel like the MCAT would have been much easier with the knowledge that I have now.
As far as why not NP (which btw I was never asked in my interviews but did prepare for) is because NP's are taught from a nursing model. I want to know the science behind the treatments so that I can more adequately provide for my patients. As nurses we take care of 3-6 patients per shift but as a physician I would be able to ultimately heal and treat more people. It's also good to really think about and write down patient experiences you have as you go because MMI interviews which are scenario based you'll never be able to talk about yourself but you'll have to elaborate on some random question and tie it back into your experiences i.e. patient advocacy, identifying barriers to care, etc etc.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2012
- Messages
- 53
- Reaction score
- 120
Hey guys, does any admitted student want to volunteer to proofread my personal statement. I'm hoping it'd be my last draft before application opens next week.
I'm glad to hear you say this. My partner is an NP and believes that nursing experience + NP school puts him and NP's on par with physicians. I believe that NP's have their place, but to say that their knowledge is equivalent to that of physicians is a fallacy and dangerous. You're right, there is no short cut to medicine and I believe that's why most of us are here.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2018
- Messages
- 187
- Reaction score
- 230
Hello all, I will be applying this summer after I take my MCAT in July. I just had a quick question about my science gpa.
Before I started nursing school, I took the nursing pre-reqs of Microbiolgy (Not for Biology Majors) and A&P 1&2. I don't know if those classes will be considered for my sGPA or overall. At my university, only pre-nursing students take the 2-semester A&P course and the certain Micro class I took is for allied health students (NO bio-majors; there is another Microbiology class that Bio majors take). This is the course description. Could anyone who dealt with this situation give me any advice? These classes are both taught by the Biology department and not nursing department.
BIO 2451. Human Anatomy and Physiology I.
Part I of a two semester course on the structure and function of the human body. Designed specifically to prepare students for nursing and other health professions.
BIO 2440. Principles of Microbiology.
The Basic Principles of microbiology, morphology, physiology, immunology and the relationship of microorganisms to diseases. This course is designed primarily to meet the requirements for students in allied health sciences and other programs requiring only one semester of microbiology. This course may not be credited toward a biology major or minor.
Before I started nursing school, I took the nursing pre-reqs of Microbiolgy (Not for Biology Majors) and A&P 1&2. I don't know if those classes will be considered for my sGPA or overall. At my university, only pre-nursing students take the 2-semester A&P course and the certain Micro class I took is for allied health students (NO bio-majors; there is another Microbiology class that Bio majors take). This is the course description. Could anyone who dealt with this situation give me any advice? These classes are both taught by the Biology department and not nursing department.
BIO 2451. Human Anatomy and Physiology I.
Part I of a two semester course on the structure and function of the human body. Designed specifically to prepare students for nursing and other health professions.
BIO 2440. Principles of Microbiology.
The Basic Principles of microbiology, morphology, physiology, immunology and the relationship of microorganisms to diseases. This course is designed primarily to meet the requirements for students in allied health sciences and other programs requiring only one semester of microbiology. This course may not be credited toward a biology major or minor.
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2014
- Messages
- 5,513
- Reaction score
- 9,518
They will definitely count as science courses and towards your science GPA. However, if a school has strict prerequisites for those subjects then it won’t count as fulfilling them. But those aren’t usually mandated courses, and schools have overall moved away from strict prerequisites in general.
It's really school dependent. You should call the schools you are interested in, several of the schools I applied to DID NOT accept my nursing bio courses because they were for allied health/pharmacy. My bio requirement was met through taking Biology 1/2, genetics and physiology for biology majors. Even if they do accept them, my medical school likes to see applications with at least 16+ hours of biology related courses because it shows you can handle the rigors of medical school whereas "allied health" courses are considered to be watered down versions (which I actually don't agree with, but that's what I had heard from an ADCOM).
Hi everyone,
I'm an RN and I'm starting my career changer post-bac program next week. Classes are online for the time being, and only three days a week. In my mind, it seems like I should have adequate time to balance both working three 12s (night shift) while taking my classes, but obviously I won't know until I start. I know some people have done this per this thread, but I just wanted to see if anyone else could share their experience working while taking courses full time. I'm taking gen chem 1 and calculus this summer, if that matters. Thanks!
I'm an RN and I'm starting my career changer post-bac program next week. Classes are online for the time being, and only three days a week. In my mind, it seems like I should have adequate time to balance both working three 12s (night shift) while taking my classes, but obviously I won't know until I start. I know some people have done this per this thread, but I just wanted to see if anyone else could share their experience working while taking courses full time. I'm taking gen chem 1 and calculus this summer, if that matters. Thanks!
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2018
- Messages
- 187
- Reaction score
- 230
I know you said they are summer classes but how many weeks are they? For example, my school does 5-week minimesters for Summer 1 & Summer 2 so the amount of information learned in that time period is crazy fast. If your class span a longer period, you will have more time to study and able to manage your time way better and work as well. Does your Chem class have a lab component as well? (those are known to be time wasters too). But I would definately brush up on Gen Chem 1 material as well as Calculus topics so you enter the course at full speed.
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2018
- Messages
- 409
- Reaction score
- 1,077
You’re gonna be busy! An important thing I tell everyone is that GPA matters a lot, so it’s better to go slow and get all A’s than to rush and get Bs and C’s!
And don’t forget to use tuition reimbursement if you can!
Summer semester at this school is 8-weeks long! I'm sure it's going to fly by. Yup, gen chem 1 with lab. Our instructors have given us some resources to review before starting the course and I'm shocked at how much material I have forgotten since taking chemistry and calculus in high school.
Haha I'm trying to mentally prepare for the stress to come now. Some friends have told me that two science classes should be relatively manageable on top of work, so I'm hoping what they say is correct. Unfortunately my hospital only provides tuition assistance if you attend their affiliated university.. which I am not.
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2018
- Messages
- 187
- Reaction score
- 230
Yeah I would spend 1-2 hours everyday leading up to your summer class going over basic chem stuff (difference between protons/neutrons/electrons, how to read a periodic table & trends, how to calculate moles given grams of a molecule, etc). That way, you are super refreshed and you will automatically soak up everything your professor says like a sponge instead of being overwhelmed when your summer classes start. I've never taken calc but I suppose the same gameplan would work. That is what I do for all my chem classes and its worked out great for me. Goodluck !
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2017
- Messages
- 1,608
- Reaction score
- 2,964
I just wanted to come somewhere that people would understand the disappointment I felt when I applied for “Retired CCRN” certification today so I can hang onto it a while longer. I haven’t worked since before DO school so I didn’t meet the practice requirements to renew.
I guess that part of my life is really over now. It’s weird to think about, and painful since I was really proud of that CCRN certification!
Good luck to everyone applying this year or starting their prereqs. You guys can do this.
I guess that part of my life is really over now. It’s weird to think about, and painful since I was really proud of that CCRN certification!
Good luck to everyone applying this year or starting their prereqs. You guys can do this.
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2015
- Messages
- 160
- Reaction score
- 90
They were time-consuming although not hard. If you plan to work also, doing a hard science may be pushing it. Getting A’s is very important - whatever you choose to do, make sure you get A’s.
