RN to MD

[TR Grant]

Hello All,

I was just curious what people's thoughts were regarding the transition from RN to Med school. Any suggestions for strengthening one's med school application? This post is a bit long-winded, but I'd like to paint the full picture for you all, so stick with me!

Just a little history about myself... I graduated from St Joe's college of Nursing with my RN and LeMoyne in Syracuse with my BSN. I worked as a floor nurse at SUNY Upstate Medical University for about two years. I now work at a community hospital here in my home town (UVM Health Network CVPH Campus) as a critical care nurse. I am also taking my pre med courses at SUNY Plattsburgh... As of right now I have a 3.91 GPA with Bio 101, Genetics, Orgo I, and Gen Chem I and II. I still have about a year and a half of courses, plus the MCATS. I'm hoping to keep this kind of positive momentum!

My combined nursing school and BSN GPA was substandard at 3.37 . That said, I plan on shadowing surgeons at the larger hospital in Burlington VT near me, as well as racking up some volunteer hours and attending a week long mission trip to Nicaragua to provide basic medical care to the underserved. I'm hoping to include the upward trend as far as my grades in college in my application essays, and hopefully draw attention to the fact that I really buckled down and worked hard. I also think it will help having what will be 5 years of critical care nursing experience when all is said and done.

Either way, I'm curious what some of your experiences have been with this type of career change. Let me know what you guys think.

Best Regards,
Tyler RN, BSN, TCRN, CEN

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[vm26]

Hello All,

I was just curious what people's thoughts were regarding the transition from RN to Med school. Any suggestions for strengthening one's med school application? This post is a bit long-winded, but I'd like to paint the full picture for you all, so stick with me!

Just a little history about myself... I graduated from St Joe's college of Nursing with my RN and LeMoyne in Syracuse with my BSN. I worked as a floor nurse at SUNY Upstate Medical University for about two years. I now work at a community hospital here in my home town (UVM Health Network CVPH Campus) as a critical care nurse. I am also taking my pre med courses at SUNY Plattsburgh... As of right now I have a 3.91 GPA with Bio 101, Genetics, Orgo I, and Gen Chem I and II. I still have about a year and a half of courses, plus the MCATS. I'm hoping to keep this kind of positive momentum!

My combined nursing school and BSN GPA was substandard at 3.37 . That said, I plan on shadowing surgeons at the larger hospital in Burlington VT near me, as well as racking up some volunteer hours and attending a week long mission trip to Nicaragua to provide basic medical care to the underserved. I'm hoping to include the upward trend as far as my grades in college in my application essays, and hopefully draw attention to the fact that I really buckled down and worked hard. I also think it will help having what will be 5 years of critical care nursing experience when all is said and done.

Either way, I'm curious what some of your experiences have been with this type of career change. Let me know what you guys think.

Best Regards,
Tyler RN, BSN, TCRN, CEN

I did PT to MD. Do well on the MCATS and you're fine....med school however is a huge emotional/financial drain, if you're interested in primary care why not consider NP? CRNA also seems like a very good gig as of now

 

[Newtonian21]

Hello All,

I was just curious what people's thoughts were regarding the transition from RN to Med school. Any suggestions for strengthening one's med school application? This post is a bit long-winded, but I'd like to paint the full picture for you all, so stick with me!

Just a little history about myself... I graduated from St Joe's college of Nursing with my RN and LeMoyne in Syracuse with my BSN. I worked as a floor nurse at SUNY Upstate Medical University for about two years. I now work at a community hospital here in my home town (UVM Health Network CVPH Campus) as a critical care nurse. I am also taking my pre med courses at SUNY Plattsburgh... As of right now I have a 3.91 GPA with Bio 101, Genetics, Orgo I, and Gen Chem I and II. I still have about a year and a half of courses, plus the MCATS. I'm hoping to keep this kind of positive momentum!

My combined nursing school and BSN GPA was substandard at 3.37 . That said, I plan on shadowing surgeons at the larger hospital in Burlington VT near me, as well as racking up some volunteer hours and attending a week long mission trip to Nicaragua to provide basic medical care to the underserved. I'm hoping to include the upward trend as far as my grades in college in my application essays, and hopefully draw attention to the fact that I really buckled down and worked hard. I also think it will help having what will be 5 years of critical care nursing experience when all is said and done.

Either way, I'm curious what some of your experiences have been with this type of career change. Let me know what you guys think.

Best Regards,
Tyler RN, BSN, TCRN, CEN

Do well on the MCAT and apply. Don't overkill yourself. You'll be fine!

 

[Lovescience1]

Hello All,

I was just curious what people's thoughts were regarding the transition from RN to Med school. Any suggestions for strengthening one's med school application? This post is a bit long-winded, but I'd like to paint the full picture for you all, so stick with me!

Just a little history about myself... I graduated from St Joe's college of Nursing with my RN and LeMoyne in Syracuse with my BSN. I worked as a floor nurse at SUNY Upstate Medical University for about two years. I now work at a community hospital here in my home town (UVM Health Network CVPH Campus) as a critical care nurse. I am also taking my pre med courses at SUNY Plattsburgh... As of right now I have a 3.91 GPA with Bio 101, Genetics, Orgo I, and Gen Chem I and II. I still have about a year and a half of courses, plus the MCATS. I'm hoping to keep this kind of positive momentum!

My combined nursing school and BSN GPA was substandard at 3.37 . That said, I plan on shadowing surgeons at the larger hospital in Burlington VT near me, as well as racking up some volunteer hours and attending a week long mission trip to Nicaragua to provide basic medical care to the underserved. I'm hoping to include the upward trend as far as my grades in college in my application essays, and hopefully draw attention to the fact that I really buckled down and worked hard. I also think it will help having what will be 5 years of critical care nursing experience when all is said and done.

Either way, I'm curious what some of your experiences have been with this type of career change. Let me know what you guys think.

Best Regards,
Tyler RN, BSN, TCRN, CEN

Hi,
Sounds like you are on the right track, keep moving forward and you will be fine! I have a question to ask. I'm an RN working on my BSN right now (as DNP is my back up plan). I am planning on starting my pre-med courses in Fall 17. Are you taking your classes at a community college or university? My priority is getting good grades, saving for med school, and avoiding as debt as possible (also the reason why I became a nurse first). However, I've looked at a couple private universities in the area and the tuition is out-righteous, so expensive. I can't afford to pay out of pocket for these classes, unless I take them at a community college. Another option is I pursued a second baccalaureate degree, like biology, which can cover all pre-med courses and I could qualify for some aids perhaps. Thank you for your time.

 

[TR Grant]

Hi,
Sounds like you are on the right track, keep moving forward and you will be fine! I have a question to ask. I'm an RN working on my BSN right now (as DNP is my back up plan). I am planning on starting my pre-med courses in Fall 17. Are you taking your classes at a community college or university? My priority is getting good grades, saving for med school, and avoiding as debt as possible (also the reason why I became a nurse first). However, I've looked at a couple private universities in the area and the tuition is out-righteous, so expensive. I can't afford to pay out of pocket for these classes, unless I take them at a community college. Another option is I pursued a second baccalaureate degree, like biology, which can cover all pre-med courses and I could qualify for some aids perhaps. Thank you for your time.

Hello,

First off, I would finish the BSN despite the cost. Just in case things don't work out with med school, this degree provides a door to numerous advanced practice nurse roles, (CRNA, NP.. Etc)

Also, I'm under the assumption that most med schools will not take community college credit. So unfortunately you're probably stuck with a little more debt. I'm going to a state school right now for my pre reqs and saving a boat-load of cash. ( I went to a private institution for my BSN, $40,000 per year, ouch!)

Ultimately, a BSN to med school transition should contain the primary MCAT courses , 2 semesters of BIO Physics, orgo, gen chem, one semester of Biochem, and statistics.. Some schools want a semester of calc too. Ace the MCATs, and with your nursing experience you should be set. Of course it doesn't hurt to take some extra courses to make yourself more competitive! ( I'm taking genetics, cell bio, neurobio, histology, medical microbiology, and biology of aging)

Best of luck to you in whichever path you choose! Just remember why your doing it in the first place, and that should be all the motivation you need to push through!

Best Regards,
Tyler RN, BSN, TCRN, CEN

 

[backside_attack]

MCAT = singular (pet peeve of mine)

Why do you keep signing everything with your credentials? We get it. You work in nursing.

To your original points:

There's a fairly active RN to MD thread in this subforum and you'll probably get some good wisdom from those who have made it through to med school and out. I'd recommend browsing through it!

Also, as for strengthening your app: often medical mission trips are seen as "voluntourism" and can be taken neutrally or even negatively. Find a way to impact your community where you are, like volunteering at a free clinic and using your nursing degree to help your community. I'm not saying don't go to Nicaragua, but don't make it the focal point of your application (I wouldn't list it as one of your top 3 meaningful experiences in AMCAS, for instance).

 

[TR Grant]

Backside_Attack,


You have a valid point with the "voluntourism" notion. I wouldn't make it a focal point obviously, but I agree that volunteering in the community is essential.

I'll be sure to check out the RN to MD thread as well.

Thank you for your advice, and correction with the "MCAT" instead of "MCATs"

However, I worked very hard to earn these nursing certifications. Regardless of how insignificant or redundant they may seem to you please refrain from lecturing me about my own use of certifications after my name.

Best,
Tyler

 

[backside_attack]

Backside_Attack,


You have a valid point with the "voluntourism" notion. I wouldn't make it a focal point obviously, but I agree that volunteering in the community is essential.

I'll be sure to check out the RN to MD thread as well.

Thank you for your advice, and correction with the "MCAT" instead of "MCATs"

However, I worked very hard to earn these nursing certifications. Regardless of how insignificant or redundant they may seem to you please refrain from lecturing me about my own use of certifications after my name.

Best,
Tyler

I'm not lecturing you. I just think it's overkill on a site full of healthcare professionals. Also it reduces your anonymity by a TON.

 

[Lovescience1]

Hello,

First off, I would finish the BSN despite the cost. Just in case things don't work out with med school, this degree provides a door to numerous advanced practice nurse roles, (CRNA, NP.. Etc)

Also, I'm under the assumption that most med schools will not take community college credit. So unfortunately you're probably stuck with a little more debt. I'm going to a state school right now for my pre reqs and saving a boat-load of cash. ( I went to a private institution for my BSN, $40,000 per year, ouch!)

Ultimately, a BSN to med school transition should contain the primary MCAT courses , 2 semesters of BIO Physics, orgo, gen chem, one semester of Biochem, and statistics.. Some schools want a semester of calc too. Ace the MCATs, and with your nursing experience you should be set. Of course it doesn't hurt to take some extra courses to make yourself more competitive! ( I'm taking genetics, cell bio, neurobio, histology, medical microbiology, and biology of aging)

Best of luck to you in whichever path you choose! Just remember why your doing it in the first place, and that should be all the motivation you need to push through!

Best Regards,
Tyler RN, BSN, TCRN, CEN

Yes, of course my plan is finishing my BSN as a back up plan. I'll keep in mind about CC courses; I have received different opinions about CC vs university prerequisites. My question is more about how to enroll in a state school to only take pre-med courses instead of pursuing a degree. For example, mine where I'm getting my BSN is a state school, but they have restrictions on how many credits I can take during my time here. This is to ensure graduation rates. I could always come back as a non-matriculant student, but then I might have a hard time registering for classes because the science ones fill up fast. I guess I would just keep looking around and perhaps talk to the admission committee about this. Thank you for your time.

 

[Jgreen44]

@backside_attack watch this video hahaha:

 

[TR Grant]

@backside_attack watch this video hahaha:

Lol, this is somewhat accurate unfortunately....

Check this out,

 

[TR Grant]

Yes, of course my plan is finishing my BSN as a back up plan. I'll keep in mind about CC courses; I have received different opinions about CC vs university prerequisites. My question is more about how to enroll in a state school to only take pre-med courses instead of pursuing a degree. For example, mine where I'm getting my BSN is a state school, but they have restrictions on how many credits I can take during my time here. This is to ensure graduation rates. I could always come back as a non-matriculant student, but then I might have a hard time registering for classes because the science ones fill up fast. I guess I would just keep looking around and perhaps talk to the admission committee about this. Thank you for your time.

I'm actually enrolled as a traditional bio major at my university, I'm just going to take the required courses and not graduate. I really don't have any problem registering for classes. My adviser here recommended I do this, even though it can alter the graduation rates.

Try and see if you can enroll as a student with a new major and just transfer the previously earned credit. You shouldn't have a hard time registering, and I definitely wouldn't be a non-matriculated student as you will probably have last pick for courses.

 

[raewants2beadoc]

@backside_attack watch this video hahaha:

oh my

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