RN to MD

[DMC1796]

Hello,

I have been looking around in these forums for a while, but haven't quite figured everything out yet on my journey from RN to MD. Background on me, I always wanted to be a physician, but never had the confidence. I originally started college at 22, didn't show up to classes and didn't drop out, so I had many Fs my first semester, I then didnt re-enroll immediately. This was due to being a single dad who worked full time, I also was not educated or given proper direction to how college works. Come from a family of 9, but I am the only one to graduate college and am first generation, my parents were high school dropouts and were opposed to me going to college because I "Was not smart enough". I joined the Air Force at 23 for the GI bill, and got out at 27, but am still in the reserves, I was an EMT (4N0x1) and became an LPN. at 27, I went to CC and became an RN. I worked full time during my RN school, never studied once, passed all my classes with a 3.1GPA. I built confidence throughout the RN program and in the last semester I realized that becoming a physician may be possible for me. I entered an RN-BSN program and got a 4.0, bumping me to a cGPA of 3.4. For MD school, I need chem 1/2, phys 1/2, orgo chem 1/2, and biochem. I am taking chemistry and physics right now and am sitting at a 97% in both classes after my midterms. I think I can 4.0 my postbacc, but I am still not sure if thats enough to raise my GPA to be competitive. I am also considering DO school as well. My main reason for being here is I am wondering if I can do a post-bacc while "declaring" a degree. I want to declare a degree so I can continue to use my GI bill. I will also take any advice. Thanks a lot for reading this long post!

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[karaya]

How much GI bill do you have left? You should save it for med school--it will be more expensive. Don't declare a degree for postbac, that's small fish. Otherwise, you're headed the right way. Fair warning to you: med school is dramatically harder. Like you, I breezed thru a 4.0 postbac. Now in M1, every block is like studying for the MCAT all over again.

 

[DMC1796]

How much GI bill do you have left? You should save it for med school--it will be more expensive. Don't declare a degree for postbac, that's small fish. Otherwise, you're headed the right way. Fair warning to you: med school is dramatically harder. Like you, I breezed thru a 4.0 postbac. Now in M1, every block is like studying for the MCAT all over again.

I have 18 months left, and I opted for MGIB instead of post 9/11 because when I joined I never thought Id go to grad school, so MGIB made more sense at the time. I figured Id use MGIB now because if I dont get into a med school, then I dont think Id have any use for the remainder of the GI bill and then it would be kind of wasted. Were you also an RN turned MD student? I feel I could use that as a strength during an interview, but do have concerns about my undergrad GPA even getting me into an interview in the first place.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Here's a post from @Goro about GPA issues:

Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

So you want to be a doctor, but your GPA is terrible. Is that the end? Rule #1: Take a deep breath, and stop fussing. The sky is not falling. But you are going to need to reinvent yourself. This will take both time and money. And always remember that you’re in a marathon now, not a sprint...

forums.studentdoctor.net

 

[karaya]

I have 18 months left, and I opted for MGIB instead of post 9/11 because when I joined I never thought Id go to grad school, so MGIB made more sense at the time. I figured Id use MGIB now because if I dont get into a med school, then I dont think Id have any use for the remainder of the GI bill and then it would be kind of wasted. Were you also an RN turned MD student? I feel I could use that as a strength during an interview, but do have concerns about my undergrad GPA even getting me into an interview in the first place.

No, I came into medicine from a humanities background (no science at all). But your experience as an RN will definitely be a strength. Your GPA will be fine, provided you get straight A's. With my postbac, I had a 3.52 cGPA at the time of application, but the last 40 credits weighed more heavily at 4.0. As for the GI bill, it really depends on how many credits you're currently taking, and where at (CC or 4-year). Since your PB is only half-time, you could get double the money or more by spending your benefits on med school. And assuming a strong MCAT, my guess is that you'll be competitive for MD.

 

[MusicDOc124]

I opted for MGIB instead of post 9/11 because when I joined I never thought Id go to grad school, so MGIB made more sense at the time. I figured Id use MGIB now because if I dont get into a med school, then I dont think Id have any use for the remainder of the GI bill and then it would be kind of wasted.

I'm not sure where this makes sense. It's rare for the MGIB to be better than post 9/11. What was it in your case that made MGIB better? The exception to this is more of a recent case, and depends on if you have more than 1 qualifying period to earn the full/near-full post-9/11.

 

[DMC1796]

I'm not sure where this makes sense. It's rare for the MGIB to be better than post 9/11. What was it in your case that made MGIB better? The exception to this is more of a recent case, and depends on if you have more than 1 qualifying period to earn the full/near-full post-9/11.

As far as I knew when I first entered, MGIB made more sense for me because I was planning on going to community college and stopping there. I also had MGIB kicker. Due to low tuition cost at community college and receiving the kicker, the difference was about $200/month. Hindsight, I wouldve took the post 9/11 and used it only for med school. The MGIB rate is a fixed rate depending on hours taken, and using it while in school part time only uses half a month instead of a full month. So using it now instead of later shouldnt make a difference. Feel free to correct me if Im wrong.

 

[DMC1796]

No, I came into medicine from a humanities background (no science at all). But your experience as an RN will definitely be a strength. Your GPA will be fine, provided you get straight A's. With my postbac, I had a 3.52 cGPA at the time of application, but the last 40 credits weighed more heavily at 4.0. As for the GI bill, it really depends on how many credits you're currently taking, and where at (CC or 4-year). Since your PB is only half-time, you could get double the money or more by spending your benefits on med school. And assuming a strong MCAT, my guess is that you'll be competitive for MD.

This is reassuring, thanks for the post.

 

[DMC1796]

Here's a post from @Goro about GPA issues:

Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

So you want to be a doctor, but your GPA is terrible. Is that the end? Rule #1: Take a deep breath, and stop fussing. The sky is not falling. But you are going to need to reinvent yourself. This will take both time and money. And always remember that you’re in a marathon now, not a sprint...

forums.studentdoctor.net

This is a great read, appreciate it!

 

[MusicDOc124]

As far as I knew when I first entered, MGIB made more sense for me because I was planning on going to community college and stopping there. I also had MGIB kicker. Due to low tuition cost at community college and receiving the kicker, the difference was about $200/month. Hindsight, I wouldve took the post 9/11 and used it only for med school. The MGIB rate is a fixed rate depending on hours taken, and using it while in school part time only uses half a month instead of a full month. So using it now instead of later shouldnt make a difference. Feel free to correct me if Im wrong.

Regarding the use of month for month, going part time with post 9/11 would also be prorated (e.g. 9 credits where full time is 12 would charge you 3 weeks worth of benefits out of a month).

How many active duty stints did you do? Just 1, then reserves? Or how many years active? If you have at least 6 years of active service, you may qualify for the post 9/11 on it's own in addition to MGIB - see:

Supreme Court sides with Army veteran in overlapping GI Bill benefits case

The Supreme Court ruled that veterans with overlapping military service periods can use the benefits they earned from two different GI bills.

taskandpurpose.com

That said: if you only qualify for a benefit period, and eligible for both, once you switch FROM the MGIB, you lose access to it and only have post 9/11 available. If you exhaust the MGIB, you can still get an additional 12 months of post 9/11 since you qualify for both and the max benefits for a single period of service is 48-months. If you switch now, rather than 12 months AFTER the 18 months you currently have, you would end up with "just" 18 months of post 9/11 based on your earlier reply of having 18 months left.

 

[DMC1796]

I did 4 years active and switched to reserves. Im still a bit confused, so I should continue to exhaust my MGIB and then I can get an additional 12 months post 9/11? I was not aware I could use both, then again I also have not asked around much either.

 

[MusicDOc124]

I did 4 years active and switched to reserves. Im still a bit confused, so I should continue to exhaust my MGIB and then I can get an additional 12 months post 9/11? I was not aware I could use both, then again I also have not asked around much either.

Basically option 1:
Switch to post 9/11 now and receive 18 months of post 9/11. No more MGIB. Total time remaining = 18 months. Total benefits to be received = 36 months.

Option 2:
Keep up with MGIB for 18 months. Once MGIB is EXHAUSTED, apply for post 9/11 and receive 12 months of post 9/11. Total time remaining = 30 months. Total benefits to be received = 48 months.

Don't be swayed just on the months of benefits. Since both payout differently, and give you have the kicker, you'd have to evaluate total received monetary benefit. The 6 months extra of post 9/11 can sometimes be worth more than 18 months of MGIB. Do the math and double check that this would apply for you.

 

[purpledoc1]

Hello,

I have been looking around in these forums for a while, but haven't quite figured everything out yet on my journey from RN to MD. Background on me, I always wanted to be a physician, but never had the confidence. I originally started college at 22, didn't show up to classes and didn't drop out, so I had many Fs my first semester, I then didnt re-enroll immediately. This was due to being a single dad who worked full time, I also was not educated or given proper direction to how college works. Come from a family of 9, but I am the only one to graduate college and am first generation, my parents were high school dropouts and were opposed to me going to college because I "Was not smart enough". I joined the Air Force at 23 for the GI bill, and got out at 27, but am still in the reserves, I was an EMT (4N0x1) and became an LPN. at 27, I went to CC and became an RN. I worked full time during my RN school, never studied once, passed all my classes with a 3.1GPA. I built confidence throughout the RN program and in the last semester I realized that becoming a physician may be possible for me. I entered an RN-BSN program and got a 4.0, bumping me to a cGPA of 3.4. For MD school, I need chem 1/2, phys 1/2, orgo chem 1/2, and biochem. I am taking chemistry and physics right now and am sitting at a 97% in both classes after my midterms. I think I can 4.0 my postbacc, but I am still not sure if thats enough to raise my GPA to be competitive. I am also considering DO school as well. My main reason for being here is I am wondering if I can do a post-bacc while "declaring" a degree. I want to declare a degree so I can continue to use my GI bill. I will also take any advice. Thanks a lot for reading this long post!

First of all, welcome to the non-trad forum.

D.O. school may be an option for you. You will need a good answer for "why medicine" (as opposed to nursing). You will also need a good answer for "why D.O." (if you go this route).

3.4 is not really competitive for allopatic schools these days. If you buy a MSAR, you will see that you need at least a 3.6-3.8 to be competitive in terms of your GPA.

Have you taken the MCAT yet?

What are your other ECs like? RN/EMT looks good, but as I alluded to earlier, you will need to explain your path and why you are sure of your final decision to become a doctor so that you don't look wishy-washy.

As far as the GI bill, I believe that
1. It only works for one degree (bachelor's), so if you already have the BSN, you may not be eligible to use it for your post-bacc.
2. I would make sure. Contact the govt. and be sure to get the representative's name and ID.

I hate saying that things are not possible. Anything is possible. The phrase itself says, "I'm possible!" So don't worry and put your nose to the grindstone. You can do this!

 

[DMC1796]

First of all, welcome to the non-trad forum.

D.O. school may be an option for you. You will need a good answer for "why medicine" (as opposed to nursing). You will also need a good answer for "why D.O." (if you go this route).

3.4 is not really competitive for allopatic schools these days. If you buy a MSAR, you will see that you need at least a 3.6-3.8 to be competitive in terms of your GPA.

Have you taken the MCAT yet?

What are your other ECs like? RN/EMT looks good, but as I alluded to earlier, you will need to explain your path and why you are sure of your final decision to become a doctor so that you don't look wishy-washy.

As far as the GI bill, I believe that
1. It only works for one degree (bachelor's), so if you already have the BSN, you may not be eligible to use it for your post-bacc.
2. I would make sure. Contact the govt. and be sure to get the representative's name and ID.

I hate saying that things are not possible. Anything is possible. The phrase itself says, "I'm possible!" So don't worry and put your nose to the grindstone. You can do this!

Thanks! I havent taken MCAT yet, Im taking chem 1 and physics 1 right now. Still need to take chem 2, physics 2, orgo chem 1, 2, and biochem. I understand Ill have to explain the "why", I also am looking at DO school as well, the more I look into DO the more I realize my mission aligns more with DO vs MD. For GI bill, I am going to stop using after this semester and switch to post 9/11 for when (if) I get into a medical school. As far as other ECs, I honestly don't have any yet. Time is a restraint since I am in school and work full time, as well as my military committments. I will likely try to find some ECs during the Summer, might try to get into research at my job as well.