Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some advice on my med school journey. Some background:
I’m 28 years old. I have my BA in Chemistry (GPA 3.65), and I worked as an EMT during my undergraduate career. I originally wanted to apply to med school right out of undergrad, but I burned out so spectacularly in my senior year that I had to step away. Instead, I took the summer after graduation off to do some soul searching and felt nursing was an honorable career that I’d be interested in and could be good at. I immediately started taking the remainder of the pre-reps I’d need for nursing school while working as a lab tech through COVID. I did well in nursing school (MSN GPA 3.89), and I’ve been working as a Labor and Delivery RN for two years now.
I originally planned to go back for my Midwifery NP within the next year or so, but now that NPs can no longer qualify for federal academic student loans, I cannot justify the financial cost and eventual salary cap, along with the time commitment away from working. However, I also do not want to continue at my current scope of practice without the possibility clinical advancement. I can always advance professionally in my role, eventually become a nurse manager or something of the sort, but that doesn’t really interest me.
Instead, the longer I work at the bedside, the more interested I am in the doctors’ roles. I want to understand the whole clinical picture. I want to diagnose and develop the treatment plan. I want to delivery the babies and perform the c-sections. And yes, I could do all of those as a midwife, but I know it would bother me to only be a mid-level practitioner instead of working at the top level where I know I could succeed.
Additionally, the financial aspect of an MD versus an NP is attractive given that I’m currently going through IVF as a single mom. I know the kind of life I want to be able to provide for my kids, and I don’t think I can do that from my current position or as an NP with no federal financial aid.
If you made it this far, thank you! My questions are: I’ll be 31 with a toddler if I manage to get into med school on the first try to start in 2028. Is that too old? Should I try to get in for 2027? I’ve taken all the pre-reqs and then some, but it’s been a while for gen chem, o chem, physics, etc since I graduated undergrad in 2019 and nursing school in 2023. I’ve also been working as a travel nurse, so I don’t have strong relationships with leadership or MDs to rely on for recommendation letters at this point, but there’s still people I could ask. I also haven’t had any volunteer hours since I was an EMT in college. Should I do more? Should I be asking a doc if I can shadow them?
Ideally I only want to apply once, to my hometown public university where I attended nursing school. What do I need to do to make sure my application is successful and competitive? Are there any former nurses in this forum who have gone on a similar journey? What about single parents? I’ll have family support nearby, but I’m still looking at several very challenging years. Can anyone who’s done this say if it’s worth it? Do I have a shot? I’m sure there’s other questions I haven’t thought of, but truly any advice would be appreciated. Thank you in advance!
I’m looking for some advice on my med school journey. Some background:
I’m 28 years old. I have my BA in Chemistry (GPA 3.65), and I worked as an EMT during my undergraduate career. I originally wanted to apply to med school right out of undergrad, but I burned out so spectacularly in my senior year that I had to step away. Instead, I took the summer after graduation off to do some soul searching and felt nursing was an honorable career that I’d be interested in and could be good at. I immediately started taking the remainder of the pre-reps I’d need for nursing school while working as a lab tech through COVID. I did well in nursing school (MSN GPA 3.89), and I’ve been working as a Labor and Delivery RN for two years now.
I originally planned to go back for my Midwifery NP within the next year or so, but now that NPs can no longer qualify for federal academic student loans, I cannot justify the financial cost and eventual salary cap, along with the time commitment away from working. However, I also do not want to continue at my current scope of practice without the possibility clinical advancement. I can always advance professionally in my role, eventually become a nurse manager or something of the sort, but that doesn’t really interest me.
Instead, the longer I work at the bedside, the more interested I am in the doctors’ roles. I want to understand the whole clinical picture. I want to diagnose and develop the treatment plan. I want to delivery the babies and perform the c-sections. And yes, I could do all of those as a midwife, but I know it would bother me to only be a mid-level practitioner instead of working at the top level where I know I could succeed.
Additionally, the financial aspect of an MD versus an NP is attractive given that I’m currently going through IVF as a single mom. I know the kind of life I want to be able to provide for my kids, and I don’t think I can do that from my current position or as an NP with no federal financial aid.
If you made it this far, thank you! My questions are: I’ll be 31 with a toddler if I manage to get into med school on the first try to start in 2028. Is that too old? Should I try to get in for 2027? I’ve taken all the pre-reqs and then some, but it’s been a while for gen chem, o chem, physics, etc since I graduated undergrad in 2019 and nursing school in 2023. I’ve also been working as a travel nurse, so I don’t have strong relationships with leadership or MDs to rely on for recommendation letters at this point, but there’s still people I could ask. I also haven’t had any volunteer hours since I was an EMT in college. Should I do more? Should I be asking a doc if I can shadow them?
Ideally I only want to apply once, to my hometown public university where I attended nursing school. What do I need to do to make sure my application is successful and competitive? Are there any former nurses in this forum who have gone on a similar journey? What about single parents? I’ll have family support nearby, but I’m still looking at several very challenging years. Can anyone who’s done this say if it’s worth it? Do I have a shot? I’m sure there’s other questions I haven’t thought of, but truly any advice would be appreciated. Thank you in advance!
