RN to MD

[RNAB]

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Hi - I'm new this this - but I am about 2 weeks out of taking the MCAT. I attached my resume below - I have a solid 4.0 science GPA and otherwise a 3.9 something. I graduated from Emory University with a BSN in 2008 and have a ton of experience as an RN - mostly ICU and research. I volunteer (this CV isn't quite up to date) and I'm working on a poster presentation and also started a new study with my current job. I have really strong letters of recommendation from 2 science professors, 2 instructors from nursing school at Emory (1 clinical), a few attendings that I have worked with at various jobs and one from my current employer who is a well established Neurosurgeon. I think my personal statement is strong so far...and I have pretty solid interviewing skills. (I've had the time to learn! Plus I've had a lot of intensive very long job interviews...) Nonetheless, I feel like the only unknown is my MCAT scores. I am taking it in 2 weeks and I am pretty much a solid 30. I think with review over the next week and a half (the weak areas) I will see some improvement - (I am very busy - working too - and I haven't taken most of these classes since 2003! The only classes I've had recently and post-bac are Ochem1/2 and Bio 2.) ANYWAY - I am just curious what my chances will be like depending on what happens...

What will my chances be if:

a) I choke or have a bad day and get a 27 (fingers crossed knock on wood)

b) I get a 28 or 29 - am I doomed to not be accepted to school if I get a 27 or 28 or 29?

c) I get a solid 30

d) How does my applications competitiveness change if I get say a 33?

I am applying to schools all over - including some less competitive and some public in the state in which I reside... anyway. (I attached some random list to give you an idea of where I'm thinking. I realize some are a pipe dream no matter what - ie. UCSF...) I don't have an advisor and it's very hard to gauge so a little help and feedback would be wonderful.

Anyway, thank you so much in advance (I hope I get a 30+!!!) I'm so nervous. It has been so hard to prepare for this having not done a post bac... Would love to talk to anyone who is a nurse applying or has done this before... etc. or other non trads.

and please see attached!!

Happy Sunday!
AB

 

[sector9]

That's a very tough list with a lot of top schools. Unfortunately, based on comments from various adcomm members on SDN, nursing is one of the worst majors for a premed. Hopefully you'll be able to spin it in a good way but some adcomms are going to be wary.

So you graduated 4 years ago but you have post-bacc work more recently? What's your postbacc GPA and how recent are those grades?

Can you clarify your volunteering, say for the past 3 years only? What's the weekly or monthly time commitment for the volunteering?

You can see my sticky at the top of this forum for some historical acceptance percentages as you move up in MCAT score

 

[gumbyj]

IMO, I think your list is wayyy too top heavy if you aren't scoring 35+ on practice test, and probably even if you are! You are essentially only applying to top tier schools... big mistake. A 30 is not "solid" for any of those schools even with a great GPA. A <30 and there is pretty much no chance.

Your CV has some great nursing experience, but what does your shadowing and volunteering like? And why RN to MD? I think it will be very, very important to make a good case for why you pursed an RN and all of a sudden want an MD...

What have your practice MCAT scores been like?

 

[RNAB]

So I graduated in 2008 from Emory and have since been working as a nurse. I did a lot of volunteer work when I lived in Atlanta with Gateway and Grady (weekly) and since I moved back to Savannah I have most recently been working with Lifelink and DonateLife Georgia doing health fairs (teaching, prevention) - I have plenty of experience shadowing doctors because I wanted to be a doctor originally... But I have a lot of recent experience too. I think its safe to say my work/clinical exposure is strong and my volunteer activities adequate.

With regard to my post-bac stuff - I took all of the required pre-med classes (and more) at the University of Georgia before I went to nursing school. The only classes I had not taken were Organic 2 and Biology 2 - and I took those at Armstrong Atlantic State University here in Savannah while I worked 2 jobs as a nurse. Currently I am just doing research nursing and getting ready for the test...

I have a 4.0 because both Emory and UGA (and AASU) do not do the plus minus system - I've made all A's in every single class except for a Literature class I took at Oxford one summer (in the UK).

I have a good case on the career switch. Without having to go into unnecessary details.

Sooo.... that being said - where should I be applying? I'm completely ignorant I guess when it comes to less competitive schools. I am applying to everywhere in Georgia (public and private) and MUSC... what are some schools I should be applying to that are less competitive? (I won't rule out an MCAT score in the mid 30's - but you never know. I'm a good tester. Practice tests have been in the low 30s. (30-33)

Thank you for the feed back. I really appreciate it

 

[RNAB]

also, why is nursing so unfavorable? Does it put me at a disadvantage? Do they like former PT's or RT's? (Just curious how it applies across the board.)

 

[Catalystik]

also, why is nursing so unfavorable? Does it put me at a disadvantage? Do they like former PT's or RT's? (Just curious how it applies across the board.)

From my personal point of view, this is no longer true. Historically, med schools didn't want to take nurses away from the profession when there was a severe nursing shortage. Historically, the academic rigor of nursing coursework was assumed, rightly or wrongly, to be weaker. The first is no longer true. The second is unlikely to be true due to your undergrad school, and because you took a standard premed curriculum, and because you're reliably getting 30s on your practice MCATs.

From what I've seen, ex-nurses are valued, as they tend to hit the ground running once they get to the clinical years, generally leaving those with less clinical experience in the dust. You may well be disadvantaged for the first year, though, as you won't have much background in upper-level Biology compared with some others in your class. But you clearly have the academic horsepower to succeed (assuming a decent MCAT score). I would not want you to enter this process feeing like you're an underdog. It just isn't true. I do agree that you'll need a PS that adequately explains your motivation for the transition.

 

[Doodledog]

I agree with Cat. I always felt the anti-RN to MD opinion on SDN was vastly overstated. However, there could always be an individual adcomm member somewhere, or a few committees, that hold to an anti-Rn to MD view. My opinion, not based on evidence, is that, this is extremely uncommon nowadays. Regardless, don't worry about it since you can't exactly change it anyway.

 

[RNAB]

Thank you so much - that helped.

 

[MedBound1]

I think your application and goals are very solid!! However, having a balanced school list is extremely important. If you are unsure which schools in the country have accepted applicant ranges in the same area that you think you'll be, I would suggest getting the MSAR book from AAMC. It will tell you loads about every school and also provide you with average GPA's, MCAT's, and more importantly for you Instate/OOS admissions rates. Obviously you are aware of the top private schools but I feel that some of the mid-range schools you are looking for are either private or public schools with a good OOS acceptance percentage. Some state schools accept 95%+ from instate and only accept OOS that have strong ties to the state, while others are around 50/50... so I think this could be a good resource for you if you are unsure about these things or which 'other' schools to apply to besides your locals and the top 30. Wish you the best, good luck!