Hello all! I'm new to this site and would like to hear perspectives/advice on former RN's who have made or are currently making the transition to MD. I started out pre-med in college and completed some pre-reqs but decided on nursing once I had a family of my own to support. I have a strong GPA (3.78, Magna Cum Laude graduate, member of Sigma Theta Tau). I have been working as an RN in an Emergency Dept. However, my dream of becoming a physician, my love of science, and always wanting to know more has only strengthened during my short time as an RN despite the long hours/other hardships of the MDs and residents. I am currently looking into a post-bac pre-med program to complete my pre-reqs. I'm concerned I'll be viewed by the AdComms as indecisive or uncommitted because of my non-traditional career path. I am looking for, in particular, advice on interviews. Academically, I know I am prepared for the challenges and even looking forward to them. I am just worried about getting my foot in the door. Any advice on interview questions/essays? Also, I am interested in hearing from all of you that fundamental question from all RN-MD's: why leave nursing to go into medicine 😕? And what have you found as the advantages/disadvantages of nursing vs. medicine. Thank you all for your comments in advance and congratulations on your new career!
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Seriously considering RN to MD
Started by DreaRN
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I think actually working as a nurse would help your application quite a bit. There are a couple of previous BSN's in my class.
I highly doubt admissions will see you as indecisive between medicine and nursing. It has been my experience that the only people who view the two as competing philosophies are nurses (It is ALL medical Science/ART to the academic clinicians). The concept of a "traditional" MD applicant is a bit archaic now a days. Admissions boards love people with previous hands on experience in patient care. And you have a great GPA going for you.
Sell yourself as somebody who loves patient interaction, and staying hands on with your patient care (RN experience), but also as someone who wants to take a greater role in managing patient care, and you're in.
Personally I would recommend looking into finishing your prerequisite at your original university if you still live near by. It is one less set of transcripts to deal with, you would be more likely to find academic LOR writers, etc...
If you love the science of health care, you would definitely be better served on the MD/DO route than an NP/DNP/APN/etc..
I highly doubt admissions will see you as indecisive between medicine and nursing. It has been my experience that the only people who view the two as competing philosophies are nurses (It is ALL medical Science/ART to the academic clinicians). The concept of a "traditional" MD applicant is a bit archaic now a days. Admissions boards love people with previous hands on experience in patient care. And you have a great GPA going for you.
Sell yourself as somebody who loves patient interaction, and staying hands on with your patient care (RN experience), but also as someone who wants to take a greater role in managing patient care, and you're in.
Personally I would recommend looking into finishing your prerequisite at your original university if you still live near by. It is one less set of transcripts to deal with, you would be more likely to find academic LOR writers, etc...
If you love the science of health care, you would definitely be better served on the MD/DO route than an NP/DNP/APN/etc..
I'd say do it, man. 8-10 years of your life is not that much when your in your 20s. Things get a bit more complicated when you hit your 30s and then every decade after that. You can be finished with your residency and making money for 20+ years in your early 30s. With your RN degree you could even defray some of the loans you take out by working part-time throughout med school (like some of the PAs here).
You have to make the decision yourself as far as how much you want to do it but really it can be done. Your experience is a plus and cant imagine anyone seeing it in a negative light.
Im in nursing school right now and am seriously considering going on to med school after. I found this site because i have a lot of the same questions as the poster. I am so torn because i absolutely love the science of medicine and would love to keep going in my studies in medicine beyond nursing school. But the idea of all the responsibility that doctors have scares me! lol Plus med school and being a doctor is such a HUGE commitment, I am only 20 right now but I cant wait to be a mother one day and i want to have time for a family. I'm not sure i have the leader type personality required to be a doctor. I'm so confused 😕 How did any of you make the decision to go from RN to MD? Is there anything you regret? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Finish your ADN and take the boards. Pass them. Finish your prereqs for med school while saving up money as a nurse. Do as much pre-prep as possible so you can work throughout med school and incur less of a debt; perhaps try to get into one of the dirt-cheap med schools like UT-Houston which are about 10K per year and maybe you won't even have debt if you work throughout. When you meet that guy, have those kids; trust me, the money and the time with the kids just work themselves out. And they aren't things you can really "plan" for anyways. Finish your residency 8 years after you got in, and now you've achieved your dream. That's what I would do. But make your own choice.
It is a large commitment and that is probably going to be your biggest hurdle. Is it worth spending the money and having to give up time to spend X number of years taking the pre-recs for medical school and taking the MCAT, 4 years in med school and then 3+ years of residency?
They mold you to be able to take the responsibility and not everyone has the leader-type personality. Different specialties come with different personality stereotypes: Surgeons are generally the meathead type personality, IM is generally the intellectual (although some IM subspecialties like Cards and critical care have surgeon like mentalities), Peds is the child at heart, psych is the sensitive talker etc.
As other have said, finish your nursing degree and figure out what you really want. I can tell you the road is long but it really isn't too bad. I look back on my med school days and think, it was bad at times but overall, very doable.
Good luck on your decision and don't give up just because you think it is hard.
I have travelled the same path you just want to travel. I have been an RN for 5 years and recently doing MS1 at Meharry Medical School. I just know that you have all the great advantage and i will tell you everything will make sense in class you will be an advanced student and make a great doctor. I welcome you to this path and may the lord b with u.
