Some Guidance would be appreciated.

[Peter.walsh303]

---

Members don't see this ad.

So halfway through nursing school I realized that I wanted to be a doctor instead. I am now entering my junior year of college, and I have done my own digging on how to get into med school, as there are no pre-med advisers at my college. Some of my credits are from a community college, and I wont have all the usual prerequisites that most med schools require once I graduate. So here's my plan/thought process: complete a health science minor that will give me some classes such as genetics and chemistry, and take the rest that I need in a post bachelor pre-medical program at another college with a premed adviser. There they will look at my academic history and give additional guidance on how to make myself competitive. I'm going to volunteer during the summer and whenever possible during school. I work part time and am paying off my tuition out of pocket with no loans. I currently have a 4.0. I am in an honors program, and have been very involved in student government. I am a Nursing Assistant mentor, and have performed in other leadership roles such as camp counseling and class representative. At some point I want to take part in a research program and shadow doctors. Am I on the right track or should I be doing things differently? To me it would be silly to stop nursing because half my time and money went to those courses. However, this is the sum of what the internet has told me to do in order to be competitive for med schools. I have no friends or family that are able to give guidance and the professors at my college aren't much help either. Any thoughts?

 

[Goro]

Read this:
Med School Rx: Getting In, Getting Through, and Getting On with Doctoring Original Edition by Walter Hartwig
ISBN-13: 978-1607140627

ISBN-10: 1607140624

 

[paradoxic_toxic]

So halfway through nursing school I realized that I wanted to be a doctor instead. I am now entering my junior year of college, and I have done my own digging on how to get into med school, as there are no pre-med advisers at my college. Some of my credits are from a community college, and I wont have all the usual prerequisites that most med schools require once I graduate. So here's my plan/thought process: complete a health science minor that will give me some classes such as genetics and chemistry, and take the rest that I need in a post bachelor pre-medical program at another college with a premed adviser. There they will look at my academic history and give additional guidance on how to make myself competitive. I'm going to volunteer during the summer and whenever possible during school. I work part time and am paying off my tuition out of pocket with no loans. I currently have a 4.0. I am in an honors program, and have been very involved in student government. I am a Nursing Assistant mentor, and have performed in other leadership roles such as camp counseling and class representative. At some point I want to take part in a research program and shadow doctors. Am I on the right track or should I be doing things differently? To me it would be silly to stop nursing because half my time and money went to those courses. However, this is the sum of what the internet has told me to do in order to be competitive for med schools. I have no friends or family that are able to give guidance and the professors at my college aren't much help either. Any thoughts?

Seems reasonable to me, and no it's not silly. Career-switching happens more often than you think.

Focus on acing the prereqs. For your ECs I would recommend shadowing a doctor first to see if you can deal with the ups and downs of the career.

 

[calivianya]

There’s no harm in sprinkling in some of the typical pre med courses while finishing your nursing degree.

The typical bachelor’s in biology or whatever that most premeds get will not help you in the workforce - lots of these grads struggle to find a decent-paying job. You are currently on track to have an excellent backup plan with decent pay if medicine doesn’t work out for whatever reason, plus if you don’t get in your first cycle, you can add thousands of hours of clinical experience easily.

I would not recommend anyone start nursing school while intending to go to medical school, but since you’re already accepted, there are quite a few benefits to you finishing it IMO. I’m assuming by halfway through you mean halfway through the upper division - as in you only have a year left? If you haven’t even started your nursing courses yet, that’s slightly different.

 

[Peter.walsh303]

There’s no harm in sprinkling in some of the typical pre med courses while finishing your nursing degree.

The typical bachelor’s in biology or whatever that most premeds get will not help you in the workforce - lots of these grads struggle to find a decent-paying job. You are currently on track to have an excellent backup plan with decent pay if medicine doesn’t work out for whatever reason, plus if you don’t get in your first cycle, you can add thousands of hours of clinical experience easily.

I would not recommend anyone start nursing school while intending to go to medical school, but since you’re already accepted, there are quite a few benefits to you finishing it IMO. I’m assuming by halfway through you mean halfway through the upper division - as in you only have a year left? My nursing school only accepted people into nursing school as juniors and seniors and we completed our first two years outside of the program, which is why I ask. If you haven’t even started your nursing courses yet, that’s slightly different.

I am in a 4 year BSN program. The nursing courses are sprinkled throughout with other courses along side them. I have gotten pretty far into taking nursing oriented courses, so that's why Id be hesitant to just switch to a premed track. Thanks for the input though I didn't even think of the clinical hours. As cycles go by it would only increase my chances. That's some good news at least!