Student seeking guidance

[snr23]

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Hi there. I'm relatively new to SDN. Looking for guidance on path to med school.

Here's my situation:

• Pursued math for 3.5 yrs out of high school, got cold feet realized I was in the wrong field.
• Applied and transferred to nursing school.
• Completed 1.5 yr/2 yr nursing program so far, know that healthcare is the right field. Furthermore, know that MD is the right profession.

Tentative gameplan:

• 2014 - finish nursing school and pass RN boards
• 2014/2015 - work for 1 yr an RN, pay off undergrad loans, get clinical exp, apply for BSN program, volunteer
• 2015/2017 - RN to BSN program, increase cGPA, try to publish, ECs
• 2017/2019 - med school pre-reqs, increase cGPA, increase sGPA, work as RN, volunteer, prep and take MCAT

--Apply to Med School-- 2019 at the age of 28

Numbers:

• unable to obtain math education school transcript
• nursing school transcript thus far - cGPA: 3.09, sGPA: 3.57 (nursing courses excluded due to AMCAS instructions)

Thank you so much for your help. The whole application process is daunting.

 

[Jennyfishy]

What specific guidance are you seeking? Advice on modifying your intended timeline?

 

[snr23]

Any advice, constructive criticism, thoughts are welcome. Pre-med support is not very strong at my school.

 

[AlexMack12]

Sounds like you have a good plan and know what you're doing!
Just be aware that while SDN is a great resource full of valuable advice and information, there are a few stubborn bits of misinformation that still get communicated on the forums. One example of this is that nurses who want to become physicians are "looked down on" by admissions committees or that having an RN license puts one at a significant disadvantage. This is not true. Yes, you will almost certainly be asked why you have decided to move from nursing to medicine. Yes, you will have to provide a professional, articulate, and well-thought out answer (as you should for the rest of the questions you get asked). However, provided you do that, it is certainly possible to get into medical school as a nurse. I am an RN and I start Fall 2014 in an MD program- and there are others on this forum who have already started the journey.

Best of luck to you! Don't let anyone deter you from what you want to do.

 

[Pacna]

Sounds like you have a good plan and know what you're doing!
Just be aware that while SDN is a great resource full of valuable advice and information, there are a few stubborn bits of misinformation that still get communicated on the forums. One example of this is that nurses who want to become physicians are "looked down on" by admissions committees or that having an RN license puts one at a significant disadvantage. This is not true. Yes, you will almost certainly be asked why you have decided to move from nursing to medicine. Yes, you will have to provide a professional, articulate, and well-thought out answer (as you should for the rest of the questions you get asked). However, provided you do that, it is certainly possible to get into medical school as a nurse. I am an RN and I start Fall 2014 in an MD program- and there are others on this forum who have already started the journey.

Best of luck to you! Don't let anyone deter you from what you want to do.

Who thinks that an RN would be a negative?? I'm not disagreeing with you by any means; I have just never heard of this "stubborn bit of misinformation" and I find it shocking that anyone would think that. Talk about some of the best clinical experience you could possibly get short of actually being a physician.

 

[Shjanzey]

I don't understand why it takes two to three more years to go from RN to BSN. I thought nursing school was already 3 years, and most nursing schools just make you stay an extra year to get the BSN, unless you are planning to go part time while continuing to work as an RN?

One thing you might want to consider is taking one night course of medschool pre-reqs during your year of working as an RN. It may seem like a pain, but you will thank yourself when you finish your BSN and have 2 - 3 less courses to finish up. Most RNs that I know also have pretty flexible schedules so it could work in your favor if you have 3 or more days off. Heck you might even be able to take more than one pre-req during that year if you have the right schedule 😀

 

[theseeker4]

Hi there. I'm relatively new to SDN. Looking for guidance on path to med school.

Here's my situation:

• Pursued math for 3.5 yrs out of high school, got cold feet realized I was in the wrong field.
• Applied and transferred to nursing school.
• Completed 1.5 yr/2 yr nursing program so far, know that healthcare is the right field. Furthermore, know that MD is the right profession.

Tentative gameplan:

• 2014 - finish nursing school and pass RN boards
• 2014/2015 - work for 1 yr an RN, pay off undergrad loans, get clinical exp, apply for BSN program, volunteer
• 2015/2017 - RN to BSN program, increase cGPA, try to publish, ECs
• 2017/2019 - med school pre-reqs, increase cGPA, increase sGPA, work as RN, volunteer, prep and take MCAT

--Apply to Med School-- 2019 at the age of 28

Numbers:

• unable to obtain math education school transcript
• nursing school transcript thus far - cGPA: 3.09, sGPA: 3.57 (nursing courses excluded due to AMCAS instructions)

Thank you so much for your help. The whole application process is daunting.

Finishing your RN sounds like a good idea. Going on for a BSN is probably not the best path to med school. You would probably be better served by getting a bachelors degree in anything at all while completing your pre reqs; simply look for the quickest degree you can attain while getting the pre reqs in and keeping a good GPA. Going on to get a BSN won't help you get into med school, especially since you will have ample clinical exposure from working as an RN, and based on your timeline above, it sounds like it will delay you applying to med school. Very little return on the investment of your time, effort, money etc. if you are planning on getting into med school as soon as you can.

 

[Tradewinds]

Your plan seems solid but I do have one suggestion that you might look into. (I am currently a BSN applying next cycle)
All nursing programs require you take a number of nursing "theory" classes, which as you know, will not count as hard sciences for your sGPA. On top of that disadvantage, should these classes fill your schedule, you have no way of showing adcoms that you can handle a heavy "science" load. This is why I think it might be worth your while to look into getting a Bachelors in some other field that would allow you to take hard sciences (many of which will be included in your sGPA). If you can find a major that overlaps with some classes you have already taken as well as the pre-med courses you will need, this may be a better way to go. You wouldn't have to take fluffy nursing classes, you could still earn your bachelors, and you could start fulfilling pre-med reqs right now. My main reason for suggesting this is because many schools I have talked to like to see at least a few upper level (300 and above) science classes and unless your RN-BSN contains these, you will have to take them later after you finish your program. If the RN-BSN programs that you are looking into do require some of these classes, that would be ideal, but just make sure that they are the classes that pre-meds at your university would take, i.e., not just nursing level classes***. I don't have experience with this directly, since I got my BSN right away, but it may be something to at least look into.
Best Wishes!

 

[DokterMom]

Here's my situation:

• Pursued math for 3.5 yrs out of high school, got cold feet realized I was in the wrong field.

• unable to obtain math education school transcript

Are you in the US? When you say you 'pursued math', do you mean you went to college with a math major? Or something entirely different? (And if so, what?) If you were in a regular college math program, it doesn't make sense that you wouldn't be able to get a transcript. And if you were in a traditional 4-year college program, quitting after 3.5 years raises a whole lot of 'flake?' questions. Why not just get the degree and then go into a different field, having realized math was not the right field for you?

 

[Catalystik]

When you apply to medical schools, an original transcript from every institution attended will be required (if in the US or Canada). Can you not look at your old grade reports and tell us your GPA from the first school attended? Since it likely has a lot of math on it, it could significantly affect your BCPM GPA.

If a transcript is "not available" because you are in arrears financially, you will need to resolve that problem before applying. And if you can do that, a lot of the general education credits could apply toward a BSN, if transferred, and save you some time in school.

 

[zachdwphoto]

I personally wouldn't go the BSN route. You will get plenty of clinical experience on the job. The BSN route is just going to prolong your journey to becoming a physician. In the BSN route you will need to take classes that are specific to nursing and will not add to your preqs as a pre-med. Why not get a bachelor's in something else and concentrate on the MCAT and pre-med requirements?

 

[AlexMack12]

Who thinks that an RN would be a negative?? I'm not disagreeing with you by any means; I have just never heard of this "stubborn bit of misinformation" and I find it shocking that anyone would think that. Talk about some of the best clinical experience you could possibly get short of actually being a physician.

I agree, and it was a positive for me in my interviews. But do a quick search of "RN to MD" in these forums and unfortunately many posters get replies that suggest they are at a disadvantage. Certainly, it could be if you don't explain it properly- but there are so many ways to shoot yourself in the foot during this whole process I don't think this represents anything more damaging than a hundred other things.
Thanks for your support! 🙂

 

[papi89]

I'm confused about the "unable to attain transcript part".... that sounds strange / sketchy, can you clarify?

 

[Mad Jack]

You will need to obtain your original transcript to be admitted to medical school, so I'd figure out what your old GPA was because it could significantly alter your long term plan. You can't just sweep 3.5 years of college under the rug. I couldn't even sweep a C from a community college course I took in high school under the rug lol.

Being a nurse is great experience. Just do your best to keep your grades up, nursing professors tend to be stingy with the As.

 

[mvenus929]

Who thinks that an RN would be a negative?? I'm not disagreeing with you by any means; I have just never heard of this "stubborn bit of misinformation" and I find it shocking that anyone would think that. Talk about some of the best clinical experience you could possibly get short of actually being a physician.

A lot of people will say that schools will ask why you want to switch from nursing to medicine, which is a valid question, considering how different the fields are. I assume most everyone who gets to the interview point has a response to this question, though.

OP, is there a particular reason you want to pursue a BSN? It won't help you get into medical school, and it'd probably be simpler to pursue another major, as others have mentioned. Unless your backup goal is to become an NP, in which case a BSN would probably help you in that arena.

And I agree with the others that you need to have all your transcripts from any college classes you've taken, even if it was while in high school. If there is a specific reason you cannot get a hold of it, check on the AMCAS manual to make sure that reason is a valid one. Your cGPA isn't that great and will impact you if you don't do well in your pursuit of a bachelor's degree.

Also, 'try to publish' is a noble goal, but it's a lot harder than you probably think it is to actually publish a paper, and will likely require more than 2 years of working in a lab. Research experience is a good thing, but you don't have to publish for it to be valid.

 

[snr23]

Are you in the US? When you say you 'pursued math', do you mean you went to college with a math major? Or something entirely different? (And if so, what?) If you were in a regular college math program, it doesn't make sense that you wouldn't be able to get a transcript. And if you were in a traditional 4-year college program, quitting after 3.5 years raises a whole lot of 'flake?' questions. Why not just get the degree and then go into a different field, having realized math was not the right field for you?

Yes, my first school is in the states. I pursued a major in mathematics under pressure from my parents. Didn't like it, and consequently didn't do well. I was in a 5 year program. I have looked into the transcript issue, and it appears they weren't willing to let me look at my transcript unless I completed an order. I was able however to obtain screenshots of the original transcript and will calculate and update my gpa.

 

[snr23]

Thanks to everyone for the honest feedback.

As a blanket update:

• I've been able to obtain screenshots of my original transcript from the first institution and will update both cGPA and BCPM GPA.
• You bring up very valid points about pursuing a bachelor's in a science related field, which could allow me time to increase both cGPA and BCPM GPA while covering pre-med pre-reqs in lieu of pursuing BSN which could prove a poor investment in my future.

 

[papi89]

So it sounds like you just meant you didn't have the transcript at the moment, but you could send it to a school if needed... that makes more sense.

Yeah and I'd agree with what was said above, the time / investment to do the BSN seems questionable... I think with anything that's tough, whether med school or something else, it looks best that once you've made up your mind to do it you focus on achieving that, as opposed to taking a lengthy, confusing route to ending up there. Just my 2 cents.