What are reasons why becoming a nurse first, then a doctor, is not a good idea.

[jeaux]

I don't know if this is the right place to post this, but I really need advice, specifically from students taking the medical path.

I am currently a nursing major, sophomore year of college. I am in this field because it's mostly my family that's wanting me to become a nurse and won't support me at all (in whatever support I need) if I change my path, which makes me feel horrible. I didn't mind at first, was a bit indecisive between nursing or medical, but now I've decided that I really want to be a physician (specifically, oncologist). They tell me that if I want to be a doctor, I should take nursing first, then go become a doctor.

I told them why that's not the smartest choice at all, despite the fact that some some people go that way, but those are usually people that were nurses at first but realized they wanted to go to medical school.

I need more reasons why this isn't smart at all. I have that it'll be a waste of time and money to go back to school because you have to do med school pre-reqs. I told my parents this and they literally don't believe me.

What are some other reasons I could tell them, to convince them?

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[vellez]

It's a complete waste of time and time is money. Whether you realize it or not, your time is [potentially] valuable.

 

[TheShowGoesOn]

BSN/BScN = employment after graduation = money

So what if you have to take pre reqs. You'll have hours of clinical practice under your belt that an english/science major won't have.

 

[childofmercy]

BSN/BScN = employment after graduation = money

So what if you have to take pre reqs. You'll have hours of clinical practice under your belt that an english/science major won't have.

That's pretty much what I've gotten out of going from nursing to md. I'd say prepping a strong answer for why not np during interviews is one "challenge", but if you know med is for u, you can deal with that no problem. I don't think it's a bad idea unless you hate nursing, because then you're just wasting your time and money. Take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about medicine vs nursing from an insider's point of view, and it will help you solidify your "why medicine" answer in the future. The employment part is really quite the bonus, so take advantage of that too!

 

[Holmwood]

I'm assuming this is a 4 year program. You can do the pre-reqs in conjunction with your nursing major. Some of the pre-reqs, you can take over the summer/winter break if scheduling is an issue. That might give you a better return.

Since you're in your sophomore year, you really have a year left to build up your application if you want to attend medical school right after graduation. . . which probably isn't realistic. Likely you will have to take a gap year or two. In that sense, it might be better to have a nursing major just so you can start making serious cash as a BSN during your gap year. Then when the time comes, you can apply to as many schools as you want WITH YOUR OWN CASH, without your parents' busybodying.

Mind you, nursing is going to give you an amazing amount of clinical hours... probably more than most applicants. And the experience will likely be more meaningful given that you'll know alot more about the healthcare system/environment than most applicants.

 

[NoTownPreMed]

Coming from an RN, the major downside would be wasting a lot of time and money. Other than that, the experience you have as an RN is irreplaceable.

 

[allantois]

I'll give a reason: being pre-med in college allows you to major in whatever you want and take classes on anything you are intersted in. Doing a nursing degree, just puts you in the healthcate setting right away.

 

[cherubb3]

The jobs are very different. If you genuinely want to be a doctor, you will be unhappy as a nurse. You will gain clinical skills and knowledge, but it wouldn't be worth the time you could have spent practicing medicine.

 

[Dr. Death]

Also don't go to med school if you are dead set on oncology or any other competitive specialty. Would you still go into medicine if you were in psych or family med or IM? If the answer is no then rethink your choice.

 

[TheShowGoesOn]

I know people that took a science degree and are working at Walmart because they can't get into med school or get a job in their "field".

 

[dreamadream]

Its like being a PA and then becoming a doctor, my only judgement would be ego. Cause its no way I would choose my career as a nurse and then go to be a doctor. Your still in the healthcare/medical/clinical field, so what's the point? I think med schools will say, "why did you want to become a doctor after you were already a nurse?" Now I could see you being a CNA or EMT(that's good experience before med school). But do as you please don't listen to me...seriously don't listen to me.

 

[Almighty Saguaro]

I would suggest finishing your nursing degree. As a medical student, I'm sure that there will be things you've learned and skills you've picked up in nursing school that will prove useful to you/the healthcare team and will make you unique in comparison to your peers.
At every interview I've had, my allied health background has been the start of interesting conversational discussions and never have I met with antagonism because I chose to take that route instead of the generic pre-med track.

One thing I've also started to realize is that professional colleges/organization often have funding available to members, funds that may help finance med school (if you frame it as CME or professional development 😛)...something to think about

 

[MyNameWasUsed]

You're not in a terrible situation honestly. You can finish your RN degree while taking other pre-med pre reqs. You've probably taken most, if not half, of the medical school pre reqs just because you're a nursing major. Now once you graduate, you can go out and work as an RN for a year and then apply with that 1 year of PATIENT CARE experience. It's a good gap year because you'll making decent money and still get to enjoy life. When adcom ask why you want to do med school now you just tell them you changed your mind midway through your nursing program but decided to finish your BS in nursing anyways because you still need a BS to apply to MD.

 

[Almighty Saguaro]

Also don't go to med school if you are dead set on oncology or any other competitive specialty. Would you still go into medicine if you were in psych or family med or IM? If the answer is no then rethink your choice.

Could you please explain this a little more

 

[MyNameWasUsed]

Could you please explain this a little more

I think he means if you can't see yourself being just a family or internal medicine physician then you probably are going into medicine for the wrong reasons.

 

[Turkishking]

I don't know if this is the right place to post this, but I really need advice, specifically from students taking the medical path.

I am currently a nursing major, sophomore year of college. I am in this field because it's mostly my family that's wanting me to become a nurse and won't support me at all (in whatever support I need) if I change my path, which makes me feel horrible. I didn't mind at first, was a bit indecisive between nursing or medical, but now I've decided that I really want to be a physician (specifically, oncologist). They tell me that if I want to be a doctor, I should take nursing first, then go become a doctor.

I told them why that's not the smartest choice at all, despite the fact that some some people go that way, but those are usually people that were nurses at first but realized they wanted to go to medical school.

I need more reasons why this isn't smart at all. I have that it'll be a waste of time and money to go back to school because you have to do med school pre-reqs. I told my parents this and they literally don't believe me.

What are some other reasons I could tell them, to convince them?

That's very traditional. You're an adult.. you should ultimately have a say in what you want to do with your life.

 

[The Buff OP]

BSN/BScN = employment after graduation = money

So what if you have to take pre reqs. You'll have hours of clinical practice under your belt that an english/science major won't have.

Shiiii when you put it that way it sounds cool! I'm going the paramedic route, though.

 

[The Buff OP]

I think he means if you can't see yourself being just a family or internal medicine physician then you probably are going into medicine for the wrong reasons.

Well he is wrong. Not all people will end up as a PCP, and you have the power to put the effort (research, study) if you want to match in the specialty that you want.

 

[jeaux]

From an adcom perspective, it becomes a question of mostly motivation and commitment, with some achievement.

Why were you motivated to be a nursing major and not a premed? now that you are in a program, are you going to complete it? Since your motivations have changed as well as you commitment, how do we know they wont change once you start medical school? Will you be committed? Typically, applying directly from a BSN program to an MD/DO program isnt the typical successful path. Rather it is working for a few years as an RN and then applying to med school that is more commonly successful. It also should be noted that of the 7 or so categories of majors that AAMC tracks for applicants, specialized health sciences majors, such as BSN, have the worst acceptance rate
https://www.aamc.org/download/321496/data/factstable18.pdf

That's the route they want me to go in. Working as an RN, save money, then take classes and apply to med school.

 

[sliceofbread136]

I think he means if you can't see yourself being just a family or internal medicine physician then you probably are going into medicine for the wrong reasons.

Bullcrap,, a specialty like oncology is very achievable unless you royally mess up med school. If we were talking plastics or derm then maybe this comment would have more merit.

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

You've probably taken most, if not half, of the medical school pre reqs just because you're a nursing major.

As far as I know, there actually isn't that much overlap between nursing school prereqs and med school prereqs. Med school prereqs tend to be much more focused on hard sciences (BCP) rather than things like anatomy, microbiology, nutrition, pharmacology, etc.

OP, you'll definitely get some good experience as others have mentioned. But my biggest concern would be that this is just a very indirect route to get to your desired career path. Some people do become nurses only to decide later on that they want to be doctors but that's a totally different story, in my opinion. To go into nursing, investing both time and money, knowing that it's not the career path you really want does seem like a bit of a waste. And I would worry about what @gonnif mentioned--mainly that medical schools may read this as a lack of true motivation/desire to be a doctor or a wishy-washy attitude about your future. Maybe that won't be the case at all but it's certainly a possibility.

Also, if you don't enjoy nursing now, what's it going to be like once you graduate and are theoretically working as an RN for a few years waiting to apply to medical school? This road is long and painful enough without knowingly entering into another career just to get to the finish line. If it were me and I were REALLY sure that I wanted to be an MD, I'd switch majors. Your parents may be disappointed at first but you have to live your own life.

 

[allantois]

Also don't go to med school if you are dead set on oncology or any other competitive specialty. Would you still go into medicine if you were in psych or family med or IM? If the answer is no then rethink your choice.

Honestly, it makes no sense to me to go med school route if you only want to do primary care. Just do PA and enjoy your twenties, you will catch up to the knowledge of a doc eventually. NP is even more autonomy, but of course shady education.

 

[MyNameWasUsed]

Well he is wrong. Not all people will end up as a PCP, and you have the power to put the effort (research, study) if you want to match in the specialty that you want.

Bullcrap,, a specialty like oncology is very achievable unless you royally mess up med school. If we were talking plastics or derm then maybe this comment would have more merit.

heyy i didnt say i agreed lol

 

[frosted_flake]

As far as I know, there actually isn't that much overlap between nursing school prereqs and med school prereqs. Med school prereqs tend to be much more focused on hard sciences (BCP) rather than things like anatomy, microbiology, nutrition, pharmacology, etc.

OP, you'll definitely get some good experience as others have mentioned. But my biggest concern would be that this is just a very indirect route to get to your desired career path. Some people do become nurses only to decide later on that they want to be doctors but that's a totally different story, in my opinion. To go into nursing, investing both time and money, knowing that it's not the career path you really want does seem like a bit of a waste. And I would worry about what @gonnif mentioned--mainly that medical schools may read this as a lack of true motivation/desire to be a doctor or a wishy-washy attitude about your future. Maybe that won't be the case at all but it's certainly a possibility.

Also, if you don't enjoy nursing now, what's it going to be like once you graduate and are theoretically working as an RN for a few years waiting to apply to medical school? This road is long and painful enough without knowingly entering into another career just to get to the finish line. If it were me and I were REALLY sure that I wanted to be an MD, I'd switch majors. Your parents may be disappointed at first but you have to live your own life.

Just to expand on that, at my previous school, the 'microbiology' courses are two separate courses (one taught by a nurse for the nursing students, and one taught by a professor with a PhD in micro for the science students.
Anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology and even chemistry are also watered down as well.
If you choose to pursue this path, make sure the courses you take count as BCPM, for example, CHEM-200 versus NURS-200.

 

[DrDarce]

Can't you take pre-med prereqs on top of the nursing degree and then apply anyway? It wouldn't be a terrible idea. If you don't get in to med school you have a high paying back up job. Most likely that is too much work for what it's worth though.

 

[Psai]

Shadow some oncologists and see what it's like. You'll be dealing with some of the worst cases and you have to be good with terminally ill patients and their families.

 

[Law2Doc]

Well he is wrong. Not all people will end up as a PCP, and you have the power to put the effort (research, study) if you want to match in the specialty that you want.

He's not wrong, he just stated himself unclearly. Getting into med school is a competitive process. The level of competition in your med school class will be phenomenally higher than you are seeing in college, where there are lots of C students pulling down the curve on every test. Yet about half the people in med school, all people who got their share of As and Bs in college, will be below average. So in med school your specialty is only partially under your control -- you have to achieve against better competitors than you are used to facing. And even for the noncompetitive things. So it's generally a good idea to want to become a doctor first and foremost, and leave yourself some wiggle room in terms of specialty. Just like most people who start college as premeds don't end up making it into med school, most people who start med school only focused on a single competitive specialty very possibly won't get it. Now "oncology" isn't derm, plastics, ortho, but it's still not a bad idea to go to med school simply to be a clinician, and choose what kind later in the game.

 

[The Buff OP]

He's not wrong, he just stated himself unclearly. Getting into med school is a competitive process. The level of competition in your med school class will be phenomenally higher than you are seeing in college, where there are lots of C students pulling down the curve on every test. Yet about half the people in med school, all people who got their share of As and Bs in college, will be below average. So in med school your specialty is only partially under your control -- you have to achieve against better competitors than you are used to facing. And even for the noncompetitive things. So it's generally a good idea to want to become a doctor first and foremost, and leave yourself some wiggle room in terms of specialty. Just like most people who start college as premeds don't end up making it into med school, most people who start med school only focused on a single competitive specialty very possibly won't get it. Now "oncology" isn't derm, plastics, ortho, but it's still not a bad idea to go to med school simply to be a clinician, and choose what kind later in the game.

Not all of us are betas, Law2Doc. I'm a firm believer that hard work pays off. I do agree that you need to enter medical school with an open mind because you never know, you might end up liking a PC specialty.

 

[The Buff OP]

heyy i didnt say i agreed lol

Nah, the other dude. We good fam!

 

[Law2Doc]

No, he's wrong. Anyone who has a litmus test on how you must feel to start med school has no idea what they're talking about.

I like how primary care is considered "lowest of the low" in this discussion. Why not phrase it like, "If you're not prepared to do a surgical prelim internship, fail to get a real reaidency, and spent the rest of your life working at a walkin clinic at Walmart, don't go to med school." That would be more accurate in terms of worst-case outcome.

I don't think I suggested primary care was low, but it is where the majority of people going to med school will end up. Wasn't really my point though. There are tons of people who apply to med school but they don't want to be a doctor if they can't be a particular type of doctor. There's two problems with that (a) what if you realize you don't like it, and (b) what if you find you can't get it. The profession suffers if it's full of a bunch of people who feel like they are trapped into a second choice they would have never gone to med school for. So my point is decide you want to be "a doctor" first and sub specialize later. Because if that first step isn't in an of itself the initial success, you run a high risk of being miserable.

 

[Law2Doc]

Not all of us are betas, Law2Doc. I'm a firm believer that hard work pays off. I do agree that you need to enter medical school with an open mind because you never know, you might end up liking a PC specialty.

Meh, it's not about alphas and betas. There are plenty of smarter betas who will step over you and take your spot. Hard work is well and fine but my point is that everyone in med school worked hard and will continue to work hard. Think of it like a guy who was a star player at a smaller college who makes it to the pros, continues to work extremely hard, but simply isn't that impressive when he gets to a higher level of competition. He's still an "alpha" but that really doesn't mean he will persevere over all the other bigger stronger alphas. And that's kind of my point with not deciding you'd only be happy with X specialty. Even if you actually like it after rotations (not a given), that doesn't always mean you can get it. So be happy with medicine first, and target the specialty second. Medicine doesn't reward people who see things as alpha and beta, and frankly many people who phrase their schooling that way end up some beta's b!+ch along the way.

 

[Law2Doc]

...If you fail, you fail. That's a reason to work harder, not stay away from the field all together.

It's not a cost-less fail, and you know it. I think it's pretty reasonable for people going in to know that they might not get what they want, and if you have an "X or bust" mindset, you could very well bust. I'd be willing to wager a decent percentage with that minset bust, because I know quite a few. So It's not free to try, and no soft landing if you launch yourself for a target and miss. And that's why I am saying wrap your mind around being a doctor, first, and a subspecialty thereafter. And again I think this has more to do with competitive versus noncompetitive, not primary care.

 

[Law2Doc]

...
I mean, c'mon, your name is Law2Doc...

1. I wouldn't really advocate going into law if you won't like it, particularly these days when BigLaw is so much more of a longshot. And frankly I didn't dislike where I ended up, although the market was a bit better back then. I just decided there were other things out there I might like even better (and guessed right). But it was a very hard, multi-year decision process.
2. Law, unlike medicine, is a lot less of a "trap". You can use legal skills for other things, the number of years invested is less, the amount of debt you'll incur is less. If you plan to try a career on for size, law isn't a bad starting point, and will give you a very good idea of what kind of job and setting would work best for you, even if you ultimately end up elsewhere. You can't really make the same assertions about medicine.

 

[moisne]

you will catch up to the knowledge of a doc eventually. NP is even more autonomy, but of course shady education.

wait... what?

 

[jl lin]

I absolutely agree with @gonnif .

And I am sorry, but working as a nurse is much, much more than getting a freaking pay check. If you don't get that out of the experience of being a nurse, it's just utter BS and you have wasted your money and time.
The roles may be different, but it is still all about being caring and highly competent.

 

[takeonme]

it would benefit you to search other RN-->MD threads on here and talk to those either going through it/went through it. through this, i'm sure you could create an argument specific to your needs since you know yourself best. that's what i did 3 years ago. i have no regrets about my decision as it has made me the person i am today. good luck!

 

[Goro]

The give and take here between my two learned colleagues is fascinating. For my own DO students' standpoint, L2D's viewpoint is very relevant, as ~2/3rd of DO students end up in Primary Care.

But for Tired's viewpoint, isn't it true that about 2/3rd of MD grads do NOT go into into Primary Care? If so, I think both of them are correct!

It's not a cost-less fail, and you know it. I think it's pretty reasonable for people going in to know that they might not get what they want, and if you have an "X or bust" mindset, you could very well bust. I'd be willing to wager a decent percentage with that minset bust, because I know quite a few. So It's not free to try, and no soft landing if you launch yourself for a target and miss. And that's why I am saying wrap your mind around being a doctor, first, and a subspecialty thereafter. And again I think this has more to do with competitive versus noncompetitive, not primary care.

I got you. I just don't agree that students should be risk-averse as they choose their profession.

Yeah, you take a big chance shooting for competitive specialties. But every kid who takes a contract in the minor leagues takes a chance. Every student entering law, pharmacy, and optometry schools is taking a chance. Everything can end in failure and debt. You adjust and move on, making the best of your circumstances.

I mean, c'mon, your name is Law2Doc...

 

[The Buff OP]

Meh, it's not about alphas and betas. There are plenty of smarter betas who will step over you and take your spot. Hard work is well and fine but my point is that everyone in med school worked hard and will continue to work hard. Think of it like a guy who was a star player at a smaller college who makes it to the pros, continues to work extremely hard, but simply isn't that impressive when he gets to a higher level of competition. He's still an "alpha" but that really doesn't mean he will persevere over all the other bigger stronger alphas. And that's kind of my point with not deciding you'd only be happy with X specialty. Even if you actually like it after rotations (not a given), that doesn't always mean you can get it. So be happy with medicine first, and target the specialty second. Medicine doesn't reward people who see things as alpha and beta, and frankly many people who phrase their schooling that way end up some beta's b!+ch along the way.

TL;DR

 

[sliceofbread136]

He's not wrong, he just stated himself unclearly. Getting into med school is a competitive process. The level of competition in your med school class will be phenomenally higher than you are seeing in college, where there are lots of C students pulling down the curve on every test. Yet about half the people in med school, all people who got their share of As and Bs in college, will be below average. So in med school your specialty is only partially under your control -- you have to achieve against better competitors than you are used to facing. And even for the noncompetitive things. So it's generally a good idea to want to become a doctor first and foremost, and leave yourself some wiggle room in terms of specialty. Just like most people who start college as premeds don't end up making it into med school, most people who start med school only focused on a single competitive specialty very possibly won't get it. Now "oncology" isn't derm, plastics, ortho, but it's still not a bad idea to go to med school simply to be a clinician, and choose what kind later in the game.

Disagree, you have to be a fairly large underachiever to truly be forced into an undesired specialty (aka family medicine, ew) unless you are aiming for something super competitive. Step 1 scores need for low tier surgery or Im is pretty low which are the stepping stones for what most people want to do. Also you still have the c students bringing down averages, only now they are imgs. How else would every med school score above average.

 

[Redpancreas]

I don't know if this is the right place to post this, but I really need advice, specifically from students taking the medical path.

I am currently a nursing major, sophomore year of college. I am in this field because it's mostly my family that's wanting me to become a nurse and won't support me at all (in whatever support I need) if I change my path, which makes me feel horrible. I didn't mind at first, was a bit indecisive between nursing or medical, but now I've decided that I really want to be a physician (specifically, oncologist). They tell me that if I want to be a doctor, I should take nursing first, then go become a doctor.

I told them why that's not the smartest choice at all, despite the fact that some some people go that way, but those are usually people that were nurses at first but realized they wanted to go to medical school.

I need more reasons why this isn't smart at all. I have that it'll be a waste of time and money to go back to school because you have to do med school pre-reqs. I told my parents this and they literally don't believe me.

What are some other reasons I could tell them, to convince them?

$

 

[Lost in Translation]

It's a complete waste of time and time is money. Whether you realize it or not, your time is [potentially] valuable.

Nonsense; my time is worthless. Any of it spent treating patients is much better than what I would have been doing otherwise.

 

[TheShowGoesOn]

From an adcom perspective, it becomes a question of mostly motivation and commitment, with some achievement.

Why were you motivated to be a nursing major and not a premed? now that you are in a program, are you going to complete it? Since your motivations have changed as well as you commitment, how do we know they wont change once you start medical school? Will you be committed? Typically, applying directly from a BSN program to an MD/DO program isnt the typical successful path. Rather it is working for a few years as an RN and then applying to med school that is more commonly successful. It also should be noted that of the 7 or so categories of majors that AAMC tracks for applicants, specialized health sciences majors, such as BSN, have the worst acceptance rate
https://www.aamc.org/download/321496/data/factstable18.pdf

I would like to believe that the low acceptance rate associated with BSN graduates is the result of low grades caused by a demanding program. I'm in Canada and a BScN is rated to be one of the most difficult university programs at this time- though I know of many individuals who have gained med school acceptances that have graduated with a BSN/BScN and take a couple of years to boost their GPA while working (clinical experience). Hard work and dedication goes along way!

My local medical school had their top performing student come from a music major... Imagine the learning he had to do MS1.

 

[TheShowGoesOn]

The give and take here between my two learned colleagues is fascinating. For my own DO students' standpoint, L2D's viewpoint is very relevant, as ~2/3rd of DO students end up in Primary Care.

But for Tired's viewpoint, isn't it true that about 2/3rd of MD grads do NOT go into into Primary Care? If so, I think both of them are correct!

Interesting, Goro. I've heard that many DO school adcoms appreciate a commitment to primary care? Would one mention this during an interview, or perhaps on their application if they are interested in FM/Rural medicine?

 

[confusedstudent2195]

I don't know if this is the right place to post this, but I really need advice, specifically from students taking the medical path.

I am currently a nursing major, sophomore year of college. I am in this field because it's mostly my family that's wanting me to become a nurse and won't support me at all (in whatever support I need) if I change my path, which makes me feel horrible. I didn't mind at first, was a bit indecisive between nursing or medical, but now I've decided that I really want to be a physician (specifically, oncologist). They tell me that if I want to be a doctor, I should take nursing first, then go become a doctor.

I told them why that's not the smartest choice at all, despite the fact that some some people go that way, but those are usually people that were nurses at first but realized they wanted to go to medical school.

I need more reasons why this isn't smart at all. I have that it'll be a waste of time and money to go back to school because you have to do med school pre-reqs. I told my parents this and they literally don't believe me.

What are some other reasons I could tell them, to convince them?

Hello!

I just recently made the switch from nursing to pursue medical school. I was accepted into my nursing program, I am currently in the "clinical" portion of my school's program and realized that it was just NOT for me at all. What I really want you to consider is what makes you want to be a doctor rather than a nurse. For me I realized that I what I really wanted was to practice medicine. I was interested in what's wrong with the patient, how to fix them, etc... whereas I felt that through my nursing program their goal was take care of the patients complications that come with being in the hospital and being cared for, distribute medications, be the patients advocate, etc. (which is a hell of a job in and of itself! but not what I want to do)

Have you had a job yet that you've been absolutely miserable at, wishing you were doing something else? That is why I didn't want to 'just finish up nursing' as easy as that sounds. There is no way you'll be able to take those UPPER level pre med classes while you're in the nursing program. The program is rigorous and you don't want to slack on the nursing courses and you definitely don't want to slack on the premed courses if that's what you ultimately want to pursue. Become something like a CNA or EMT in the mean time! You'll still make money and be getting clinical experience! But you wouldn't be wasting your time. We are young! We can do anything that we set our minds to and if you want to ultimately be a physician GO FOR IT! But attempting to do premed+nursing at the same time isn't wise in my opinion (as a current nursing student!) message me if you want to chat more! This is just my two cents.

 

[Goro]

It helps, but be prepared to be asked about it. We're leery of kids from the suburbs who suddenly display an interest in rural medicine when they've never set foot in a rural area.

Interesting, Goro. I've heard that many DO school adcoms appreciate a commitment to primary care? Would one mention this during an interview, or perhaps on their application if they are interested in FM/Rural medicine?

 

[Dizziness and Giddiness]

I had a few physicians tell me that my volunteer EMT work was a waste of time. I don't know to what extent we can say my situation is similar to yours, but I will say that I don't regret my emergency medical experience at all.

For me it was about testing the waters of medicine and deciding whether I could handle the gross stuff. The body fluids, trauma, gore, death, etc. It was simultaneously an opportunity to learn about myself and to test my emotional resilience.

Nursing is clearly far more involved from the aspect of training and time investment. As others have articulated, my advice would be to take the time to immerse yourself in the experience - and to be able to discuss why being a physician resonates more with you than nursing. I'll echo others who have recommended shadowing - acquaint yourself with the reality of a career you are considering rather than the idea. Your future self will thank you.

 

[jl lin]

Hello!

I just recently made the switch from nursing to pursue medical school. I was accepted into my nursing program, I am currently in the "clinical" portion of my school's program and realized that it was just NOT for me at all. What I really want you to consider is what makes you want to be a doctor rather than a nurse. For me I realized that I what I really wanted was to practice medicine. I was interested in what's wrong with the patient, how to fix them, etc... whereas I felt that through my nursing program their goal was take care of the patients complications that come with being in the hospital and being cared for, distribute medications, be the patients advocate, etc. (which is a hell of a job in and of itself! but not what I want to do)

Have you had a job yet that you've been absolutely miserable at, wishing you were doing something else? That is why I didn't want to 'just finish up nursing' as easy as that sounds. There is no way you'll be able to take those UPPER level pre med classes while you're in the nursing program. The program is rigorous and you don't want to slack on the nursing courses and you definitely don't want to slack on the premed courses if that's what you ultimately want to pursue. Become something like a CNA or EMT in the mean time! You'll still make money and be getting clinical experience! But you wouldn't be wasting your time. We are young! We can do anything that we set our minds to and if you want to ultimately be a physician GO FOR IT! But attempting to do premed+nursing at the same time isn't wise in my opinion (as a current nursing student!) message me if you want to chat more! This is just my two cents.

A. People do it indeed--take the other pre-req sciences while nursing or learning nursing. I do agree there is conflict b/c of the clinical demands, total work, volume of information, etc, to add on trying to do A work in your other pre-med pre-reqs. Personally if you are bright enough, I would say it is doable IF you don't have other responsibilities like family, etc. But it is going to be one huge pain in your butt, b/c you have to figure out the way the NCLEX questions work--not just the base knowledge. And they can be tricky.

B. For me, my role in any position as a critical care nurse or in any direct clinical care or management of nursing has not been miserable for the most part. What may be miserable is in being forced to work with people that are insecure and miserable, and those that don't want to go the extra mile to know or do something when it's in the best interest of the pts--or people are weird power trips, which mind you, have NOT for me been physicians but other nurses. Hahah, you'd think it would be the other way around, not so at all. Sure there are some exceptions, but comparatively, not that many.

I won't lie. I take issue w/ people that really don't care about the role of nursing, but just go into it as a stepping stone or as a job that pays better than the local dpt store. Yes, you can pick these people out, even if they have other admins or other nurses and docs fooled, b/c you see on what depth and level they go for the patients. The only reason I went into nursing was to be a nurse, and I found critical care nursing especially interesting and felt like in that role I could optimize advocacy for the patients.

Point: Do not go into nursing as a stepping stone to medicine, even though you can get some excellent clinical experience. At least don't do so unless you plan on contributing a good five years to it. That seems fair to me. Although far be it from me to tell anyone, nurse or not, what to do with their education and experience.

There are many interesting and wonderful things about nursing; but there are also a lot of aggravating things--like feeling like you have to wear a dozen different hats at one time while still keep you patient/s in keen focus on many levels.

People often don't know what some nurses must know, b/c they don't realize the doc cannot always be there. It's impossible for them to be everywhere at once. So you have to know what the hell you are monitoring and testing and watching for, etc.

If you are going to do it, then look at it like a military service and put your time in, so that you really get and give something truly beneficial out of the experience.

Just one nurse's opinion. Otherwise, do whatever.

 

[jl lin]

a few thoughts

1) music majors who have mastered an instrument and thus have the discipline of rehearsal and practice (ie work ethic) usually do quite well in med school

2) in the past, often the nursing/allied health level of preqs, such as nursing chem, were not considered sufficiently rigorous to be accepted by medical schools or didnt provide enough foundation for MCAT success

3) working nurse, like other older nontrads, often have family and job tome constraints that do not leave them enough prep time for MCAT Orcadditional coursework

4) additionally with family obligations many apply to a small number of school thus making acceptance chances smaller

Courses that were required for my graduation from programs required the same General Bio and such that were the same required courses for pre-medical or other allied health at my programs of study. Perhaps this may not be the same at each program, so it behooves each nursing student/graduate to evaluate this. Furthermore, if the courses were 10 years old or > it is a good idea to re-take them in order to be in decent shape for MCAT preparation. Not all programs of nursing allow, shall I say, a "dumbed down" version of the sciences. Certainly in my area, this is generally not true. If you can't pass these basic "pre-med" sciences, than you should not be permitted to advance into the other courses. What I mean by this is that at many schools, the prerequisite for taking say Microbiology or A&P I/II involve taking the same rigor of such courses (Gen Bio or Chem) in order to enroll in the Microbiology or A&Ps and Pathophysiology in the first place.

Personally, I feel that any nursing program that provides a lesser version or "dumbed down" version is not doing any student a favor when they take the higher level courses noted.

 

[TheShowGoesOn]

a few thoughts

1) music majors who have mastered an instrument and thus have the discipline of rehearsal and practice (ie work ethic) usually do quite well in med school

2) in the past, often the nursing/allied health level of preqs, such as nursing chem, were not considered sufficiently rigorous to be accepted by medical schools or didnt provide enough foundation for MCAT success

3) working nurse, like other older nontrads, often have family and job tome constraints that do not leave them enough prep time for MCAT Orcadditional coursework

4) additionally with family obligations many apply to a small number of school thus making acceptance chances smaller

Nice post, definitely some things to think about. Of course they are not to be associated with all applicants, but those are valid options to explain the original statement.

 

[jl lin]

Nice post, definitely some things to think about. Of course they are not to be associated with all applicants, but those are valid options to explain the original statement.

Yes, but it is interesting the ASSUMPTIONS that are made by many. Not all nursing programs of study run the way that some have depicted here--dumbed-down versions of the sciences. It's just not true for all programs, and it's up to the individual student to know this or at least be willing to find out before they attend to advance further into pre-med pre-requisite courses.