What to do? Wait and continue or move on to premed?

[jsoccer999]

Hey everyone,

I am a concerned nontrad that has questions about my current situation. I am hoping the the great people of sdn could offer some advice.

Background: I Am second degree nursing student that realized after 2 semesters in nursing school that I want to apply to med school ( I talked to physicians, did some shadowing, etc.). I did well in my previous undergraduate degree 3.7 gpa. 3.7 sci gpa. I majored in psychology and minored in biology so I have most of the prerequisites done if not all of them (graduated 2018). My original plan, after I realized I wanted to pursue medicine, was to finish nursing school and work 2-3 years, then apply to med school.

Situation: I had a concussion about 2 weeks ago and I am still having difficulty concentrating and constant headaches. The doctor said it could a few weeks or months to feel better. I have to start school in a few days, but I'm thinking about not starting this semester so that I don't end up with W's if I see that I cannot continue. The dean told me that I would have to wait until Sept. or next Jan 2021 to restart the program if I decided not to continue now.

My question is whether I should just take the leave of absence and focus on recovering and then work on my med school app or should I try to push forward with nursing school. I don't want to anything to be taken in negative light. (Currently I have a 4.0 in nursing). I already have one semester where withdrew from in 2014 for medical/family reasons so I definitely don't want to risk another semester of withdrawal. I know that waiting another year to restart nursing school would definitely be too long if I'm not planning to be a nurse for many years.

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[Goro]

Hey everyone,

I am a concerned nontrad that has questions about my current situation. I am hoping the the great people of sdn could offer some advice.

Background: I Am second degree nursing student that realized after 2 semesters in nursing school that I want to apply to med school ( I talked to physicians, did some shadowing, etc.). I did well in my previous undergraduate degree 3.7 gpa. 3.7 sci gpa. I majored in psychology and minored in biology so I have most of the prerequisites done if not all of them (graduated 2018). My original plan, after I realized I wanted to pursue medicine, was to finish nursing school and work 2-3 years, then apply to med school.

Situation: I had a concussion about 2 weeks ago and I am still having difficulty concentrating and constant headaches. The doctor said it could a few weeks or months to feel better. I have to start school in a few days, but I'm thinking about not starting this semester so that I don't end up with W's if I see that I cannot continue. The dean told me that I would have to wait until Sept. or next Jan 2021 to restart the program if I decided not to continue now.

My question is whether I should just take the leave of absence and focus on recovering and then work on my med school app or should I try to push forward with nursing school. I don't want to anything to be taken in negative light. (Currently I have a 4.0 in nursing). I already have one semester where withdrew from in 2014 for medical/family reasons so I definitely don't want to risk another semester of withdrawal. I know that waiting another year to restart nursing school would definitely be too long if I'm not planning to be a nurse for many years.

Do NOT continue on your acadmic path until you are 100% back to normal. You can't afford to have any acadmic mishaps.

Note: Ws are treated as worse than Fs on SDN. This is a pre-med delusion. Ws exist for a reason.

 

[jsoccer999]

Thank you for

Do NOT continue on your acadmic path until you are 100% back to normal. You can't afford to have any acadmic mishaps.

Note: Ws are treated as worse than Fs on SDN. This is a pre-med delusion. Ws exist for a reason.

Thank you Goro

I guess my question was when I recover what should I do based on my situation. I'm thinking about pursuing medicine once I recover 100% and leaving the ABSN program. Would this be wise?

 

[Goro]

Thank you for


Thank you Goro

I guess my question was when I recover what should I do based on my situation. I'm thinking about pursuing medicine once I recover 100% and leaving the ABSN program. Would this be wise?

Med schools like to see completion, due to the worry about people bailing on med school. Thus, I recommend finishing this program. It's a good backup in case Medicine isn't for you.

 

[jsoccer999]

Med schools like to see completion, due to the worry about people bailing on med school. Thus, I recommend finishing this program. It's a good backup in case Medicine isn't for you.

Thank you for your advice Goro. I want to complete but my time off has made me realize how much I disliked the program. My first goal is to get healthy and then work in research a few years before applying to med school.

 

[deleted367183]

I was in a direct entry NP program and bailed once I got the BSN. Then I started taking prereqs.

 

[jsoccer999]

I was in a direct entry NP program and bailed once I got the BSN. Then I started taking prereqs.

Thank you for sharing that. Did you get asked about not completing the program by med schools? Do you think it hindered you in any way?

 

[deleted367183]

I think it was not apparent that the program was supposed to be 3 years. The degree made it look like it was terminal--it was just labeled as X School of Nursing, no place to put a subtitle like "Direct Entry NP." So no, nobody asked me.

Going back to complete the BSN is a hard one. Having been there, I can understand not wanting to squander even one more instant in nursing school. But I defer to wiser heads on this one. How much would it cost to finish? If it's private school tuition...

 

[jsoccer999]

I think it was not apparent that the program was supposed to be 3 years. The degree made it look like it was terminal--it was just labeled as X School of Nursing, no place to put a subtitle like "Direct Entry NP." So no, nobody asked me.

Going back to complete the BSN is a hard one. Having been there, I can understand not wanting to squander even one more instant in nursing school. But I defer to wiser heads on this one. How much would it cost to finish? If it's private school tuition...

Honestly it might be better to finish. Its public school tuition. The only issue is that I have to wait until either September or January to finish. I guess after I recover I will start working in research and pay off loans. Maybe even study for and take the MCAT if I have to wait until January to start the program again. I am only 2 semesters away from the BSN so might as well get it I guess.

Thank you for your help in reasoning this out.

 

[jsoccer999]

Med schools like to see completion, due to the worry about people bailing on med school. Thus, I recommend finishing this program. It's a good backup in case Medicine isn't for you.

@Goro

UPDATE: Unfortunately, I won't be able to continue the program since the administrators want me to start in Sept. since it is an ABSN and my doctors are recommending that I first recover fully (might need surgery). So I won't be able to continue. Will this look bad? I completed half the program and I had a 4.0. Should I address it in the PS? Right now I am focused on recovering but I just wonder how this would affect my app down the line.

Thank you!