would this be a wrong move?

[shinee]

hello everyone nice to meet you all my name is jack, im currently a senior in high school with a CNA and will be applying to college in 3 month so lots of pressure on a decision right now. i have my mind set on medical field, i don't want to do anything els besides this. i just need help on how to get there.

ok i know this has probably been asks BILLIONS of time but..please help me out

my ultimate goal is to be a doctor preferably Trauma Surgeon, or ER Physician. i always knew health care was right for me. my father was a PA back when i used to live in my country. even working as a PA we still didnt really have enough to get by. but the passion i saw my dad had when helping those people i just have this feeling like i want to become like him someday. i just cant imagine seeing myself going into any other field....plus i remember watching tv shows like Hopkins and seeing the trauma and ER life i just want to be apart of all that.

ive talked with my parents about future plan for school and they were willing to support my decision 100%. but because their older and lack the understanding of english lanuage they don't really know what to suggest to me and kinda offer guidence to that path. and ive always been doing my own research and just take on what life offers me.

but my father suggested to me that i should start out as a nurse BSN RN, i know that alot of the medical school doesnt really care about what you majored in your undergrad as long as you have the gpa, mcat, experience etc and all the requirements they need. but im just afraid that med school may frown upon this seeing that i was a nurse, because thats what i was told that med school doesnt like nurses. but i don't think that is true. im not saying that i will go right to med school after i finish, i was planning to complete my BSN RN, work as a nurse, and do my pre med pre req while working as a nurse for at least a year or 2.
i also felt that if life got in the way and i end up not making it into med school, what will i fall back on? what will be my back up plan? so i felt nursing would be a great decision. i wouldnt mind working as a nurse i love nursing but becoming a doctor would be the ultimate goal.
we all gotta have a back up plan right? and plus wouldnt nursing be like a good transition to becoming a doctor? people always describe it as if its day and night but i don't believe its THAT big of a different your still a tream.

i just want some advice to see if this is an alright path. posters with experience on this are welcome to share thank you

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[soos]

as a cna the cheapest investment is to go get a NP. dollar for dollar primary care des not make that much more than a PA/NP. As an NP you get the latitude of a practioner without as much malpractise and overhead costs- If you really really want to be a surgeon - it's 10 years door to door-think about the time and money.

 

[ShyRem]

If you want to be a doctor, don't try to be a nurse. If you want to be an NP, BSN is a good step. But if you want to be a physician, pick a major you love. Volunteer in the hospital, soup kitchen, homeless shelter, anything that shows commitment. Get your EMT EARLY (like first year of college) and use it. Shadow doctors, do research, get published.

 

[cabinbuilder]

as a cna the cheapest investment is to go get a NP. dollar for dollar primary care des not make that much more than a PA/NP. As an NP you get the latitude of a practioner without as much malpractise and overhead costs- If you really really want to be a surgeon - it's 10 years door to door-think about the time and money.

Excuse me? You cannot get become a nurse practioner from being a CNA. You have to have be an RN then go back to be a nurse practioner.

Becoming a PA, you have to have a bachelor's degree then apply to PA school.

I think it's a very wise idea to get a bachelor's in nursing if you want a guaranteed job in the medical field. There are plenty of nurses who go to medical school. I have multiple physician friends who were nurses first.
You will learn so much from nursing that they don't teach in medical school. I personally don't know how to start IV's, mix medicines, do wound care, etc. Remember that there is no guarantee that anyone will get into medical school. Since the OP is still in High school, there is a lot of life ahead before even thinking about med school applications and a lot of things change over the course of a college career. The only thing with a BSN is that degree does not require the level of science courses that are needed for pre-med applications. So you would be taking double the classes in order to do the nursing work and the pre-med work.

Be a nurse because you want to be a nurse, not because it's safe in the hopes you don't get into medical school. However, as a CNA you already see what nursing does. You are correct though in that you will always have a medical career in the case you don't get accepted.

Do your bachelor's degree in something you enjoy and can do well in. Everyone does a science degree, you can have any 4 year degree you want.

 

[shinee]

Excuse me? You cannot get become a nurse practioner from being a CNA. You have to have be an RN then go back to be a nurse practioner.

Becoming a PA, you have to have a bachelor's degree then apply to PA school.

I think it's a very wise idea to get a bachelor's in nursing if you want a guaranteed job in the medical field. There are plenty of nurses who go to medical school. I have multiple physician friends who were nurses first.
You will learn so much from nursing that they don't teach in medical school. I personally don't know how to start IV's, mix medicines, do wound care, etc. Remember that there is no guarantee that anyone will get into medical school. Since the OP is still in High school, there is a lot of life ahead before even thinking about med school applications and a lot of things change over the course of a college career. The only thing with a BSN is that degree does not require the level of science courses that are needed for pre-med applications. So you would be taking double the classes in order to do the nursing work and the pre-med work.

Be a nurse because you want to be a nurse, not because it's safe in the hopes you don't get into medical school. However, as a CNA you already see what nursing does. You are correct though in that you will always have a medical career in the case you don't get accepted.

Do your bachelor's degree in something you enjoy and can do well in. Everyone does a science degree, you can have any 4 year degree you want.

thanks you

you see the thing is, i do love nursing! people tell me to major in something you like as long as its a bachelors degree so i thought why not nursing? i mean i love the profession and with the tough time were facing it would be a much more marketable degree than of say bio degree ( no offense bio majors) and yes i do understand that i would have to take the pre med courses like gen chem, bio, calc,org chem, etc because those arnt up to par with med school standards. but i don't mind doing that though. ill do those classes while working as a nurse. not only will gain health care experience, i will make some money in the mean time and i feel like it would be a win win situation if everything goes well.

i plan to work for a couple of years about 1-2 or more than try my chance at med school. and if that doesn't work out ill hopefully have the healthcare experience and classes available for me to apply to PA school or NP school. because i know alot of PA school rely heavely on HCE and amazing grades and much more.

but thank you very much for the advice

 

[UnlikelyDoc]

Have you looked into 6 year med programs that take students right out of high school (i.e. UMKC)?

 

[shinee]

yes i did but im not interested in those, my grades and SAT are great but i don't think ill have a chance at those program. i don't mind doing the traditional way though...

 

[mspeedwagon]

While your plan sounds reasonable, the statement below isn't really true. Biology majors have many more options in different fields vs those that graduate with nursing degrees.

Basically as a nurse, you are going to work in the field of nursing (hospitals, clinics, or something to that effect).

As a biology major you can really do anything. As a bio major I have work in investment banking, as a teacher, as a clinical coordinator, as a clinical research monitor. I was also offered jobs that I turned down (including one at Epic working with electronic medical records) and a job in lab. It's highly unlikely that someone with a BSN would be offered this diversity of roles.

There is a lot more diversity in what you can do with a biology degree; however, I will agree that there might be more job security as a nurse working in nursing.

i mean i love the profession and with the tough time were facing it would be a much more marketable degree than of say bio degree ( no offense bio majors)

 

[shinee]

do any of you know students or in class with some that used to be nurses but went on to get their MD? or was a previous nurse yourself and went on?

 

[drimpossible]

There are a few nurses on this board who went on to pursue an M.D.. I can't really comment on that aside from that there are a couple of threads on this topic. A quick search should find them.

I would echo a few other people here and say if you want to be a doctor, you probably don't want to be a nurse first.

My advice is this: Go to college. Work hard, but make friends and enjoy yourself - it's a special time that goes by faster than you'd think. Study whatever interests you (Greek Philosophy, Art History, Video game design, Spanish Literature, etc.), don't rush to choose a major based on a career choice. Listen to your parents, but make decisions that nurture your passions and interests, not theirs. Make good grades. Volunteer, participate in some EC's involving medicine (campus EMT, shadowing, etc.) and see what feels right. At the end of a year or two you'll have a decent sense of what feels like the right choice (nursing, MD, or a PhD in Medieval Literature), while working up a level of discipline to beast your pre-reqs and MCAT, should you so choose. Good luck!

 

[PostHaste]

Why does a biology major have a better shot at banking than a BSN? They should have the same gen-ed classes. There is just as wide a variety of places a nurse can go, plus better access to roles in health care fields. If the OP wants to go into health care, a BSN's going to give them a heck of a lot more options than a biology degree.

That being said, if the OP wants to go to medical school, then get your act together and go to medical school. Major in something awesome and, like ShyRem said, jump through the hoops necessary to get into med school. You're in a fantastic place - your slate is clean. There is no reason you shouldn't be able to go to med school if you have the ability to make the grades.

While your plan sounds reasonable, the statement below isn't really true. Biology majors have many more options in different fields vs those that graduate with nursing degrees.

Basically as a nurse, you are going to work in the field of nursing (hospitals, clinics, or something to that effect).

As a biology major you can really do anything. As a bio major I have work in investment banking, as a teacher, as a clinical coordinator, as a clinical research monitor. I was also offered jobs that I turned down (including one at Epic working with electronic medical records) and a job in lab. It's highly unlikely that someone with a BSN would be offered this diversity of roles.

There is a lot more diversity in what you can do with a biology degree; however, I will agree that there might be more job security as a nurse working in nursing.

 

[shinee]

i think alot of you are missing my point, i respect your opinion and advice. but you tell me to major in something i like and the thing is i like nursing. i like health care i wanna have my foot in the world of health care. i was thinking along the line of why not become a nurse, i like nursing, and if everything works out and my passion is still burning to become a doctor i can always progress, takes pre med courses while working as a nurse and then apply.

from other forums ive been chatting up etc it seems alot of people frown upon that subject of a nurse going for MD or DO.

some people actually commented on the other thread at a different site saying that BSN degree doesnt really suffice.
i honestly don't really whats wrong with it i mean, your still taking the same pre req and doing everything els the same
but why are people so negative and hostile about having a nursing degree, then going for MD.

you know, i like the idea of taking risks etc but the other half of me is a planner. i like to look at things in both perspective. i like to think what would happen if i do get into med school, and the other senerio of what happens if i don't. i want to be prepared for the outcome and have a plan to tackle it.

its not just what about my parents thinks and their advice its more about how i feel. and i just think that with nursing, ill have a secure job (hopefully with economy etc) and if i don't get in, i can have a job that im willing to work in, make a nice living, and a solid foundation to stand on while i get back and try to find another way to get into med school or look for a different path.
its like when your boat sinks, at least i have life jacket on.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

ok, you are slightly wrong. generally speaking nursing classes do not cover the prereqs even if they appear to. for example, biology for bio majors vs. biology for health science majors. most of the nursing classes are put on by the nursing department, not the bio/chem/physics/math departments so they will not fulfill your prereqs. some may, but not all. most will not.

people aren't hostile about the nursing degree but many people understand that nursing isn't a good degree for medical school. why? i don't know, but it seems that nurses have the lowest acceptance rates. again, i don't know exactly why, but it is true. it is possible to get in of course.

the main problem is being a doctor and being a nurse are drastically different jobs. they may look like a couple steps away from each other on the outside but they aren't. the problem with medical school is it is so time consuming, and it requires so many hoops to jump through, that you need to start off with the mentality that your boat won't sink. the nursing classes will suck down your time. the nursing program at my school has 2 credit nursing labs that are MWRF from 8:00am until 5:00pm so you have 4 days sucked up by 2 credits and you need to take a full load. not all nursing programs are like this, but many are.

this is my $.02.

 

[glamqueen]

ok, you are slightly wrong. generally speaking nursing classes do not cover the prereqs even if they appear to. for example, biology for bio majors vs. biology for health science majors. most of the nursing classes are put on by the nursing department, not the bio/chem/physics/math departments so they will not fulfill your prereqs. some may, but not all. most will not.

people aren't hostile about the nursing degree but many people understand that nursing isn't a good degree for medical school. why? i don't know, but it seems that nurses have the lowest acceptance rates. again, i don't know exactly why, but it is true. it is possible to get in of course.

the main problem is being a doctor and being a nurse are drastically different jobs. they may look like a couple steps away from each other on the outside but they aren't. the problem with medical school is it is so time consuming, and it requires so many hoops to jump through, that you need to start off with the mentality that your boat won't sink. the nursing classes will suck down your time. the nursing program at my school has 2 credit nursing labs that are MWRF from 8:00am until 5:00pm so you have 4 days sucked up by 2 credits and you need to take a full load. not all nursing programs are like this, but many are.

this is my $.02.

You are being too nice in trying to help at this point, Frky. He is obviously missing the point and not seeing the big picture, but more importantly - people like this shouldn't be headed to medical school. To become a doctor is such an arduous path that only those completely dedicated and ready to launch into it without a safety net will survive (in my opinion at least). People have to be willing to move for school...sometimes across the country, move again for residency, take ridiculous hard tests a million times harder than the MCAT repeatedly for the rest of their life without worrying about their back up plan if they fail one of them (i.e. fail step 1 - ) - we don't plan for failure. We throw everything we have into this.

If he is not even a freshman in college yet planning for failure with a nursing degree, then he's not right for medical school and this path. You would be doing him a big favor by letting him continue this path to nursing. We do need good nurses, and maybe he will become one of them.

 

[PostHaste]

To become a doctor is such an arduous path that only those completely dedicated and ready to launch into it without a safety net will survive (in my opinion at least). People have to be willing to move for school...sometimes across the country, move again for residency, take ridiculous hard tests a million times harder than the MCAT repeatedly for the rest of their life without worrying about their back up plan if they fail one of them (i.e. fail step 1 - ) - we don't plan for failure. We throw everything we have into this.

Nobody plans for failure, but it's pretty stupid, in my humble opinion, to launch into anything without thinking through the risks and making a plan for what to do in the event that things don't go right. I can only assume you were being a bit flip on purpose with this statement, because otherwise, that's scary talk.

OP likes the idea of nursing. Why not? So what if the acceptance rates are lower - if one goes into it with med school as the goal, there are plenty of ways to overcome whatever it is that makes BSN's have a lower acceptance rate. And you know what, maybe they find that nursing is their one true love, and I say all the better for them. I think it's a disservice to the medical profession to believe that the only "right" doctors are the ones who have always known and loved and sacrificed for Medicine.

 

[glamqueen]

Nobody plans for failure, but it's pretty stupid, in my humble opinion, to launch into anything without thinking through the risks and making a plan for what to do in the event that things don't go right. I can only assume you were being a bit flip on purpose with this statement, because otherwise, that's scary talk.

OP likes the idea of nursing. Why not? So what if the acceptance rates are lower - if one goes into it with med school as the goal, there are plenty of ways to overcome whatever it is that makes BSN's have a lower acceptance rate. And you know what, maybe they find that nursing is their one true love, and I say all the better for them. I think it's a disservice to the medical profession to believe that the only "right" doctors are the ones who have always known and loved and sacrificed for Medicine.

Wait til you get to medical school. You can't make a plan in the event that things "don't go right." You'll never get through it. You have Steps to take, tests to pass, clinicals to get through, match etc. etc. There is no way to plan for not getting through any of those things. Most people have hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. If you don't make it through med school - you are kind of screwed. I'm merely illustrating that point. I also never said that doctors who have always known and loved and sacrifieced for medicine are the only right doctors. If that was true - I wouldn't be on this board, because I was a career-changer. I definitely haven't always felt that way about medicine.

Fact is - if he carries this attitude of planning for the "what if" into medical school - he will be driven nuts. There are too many places you can fail in medical training. You just can't plan to fail. If you do - then I'd love to hear that plan. Most people can't have a backup if they are in medical school due to debt. It's sink or swim time.

However, being realistic is important. If you aren't committed to this path, don't start down it. If he isn't sure - fine, get a nursing degree. However, it isn't the best plan for preparing for being a doctor. He's training in a career that is prepping him to be a nurse - not a medical student or doctor. Whereas if he gets any other degree, he can focus his electives/volunteer work/research around preparing for med school. He'll likely work with a pre-med advisor to do this even if he majors in dance. The nursing school won't be concentrated in helping him apply and get ready for medical school at all. It's just a bit different.

 

[PostHaste]

Fair enough, I guess I can see what you're saying, that if you're mentally prepared to fail getting into school that won't serve you well once you're in school. Reading some of your past posts, I think we're probably on the same page to a large extent, I just took you a little too literally. And I'm living my back-up plan, which of course makes me a little touchy on the subject.

ETA... my idea of making a plan if things don't go right in med school is taking an extra year, or re-taking a step, or having some money tucked away in case your spouse loses their job. I don't mean to imply that if things don't go right you bail on school, you just that you know how to deal when they do. Because sometimes things don't go right. But I think you get what I'm saying.

Don't mind me, sulking back in my grumpy old lady corner...

 

[glamqueen]

Fair enough, I guess I can see what you're saying, that if you're mentally prepared to fail getting into school that won't serve you well once you're in school. Reading some of your past posts, I think we're probably on the same page to a large extent, I just took you a little too literally. And I'm living my back-up plan, which of course makes me a little touchy on the subject.

ETA... my idea of making a plan if things don't go right in med school is taking an extra year, or re-taking a step, or having some money tucked away in case your spouse loses their job. I don't mean to imply that if things don't go right you bail on school, you just that you know how to deal when they do. Because sometimes things don't go right. But I think you get what I'm saying.

Don't mind me, sulking back in my grumpy old lady corner...

It's ok...I'm fairly grumpy usually myself too. And definitely, I'm friends with people who have had to or will have to repeat Step or take an extra year. But that's the kind of mindset that you need to succeed eventually - do or die in that same career path. It just raised my antennae to see someone who hasn't even started undergrad planning to fail to get accepted to medical school via his major choice. If you are interested in being a doctor, you usually don't want to be a nurse too. That just doesn't make sense.

Anywho - to be completely honest - the OP sounds like he would actually rather be a nurse than a doctor, but maybe doesn't want to admit that to himself. It's absolutely ok to go into nursing. I have friends in nursing school. I know nurses. I worked with an NP that I loved when I was a volunteer in a department in undergrad. Nursing is a fine profession - you don't have to feel compelled to say you want to go into medicine when you want nursing.

 

[shinee]

i understand that nursing courses are not equal to pre med courses, i wanted to do them after obtaining my nursing degree, while working at the same time. i realize i have to take bio, chem, org chem, calc, etc over but im willing to take the time to do that. and then try my chance.

shoot me for wanting to plan. all im saying is that if i don't get in, ill be happy working as a nurse. but ultimate goal is to become a physician.

don't tell me that it never occured to you to think about "what if" and how your life would be like if you don't get it. and what your plans are for the future.

glamqueen, from your profile it shows your a current med student, so iam positive that you understand the percentage of people who get into med school. and i congrat you for making it in and i wish u luck in your future.
but did u ever stop to think what the other percentage is like, and what their gonna do when their dreams are shattered?

i don't see it as setting up for failure, to me i see as being smart. and you are right about the idea of not knowing the future and cant prepare for everything and sometime u have to go in blinded. but thats a different story, thats something you cant prepare. but seeing this as something you can control, i think is worth a shot.

and just out of curiosity why do you recommend dance? i mean its completely different just like nursing, if not whole different industry and you still have to take pre req to fufill it etc but you seem to be for that then nursing. because isnt dance usually trains you to become a dancer, no? i might not be a dancer but im pretty sure they don't train you to diagnose patients
even of its just text i sense so much anger from you and fustration.

 

[ShyRem]

If you want to be a nurse, be a nurse. If you want to be a doctor, be a doctor.

As others have told you, nursing pre-reqs generally will not suffice for med school pre-reqs. Not to mention medical schools don't want to "steal" away another health profession's good workers.