Do you think you'd be able to do medical school?

Nurses General Nursing

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Is it really much harder than nursing?

If I had chosen healthcare instead of accounting all those years ago (right out of high school), and my parents had the income to help support me, I probably would have gone to Med school. It would have been an amazing adventure. But I chose accounting.

And here I am today, middle-aged-ish, and a nurse. Left my work in accounting in 2010. Far too boring for me, and not very rewarding.

I am happy being a nurse. :yes:

I believe I would have been happy as a physician or surgeon, too. :yes: Now, I am just too far away from my 20's to even consider the debt I would accumulate, or where to get the energy to survive it.

I could have written most of this, except I didn't do accounting. I can't believe I am going back to school to get my BSN at my age . . .

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Is it really much harder than nursing?

Yes, medical school is much harder than nursing school.

Begin with the path to entry: The foundational education for prospective physicians is much more rigorous than that for prospective nurses. If you've never studied calculus-based physics then you'll just have to trust me on this.

Consider the degree: A doctorate compared to an associate's degree, or even a bachelor's degree... Of course a doctorate is more rigorous... or "harder."

Take a look at some of the textbooks... check out Guyton or Harrison's, for example, and then compare that to Silverthorn or Porth. The latter are about 1/3 the size of the former and written at a lower level.

Consider the clinical requirements... I work at a teaching hospital and see med students close up for 2 years... the hours alone are dramatically more than any nursing program.

Spend some time listening in to the quizzing that resident physicians do with medical students... let alone academic round... it is much more in depth than anything I've heard in nursing.

Consider the procedures that they learn: Inserting a urinary catheter versus endotracheal intubation for example.

In my case, from the moment I decided to be a nurse until I obtained my license was exactly 27 months. It involved no entrance examination and limited prerequisites. No way I could have gone from decision to MD in 27 months.

A substantial portion of nursing is delivered "online" in many schools. I've yet to see an online medical program in the US.

Finally, look at the testing requirements for graduation: USMLE steps 1 and 2 compared to the NCLEX... multiday testing compared to a 1-hour test? No comparison.

Medical school is orders of magnitude "harder" than nursing school.

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A better question might be "how many people on this board could even get into med school?"

I graduated near the top of my nursing class, and aced both Micro and A&P. I have CCRN and TNCC, as well as other certs. I also have a BA.

I could not even have gotten into med school. Had I gotten in, I am not sure I would have made it. I am very dubious about the number of folks who responded to this question with the belief that they could have gone to med school.

I am, however, fairly certain I would have completely nailed Rocket Science school.

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I was pre med before nursing. I got pregnant just as I was finishing org chem and opted to go the nursing route so that I could support my family. I didn't have time to spend not earning for my kid.

I know I want to go back, and yes I believe its more difficult. However I think I want to go to dentistry school. I don't like the idea of not being able to leave work at work, like most doctors. Thats become more important to me now that I have a family.

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A better question might be "how many people on this board could even get into med school?"

I graduated near the top of my nursing class, and aced both Micro and A&P. I have CCRN and TNCC, as well as other certs. I also have a BA.

I could not even have gotten into med school. Had I gotten in, I am not sure I would have made it. I am very dubious about the number of folks who responded to this question with the belief that they could have gone to med school.

I am, however, fairly certain I would have completely nailed Rocket Science school.

I have to admit that I find posts like the OP somewhat ironic when compared to the enormous number of posts asking for help with what is 7th grade mathematics....
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Specializes in Emergency Department.

When I was in my 20's, I didn't have the discipline or drive to do medical school, though I clearly had the intelligence necessary. Now, while I easily have all the discipline, drive and intelligence to do it, what I simply lack is time. By that, I mean that I lack the future time to make such an endeavor worth it. I actually have most of the prerequisites done now. Even if I was completely qualified and selected for Medical School (or DO school) I face at least 7 years of training before I'm on my own. I'm in my 40s and that puts me near 50 when I'm done. I would be in my early 60s when I pay off my student loans. That means I'm going to either stuff all my money away for retirement or I will end up working until I die. From a financial standpoint, it's MUCH better to start down the path to being a physician early in life. Right now, as an RN, my yearly earning potential is substantially lower, but with some good financial management, I'll be off to a very solid retirement (yes, I plan ahead for that) and over the next 25 years or so, I will be able to retire somewhat comfortably and still do some part-time/per diem work if I so desired.

Is med school harder? Not necessarily. Remember, medical school trains people to go from essentially zero to MD just like nursing school trains from zero to nurse. The depth of knowledge gained in med school is much greater. By the time you finish your 2nd year, you've been in class 4-5 days/week, all day for 2 years and there's little fluff there. By the end of the 4th year, you're well stuffed with knowledge and some practical experience. Of course you're going to discuss stuff at a much deeper level than most anyone else.

Personally I think that PA school is harder on the student, but that's more a function of how PA school is structured vs med school vs nursing school.

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I used to think RN was at the level just below of lawyers ad physicians... hahaha. Now I think of my profession (although I don't think it's really a profession) as something on the list with postman, regular school teachers, or a car salesman. In other words, nurse is just a nurse.

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Specializes in Post Anesthesia.

Sure, in my youth I could have done in easily. I was a Biology major before Nursing I found the core classes for Biology much easier than Nursing. From what I've seen of the new interns and residents, my cat may be brighter than some of them, and they made it through. With health care going the way it is these days, I can't imagine taking the risk of the MASSIVE debt to become a physician, and finding out you are going to make 1.5 to 2 x what a Nurse does with a BSN or even an AD. As a nurse I'm rarely on call; My days off are my own to enjoy. I paid off my student loans in 8 years, and I don't have to jump through nearly so many hoops to get the compensation I deserve from insurance companies.

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