Medical school vs Nursing School

Do you have kids still at home? I have a 5 year old and one on the way, and med school is out for me because my priority is my family. Jetting around the world sounds exciting....if that's what you want more than anything else. One of the things that really stinks about growing up (at least for me) was the realization that I can't have it all, I had to pick and choose my priorities. So nursing was a way better fit for what I wanted most. I wanted to be 'married' to people, not a career. But I'm not knocking those who have other priorities. That's great that we don't all want the same things. If being an MD is what you want more than anything, go for it! You will not be sorry as long as you follow your heart.

I actually got a degree prior to going to nursing school. In my last year of business I realized that I really wanted to help people. I love nursing and it focuses much more on the patient than you do as a Dr. You are more involved in the emotional aspect with the patient.

Is there any hope for a middle aged person to get into medical school?
Is nursing a better choice in the situation where the person would prefer
to go to medical school but just may be too old! The first major hurdle
would be finding a medical school in the U.S. that will take them.

Any comments?

I don't understand the comments about doctors not spending as much time with patients as nurses. In terms of medical care I see my doctors a whole lot more than I have ever seen any nurses in my life. My obgyn has been checking me out (hehe) since I was 15. I'm now 28. He delivered 2 of my mom's babies as well as my kid. This man saw me all throughout my pregnancy, checked on me every day while I was at the hospital with my C-section, and saw me afterward for all of my checkups, not to mention my annual exams. My son's pediatrician and nurse practitioner (it's a group practice) see him every time he gets sick enough to go to the doctor's office or needs a periodic checkup. He's been going there for 2 yrs now. They are watching this boy grow, get taller and talk! And my late grandmother, before she died, had been going to the same doctor's office since the doctor's office had a segregated entrance, one for blacks and one for whites! My grandmother was 89 when she passed a few years ago.

I'm not trying to disrespect nurses at all (I'm studying to be one!), I'm just trying to understand why I hear so often on this board that doctors don't have much pt interaction. Many doctors spend years, even decades, with a lot of their pts.

So many great posts here.

I'm 41 and grew up wanting to be a doctor because I love science and wanted to help people. Finished all but a couple of pre-med courses in college. But a funny thing was happening -- nearly every time I'd take an "intro" course, I'd get fascinated by it and want to try something else in the department. I changed my major seven times and somehow emerged in four years with a BA in economics.

My flaming ADD was not diagnosed until many years later

Looooong story short, I never lost my passion for health care and after experimenting with a variety of jobs, I decided in my early 30's that if I was ever going to grow professionally I would have to pick a career and commit to it.

Nursing was kind of a no-brainer for me. My attention span is simply not long enough to endure the long haul of med school. I needed something flexible, and nursing was it. I only needed a couple of prereqs (all that major-changing came in handy!) and was fortunate to have a BSN program nearby.

On a more practical side, debt was a consideration. Med school is a LOT more expensive, and even though you end up with a healthy income, a six-figure student loan statement is not something I want to find in the mail with my AARP card

That said -- there is no shortage of success stories from people who have moved mountains to fulfill their dream of going to med school in their 40's and 50's. Google "med student forums," and go to the "Nontraditional Students" forum. There's a ton of information there, and I know there are some RNs who are preparing for, or are already in, med school.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Doctors spend a very small amount of time with each patient every day. They come, write orders and go. The way I look at it, we are the ones making sure that all day/night long they stay alive to make it to another day. We are their guardians... on the front lines, in the thick of it... and that, I think, is pretty cool.

GaMBA... you gotta think hospital nursing! (which is where the majority of nurses are based...) The doctor takes about 10 minutes to an hour to admit the person on their first day, depending on how stable they are, and then, omitting crises, about 10-15 minutes per day with each patient. Nurses are there and responsible for those patients 24 hours per day. It isn't a slam on docs, its just the nature of the job!

shocker, I look at the bigger picture. Most nurses may work in a hospital, but a lot of doctors work in the hospital and/or have their own practice. I read comments on here all the time about how much time nurses spend with their pts. That may be true in some areas of the hospital, but I don't think that's a given for all nursing specialties and I don't think it's fair to say doctors have "little pt interaction" and "aren't on the frontlines." Those comments sound misleading to me. There are docs who have lots of pt interaction and doctors by the very nature of their job are on the "frontlines" of providing care to a pt. Also, while nursing is a 24-hr job, the nurses working those hours change and the "pt interaction" during that time may not necessarily be life-changing earth-shattering interaction. I have worked many a 12-hr shift where the nurse barely looked at the pt much less interacted with them. Maybe sometimes the job just doesn't require all of that. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, I'm simply pointing out that not all nursing specialties allow for intensive pt interaction every day, so that is something to be mindful of in evaluating nursing as a career.

I agree with those that say nursing offers a different approach to healthcare than being a doctor. There are exciting, hands-on aspects of both. People in both professions have the ability to make positive impacts on pts and save lives. Both spend time getting to know what's going on with a pt. They just approach it differently and serve different purposes in helping a pt get better.

I'm not trying to hijack the thread, I just want the OP to look at the med school vs nursing school decision with accurate information. OP, I'd suggest talking to nurses and talking to doctors who do what you're interested in and maybe spend some time shadowing each. See which one you like better, or maybe you'll find an entirely different healthcare career you haven't thought about that will be a good fit for you.

Nursing is a career, becoming a doctor is a lifestyle. I work to live, not live to work. I am dedicated to my job, but I almost completely dissociate my two lives in order to maintain my sanity with such a stressful job. That, and 10 years to finally be on the career and earning money? Becoming a doctor isn't just about brains, it's about being able to endure all that.