Rn/md

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Has anyone ever thought about going back to medical school? I was just wondering if many nurses thought about becoming doctors? Thanks:)

Specializes in Neuro, Critical Care.
I evaluated this question back in 1971. MD or nurse? The truth is I was scared to death I wouldn't make it through medical school. I wasn't even sure I'd get through nursing school either. However, I gavitated toward the pre-med students and ended up in many of the same science and math classes they did. I lived through their angst over taking the MCATs. My husband took the MCAT twice and just couldn't get high enough scores in all the subjects for a medical school to even look at his application, so he ended up in pharmacy school. I do, however, still have contact with many of these old college friends and two of them are doctors now. One went to an AMA school; the other to an AOA school when he couldn't get into an AMA school. For anyone reading this who might have some inkling of wanting to do med school I'd recommend that after you take your MCAT you apply to Osteopathic schools of medicine. Their approach is a more holistic one, they are more forgiving of MCAT scores that are a little lower than what is usually required, they will consider your background in nursing, and they are way easier on students during their internships and residencies--none of that being on call every 3rd night. Many of the residencies are done in office clinics. Finances are really not the problem you would think. Once you get a place in a medical class, the medical college will make sure you get your loans to get through. Once you're done with your residency you will find a good many physician positions where the employer will pay off your school loans if you promise to work for them for 3 years or so--not a bad deal. My AMA friend did just that. He got a job with a huge HMO at $150,000 a year to start (this was some years ago) and they paid off his $100,000 of loans over a 4 or 5 year period. He works Monday thru Friday bankers hours and only has to be on call one day a month. Not bad for an employee. He has no desire to open his own practice. Unfortunately, many go to osteopathic schools of medicine because they couldn't get into an AMA school and the osteopathic schools are aware of this and try to screen these people out, but some are very secretive and don't reveal the truth. Osteopaths are a better fit with nursing since they consider the total patient and his life situation. That is very different from the medical theory that AMA schools teach.

where are these MD's employed? What is the difference in the job description of an MD and DO? I mean, what can one do that the other can't?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
where are these MD's employed? What is the difference in the job description of an MD and DO? I mean, what can one do that the other can't?

Well, Buckeye (I was born and raised in the Cleveland area), both are physicians. All states recognize DOs as physicians. The difference is in the medical theory behind their teaching. Most of the subjects DOs take in medical school are exactly the same. DOs are also taught the techniques of manipulating the bones similar to chiropractors. They can both do all the same things except that the DOs will do spinal adjustments in their offices and MDs will not. The DO medical theory is that they are merely there to facilitate the body in healing itself. MD medical theory is they heal. There's a big difference in those two ideas. My DO friend does accupuncture. He asked to do a clerkship during his last year as a resident in Shanghai to study acupuncture and was permitted to do this. An AMA program would have thought he was nuts. He does acupuncture in his office if his patients request it. How many MDs do you know who will do this? I did agency work at an osteopathic hospital in Cleveland. The admission assessments by the DO residents was very different from the H&P the MDs do. They did an extensive assessment of the patient's neuromuscular system along with the regular ROS and physical exam that MDs do. They also can order medications and treatments. They were doctors in every sense of the word.

My MD friend works for Kaiser Permanente. My DO friend has his own practice in a heavily populated asian area and specifically targets the more traditional asians who would rather have their teeth pulled than see a western doctor! He cultivates trust by being willing to listen to them, perform some acupuncture if they'd like, and then gradually tries to get them to accept the more modern treatments. He saw this traditional superstition in the asian population as being a real problem for them. After all, they came to America to have a better life, but then are very suspicious. It is very hard to break superstitious beliefs. He saw friends of his parents die horrible deaths from cancer and other diseases because they refused western medical treatment. He believes in meditation as a treatment modality. He will also occassionally give patient's an OK to herbal treatments as well. He knows several traditional chinese doctors who diagnose people by taking their pulse. Have you ever heard of that? These are the kind of doctors the people of China have had and are still found all around China. When I was looking for alternative treatments to go along with the radiation therapy I was getting for cancer some years ago, he took me to one of these doctors who gave me a prescription for herbs. I was taken to a Chinese herbal pharmacist who filled this prescription and gave me three large packages of herbs which I was to brew into a tea for the next three days. The tea tasted like sh--. I had acupuncture of my surgical site as well. Today, I'm cancer-free. Don't know if it was the surgery and radiation therapy, the herbs or the acupuncture. I don't care either. All I know is I'm alive. My surgeon thought I was crazy when I told him what I was doing. That's an MD for you.

Are you interested in becoming a doc?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I have been an RN for several years (have a masters in nursing), and will be starting meds school next year. I agree, med school is certainly not for everyone.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Has anyone ever thought about going back to medical school? I was just wondering if many nurses thought about becoming doctors? Thanks:)

Going BACK to med school....I never started off there. Nor did I want to be there. Nursing and med school are two different entities. I am not interested in being a doctor. I like not having to be oncall, or being in debt up to my eyeballs thanks to med school.

Nursing is not a stepping-stone to being a doctor. Nursing is its own profession. That's almost like asking a plumber if they are going to back to mechanic school, so they can fix cars too.

Sorry, if I sounded harsh. I just think I have heard too many people ask me this.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

DeigoT. . .Hope you have a nice big desk. :chuckle My doctor friends were each in a study group and hired someone to type up their class notes and copy them. A copy was given to each member of their study group. When I would go over to visit my girlfriend who's husband was in medical school, the place was nothing but a pile of banker's boxes with files and files of notes from his medical classes. Be prepared for at least one prof who wants to prove a point and bring everyone's ego down a peg or two and flunks everyone on a test. Best of luck to you!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
DeigoT. . .Hope you have a nice big desk. :chuckle My doctor friends were each in a study group and hired someone to type up their class notes and copy them. A copy was given to each member of their study group. When I would go over to visit my girlfriend who's husband was in medical school, the place was nothing but a pile of banker's boxes with files and files of notes from his medical classes. Be prepared for at least one prof who wants to prove a point and bring everyone's ego down a peg or two and flunks everyone on a test. Best of luck to you!

Thank You. Will definately keep that in mind.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Neuro, Critical Care.
Going BACK to med school....I never started off there. Nor did I want to be there. Nursing and med school are two different entities. I am not interested in being a doctor. I like not having to be oncall, or being in debt up to my eyeballs thanks to med school.

Nursing is not a stepping-stone to being a doctor. Nursing is its own profession. That's almost like asking a plumber if they are going to back to mechanic school, so they can fix cars too.

Sorry, if I sounded harsh. I just think I have heard too many people ask me this.

I didn't mean "back to medical school", nor did I imply that nursing was just a stepping stone to medical school. I simply asked if any nurses ever thought of going back to SCHOOL, specifically medical school to become a doctor. I am aware, and am sure most here are, that medical school and nursing school are two different entities. I have not met many nurses that have gone to medical school and I was entertaining the idea, which is why I asked, not in anyway imply that nursing school was/is a stepping stone to medical school, if you read my original post you will see that no where in it did I imply this or mean to imply this.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Neuro, Critical Care.
I have been an RN for several years (have a masters in nursing), and will be starting meds school next year. I agree, med school is certainly not for everyone.

Congrats!!!! If you don't mind me asking, what do you think your specialty will be, and what made you decide to pursue an MD rather than an NP?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Neuro, Critical Care.
Well, Buckeye (I was born and raised in the Cleveland area), both are physicians. All states recognize DOs as physicians. The difference is in the medical theory behind their teaching. Most of the subjects DOs take in medical school are exactly the same. DOs are also taught the techniques of manipulating the bones similar to chiropractors. They can both do all the same things except that the DOs will do spinal adjustments in their offices and MDs will not. The DO medical theory is that they are merely there to facilitate the body in healing itself. MD medical theory is they heal. There's a big difference in those two ideas. My DO friend does accupuncture. He asked to do a clerkship during his last year as a resident in Shanghai to study acupuncture and was permitted to do this. An AMA program would have thought he was nuts. He does acupuncture in his office if his patients request it. How many MDs do you know who will do this? I did agency work at an osteopathic hospital in Cleveland. The admission assessments by the DO residents was very different from the H&P the MDs do. They did an extensive assessment of the patient's neuromuscular system along with the regular ROS and physical exam that MDs do. They also can order medications and treatments. They were doctors in every sense of the word.

My MD friend works for Kaiser Permanente. My DO friend has his own practice in a heavily populated asian area and specifically targets the more traditional asians who would rather have their teeth pulled than see a western doctor! He cultivates trust by being willing to listen to them, perform some acupuncture if they'd like, and then gradually tries to get them to accept the more modern treatments. He saw this traditional superstition in the asian population as being a real problem for them. After all, they came to America to have a better life, but then are very suspicious. It is very hard to break superstitious beliefs. He saw friends of his parents die horrible deaths from cancer and other diseases because they refused western medical treatment. He believes in meditation as a treatment modality. He will also occassionally give patient's an OK to herbal treatments as well. He knows several traditional chinese doctors who diagnose people by taking their pulse. Have you ever heard of that? These are the kind of doctors the people of China have had and are still found all around China. When I was looking for alternative treatments to go along with the radiation therapy I was getting for cancer some years ago, he took me to one of these doctors who gave me a prescription for herbs. I was taken to a Chinese herbal pharmacist who filled this prescription and gave me three large packages of herbs which I was to brew into a tea for the next three days. The tea tasted like sh--. I had acupuncture of my surgical site as well. Today, I'm cancer-free. Don't know if it was the surgery and radiation therapy, the herbs or the acupuncture. I don't care either. All I know is I'm alive. My surgeon thought I was crazy when I told him what I was doing. That's an MD for you.

Are you interested in becoming a doc?

Daytonite, I'm so glad that you are cancer free!!!! CONGRATS...you are a survivor:)

Thanks soooo much for the info. I am thinking about going "back" to school to pursue an MD. I really like the idea of a D.O., infact Ive been looking into OU's DO program. The only problem is that I think my interest lies in surgery, if I am correct, I think that only MDs can do that?

Don't get me wrong, I love nursing and all that it stands for. I am finishing up my MN right now which is a general masters in nursing, if I decide to return for my NP, I will only need the advanced clinical portion, all my other credits will transfer, so here, lies my dilemma.

I love nursing and what it stands for. It would only take me a little over a year to become an FNP. The only thing is that I love the acute care setting and I haven't seen many NP's in those roles. I also love surgery and after observing the nurses in the OR, I really felt like i'd like to be the one in there doing the procedure! BUT! Med school will be another loooong 4 years and very expensive. OSU will pay for my NP degree in full....no money up front either...sigh...BUT I love to learn and I dont think i'd mind being in school for that long, I like school! Id stay in forever if I could:)

So...there is my dilemma...what to do, what to do...hmmmm:):)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

For a while I considered this but I really don't think med schools teach what i want to know.

I watch so many doctors get burned out. When they frst get out of med school they try to be good doc's but as the years pass the struggle to balance their personal life and professtional weigh on them. I have seen many well meaning good doctors become calous and seen their care get worse and worse.

Honestly the current state of things needs to be looked at. I think residancy is a good thing and obvoiusly they need the time they spend in med school but why do they need so much education before they can enter med school? why do they need to take MCAT? its not like it tests on anything relevent to medicine. If the track to becomeing a doctor werent so long and expensive things would be better.

That being said I have no desire to become a docotor, spend 12 years in school, residancy and then make just a littel more then what i can now (if I work overtime). The only reason I would want to become a doc would'nt be becuse then I would have to deal with being a "male nurse" but I dont think I would like it much anyway.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych/SNF/LTC.
Thanks soooo much for the info. I am thinking about going "back" to school to pursue an MD. I really like the idea of a D.O., infact Ive been looking into OU's DO program. The only problem is that I think my interest lies in surgery, if I am correct, I think that only MDs can do that?

DO's can perform surgery. Med school graduates, and med students have to take a 3 step licensing exam called the USMLE for MD students, and the COMLEX for DO students. Passing either of these exams after graduation from med school will get you a license to practice medicine, and make you eligible to start a residency.

While osteopathic physicians can practice in any specialty an MD physician can, osteopathic medicine's focus is in primary care. Since the DO and MD curriculum are so similar, DO's are eligible to take the USMLE's. If a DO would like to become a surgeon s/he may have to take the USMLE and do an MD residency in surgery, or do extremely well on the COMLEX. Otherwise it is difficult for a DO to get accepted into an MD surgical residency.

Hope this helps a little. Good luck with everything.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'm a student nurse in a B.S.N program in florida and all my pre-med friends try so hard to join the dark side:p . Many of them have told me they are in it for the money. I think they're all in for a rude awakening at some point down the line, but is it true that the salary between nurses and docs not THAT wide? I mean i know a staff nurse will make a fraction of what, say, a cardiologist would make, but i'm talking about a NP or other advanced practice. Would their salaries be competitive with family practice docs or any others?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment