RN to MD, has anyone done this?

chaxanmom · Jan 8, 2010

My friend had a horrific time getting accepted to a nursing program because she had a GED instead of a high school diploma.

It's different if you have a GED because you were homeschooled. Many colleges look very favorably on homeschoolers. That being said, if you can do an accredited umbrella program I would. You work too hard and learn too much when homeschooling to end up with a diploma that only says you met the bare minimums. Just my opinion. :clown:

RNandRRT · Jan 8, 2010

I don't have enough insight to advise you one way or the other on this matter.

With that being said, some of the best doctors I've worked with in 18 years were RNs before becoming doctors.

panamishe · Jan 8, 2010

that is an amazing idea! of course i'm a bit biased because that is almost exactly what i did. i did two years of biology/pre-med before i changed and got my BSN. then, over the next 3 yrs, i worked as a med/surg then ER nurse while i completed my pre-meds, took my mcat, and applied to med school. all my interviewers were impressed with the fact that i was a nurse and i got accepted into all 3 schools that i interviewed at. nursing DEFINITELY is giving me an advantage in med school. i am currently in my first year of med school and many of the diseases and body system concepts we are learning about were introduced in med school. many of the test questions i see can be guessed using the nursing knowledge i've learned. now med school is A LOT harder than nursing school but i know that i and another nurse in my class are doing well because we've seen a lot of what we're learning. plus, while everyone is trying to take out extra loans for school, i got to work as a per diem nurse in the ER this christmas holiday and make that good nursing money. very good luck to you in all of your endeavors....you are on the right path!!

LoveActually · Jan 8, 2010

Hello everyone! This is my first official post, although I frequent these boards often due to my sheer fascination with the medical field. I suppose I should give a little background on myself before I ask anything. :) I'm 16 years old, and I've been homeschooled for the past two years. My plan goes as follows:
-Take my GED in June 2010
-Get my pre-requisites at a Community College
-Apply for the nursing program at said Community College in order to get my Associates in Nursing
-Take 1+ year off of school to (hopefully) work as an E.R. nurse (I know that experience to work as an E.R. nurse may be required, making this harder)
-Get my Bachelors degree in Behavioral Neuroscience at a University, or perhaps my BSN (although I've heard this can negatively affect the following step, true or false?)
-Take the MCAT exam and apply for medical school
If all goes well, I would complete med school and fulfill my dream of becoming an E.R. Doctor.
I definitely want to get my RN though, and I'm in the process of preparing for that; but I wanted to know if applying for medical school with a BSN can be a bad thing. I've read that med schools don't like taking nurses from their field, is this true? Or does it really just depend on the person? Has anyone done anything like this? If so, did you prefer being a nurse, or being a doctor? I'd appreciate any advice! Thanks.

I think it's a GREAT idea! You're so young, why not do both? And who knows, maybe you become a nurse, LOVE it, and go on to become an advanced practice nurse!

OR

you still go to med school, but can pick up shifts as a nurse and make REAL money while your friends are working at Target

Best Wishes! With your ideas, and goals, though they may change along the way, you're going to do amazing things!!! =)

LeLeeFNP · Jan 8, 2010

When i became a nurse i fell in love with medicine so much that i also wanted to go for MD, i just decided to climb the nursing ladder instead because that works the best for me at this time. I'm happy you are getting more positive feedback now. I couldn't believe how negative some people were being on here to a 16 year old. I also hope you take the advice of the previous poster and talk to counselors at the medical schools you are interested in. And remember quicker isn't always better. Just because you are young and could go for MD right away doesn't necessarily mean that's the best route for you. There is no guarantee on getting accepted or making it through med school right away (not that i am discouraging you, this is just a known fact because of how difficult Medical School is) so why not protect yourself with a nursing degree. Also regarding the waiting lists for nursing programs, those seem to only apply when talking about public schools and ADN programs. Many private schools don't have waiting lists, especially BSN programs. Many times they accept their students based on who has the highest entrance exam scores and not necessarily a waiting list.

jjjoy, LPN · Jan 8, 2010

If being a practicing physician is your true final goal, then it doesn't make so much sense to become a nurse *if* there's a way that you can go straight towards your goal. If you can't go straight towards your goal (finances, family issues, etc), then I can better see where nursing *might* fit in. However, nurse-to-physician isn't a common path for several valid reasons; but to answer your question it most certainly can be (and has been) done. Now it sounds like you need to ask a bunch of other questions in regard to if nurse-to-physician would be a good plan for you.

LeLeeFNP · Jan 9, 2010

"

if being a practicing physician is your true final goal, then it doesn't make so much sense to become a nurse *if* there's a way that you can go straight towards your goal. if you can't go straight towards your goal (finances, family issues, etc), then i can better see where nursing *might* fit in. however, nurse-to-physician isn't a common path for several valid reasons; but to answer your question it most certainly can be (and has been) done. now it sounds like you need to ask a bunch of other questions in regard to if nurse-to-physician would be a good plan for you.

"

i still don't understand how nursing is a setback for her. lets say that she is able to get into a bsn nursing program without a waiting list. how would obtaining a bachelor's degree in nursing be any different than obtaining a bachelor's degree in any other science field? she has to get the bachelors regardless. and if she wants to apply for med school right after getting her bsn she can certainly do so. i don't see how this still isn't considered a straight forward route. in fact some schools actually promote nursing as a pre-med major. one of those schools i happen to know about is a very prestigious university in wisconsin called marquette university. please see the information i have copied and pasted from their website:

what should i study for pre-med?

pre-med is not a major at marquette; it's a statement of your intention to go to medical school someday. therefore, you should choose a major that will give you the right background you'll need to succeed in medical school and practice. although specific course requirements vary among medical schools, most typically require two semesters each of biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, physics and english composition.

medical schools don't require particular undergraduate majors. however, some majors that tend to work well for our pre-med students are:

taken from: http://www.marquette.edu/student/ugrad/premedicine.shtml

taking this route, as others have posted would provide her with the opportunity to work and make real money while in medical school, gain real world knowledge and experience in the healthcare field, and understand the roles of nurses thereby enhancing her knowledge and compassion as a physician. this route does not necessarily have to be a longer route. just because it is not common doesn't mean it isn't the best route to go for any physician. if all physicians were nurses first prior to going to medical school personally think the healthcare industry would be a lot better.

txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN · Jan 9, 2010

i have a ged and have 4 college degree's.....never had a issue ....to the op go for it...

Jubilayhee · Jan 9, 2010

Well the reason why majoring in nursing could be set back for md is a couple reasons. The BSN curriculum is very tight. It includes usually two chemistry classes that are NOT the pre med chemistry classes. so she would basically be taking science upon science classes. Since the BSN curriculum is already tight, the only way she could graduate on time with all those pre med science classes is if she takes another year or takes summer classes. Secondly, nursings labs and clinicals are a major time drain. Getting into med school requires a high gpa, and majoring in nursing on top of those hard science classes might not be a wise idea. And when adcoms see that you majored in Nursing, they think, It looks like someone had a fall back plan. People usually recommend Biology or Chem because it includes those pre med science classes already within its curriculum.

panamishe · Jan 9, 2010

And when adcoms see that you majored in Nursing, they think, It looks like someone had a fall back plan. People usually recommend Biology or Chem because it includes those pre med science classes already within its curriculum.

one of the popular questions posed during the med school interview is 'what will you do if you do not make it into med school this year?'. they like to see that the student applying is mature and practical with a plan B or C.

besides, the op is young and has lots of time. it is not necessary to take your pre-meds while studying nursing. i didnt take them until after i was done with my BSN and i was able to make money while doing it....enough to pay for a great MCAT prep course!

LeLeeFNP · Jan 9, 2010

"Getting into med school requires a high gpa, and majoring in nursing on top of those hard science classes might not be a wise idea. And when adcoms see that you majored in Nursing, they think, It looks like someone had a fall back plan. People usually recommend Biology or Chem because it includes those pre med science classes already within its curriculum."

You don't think majoring in Biology or Chemistry would be just as difficult as nursing? I beg to differ. At least nursing involves real world application of the concepts you are learning. Did you read the information I posted above regarding the college that encourages nursing as the pre-med major? That particular school (and I imagine this is not the only school) will accept the sciences you take in nursing as the sciences for your pre-med. why else would they recommend nursing for pre-med? There is huge difference between fact and opinion. It is obvious that this isn't the route that you would take, but please realize that this is a very practical route for others who may want to protect themselves, have a back-up plan, and gain valuable knowledge about patients and how healthcare delivery works as a whole before they get into medical school. The OP is very smart to consider this as an option and I hate that people are being so closed minded and discouraging her from this.

jjjoy, LPN · Jan 11, 2010

"" I still don't understand how nursing is a setback for her....

I don't think nursing would be a negative, so I wouldn't call it a setback.

This route does not necessarily have to be a longer route..... just because it is not common doesn't mean it isn't the best route to go for any physician

In MOST cases (not all), it WILL take longer to major in nursing, get pre-reqs done and then apply to med school than to major in something else and then apply to med school. But I do agree that can still be a benefit and a great way to go for some depending on their circumstances and goals. And I agree that in an ideal world physician exposure to nursing education would be incredibly benefitial. In the reality of today's crunch on nursing schools, I wouldn't recommend nursing-physician as a common practice.

With today's competition for nursing spots, one might think twice about denying someone else the chance to become a nurse if you plan to move on quickly and the other may plan to make a whole career of it. Of course, one never knows how things will actually play out. But we're talking about making plans and decisions which we never know in advance how it ultimately turn out.

At most schools, a lot of resources beyond one's own tuition goes into paying for each nursing student's education. I think one needs to evaluate how they feel about subsidies to improve the nursing care available to society going to give a pre-med student the added benefit of a nursing education.

It would good for medicine if more pre-meddies were nurses first, but it would be bad for nursing as a career given today's educational restrictions. In *this particular* case, it absolutely may be best for them to pursue nursing and then medicine. That's the OP's decision to make. Interesting discussion regardless!!