Nursing School and Pre-med classes

agent · Sep 30, 2003

I think if you already have a BS then I dont understand why you just arent going for it?

do you have family obigations?

EastCoast · Sep 30, 2003

sounds like a lot of work and energy that would be better spent focusing on getting all premed courses out of way and applying to med school. by the way, make sure when you are taking those chems that they have labs with them and meet requirments for premed program or else you will have to retake chem at another time to satisfy this requiremnt. as agent said, if you have a BS just go for it. if you want to be a physician i suspect you will have a hard time being satisfied with a nursing career. and as you said this could be an easy way to loss motivation. anticipating taking 2-3 classes while working as a nurse and trying to study for the MCAT is very very ambitious. (not that it can't be done !) good luck no matter what you choose.

angelac1978 · Sep 30, 2003

another thing to consider is that many nursing programs require that their courses be taken together and in sequence, so you may not be able to break the courses up and take 2 one semester, and 2 the next semester. Just something you might want to check into. I also agree that if pre-med is where your heart is, you won't be happy as a nurse. They are 2 completely different animals!

A

agent · Sep 30, 2003

Thats what Im saying. If he really wants to go pre-med and doesnt have family responsibilities that arew holding him back (like me) then go for it.

Dont waver. You shouldnt be a nurse if you dont want to

pnurseuwm · Oct 1, 2003

Hi all,

Thanks for your posts. Actually my BA is in psychology (i.e. I could never get a psych job beyond being a receptionist- many of the hospitals in Milwaukee, WI are getting rid of the psych tech positions because our gov't officials are cutting back on EVERYTHING!). I'm not coming down on receptionists or anything, but I could only see myself doing something like that just temporarily.

Angelac may be right about the school wanting the students to keep the courses in sequence... I don't know.

One positive thing that I respect about nursing is that you can work in many different fields all through out your career... work in dialysis, in ICU, in psych... where ever you want to explore, you can go there and not be stuck (generally) at one type of career (i.e. psychiatrists, anesthesiologists, etc.)

I have a meeting with my nursing advisor in the beginning of October and will hash out my thoughts with her. I'll keep you guys posted..... however any new responses are welcome. :D I'm pretty torn between "life is too short to limit your experiences" mantra and "life is too short, have the most fun you can (i.e. NOT spending 4 yrs in med school and 4 yrs in residency:eek: )" but aren't we all? Why should I be any different:cool:

EastCoast · Oct 1, 2003

if you have that med school itch i would start scratching it. especially if you do not have anything to hold you back now (like family/kids) because it will be doubly hard when those obligations set in, no matter what field of medical care you enter. follow your dream...even if it changes day to day.:)

guru · Oct 1, 2003

I looked into physician assisant. I have a family/daughter so I can't spend 8 years in school. You should Go For It if you don't have a family. Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nomadimproved · Apr 28, 2004

hello all, i am in need of some advice and look forward to hearing your suggestions. my situation is as such; i am a 30-year-old male who at this time has no responsibilities, i.e. wife or kids. i already have a ba in computer science with a minor in math and i have finally decided to jump ship and follow my dreams, which is to be a physicians assistant. i am looking for advice for the best route to pursue in getting accepted into a pa program. all of the programs i have looked at require at least 1 year of clinical experience in which i have none. this coming summer i am starting in community college to get my pre-reqs, i.e. bio, chem, a&p. however i need the clinical experience so i thought about doing a 1-year medical assistant or lvn program and then finish the missing pre-reqs while working. i have also looked at an associate in nursing (2-years) program. essentially i am looking for the quickest route to get experience with the ability to take courses at night or day if working night hours. also, making money is not at all a bad thing.

thank you for taking the time to read this,

p.s. eastcoast, i sincerely agree with your post earlier....." follow your dream...even if it changes day to day. "

MyReign1 · Apr 28, 2004

Nomad, why don't you work as a cna or patient care technician while you are taking your prereqs. That way you won't waste a year taking a LPN course, then going back to get your prereqs. I say jump right into the prereqs while working as a CNA. Not as much money as a LPN, but you'll get where you want to be a little sooner. Most LTC facilities will train you to become a CNA.

MyReign1 · Apr 28, 2004

Pnurseuwn,

I don't believe most nursing programs will allow you to take other courses with your nursing courses. The program may not even accept you since they know you don't want to work in the nursing field. Some programs may feel that you would be taking space from a student who actually wants to go into nursing. I would be really interested in what your program says. Please keep us informed.

Besides that, I really agree with everyone else. Jump right into those prereqs, get those out of the way in a few semesters and go straight to med school. Med school will take long enough without taking the extreme scenic route. Good luck in whatever you decide.

luv2yoga · Apr 29, 2004

The problem with your plan is that there's little overlap between nursing classes and the requirements for PA or pre-med. They are starting a new PA program at my school, which I was initially interested in but decided it's not right for me. Virtually all the classes are different. Even the intro Chem. So you probably have to make a choice early and pursue that.