Why Didn't You Go To Med School?

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PatMac10,RN, RN

1 Article; 1,164 Posts

Specializes in Nursing Education, CVICU, Float Pool.
You may think that the answers you cited are hokey, however, that doesn't make them untrue. The corollary would be that nursing is filled with medskool rejects- and that's not the case. Not by a long shot. Yes, there are many, many medschool applicants and relatively few spaces. Yes an applicant must have an exemplary GPA and score well on the MCAT and demonstrate other qualities that are considered for admission. Coming up short in those areas does NOT mean that person could or should go to nursing school as some sort of consolation prize! :smackingf

If someone wants to be a doctor, go be a doctor. It takes a lot of hard work to get there. If you want to be a nurse, be a nurse. It's not exactly a walk in the park, either and nor will your career be.

As for the debt aspect.... 200K of debt is no small thing to take on- particularly since it doesn't come with a guaruntee that you'll even like being a doctor (there are many that become quite disenchanted) and that you'll match into interventional radiology rather than family practice. Big difference in income.

I agree with what you said. Nursing isn't for those failed med/pre-med students. There was a phase where I was pursuing medical school for psychiatry , but realized that it was not what I wanted and I went back to wanting to be a nurse again. Just because you can't pass the MCAT or have get what the medical school admissions board says is "good" It doesn't mean your not smart enough to be a doctor or not dedicated enough, that particular aprt of the process to get into med school is difficult to you.

I really like your post.

morphed

230 Posts

I agree with what you said. Nursing isn't for those failed med/pre-med students. There was a phase where I was pursuing medical school for psychiatry , but realized that it was not what I wanted and I went back to wanting to be a nurse again. Just because you can't pass the MCAT or have get what the medical school admissions board says is "good" It doesn't mean your not smart enough to be a doctor or not dedicated enough, that particular aprt of the process to get into med school is difficult to you.

I really like your post.

I don't know why she thinks that I believe nursing school is for those that can't get into med school. I never said that, all I said and meant was that most likely they would not have gotten into medical school anyway. I 100% agree that nursing is not something you do if you can't get into med school, I mean, by no means is nursing going to make you happy if what you really wanted to do was go to med school. It's like saying "Oh, I wanted to be the CEO but couldn't get the MBA so I'm the administrative assistant." Some people truly want to be a nurse. Not a doctor. Not a PA. A nurse. And I understand that and by no means did I intent to mean otherwise.

PatMac10,RN, RN

1 Article; 1,164 Posts

Specializes in Nursing Education, CVICU, Float Pool.
I don't know why she thinks that I believe nursing school is for those that can't get into med school. I never said that, all I said and meant was that most likely they would not have gotten into medical school anyway. I 100% agree that nursing is not something you do if you can't get into med school, I mean, by no means is nursing going to make you happy if what you really wanted to do was go to med school. It's like saying "Oh, I wanted to be the CEO but couldn't get the MBA so I'm the administrative assistant." Some people truly want to be a nurse. Not a doctor. Not a PA. A nurse. And I understand that and by no means did I intent to mean otherwise.

First things first, I'm a he, unless you were talking about the poster I quoted. I'm sorry if we misunderstood your post. It seemed that you were saying that the honest truth was that most didn't go to med school because they can't get in so they just went on and went to nursing school.

SaltyNurse

82 Posts

Specializes in Critical Care.
i'm shocked. someone dare say this? where is the usual "oh, pshhh who wants to be a doctor?" or "i was smart and didn't want debt and wanted a life." or "i prefer the direct patient care i get from being a nurse." honestly, these answers are so hokey. the real reason, as you pointed out birry, is that people can't get in. people make it sound l like they could have gone if they wanted to, they just chose not to. seriously, if you're not going to med school because of the debt, you're crazy. you don't think the doctor is going to make up for the debt soon enough? his earning is triple yours, at least.

but anyway, i think you should try to get in birry. i know that once you get a bit older (although 27 is by no means old) it's tough to think about starting all over, but if you think you could do it, do it! easier said than done, i know, but what if you were able to get in? you will have fulfilled a dream for yourself. i know what you are saying about starting a career in your mid 40s is true, but if you think about it, if you actually get into med school, you're already on your way. it's not like it's going to be questionable until your mid 40s whether or not you're going to be a doctor. as soon as you get accepted to med school, you know you're going to be a doctor, it's just a matter of time. and after med school you will already be working as a doctor...just not totally on your own yet.

good luck.

regarding morphed's posts- i didn't say you think that nursing school is for those who can't get into med school.

let me try to be more clear. when someone asks a nurse, "why didn't you go to med school?".... hokey or not, the majority of nurses chose nursing because they genuinely wanted to be nurses, not because they couldn't get into med school. so why mock a genuine response to that question?

and yeah, of course there are those who pursue nursing as a backup plan when med school, law school, or real estate aspirations fail. isn't it refreshing when someone is up front about nursing not being their first choice career? how unfortunate though, for those whose heart and soul isn't in it, to try to cope with all the physical and emotional stresses that are inherent in this field. so i definitely would never recommend nursing as a "plan b". and fortunately for most nurses (and patients!), that is not the case. they really did want to be nurses. who knew?

further, you did state: "all i said and meant was that most likely they would not have gotten into medical school anyway". i think that this is rather presumptuous. do you actually know how rn applicants' first time med school application success rates compare to "pre-meds" in general? applying to med school has very specific written and unwritten requirements. gpa, mcat score, completion of pre-req classes, clinical experience, volunteering, shadowing, letters of recommendation, etc. you can't presume a nurse would perform poorly in those requirements thereby making med school admission unlikely.

LookForward

99 Posts

couldnt afford med school..at first, i wanted to be a doctor, but after working as a nurse, I am repelled by the lifestyle of a physician.

One cannot assume that doctors are smarter or have higher IQ than nurses--but yes, they do have more knowledge than us--but thats because they had more schooling...

Frankly, I did better than my premed classmates in the science classes.

I also dont want to rely financially on my parents in the next decade or so.

cnmbfa

151 Posts

Specializes in OB/women's Health, Pharm.

I could tell when age was catching up to me, because I got asked this less often!

My variation was "You're so smart, why aren't your a doctor?"

As I found my voice as a nurse, I was more and more bothered by this comment. I started to reply: "What makes you think there aren't a lot of very smart nurses?"

Then I would say that if I had gone to medical school, I would have been a round peg in a square hole, and would have probably been unhappy. Then I would say that, while I love physicians and have the utmost respect for many of them, at their worst, they can be a lot like mechanics, which means they may sometimes lose sight of your humanity and see you as a collection of body parts. I then explained that some of that dehumanization is understandable, because to do what they sometimes need to do, or to deal with suffering and death, it may make it easier to cope.

Nurses, on the other hands, never forget that you have a life with other roles, and other passions. Nurses see you as someone's sister or mother or best friend, and, at their best, are working to get your back to that life; it that is not possible, the nurse's role is to help you find ways to live your life to the fullest. They do that by guiding and teaching and supporting you and your family, and that what nurses do to promote health and well-being is just as important as what doctors do. I end by saying that I have had a wonderful, fulfilling career by being a nurse, not a doctor, and would not have it any other way, even if it meant I made less money and had less power and prestige.

They were usually impressed by what I said. My hope is that my words caused them to veiw nursing in a new way, and to come away with greater respect and appreciation for it.

PatMac10,RN, RN

1 Article; 1,164 Posts

Specializes in Nursing Education, CVICU, Float Pool.

I know this is a freakishly old post, but I don't care. I just realized that I don't feel comfortable saying that the reason most nurses don't go to medical school is because they can't get in, not solely at least. If you honestly think about it, it isn't fair to say that because our of the % of nurses who have thought about applying to med school, how many do you really know that actually make a legitimate attempt at applying/ entry? Not many. So, that being the case, how could we know that the MAJOR reason that nurses, or most people don't go to med school is because they can't get in. Most have never actually tried to apply.

Specializes in NICU.

Why? Because I don't want to! I wouldn't want that responsibility. Also, I have a life outside my career, and don't want to spend so many years in school/away from my family. I'm perfectly content with perusing nursing!

PatMac10,RN, RN

1 Article; 1,164 Posts

Specializes in Nursing Education, CVICU, Float Pool.

Amen!

CountyRat

323 Posts

Specializes in Wilderness Medicine, ICU, Adult Ed..
Don't you get tired of friends/relatives asking you "Why didn't you go to med school?"

Contrary to popular belief, not everyone wants to be a doctor. I love what I do and I do what I love. Isn't that good enough?

When I am asked that I usually answer, "because they do not teach you how to be a nurse in medical school, and I want to be a nurse." I do not explain further, because the questioner is the one who has a problem with my choice, I do not have a problem with it, and so I see no reason to continue the conversation.

A nursing school buddy of mine, a guy nurse like me, came up with what I think is a funny answer. Guys get asked this a lot. He started answering, "because I thought that nursing would be a great way to meet a cute, young doctor to marry." The gender bending usually left the inquirer utterly confused.

all517

82 Posts

Specializes in ICU.

I have been asked why I didn't go to medical school. I just reply "I wanted more". :)

sevenup0307

34 Posts

To be honest I didn't have the grades or MCAT scores to even apply for med school. I could have possibly gone to a carribbean medical school but i felt it was too risky and expensive to go that route. My options after graduating with my environmental science degree w/ the pre-reqs completed was to do a 2 Yr. masters degree and take the MCAT 2-3 more times in the hopes i can land a high enough score and GPA. Then I would have to spend another 1-2 years to apply and go through the whole process. Or I could spend that time doing my pre-reqs (1 Yr.) and then doing a second bachelors in nursing (2 Yrs). Ultimately i decided to go this route since I could spend the next 3-4 years attempting med school and coming out empty handed in the end. I also realized Nursing will allow me to do things after ward like NP/CRNA and they do very similar work to physicians.

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