Advice

SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP · Oct 11, 2014

Why not try to pursue Nurse Anesthetist? It's the best of both worlds.

Also, why would you get another degree? If you've already got a bachelors, just take the extra courses you'd need to fulfill med school requirements and then apply. If you went back and got yet another degree, you're setting yourself up for a LONG road, not to mention likely to max out financial aid.

dorkypanda · Oct 11, 2014

I've read something like this some time ago..

If you really wanted to do med school you should have done it from the beginning of your college career. But it's not an easy way. You'll need an almost perfect grades, not many c's, a really good MCAT score in which the test will change one subject in this coming year. you'll be taking calculus, physics, organic chemistry, biochem, etc. if you want to do med school. And you'll need to do some kind of research type thing too for quite some time(they really like this) and also some possible hospital volunteering too. I've personally witnessed this path done by someone. It's tough, sometimes you don't get in your first application try despite having interviews. maybe got to take MCAT over again for an ever better score, perhaps didn't have enough research hours and volunteering hours. 4 years of med school and then board exams and also residency...

I like the previous poster's idea of a CRNA. if you do that way you'll need your BSN, then a few years if icu experience, then another 2 ish years of CRNA school.

Either way it will be quite some time before you'll be done with school. but since you like nursing so much, you should think about what you truly want.

MurseJJ · Oct 11, 2014

My first undergrad school specifically advertises that nursing majors can also do pre-med. As others said, you don't need a biology bachelors degree to apply to med school. Your BSN will be enough, you just have to make sure you take the pre-med prerequisite courses and the MCAT. One guy in my nursing program told me he's planning on applying to med school after the BSN...not sure if he's still planning on doing that though.

If you're interested in anesthesia, then have you looked into CRNA? It would be a masters or doctorate program after your BSN and at least one year of critical care RN experience (though the average experience is more than one year). CRNAs are advanced practice nurses that provide every type of anesthesia, for all ages.

Qualifications and Capabilities of the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists at a Glance

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Oct 11, 2014

Your looking at two different jobs in medicine. Doctors and nurses treat things differently and you need to understand the difference. A nurse treats the person, not the disease. A doctor treats the disease. If you really want to be an anesthesiologist I would go for it now and bypass nursing. A CRNA is not the same as the anesthesiologist. So research both roles and decide what you want to do and go for it. To me you would be wasting time and money if you want to be a doctor in the end. There are plenty of jobs where you can make decent money to put yourself through college without needing a degree.

rtcnp · Oct 13, 2014

I agree with most of what the previous posters have said, but I would like to ask, "Why do you want to go-to medical school?" Are you sure that you want to be a nurse? As one of the previous posts mentioned, the roles of nurses and doctors are very different. Also as a previous pre-med student myself (and as mentioned above), the medical school path is a very long and EXTREMELY challenging path. This is not to say that it is any more prestigious/superior to becoming a nurse, PA, or any other healthcare provide; it's just harder and DIFFERENT. Not only is the path harder, but the lifestyle can be more difficult as well. If you were thinking of having a family, then you have to understand the sacrifices that are required as a physician (as in being on call and possibly missing important events in their lives). This is a decision that will affect you both professionally and personally. I'm not trying to scare you away or deter your efforts/dreams of going to medical school. I'm just merely relaying some of the questions and thought processes that went through my head, when I chose the FNP route over the medical school route. Also you mention having a real job to support yourself through medical school; it is VERY UNLIKELY that you'd be able to attend medical school and work at the same time. My friend just started medical school and he barely has time to even message me on facebook. Good luck on your path. Just take your time and choose carefully, there's no need to rush things. If you have any other questions, then feel free to ask. I'm hoping my post didn't come off as condescending, but rather helpful.

Regards,

R

NuGuyNurse2b · Oct 13, 2014

It is doable, one of the doctors at the hospital I worked at was a nurse prior to her medical degree. But know that it is a long journey - because anesthesiology is a specialty. If you are unaware, doctors all go to med school, then residency - but after residency, things get a little different. If you are a general practitioner, you can start working. But if you go into specialty, you have to then do a fellowship...you're looking at 10 or even more years of schooling - that's just the medical part alone, not including the BSN. You don't need to pay for medical school - that's what school loans are for, you pay it afterwards, so I don't see the need for a nursing job to get you through medical school. Besides, you're not going to pay for medical school on an entry level nurse salary. I think the best course of action is if you want to be a doctor, be a doctor. I'm not talking about the whole dr vs nursing thing; just in general, if it's something you want, go the direct route, it's faster and in the end, more economical. You're not just paying for medical school, you're looking at living expenses (sometimes the residency that you are matched with may not be in your back yard in your home state, it could be out of state), and like I said, for something like anesthesiology, you would need a fellowship, which could require another relocation once you're done with residency.

rtcnp · Oct 13, 2014

To add to NuGuyNurse2b's post, I agree that it is definitely doable and the statements about the loans. In my post-bacc program, one of my fellow classmates was a RN for a couple years prior to deciding to applying to medical school. Also I'm not sure how competitive anesthesiology is, but in order to get some of the more desirable (read as competitive) residencies/fellowships; you have to score very high on the USMLE. What that means is that you will be competing with the best and brightest medical students from all over (and not just your class) for a finite number of spots. For instance, for general surgery I think it's top 10% and dermatology is top 2%. Maybe you know this information already, but if you didn't then it's even more to consider when thinking about your future.

Regards,

R