Any RNs considering medical school?

RNperdiem, RN · Oct 19, 2018

Being a student is a different world from being a doctor or nurse.

There will be a lack of support if you talk with such disdain about nursing; a superior attitude does that.

If you want to change careers, do it with your eyes open. You might find med school boring too.

To get admitted to med school you will be competing with people whose entire school career has been about building a med school resume. They will have the grades, scores, experiences and connections. Just having the minimum requirements isn't enough. How do you compare?

DowntheRiver · Oct 19, 2018

Just to forewarn you, I don't think you're going to find a lot of sympathy regarding this topic on this board.

I'm sorry that you do not find nursing to be very stimulating. Nursing is far from dull and I can tell you personally that I never feel like I have a dull moment. Critical thinking skills are a must, and it will be challenging to actually hone and develop those skills until you are out on your own without the backdrop of nursing school.

For maybe 90% of us nursing is a calling and we can't imagine doing much else, much less being a doctor. It sounds like you already have your mind made up about being a doctor and that it would be difficult to convince you otherwise.

cleback · Oct 19, 2018

The stigma you describe may be from a lack of tact. Going to any group of professionals and then saying their profession is indescribably boring will certainly get you backlash. It's not stigma though.

There have been countless of posts of nurses considering med school. Usually they're directed to check out studentdoctor.net. Again, not because of stigma, but because that is a forum of individuals on the same journey as you.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Oct 19, 2018

Interesting first post.

It's so hard being ever so much smarter than everyone, isn't it? Makes me think of this scene from the wonderful film Broadcast News:

Paul Moore:
It must be nice to always believe you know better, to always think you're the smartest person in the room.
Jane Craig:
No. It's awful.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Oct 19, 2018

Okay, I'll go ahead and bite.

Hello nurses! I just want to reach out as a new member to ask about RNs who have considered studying medicine. I am in my last year of nursing school and am finding nursing school to be incredibly boring and not stimulating at all. All day long I am measuring and recording vital signs, while I wish I was studying more biology and chemistry.

If all you are doing is measuring and recording vital signs, you aren't doing it right.

I like the time I get with patients, and I love to make them happy.. but I just feel like this is too easy. I could have slept through every semester of nursing school because it was all too easy and it didn't really require as much critical thought as I thought it would for me.

Yes, you've said that twice now. I think we get it...nursing school is too easy.

I am going to take a tour at a local medical school after clinicals today because I wish I was diagnosing, researching, and truly treating patients instead of executing orders and running to physicians every time there is a problem that is out of my scope of practice! I just want to know if there anyone else who has felt this way, or if there are any nurses that are in medical school that felt this way. I feel totally alone at school when it comes to the feeling I have towards this because everyone around me is constantly talking about how hard everything is.. I have had to study somewhat.. but besides the detail oriented things, when it comes to nursing exams, clinicals, care plans ... it is all so easy I could sleep through it.

Oops! Here it is again! Nursing school is easy! You could sleep through it!

Even though I feel relaxed, the nursing faculty is constantly stressing out, and trying to tell us how stressed we are going to be ... it seems like they are trying to push stress only us for things that are practically thoughtless and common sense to myself... does anyone else feel this way? I thought of getting my masters or becoming a nurse practitioner, but I don't think I can live like this for the rest of my life. It is totally boring and I don't feel like it takes as much skill as I thought.. I think I can better serve patients as a doctor.. has anyone else thought of this and expressed their opinion in nursing school, and realized what a stigma there is surrounding nurses who want to study medicine?

There is no stigma surrounding nurses who want to study medicine. There might, however, be a stigma surrounding arrogant, contemptuous braggarts.

emmjayy, BSN, RN · Oct 19, 2018

If you feel that all you're doing is writing down vitals, your nursing school is not preparing you for nursing. Period. You need to not just be measuring vitals and passing meds, you should be connecting why the vitals are what they are and why you're giving the meds. Correlating them with the patient's condition and treatments. Tracking and trending vitals and the patient's overall status to figure out if something is going on that the doctor needs to evaluate. Asking, "WHY am I giving this med?" Nursing is a lot more difficult (and interesting) if you engage your brain instead of just doing tasks all day long. I am a pretty smart cookie if my nursing school grades were anything to go by, and I learn new things literally every single day at my job as a nurse. It's not boring or a waste of your brain if you do it right.

Jstimmm · Oct 19, 2018

I found your reply to be very insightful and will apply this when I am in clinicals. All of the replies on this board seemed very rude and judge mental. I guess for me, it doesn't seem hard or stimulating.. the nursing program that I am in is supposed to be one of the best, but I have never been in another program to know what is better.

Jstimmm · Oct 19, 2018

Wow, I didn't mean to come off that way. I am sorry you interpreted my thoughts about school the way that you did.

Editorial Team / Moderator · Oct 19, 2018

I found your reply to be very insightful and will apply this when I am in clinicals. All of the replies on this board seemed very rude and judge mental. I guess for me, it doesn't seem hard or stimulating.. the nursing program that I am in is supposed to be one of the best, but I have never been in another program to know what is better.

Do you have med school pre-reqs done? Most require biochem, o-chem, physics, etc. You will also need letters of recommendation from your science professors, so cultivate those relationships if you are serious. I have no urge to be a physician, but I am married to a med student (3rd year) and I watched him go through the prep and application process. Not something to be taken lightly or half-heartedly. It's a very competitive process and requires a stellar GPA and MCAT score, and you have to be able to communicate like a normal human in your interviews. Some people have to apply for several cycles before being accepted anywhere. Grade replacement is also not a thing with med school applications, so GPA is calculated a bit differently than nursing school. I also know an ICU/trauma RN who is in his 2nd year of med school, and one of the surgeons I deployed with while in the Army started out as a nurse. So yes, it's possible to accomplish, but you have to get all the stars and planets aligned to do it.

Have you considered changing your major?

Jstimmm · Oct 19, 2018

I have to laugh at this one. I could never claim to be the smartest person in any room! There are plenty of people who are smarter than myself! I would be foolish to say such a thing! I did not know a thing about nursing before I started, but I feel like everything that I have learned was sort of basic and very easy to apply to care. I suppose it Is tough being in school for something I thought was my calling, just to find out that TO ME- it does not take much thought and is so limited in the scope of practice. I honestly do not think it is stimulating to continuously carry out out orders and assess patients. I also do not like the way that all of the nurses attacked me on this post of speaking my mind. I suppose if all other nurses find schooling to be a challenge, than they will not respect my thoughts or opinions. This is why I asked if there were any other nurses who decided to study medicine specifically- and not if there were any nurses that disagree with me and want to belittle my train of thought. I suppose that I should expect such simple minded responses.. since this was t original complaint. I find it to be sad that this stigma that the members of this board demonstrated exists.. if my mind does not operate in one specific simple way - I am arrogant, among other things. I have picked up on the fact that nurses are the carerakers, but are also big gossips, and very quick to judge.. without hesitating... which further clarifies to me, that this will never be a long term career! Thanks for responses!

cleback · Oct 19, 2018

Wow, I didn't mean to come off that way. I am sorry you interpreted my thoughts about school the way that you did.

This is not an apology. You were being rude. No one is being judgmental to you about wanting to be a doctor. You just don't know how to talk to people without being insulting. You might as well learn now, as you will still need some bedside manners as a physician.