has anyone ever made the switch to MD?

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im not sure if this has been posted many time before, but i was curious how many people made the switch to MD instead?

my neigbor's best friend got accepted to MD program and she used to be an BSN RN

i was wondering what were the things you had to do to get there? and how the did admission team felt about you making the switch?

all stories and experience are welcome :)

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

most of us have more sense than that!! :jester:

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Don't know if the turncoats (j/k) would be hanging out much here as they might find more commonality on med boards.

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I had co-worker I knew casually from work, she had a wonderful reputation, my limited experiences with her confirmed that her reputation was well deserved. She became a MD and stayed a wonderful person, wonderful doctor. Stayed at our small county hospital. I guess for WOMEN it can be handled well, ha ha, JOKE for our male nurses and doctors.

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Specializes in stress relieving humor.

seriously contemplated the MD route when I was rearranging my life / career goals -- I applied and was accepted at a few post-bac rural MD feeder programs (WWAMI). Decided on being the nurse because it was cheaper, and it gave me the intellectual and career flexibility that I (and my family) was looking for. Sometimes I have second thoughts; however, my primary MD always says that FNP / PA is the best job -- and that you would have to have a hole in your head to go to med-school.

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I was told ( and I have no evidence to back this up, it was just something that I heard) that for a nurse to turn into an MD they had to start all over again with school no matter how much schooling they have. Again I have not verified my sources because I do not now nor do I ever plan to be an MD anyway, but if the OP is interested in looking into it, it might be nice to know what to ask. It could very well be that you have to start all over again.

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I went to med school in an earlier life but decided it wasn't for me. Worked high tech for 20 years and now I'm in nursing.

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Specializes in Mostly ETC, very interested in wounds.

I recently have been also been looking to the MD. I am currently a nursing supervisor and feel that I am burned out from nursing and I'm not even 30!!. I like the science part of nursing and figuring out how things work, so if thought I would look into what it would take to get my MD. You need a masters degrees in a scientific field plus on top of that you will take 4 years of med school. During those 4 years you can not work a second job at all they almost inforce it and give you so much work to do that it's impossible. As if you fail out of med school there is no just picking up were you left off. You are done. Even if you are in your last semester, most schools will make you retake all of med school. :eek: Just what I have came across in my research.

As I researched on this allnurses.com earlier in the year and found a link to blog posting that some med school students were posting about nurse's and it wasn't flattering at all. :madface: It was down right nasty.

So if you are preparing to go this path just be prepared for what your in for.

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Specializes in ER, Trauma.

I like my patients and know I give them good care. I wouldn't trade to MD, although I've seen it happen many times. Also lots of PA's and NP's were bedside nurses that moved on.

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Aznbaby,

As someone who completed all of the pre-med requirements but did not apply to med school, I can tell you...

To pursue the MD you need a bachelor's degree (major does not matter- a BSN will cover it). The courses required for most med schools are Gen Chem (1 year), English (1 year), Organic Chem (1 year), Biology (1 year), Physics (1 year). These are also the courses covered on the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test) that you'll have to take. Other recommended courses are calculus and biochem (these are extra requirements for a handful of schools). Also, med schools view a broad undergrad curriculum as a plus (e.g. taking various history and literature courses, versus just science).

The pre-req courses, MCAT, and bachelor's are essentially all you need to apply. Because med schools are highly selective you'll want at least a 3.5-3.6 gpa, mostly A's in your pre-reqs, great letters of recommendation, an amazing essay, admirable extracurriculars (volunteering/leadership experiences), and a solid MCAT score to be competitive and land an interview.

As far as the admissions committee's view of a nurse applying to medical school- I'm assuming you're a nurse...? - you'll need to clearly articulate in your essay and interviews the reasons that you want to become a physician and why you are leaving nursing to do so.

Becoming a physician requires a lifelong dedication to your work well beyond that required of RNs, NPs and PAs. After the 4 years of medical school you will need at least 3 years of residency, with most specialties taking 4-5 years, and then an optional fellowship period after that for further specialization. During this time you will be working and studying 80++ hours a week, and will be pushed to your limits. There are also licensing exams and applications (followed by interviews) all along the way. After all that, you get to be an autonomous practitioner working only 55-65 hours (or so) a week and making the big bucks.

It seems to me that you are just beginning to consider med school. Don't be discouraged by those who, for whatever reasons, think that nurses should not become physicians. If you're thinking that you want to become an MD then do your research, make sure it's truly what you want to do, and go for it.

Then again, if family and having a life are your priorities I suggest looking into NP and PA programs.

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About the resistance you might see.

Many MDs are very prickly these days. Other than those that become PAs with surgical intent (usually welcomed in ortho/cardiac, because they do have a role that is very helpful to the surgeon) some PAs have a rough road as do some NPs. I've read of huge resistance to ER PAs for ER MDs. It's all because ER MDs tend to be a grouchy bunch on the whole, and don't like to see what they consider insult to injury in PA's coming out of school with less baggage able to take on many of the MD duties. This is unwanted competition. You will see this too for RN/MD even though you must do all the edu required of an MD .

Things are changing in medicine, and those that slogged in through the old school are really seriously ****** at all these changes. I totally agree with them in that some of the changes will be the ruin of healthcare. But, since so many MDs are walking around with bees up their butts these days, finding out that someone used to be an RN will also bring a snort or two. MDs are circling their wagons now.

If you've been a med blog reader for a few years, like I have, you can pick this up. Some MDs are very interesting psych case studies. I don't really mean this to be a slam. They just have removed themselves from reality so much that they simply cannot see that others can do/are put on this earth to do/have the DNA to do/ medicine as they have been granted this right by God. Simple as that. They walk a very thin line of sanity. You will have to deal with this sort of person.

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Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.

All of these posts are helpful and I agree with most of them. I considered going to med school a couple of years ago and spoke in confidence about it with a doc that I respected. He took my hand, looked me in the eye and said, "Don't. Do. It." He comes from a long line of physicians and said that medicine is not what it used to be; changing laws/insurance/legislation have made it almost impossible for a doc to have any sort of autonomy. He further stated that he was truly disappointed that he must spend so much time doing paperwork, and filling out ridiculous amounts of required forms instead of being with his patients. He was a surgeon, and suggested that I go to RNFA school instead. He knew that my heart was in surgery, and this way I would not have to deal with clinic, rounds, or copious amounts of paperwork. I could just be in surgery, go home and not have thousands of dollars of tuition to pay. I took his advice, and I am on the way to RNFA school next year.

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