Be a nurse to go to med school?

CP2013 · Oct 31, 2012

It seems like I just cant find the right person to answer my questions. I am Currently in College in their CNA program. I have decided to become an OB. Do I become a nurse first and have a BSN in it, then go to medical school? How would that process be? What would I have to do? How long would it take?

If you want to be an Obstetrics Physician, nursing school is not a part of the process. Medical school and nursing school are two different paths. One is not a stepping stone to the other.

If you want to be a physician, by all means, go to medical school.

If you want to be an OB nurse, then pursue nursing school and specialize after you have completed your program of study.

Nursing school has two levels of entry: a 2 year associates degree which results in an RN, or a 4 year Bachelors degree which results in a BSN. Both routes will make you eligible to take NCLEX-RN. There are multiple schools of thought on why one is better than the other, but that's another story entirely. (Consider cost, market demand, etc)

From what I understand, medical school requires an undergraduate "pre-med" type major like Biology or something similar (depends on area, degrees offered, etc). Then you apply to graduate school, which is medical school. There you will begin your courses which include roughly 4 years of study, PLUS 2-6 years of residency depending on specialty area and things like that.

*i am not familiar with medical school as I never applied, but this is a basic overview of what I understand

**also, please note that the best information would come from an academic advisor at the college you want to pursue. If that's medical or nursing school, ask the advisors about courses you need to take and the path you need to follow to achieve your goal

I hope this begins to answer your question.

DoeRN · Oct 31, 2012

Becoming a nurse and going to med school are 2 totally different pathways. If you want to become an OB then you will waste time going to nursing school. You should major in something that will aide you to get into medical school and go that route.

Look up a medical school website in your area. Look at the admission requirements. This is a guide for what you need to do to be accepted into medical school.

dirtyhippiegirl, BSN, RN · Oct 31, 2012

From what I understand, medical school requires an undergraduate "pre-med" type major like Biology or something similar (depends on area, degrees offered, etc). Then you apply to graduate school, which is medical school. There you will begin your courses which include roughly 4 years of study, PLUS 2-6 years of residency depending on specialty area and things like that.

Technically, many (most?) medical schools do not require a bachelor's degree for admission -- only pre-reqs which usually cover the gen ed section of any BS degree. Obviously a bachelor's degree makes one more competitive for admission and a bachelors in a "hard" science even more so. It is feasible to graduate with a BA or a BSN and go on to medical school, but it would require taking extra classes beyond the minimum to get the degree.

There are some 6-year medical schools scattered around where admits are accepted in sophmore year to complete the 4 years of medical school.

justin.j · Oct 31, 2012

As some have mentioned, nursing school and medical school are two different things. Medical school is a graduate program that is followed up by a residency, and then a fellowship if you'd like to specialize in a certain area.

However, not all physicians start out Pre-med. My husband is a nephrologist, and his undergrad degree is in Computer Engineering. Additionally, according to his experience in medical school, he actually knew two people who had their undergraduate degree in nursing, but decided during the program that nursing was not the side of medicine that they wanted to work in. (He also knows two Drs. who have undergrad degrees in music and psychology respectively.) The one thing all these folks had in common? They all essentially had a gpa of 4.0 throughout their undergraduate studies, got great scores on the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) and the two that weren't in nursing went heavy on the science side for their electives.

Also, you don't actually start to become an OB until you start your residency program after medical school.

So, the basic steps:

1) Get a bachelors degree while maintaining a high GPA. Go for something heavy on the sciences if you know you want to go into medicine, or ensure you fit the science side in as electives.

2)Study your butt off for the MCAT

3)Attend a four year medical school and obtain your M.D. or D.O.

4)Apply, interview and then get matched to a 4 year O.B. residency program (or whatever type of residency program you are interested in, ie. Medicine, Peds, Surgery, etc.)

5)Pass the board exam

6)If you're especially ambitious (like the mad man I married) you then apply to a fellowship to further your education and gain a specialization...

So assuming you take no breaks, from the start of college to when you get to practice as an OB, it takes about 12 years, a lot of sleepless nights on call, and countless hours of studying. This is why I've never been interested in practicing medicine. ;0)

This is just a general guideline, and the best person to ask is always a representative for the school your interested in, but I hope this helps.

-Justin

wish_me_luck, BSN, RN · Oct 31, 2012

Agree with everyone else. But, I wanted to add something. Many medical schools are looking at people who are well rounded, meaning they are not only good at the sciences, but at the "arts". They see quite a few Biology/Chemistry degrees going through the application process. It is different when someone has a Spanish or English degree (or even Nursing--yes, I am aware it's a science, actually both an art and science) because many panels know you are good at science through the pre-reqs for med school (Gen. Chem, Gen. Biology, Organic Chem, Physics, Microbiology, etc.). But, even though I have seen many people get into med school with science degrees, I have also been told they are pleasantly surprised to see a person with a Bachelor's of Arts degree (you still complete your pre-reqs).

Now, if you want to go to nursing school as a stepping stone (even though it is a totally different profession), it is possible because it is a degree. I have heard that the thing med schools like about nurses going to med school is that they are already familiar with health/medical terminology, drugs, procedures, etc. and it can be slightly easier to them as opposed to someone who did not have that background. But, no, it is not mandatory to be a nurse before a doctor as they are two separate professions.

CP2013 · Nov 1, 2012

Technically, many (most?) medical schools do not require a bachelor's degree for admission -- only pre-reqs which usually cover the gen ed section of any BS degree. Obviously a bachelor's degree makes one more competitive for admission and a bachelors in a "hard" science even more so. It is feasible to graduate with a BA or a BSN and go on to medical school, but it would require taking extra classes beyond the minimum to get the degree.
There are some 6-year medical schools scattered around where admits are accepted in sophmore year to complete the 4 years of medical school.

See! Good to know. Everyone I know that is in med school has told me they had to do general requirements, and that the courses were basically the colleges general requirements, plus some Biology type courses while waiting on their application. So my one friend said he had 3/4 of a bachelors degree, so he finished while applying to med schools. I just assumed it was required. My mistake. But I guess if faced with the same issue, I would just finish the degree too! Hahaha

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Nov 1, 2012

I would NOT recommend nursing as a step to medical school. A nursing degree will not give you all the prereqs you need for medical school and there's no use spending all that time and money on a degree you're not going to use.

You need to become a pre-med student, not a nursing student.