BSN/Pre-Med

Sour Lemon · May 5, 2018

Student doctor network is probably a better place for your question. Good luck with whatever you decide.

PeakRN · May 6, 2018

Many of our ED techs and scribes are applying to medical school, and we have quite a few medical students who rotate through our ED. Based on the conversations I've had with them and our attendings much of getting admitted has to do with things like volunteer and medical experience as much as your academics.

I used to work with a pediatrician who was a ED nurse before medical school before NPs became more prevalent and independent. I asked her about how she felt about the new NPs and if she would have done an NP program, she seemed to value that she was very independent as a physician but that the time and emotions invested in medical school and residence is something she probably would have not gone through if NPs were more prevalent at the time.

In the future I hope to go advanced practice, but my goal is CRNA and I don't see a benefit to going to med school over advanced practice nursing. I think that if your goal is something that can only be achieved through medical school, for example being a surgeon, than the decision is much easier. If your goal is something where NPs and Docs have similar roles that you probably have a more difficult decision to make.

broughden · May 6, 2018

Hello,
I already have an ASN, going back for my BSN and I was wondering if it really mattered where you get your BSN from. I am considering going to med school, and I know it is highly competitive, so I did not want to put myself at a disadvantage by going to a local school for my BSN.
Also, if anyone went from RN to MD I would love some input on your journey, if you think it was truly worth it, or if you think NP is a better route. I've talked to a couple doctors/residents at work and all say that I should go the MD route.
Thank you in advanced for all information!

Verlina,

I also live in Florida, and recently had a faculty member pushing me toward MD rather than the BSN/DNP route I was on, so I took sometime to investigate it. Here is what I discovered:

The pre-reqs between BSN school and MD school are completely different, this can add up to an entire year to your schooling in addition to the BSN to satisfy those pre-reqs.

While there is some variation between the MD schools in Florida, most require a full year of inorganic chemistry, a full year of organic chemistry, a full year of physics and a semester of biochemistry.

I completed the full year of inorganic chem as part of my normal undergrad but all the additional courses would add a year to my schooling.So based on that I decided to stick with my DNP/residency/fellowship goals.

So if you decide MD is really the route you want to go then getting a degree (BSN) that isnt going to satisfy the requirements to enter MD school and is in a field you dont plan on practicing in might not be the best use of your time and money. A pre-med or chemistry degree might be a better idea for time's sake.

umbdude, MSN, APRN · May 7, 2018

Hello,
I already have an ASN, going back for my BSN and I was wondering if it really mattered where you get your BSN from. I am considering going to med school, and I know it is highly competitive, so I did not want to put myself at a disadvantage by going to a local school for my BSN.
Also, if anyone went from RN to MD I would love some input on your journey, if you think it was truly worth it, or if you think NP is a better route. I've talked to a couple doctors/residents at work and all say that I should go the MD route.
Thank you in advanced for all information!

Your pre-med courses GPA (and to a lesser extent your ASN nursing courses) will matter far more than where you get your BSN. Most RN-BSN courses are fluff and med schools can spot it right away. Having said that, avoid for-profits. Most other professional fields look down on for-profit schools.

If you do not have a burning desire to continue to be a nurse, you're young and dedicated, and you are a high-performing student in science, then I think the better route is either MD or DO. NPs provide good care, but MD/DO operates at the top of the food chain and have greater scope and opportunities (IMO).

Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN · May 7, 2018

If your end game is MD/DO, why do BSN first? Biology or something like that, would align much more readily with med school prereqs. I can understand the desire to get a leg up in terms of patho, anatomy, that sort of thing, but there exists no advantage to this when competing for spots, trust me.

umbdude, MSN, APRN · May 7, 2018

Bachelor's degree is required to apply to med schools

adventure_rn, MSN, NP · May 7, 2018

I have a BSN, and prior to nursing had completed my med school pre-reqs. Every once in a blue moon I think about going to med school, and then I realize that for me it would be entirely crazy.

Med school would probably cost me at least $100,000, perhaps even closer to $200,000 if I attended a private school; the process would take over a decade (two years to redo my med-school-specific prereqs since they're only good for five years, one year to go through the application cycle, four years of med school, at least three to five years of internship plus residency plus fellowship). During med school I'd be making no money, and during internship/residency/fellowship I'd be making staff RN salaries at best (not the big bucks we usually associate with MDs).

NP school would cost as little as $15,000 (in-state), and there is a great program that I could do for free because I work at an academic medical center with an affiliated nursing school. I could start the program right away (no pre-reqs) and be done in two years, and I could work PRN during the program.

So to summarize, I'm comparing: accruing at least $100,000 in debt while waiting at least 10-12 years before I can even practice independently (MD route) vs. $15,000 in debt (or having tuition paid for by the hospital) in a program that will allow me to practice independently within a couple of years (NP route). For me as a current BSN, becoming an NP is certainly the more practical route, and the decision to become pre-med again would be less about practicality and more about ego.

In my humble opinion, the MD and NP roles are so similar (depending on practice setting) that I doubt you'd notice much of a difference in job satisfaction. There is a difference in compensation, but you have to consider the implications of the hundreds of thousands of dollars of med school debt. I know a couple of accomplished, well-paid surgeons who are still paying off their med school loans into their 40s; I can't even imagine the loan repayment burden for primary care MDs making less than some CRNAs.

Again, that's just one gal's opinion.

AnnieOaklyRN, BSN, RN, EMT-P · May 7, 2018

If you are really going to med school skip the BSN and get a batchelor degree in a science, either chemistry or biology. If you obtain your BSN you will then have to go and take a ton of science classes to take the MCAT and go to med school.

Verlina · May 10, 2018

Thank you all for your responses! All of your information is greatly appreciated and something that will help me decide what to do. It's difficult in determining what my ultimate end goal is because I feel overwhelmed at times just starting out in my nursing career. I don't want to wait around too long in determining what I want to do in case I decide to go the MD route, as time is definitely a factor in all of this!

Again, thank you all so much for your responses!