Do you think you'd be able to do medical school?

Is it really much harder than nursing?

[JustBeachyNurse, RN]

It's different. Not really comparable, IMHO. Different theory model, different scope of practice , different educational pathway.

If I wanted to be a physician, I would have applied to/attended medical school. Ultimately I wanted to be a nurse and here I am.

Both professions have a profound impact on the health/wellness/ recovery of patients just in different ways.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Yes, I could. But I didn't want to be a physician. To me, the decade of training, horrible residency hours and abuse wasn't worth it to me.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Yes, I could. But I didn't want to be a physician. To me, the decade of training, horrible residency hours and abuse wasn't worth it to me.

AMEN! I didn't want the call and the hassles. You can keep that medical degree. I would have like to have been a vet though

Agreed.

Made that decision decades ago and have never regretted the choice and have never looked back.

Sure, I would have likely made more money. There would likely have been a personal cost to that equation. I am still married to the same person and have a wonderful life which allows me lots of time to pursue those things which are important to my health as a human being.

I'm going to be honest and say no ...or at least that I'm not sure ...maybe if there were lots of opportunities to cheat??

[LadyFree28, BSN, RN]

AMEN! I didn't want the call and the hassles. You can keep that medical degree. I would have like to have been a vet though

THIS.

Like the positives of the nursing model too much to become a doctor; if I want to become a provider, then my next step would to become an NP-but that would be a semi-retirement gig.

I love being a nurse too much and want to give back to this profession.

We are part of a collaborative team and are equally important in our own models and can deliver competent care to the patient.

[Caffeine_IV]

I have no idea. I wasn't interested in becoming a physician. Of course med school is more difficult than nursing school. But they really aren't meant to be compared.

It's more of a time commitment than nursing. They have to learn a vast amount of information. Not to put down any MDs at all but they aren't all these super smart geniuses. I'm quite sure many nurses (and other professions) possess the mental capacity to complete medical school.

Could I be a mathematician. No.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Yeah, I think it's funny that so many people hold up physicians as genius brainiacs. I used to, too. Then I got to know physicians when I started working as a nurse, and I was a bit disillusioned to realize that physicians were human. I don't think a physician could get through med school if they're *stupid* but I realized that I was as intelligent, if not more so, than most of them. You don't need to be a genius to get through med school. You do need to be tenacious and persistent and have a thick skin.

I have no idea. I wasn't interested in becoming a physician. Of course med school is more difficult than nursing school. But they really aren't meant to be compared.

It's more of a time commitment than nursing. They have to learn a vast amount of information. Not to put down any MDs at all but they aren't all these super smart geniuses. I'm quite sure many nurses (and other professions) possess the mental capacity to complete medical school.

Could I be a mathematician. No.

I have a number of friends who were nurses and then pursued their MD. None of them said the didactic was more difficult, just that is was very different.

It is harder to get into med school than nursing school. It takes serious drive and stamina to jump through all the hoops, survive the competition for those few spots.

The person who makes it to med school is generally not the person who asks; it is the person who there is no holding back.

I think id be a good physician. But I love being a nurse.

I had a roommate for a few months who was in med school. Anyone saying the work load is close in difficulty is lying.

The amount of work they put in and sheer knowledge they retain is mind boggling.

It's not even close.

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

I probably could have done it if I didn't have such heavy family commitments--assuming I not only had the grades but did well enough on the application and interviews. But I got married at 21 and pregnant w/ my first daughter four months later, plus our financial situation at the time required me to work while in school and raising the baby. I don't think I could have hacked it when my time was so divided. As it is, it was a really tough few years.

But I wanted to be an RN.

I'll be honest, I always wanted to be a doctor. Unfortunately there's no way I could afford the cost. That being said, I don't feel like I've settled by choosing to be a nurse, I love the field I chose!

RN , BSN

[roser13, ASN, RN]

I personally don't think you can compare the two. Such different educational tracks.

But as far as the hard science (biology & chemistry) requirements, nursing doesn't hold a candle to med school.

[verene, MSN]

My sister is doing the pre-med route; I'm doing pre-nursing. We have discussed classes and challenges of each route with each other. I think I could do med-school if it was what I wanted. But it isn't want I want. I'm drawn to the nursing model of care far more than the medical model. My sister is much more attracted to the medical model and really wants to be a surgeon. She could succeed at nursing, I think, but it isn't what she wants, so she has no interest in nursing school, likewise I see no sense in applying to med-school knowing that I wouldn't be happy with it, even if I could do the work. I am however attracted to the idea of becoming an NP down the road. Expanded scope of practice and additional responsibility and education, but still with in the nursing model of care.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Is it really much harder than nursing?

Since I've never attended medical school, I have no firsthand knowledge to tell you if it's really that much harder than nursing school.

However, with my current fund of knowledge, I can honestly tell you I wouldn't be able to perform extremely well in several of the prerequisite courses required for medical school, namely physics, organic chemistry and calculus.