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

Dranger · Aug 24, 2014

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 · Aug 25, 2014

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. :nurse:

rachel0609, ADN, RN · Aug 25, 2014

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 · Aug 25, 2014

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 · Aug 25, 2014

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 · Aug 25, 2014

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.

itrust · Aug 25, 2014

Medical school is harder than nursing school, period. Moreover, while I think many would do okay in medical school if they were granted admissions, many underestimate the admissions process. Getting into medical school is no easy feat, and I have spoken to many medical students who say that the hardest part about the whole ordeal is getting in. If you're deciding between the two, seriously look into the MCAT. That exam is a proverbial beast. I worked 30 hrs + while I was in nursing school (an accelerated program), watched plenty of T.V., hung out with friends all the time, and did very well. The above actions would have been futile if I was a medical student.

Nurses are important members of the interdisciplinary team and physicians need us, just as much as we need them. However, if you are looking into medical school, please know that it (admissions and graduating) is an arduous obstacle that is so much more difficult than entry level nursing programs (i.e., both Associate and Baccalaureate level), that comparing the two is bordering on the ridiculous. Also keep in mind that the medical degree is a terminal degree in medicine, whereas an entry level nursing degree is obviously not.

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Aug 25, 2014

Most significant difference is in how high the 'entry' bar is raised in med school versus nursing school. They don't have a problem with being transparent about high levels of selectivity & seeing only the academically elite. Whereas nursing continues to perpetuate the "everyone can do it" myth... to our detriment and continually high attrition rates. Seems like everyone and their Aunt Jane feels that it is their right to be admitted to nursing school because they have a "calling".

We also shoot ourselves in the foot by the lack of educational standardization.... c'mon. Can you even imagine anyone thinking that they can become a physician via online education? Some of the entry-level (pre licensure) NP programs are a continuing source of amusement to my physician colleagues. Have you ever heard of a commercial (for profit) med school? Have you taken a look at the overall decline in NCLEX pass rates over the last 5 years? This has not happened in medical boards.

brandy1017, ASN, RN · Aug 25, 2014

I'm sure medical school is much harder than nursing, though doable if you are willing to put in the time and effort to study. But it's not for me. I decided a long time ago I didn't want to spend the time and money and in the end to work even longer hours as a doctor. Most have no free time, little sleep and a lot of stress dealing with the insurance company crap and hospital micromanagement since many doctors now work for the hospital.

I think if someone is interested in this they need to pursue it early on as the student loans will be extreme $100,000-300,000 and would take decades to pay off. Financially this only makes sense if one is young and going to specialize in a lucrative field! The cost of college is beyond inflation and now grad school loan interest capitalizes from day one making it even harder to pay off and get ahead!

You vie for residency and I read that 95% get a placement, which means 5% don't! Hard to believe that even after med school you could find yourself without a residency and then would have to reapply the next year I guess. Plus you don't know what residency you will be accepted into and most likely will have to travel to another city/state. Both US and abroad med students are vying for residency placements. Sounds crazy to me to spend all that time and money and then not know where you'll end up or what specialty you'll end up in for residency!

If you were just interested in family practice or internal medicine it makes sense to do an NP. Much quicker and cheaper, although less pay than MD the student loans should be so much less! Family NP is the most practical and in demand, but there are other specialties depending on where you go to school. Some specialize in acute care ICU, geriatric, internal med, OB-midwife, and even pediatric. ALthough if you specialize it may make it more difficult to get a job, esp pediatrics I would imagine.

I honestly don't think it pays to go to med school for family practice or internal med anymore, between the insane tuition and student loans and the poor pay and declining reimbursement in primary care! These doctors have the worst pay and have to work fast like an assembly line just to break even. It is becoming impossible to be independent due to the high cost of overhead and the declining insurance reimbursement for services! I really feel for these doctors! They deserve better!

wooh, BSN, RN · Aug 25, 2014

I'd have rocked chemistry, physics, etc. A&P? Could do it, but it would kick my butt. I'm good at understanding, not so good at memorizing. Could do it, wouldn't want to.

But yes, it is harder. It's a doctoral level degree. Harder than other doctoral level degrees? Probably depends on the degree, but mostly I'm guessing that it's just different.

Despareux · Aug 25, 2014

I considered med school when I was in my mid-twenties, but I couldn't afford it and didn't know enough about student loans back then. Nearly twenty years later=now; knowing what I know now, there's no way I'd want to be a physician. The pay certainly doesn't match the liability, crappy hours, being on-call, and the cost of being a physician. At top pay and with sufficient over-time, it's easy for a nurse to make as much or more than the residents at our hospital; maybe more than some private practice FP's.

monkeyhq · Aug 25, 2014

If I had chosen healthcare instead of accounting all those years ago (right out of high school), and my parents had the income to help support me, I probably would have gone to Med school. It would have been an amazing adventure. But I chose accounting.

And here I am today, middle-aged-ish, and a nurse. Left my work in accounting in 2010. Far too boring for me, and not very rewarding.

I am happy being a nurse. :yes:

I believe I would have been happy as a physician or surgeon, too. :yes: Now, I am just too far away from my 20's to even consider the debt I would accumulate, or where to get the energy to survive it.