Doctor Anyone?

Nursing Students Male Students

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Hey fellas,

I'm new to this site and just wanted to post this out of curiosity because it almost seems like a stigma to even mention in nursing school, anybody out there ever plan to be a doctor or ever considered it in the FUTURE (current BSN student)?

I am a dentist (in Europe), and a nurse (LPN) here in states :) I went to nursing school here because I desperately wanted to stay in the health care field and becoming a dentist in the US was (almost) impossible...

I'm happy with my current job, times goes by so quick, it's crazy busy and I simply love it :) But... I have a strange feeling that I can do much more... In the past few months I've started to think intensively about applying to one of those offshore Caribbean med schools. It would take less time (and money) for me to become MD than NP or DNP... Over there I could trade dentistry for pre-med so at least I would be spared of prerequisites...

Any fellow nurses with similar ideas?

These schools also don't require the mcat. U said it would be less money? I am interested because I thought it would be more expensive

Specializes in ICU, transport, CRNA.

Oh heck no! Why? To make less money for more education investment? I make more than most IM & family and quite a few speciality physicans. In some cases a LOT more. For example this year I will make double what the newly hired IM physicians will make. I work totaly independantly and have two out of every six weeks off.

I went to nursing school for two years, got a BSN online in one year, worked in ICU for several years making bank then spent 27 months in NA school. No residency, graduated ready to practice and start getting paid.

Lots of physicians envy CRNAs in this hospital.

Specializes in Short Term Rehab; Skilled Nursing.
These schools also don't require the mcat. U said it would be less money? I am interested because I thought it would be more expensive

Some of those schools do not require MCAT like Windsor, but those better ones do require MCAT. The good thing with offshore schools is that MCAT scores needed are not as high as US schools require, and you get in quickly...

The price range for Caribbean schools is 50-200k... Windsor is 50k, St George almost 200k... Other schools are somewhere in between...

Most of Caribbean based schools are not recognized in all 50 states. Let's say every school has not been approved by 5-6 states, but fortunately there are 50 states :)

I'm looking at St Mathews since it's recognized by New York State and all my connections for residency are in NYC... If I had someone here in CHGO I would go to Windsor (recognized by Illinois)... My only connection here in CHGO left to Indiana, and the hospital where she is now does not have residency program...

Specializes in Short Term Rehab; Skilled Nursing.
Oh heck no! Why? To make less money for more education investment? I make more than most IM & family and quite a few speciality physicans. In some cases a LOT more. For example this year I will make double what the newly hired IM physicians will make. I work totaly independantly and have two out of every six weeks off.

I went to nursing school for two years, got a BSN online in one year, worked in ICU for several years making bank then spent 27 months in NA school. No residency, graduated ready to practice and start getting paid.

Lots of physicians envy CRNAs in this hospital.

Honestly, at this point, and with this age, I do not want to waste my time pursuing BSN, then MSN, then getting years and years of experience in particular field (ICU, ER...) in order to be eligible for NP or CRNA program. That's at least 7-10 years in my case... In 7 years (hopefully) I could become MD with finished residency... A friend of mine got position in Elkhart, IN as an attending physician after she finished internal residency program here in CHGO. Annual salary 230k, every other week off... CRNA do not make that much...

Also, I'm European, so if I ever wish to go back, as CRNA that would not help at all... CRNA does not exist in Europe... With CRNA title I'm pretty much confined to US...

Specializes in ICU, transport, CRNA.
Honestly, at this point, and with this age, I do not want to waste my time pursuing BSN, then MSN, then getting years and years of experience in particular field (ICU, ER...) in order to be eligible for NP or CRNA program. That's at least 7-10 years in my case...

Well you are in the best position to make decisions for yourself. However I just wanted to point out some inaccuracies. If I remember right you are an LPN in USA and dentist in Europe? From where you are now you could be ready to apply to CRNA school in 2 years. Either an accelerated BSN in a year then a year of ICU experience, or a one year LPN - RN ADN and a years of ICU experience (assumes you already have a bachelors dehree in something from a European University, if not you can easily do RN to BSN online in a year while getting ICU experience). You can do CRNA in 27 months and be ready to practice. So in slightly over 4 years you could be practicing.

In 7 years (hopefully) I could become MD with finished residency... A friend of mine got position in Elkhart, IN as an attending physician after she finished internal residency program here in CHGO. Annual salary 230k, every other week off... CRNA do not make that much...

They can make a lot more than that if they choose to. I do. Here is my response in another threat to a question about becoming a CRNA:

The answer is "it depends". Most of classmates/friends started at $130K-200K in this area. "this area" being between were we went to school in Minneapolis MN east through Wisconsin since most of us came to MN from Wisconsin for school then restured to Wisconsin (more than half of my class all came from one hospital's SICU and we all knew each other long before NA school). Those who took jobs in the city are making the least, those working in rural area the most. There are two of us, inlcuding me, who belong to all CRNA anethesia practices. I am not an employee but rather 1/3 owner of the practice. We have the exclusive contract to provide anesthesia sevices in a very busy smaller rural hospital, plus contracts to provide on call services for a couple tiny rural hospitals). My net (after taxes, health insurance, capital and interest payments to buy into the practice etc)for my first year will be over $300K. I make considerably less that the two senior partners at this point. We work a 6 week rotating schedual. 2 weeks of Monday-Friday schedualed cases in the OR and covering 2nd call in off hours and weekends (very rare to actually be called in, never happend to me so far). The second two weeks is no schedualed cases at all but on call 24/7. Actually average 21 hours a week of work during the call weeks. Then we are off for two weeks and the schedual repeats. I average slightly over 20 hours of work a week when six weeks of hours are devided by six. We take our call from home.

It is a fantastic qualiety of life. We are never medicaly directed, we ARE the anesthesia department. Complete autonomy. I love it and highly recomend it. However to work in this enviroment you have to feel confident in your skills since there is no back up as there is with an ACT model"

Also, I'm European, so if I ever wish to go back, as CRNA that would not help at all... CRNA does not exist in Europe... With CRNA title I'm pretty much confined to US

Like I said obviously you are in the best position to decide what is best for you and I am not trying to talk you into anything but I do appreciate accuracy in reguards to my profession. FWIW I do know CRNAs that practice in Europe and in many other places in the world. I have buddy who is a CRNA in Germany, married to a German girl and now (after many years) has obtained German citizenship. He is a cilivian employe in a US army hospital.

Specializes in Short Term Rehab; Skilled Nursing.

IndiCRNA - Thanks a lot for the previous post! :up:

Specializes in ER.

Before nursing school I thought I might get my BSN and work a little then go to med school. But I found out quickly medicine isn't in a good place right now with all of the healthcare changes happening. I'm no longer even slightly interested in going to med school and becoming a dr working 80 hrs a week. I am very happy with the nurse practitioner role and that's now what I've decided to pursue. To each their own. But this was my journey.

There are a couple nurses who became doctors on the boards. If you can take your prereqs, (2 gen chem, 2 o-chem, 2 physics, required maths [differs by the school] and any extra biologies if not included in your BSN) then there's nothing wrong with it. If you have to get the BSN, work and go to school for a couple more years to get the prereqs then I'd say find something else to do and knock those prereqs out now. You can always become a RN later. There are many, many ways to become a RN. There's only one way to be come a MD (or DO). If you don't know what a DO is then you need to.

There are a couple nurses who became doctors on the boards. If you can take your prereqs, (2 gen chem, 2 o-chem, 2 physics, required maths [differs by the school] and any extra biologies if not included in your BSN) then there's nothing wrong with it. If you have to get the BSN, work and go to school for a couple more years to get the prereqs then I'd say find something else to do and knock those prereqs out now. You can always become a RN later. There are many, many ways to become a RN. There's only one way to be come a MD (or DO). If you don't know what a DO is then you need to.

I've already invested to much time into my BSN program to just drop my plans now and I've still not solidified my decision to pursue med school after nursing. Thanks for the advice, maybe once I start in the ER as a nurse my decision may change. And I am pretty aware now of how long my road will be if I choose to try the physician route. MD/DO doesn't matter much to me as long as I make it!

Specializes in Nursing Education, CVICU, Float Pool.

I used to think I would go to nursing, get out and work and try to get into medical school when I was 13. However, when I turned 15 and went to a nurse camp for high schoolers to get interested in a career in nursing, I was enthralled with nursing. I realized how many options there were. I realized nursing for my sociable and talkative personality much better.

I grew to realize that since I work well with a good team and don't like being the "top-dog", so to speak, that nursing was perfect for me. I liked science and solving puzzles. I liked school, but didn't want to be in it forever, nursing couldn't have been a better choice for ME.

I haven't wanted to be a physician for a while now, and I don't feel like I've "settled" either. I love where I am right now, Im a RN, and I worked my tail off getting here!

To be honest I didn't have the grades or MCAT scores to even apply for med school. I could have possibly gone to a Caribbean medical school but i felt it was too risky and expensive to go that route. My options after graduating with my environmental science degree w/ the pre-reqs already completed was to do a 2 Yr. masters degree and take the MCAT 2-3 more times in the hopes i can land a high enough mcat score and GPA (Both were lacking). Then I would have to spend another 1-2 years to apply and go through the whole process, interview, obtain LOR's, write essay, etc.... Or I could spend that time doing my nursing pre-reqs (1 Yr.) and then doing a second bachelors in nursing (2 Yrs) and become an RN. Ultimately, I decided to go this route since it was the safest, shortest and cheapest route. I could of spent the next 3-4 years attempting med school and coming out empty handed in the end. I also realized Nursing will allow me to do more things after wards like NP/CRNA which do very similar work to physicians. Overall i'm very happy in my choice and am glad that I was accepted to Nursing school, some nursing schools are starting to become as competitive as med school admissions, GPA wise.

Specializes in Cardiac, CVICU.

Yes, I have thought about this a lot. I know that being a physician and a med school student is a huge commitment. I am only 19 and starting my nursing program in 13 days. I know that I am still young and I don't know 100 percent of what my future will be.

Socrates once said, "The only true wisdom is in knowing that you know nothing." I don't know if med school is for me or what my future holds, which that statement is more decisive than actual pre-med students. Nursing school is a wise decision because it is a palate for so many options. But, for now, I am peaceful in knowing that I don't know.

But, one thing that I do know, DNP is a must for me. I've always told myself that whatever field I would go in, I would get my doctorate. I've talked with many APRNs and I know I would love to be a nurse practitioner. Preferably, I would want to be a FNP or a CRNA.

I have previously worked in a hospital before. One of my nurse friends told me that it is very common for nurses to go to med school. So, I know that with nursing I have the option to do anything, even med school. It's something I will have to decide in the near future!

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