RN to MD anyone? Feeling unsupported.

momdebo, BSN, RN · Aug 20, 2006

I support you 100%. If you do run into nay-sayers, just pull up these posts and get your groove back on! Life is too short, go after your dreams. It is better to try and know than to live with regrets or never having known your full potential. Please don't let anyone pigeonhole your dream. As you can see from these posts what you are proposing has certainly been done before and with success. On that note: YOU GO GIRL!

paccookie · Aug 20, 2006

Google something like "nurses who become doctors" and see what you come up with. I looked that up once and found lots of interesting reading. People have done it and I think coming from a nursing background will give you a unique perspective as a doctor. You have seen what nurses don't like about doctors and you can try to do things differently. LOL You already have a ton more experience than the average 20 yr old pre-med student. You know the terminology, you've worked in a hospital with actual, live patients, and you have life experience, which might be the most important thing of all. You have children so you know how things feel from the parent's perspective. If this is your dream, go for it! Don't listen to your co-workers' negativity. Good luck!

Christina

(some people think I'm crazy for pursuing a nursing degree with two kids and a full time job! LOL)

middleageNP · Aug 20, 2006

Christina.... People shouldn't think you're crazy for going to nursing school with a full time job + 2 kids. They should admire you for having the determination to reach your goal despite the intense load you're carrying. I certainly do. I'm not planning to work when I start nursing school in Spring and my children are old enough to take care of themselves; yet I'm scared to death. So Kudos to you !!!

DolphinRN84, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Aug 20, 2006

I'm supporting you too! I just graduated in May and passed the boards in July and am thinking of doing what you're doing in the future! Please don't give up your dreams... I know exactly how you feel about not being supported. But trust me..don't listen to what people tell you (negative things that is). You can do whatever YOU want to do and I think you will make a great doctor. Definitely go for it. We're all here supporting you :):balloons:

RobCPhT · Aug 20, 2006

Go for it! I personally know four MDs who were first Nurses and you can do it at any age. Just be ready for a challenge and hold your head high.

Cococure · Aug 20, 2006

Kudos to you for wanting to go to med school and don't listen to all the negative comments. my primary doc was a nurse and she is the best doc every ...she actually listens to me...a trait i'm sure she picked up as a nurse..afterall nurses listen to all kinds of complaints;)

check out the link below u might find it helpful it for nontraditional premed and med students

http://www.oldpremeds.org/fusionbb/fusionbb.php?

:lol2: good luck & all the best

coco

babybusterbrown · Aug 20, 2006

Do you have a BSN already? Because if you do, then I don't see the need to go pre-med/Biology. I know that if I decided to go to med school right now, the only classes I would need to apply would be organic chemistry and physics. Then I would meet all the requirements to be able to apply (apart from taking the MCAT). See what the requirements are at the med school you're planning on applying to. It might save you a ton of time and money if you already have your BSN. Best of luck to you!!!

WVUTurtle is correct in his recommendation.

I knew a nursing student who got a BSN & post-degree specialized in oncology. Two years after getting her degree, she started working weekend shifts to keep salary/benefits & started back to

school. She took a couple of freshman chem courses, organic chem sequence, physics (summer sequence), and biochemistry.

She sat for the MCATs 2 years after she started school, got accepted into med school, & specialized in oncology.

Check the requirements out of the med schools you will apply to

& pay no attention to the age gap.

You have maturity & wisdom working in your favor.

Good Luck,

BabyBusterBrown

NurseguyFL · Aug 20, 2006

Hey, Ana

If a physician is what you really want to be, then just do it! There will always be those who try to discourage you from pursuing your goals but a lot of that is related either to ignorance or just plain envy. Some will tell you that you're too old, that its too expensive, or that its too competitive to get into medical school. What's too old? I work with physicians who are well past 65 and still happy working in their jobs---taking only the cases they want to take and refering the ones they don't want to their colleagues. Medicine is one of the few professions where you can work until you don't want to work anymore. It doesn't matter how old or wrinkly you may get with time, you can practice independently as a physician until either your brain or your hands don't work anymore. And if the time comes when you don't feel like working as a clinician anymore you can still earn big bucks doing medical research or teaching.

Too expensive? Please! There's no such thing as a cheap education anywhere in this country anymore---no matter which profession one chooses to study. Its true that medical school costs more than most professional programs because of the amount and type of training involved. However, as long as you get into medical school there are many loans that you can apply for to pay for it. Yes, it may mean going into deep debt for a number of years but it is an investment in yourself that pays off BIG TIME down the road! You can even work in an underserved area for a while and get the government to forgive huge portions of your loans. Besides, as an MD or DO you can go into any specialty area of practice where you can earn the type of income that will enable you to pay back the debt over time and still have enough disposable income to live a more comfortable life than most.

Its also true that you will be up against stiff competition for a spot in medical school, but if you have the ambition and the scholastic aptitude for it (and I know you do) then you have just as good a chance of getting in as anyone else.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Aug 20, 2006

congrats on making the decision to pursue a medical degree and that your spouse is behind you. having that support is crucial to a successful healthcare career. doing what you love and are passionate about is what helps make you successful in any career.

i see your rn is at associate level. look at premed programs in your area or requirements for medical schools your interested in attending.

philly has four medical schools: univ of penna, jefferson, Drexel and phila college osteopathic medicine.

i'm most familiar with drexel as students are part of my health system. drexel was formed from merging of hahnemann and medical college of phila (former women's med college) and is very second career friendly "students who have demonstrated a commitment to the service of others are given strong consideration."

drexel admissions:

http://webcampus.drexelmed.edu/admissions/requirements.asp

http://www.drexelmed.edu/postbaccalaureatepremedprograms/programs/imsprogram/tabid/667/default.aspx

there are naysayers in every career/work environment. listen to your heart. map out a plan and pursue those dreams. we need to nurture the next generation of health professionals in all areas as baby boomers heavily retiring in in next 15 years ....replacements needed to care for me as i age toward 100.

banditrn · Aug 20, 2006

I think your RN experience would help you a lot!! Go for it, and don't look back.:balloons:

We talked about this at work once, and decided that all med students should be required to work as nurses for a period of time, so that they could understand what it is that we do.:chuckle

Agnus · Aug 20, 2006

Hi guys
I'm 31, originally from Moscow, Russia, in USA 12 years. I became an RN in 2005, currently I work on med-surge floor.
I was preparing for medschool as a highschool student in Moscom, but my life has not turned out exactly as I wanted it to go, so I just now decided to go back to school.
I graduated Nursing school with honors, AS and now I am starting in SUNY Albany this fall with pre-med/ BS of Science/Biology major. I have at least 45 credits so far, need 120.
My problem is that I don't know anyone who is doing this, especially being a) foreginer b) over 30 c) RN D) mother of 2
I basically feel "different", most people ask me what am I going to school for , expecting - PA or NP, then they hear the answer and say things like : it will take forever, you will never have time for your kids, you will be exausted in residency, it is expensive..etc. Also, the other day I applied for tuition assistance at work ( only 500$) and they called me and left a message questioning how going to school for pre-med/Bio applies to my career and that they need clarification of my goals.
Everyday I try to pump myself up and convince myself that I will be fine and going to school with 20 year olds is not a big deal. I feel a constant struggle with "reality" presented by other people and attemts to go after my career dream that I've had since I was 5.
My husband is fine with it, althrough he knows all the pros and cons, kids are little, but they are OK.
Maybe I just feel insecure and need to stop listening to other people.
thanks for letting me vent

First off Congratualtions on your decision to go to Med school! I admire your ambition, and courage to persue it. It is indeed a lofty goal. You CAN do this. As for the naysayers, there will always be naysayers no matter what path you choose. Ignore them. This has nothing to do with them. This is your decision your life.

Naysayers have thier own agenda. sometimes it is jelousy, sometimes it is something we call the crab effect. If you go out and catch crabs you have seen this. When you have a bucket of crabs and one crab starts to climb up toward the top of the bucket to get out the other crabs will pull him back down.

I had a high school counselor tell me I could NEVER get into nursing school. I was not smart enough. His daughter was turned down from nursing school and if she could not make it then I could not as she was an A student.

I had a friend become angry with me because I got out of the military after 12 years. He took it real personal. You would think I kicked him in the groin or something. It in NO way effected him in anyway that I was doing this.

He had been living his life vicariously through me and when I made this change it ended the fantasy for him. He told me I was not finishing what I started. Actually I only intended to stay a short time and move on. He on the other had fanticized about being in the military 20 years climbing to a high rank and then retireing. He dad had retired from the navy as an admiral. He did not have what it took to do that himself and he thought I did. But it was never ever part of my plan. He was not a family member not even a boyfriend but he had latched on to this fantasy and I caught hell from him because I upset his plans for me.

santhony44, MSN, RN, NP · Aug 20, 2006

If it's what you really want to do, go for it!

I've known a few MD's who were nurses first and they were excellent docs.

You will also have an edge over classmates who have little or no health care experience. You already know a lot, you have some skills, and you are comfortable with patients.

If others have an issue with your wishing to do this, it is their issue, not yours. You know what you want and you have family support. You should do well! Good luck.