am i not going to regret being a nurse?

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jun 12, 2005

hello there...
this is my first post...
i was a medical student but my parents couldn't afford the tuition fees.
hence,i have to quit medicine and i'm being offered a scholarship to do nursing.
i just want to know whether is it worth my whole life being a nurse?
am i still stand a chance to become a doctor if i want to further my study from a nurse then being a doctor?
does anyone knows the procedures?
pls help me find my way....

I don't know what kind of graduate programs you have in your country, but here in the U.S. a nurse can go on to take graduate studies and get a Masters Degree in nursing and become a nurse practitioner in a number of different clinical areas. Nurse practitioners can work in an independent practice, for a hospital or with a physician. I know of a group of three gynecological nurse practitioners who have a women's clinic where they do regular lady partsl exams, pap smears, contraceptive counseling and also prescribe some birth control. I thought they also had a nurse midwife, but I'm not sure about that. I know another nurse practitioner who opened up her own business selling and counseling people with colostomies and other medical supplies. Several hospitals I worked at over the years hired nurse practitioners to be on staff and be diabetes educators, cancer specialists and mental health counseling.

You can go to medical school later in life, but in general the medical schools like to take students who are just coming out of their bacchelor degree programs. There is a non-traditional pathway of going to a school of osteopathy. Osteopaths are recognized as physicians in the U.S. The osteopathic schools are more inclined to take on students who are a bit older or who are coming from other professions. Their clinical load is not as rigorous as that in the AMA programs and they tend to be more sympathetic to the treatment their medical students have to endure.

Trixiebell · Jun 12, 2005

hi

i just wanted to let you know that you are not the only one, i'm a med student (3 days left) and am leaving for a variety of reasons..most of them not exactly in my control...and i start nursing school next semester in a grad program

and i'm really excited, i was devestated but once i started looking at what nurses really do, the chances for further study (nurse practioner for one thing) i realised that a lot of what i went into medicine for (time with people etc) is available in nursing too...

i don't know where you are but here in australia we have a few medical schools that will happily take you in your 30s and 40s so you can go back

if you have to leave med, try and find what you will love about nursing, and look at the positives instead of focussing on what you are loosing...i know it's hard, it was difficult to get in, a LOT of work to stay there and it is really tought to leave but this could be a blessing in disguise...

if you want to chat pm me...i can't offer much advice but i might have some idea of what you're going through just now...

elle :icon_hug:

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jun 12, 2005

If you're goal is to be a doctor, don't "settle". Go for the nursing degree, being mindful of those courses you need for pre-med and go not because you're going to be "stuck" your whole life being a nurse, but perhaps it can be a stepping stone to your ultimate goal.

This may only be a detour. I say go for the scholarship and nursing, but hold onto your dreams. Lots of doctors graduate in debt with loans, so you may have to do that too, rather than rely on scholarships and parents. You can even work, making good money as a nurse for a while to save up for med-school, or during med-school.

Good luck to you.

edited. I see you're in Malaysia, I'm sorry but my advice was for a North American. Take it for what it's worth, and it may or may not help you.

sunnyjohn · Jun 12, 2005

Do you think I will regret it? No.

If you feel nursing is what you must do to the present to support yourself, your family and to stay in the healthcare profession, go for it.

Be the best nurse you can be. Study hard. Learn as much as you can form the dedicated nurses on the wards. You may find that nursing is the perfect fit for you.

The opportunity may present itself later in the future for you to go on to medical school.

phyxsius · Jun 14, 2005

Thank you to all of you for being such wonderful friends to me.I feel more confident and my mind has opened.Now I get some of the idea.I'll try to be the best nurse i can be.I guess I feel bad because in Malaysia,nurses have very low income especially those working for the government.And people look down on nurses.Perhaps that's why I feel bad since i'm the eldest and my parents expect more in my education achievement so that I can become the role model to my younger brother and younger sisters.

But,I guess it's a stepping stone for a better future.

I think i'll never regret being a nurse,because i'm not just gonna be a nurse;but i'll become a special nurse.

Bless you all.

Thank you for sharing your wonderful thoughts with me.

They do help a lot.

Maggie in NC · Jun 14, 2005

If you really want to be a doctor, just look at nursing as a step toward getting there. Some people go from Nursing to Nurse Practioner or Physician's Assistant or even doctor! The possibilities are endless. The upside of doing nursing first? You'll have more indepth patient contact, a better understanding of what the people around you contribute (if you become a doctor), and an enormous advantage regarding application vs. theory. Don't let your dream of medical school die, just take baby steps to get there! First you have to crawl, then stand, the walk, then run!! YOU CAN DO IT!!