Has anyone considered going all the way?

Nurses General Nursing

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in aug i will be starting the nursing program at my local college and will be graduating in 2012 ( long time) with my rn. recently i have started to consider entering med school in 2014 at the ripe old age of 30. i was wondering if anyone has considered this and what your reasons may have been for not doing it, other than financial. or is anyone doing something similar and could share their experience.

also since most of you work in a hospital setting, what can you tell me about the doctors you work with? most of my experiences with doctors have not been good. that's one of my reasons for wanting to go all the way. i think if more nurses became doctors we might have happier hospitals.

thanks for any help you might have.

jennifer

Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.
Thanks to the people that actually answered my question.

I am sorry for the others I may have offended. I am not a child and feel like I am being judged as one. I am surprised that my question offended so many people. For those of you that take offense to the statement "nurses eat their young" several of you were just a prime example of that. Instead of ignoring the question you felt the need to educate me in how I was wrong.

Well I wasn't wrong... "going all the way" for me would be Med school. Sorry that I assumed others might have thought about med school at some point. My mother is a medical assistant and she considered med school at one point, should I go educate her?

I never assumed nursing was a lower form of anything. I apprciate the job nurses do and I understand that in most ways they work harder than doctors.

No one is trying to deter you from med school. If you want to go to med school, then go.I'm sorry that some of the comments seem so harsh but as nurses, we've fought for our place in the healthcare community.

But I found some of the things you said quite offensive. One particular quote comes to mind "I don't want to be helpless in my career because my job title doesn't allow me to do certian things." I find that being an RN in an ICU, I have lots of autonomy. I enjoy being a nurse because I like be at the bedside with my patient, seeing them progress from certain death to being sent to a subacute rehab facility.

This has nothing to do with nurses eating their young. That's a totally different situation and I feel it doesn't apply to this thread. This is an open forum and we are allowed to express our viewpoints.

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Specializes in Trauma ICU, Surgical ICU, Medical ICU.

I have to agree with the other posters on this one. If you are starting a program soon you will know why this is so offensive. I also feel I have quite a bit of autonomy in my profession and I know very few nurses who ever gave med school a second thought. If you want to something in the medical profession, why not shadow some people and really see what they do? Maybe nursing is for you, maybe being a physician is something youre more interested in, or maybe you'd even like pharmacy or who knows. There are TONS of different types of medical professions out there and they are all on totally different paths. Best of luck on whatever you decide for yourself!

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Specializes in ED/trauma.

I actually took the opposite path: I used to want to be a doctor, then decided I wanted to a nurse instead! :nurse:

Here's the story... I took A&P as a junior in high school and loved learning about the human body, so I decided I wanted to be a surgeon. When I started university, I did the bio/pre-health professional track. One semester, and I was done! College bio was so much harder than high school bio! I went un-declared for a while, then ended up getting a degree in business. Got a job in the "real" world. Starting volunteering as I was considering going back to school for pre-med. While I was volunteering, I saw the nursing side of health care for the first time in its full light. Like another poster said, I previously thought that all nurses did was take orders. They were just lap dogs! Boy, was I wrong! I planned on doing the 1-semester CNA program at our local community college. When I told my dad (who always wanted me to be a doctor) about my plan, he asked, "Why don't you just do the RN program at university?" That was like my father granting me permission (yes, I have daddy issues...), and I applied to the program almost immediately! To date, I've been an RN for almost 6 months now and love it!

I have to admit that, some times, I often think about still wanting to be a doctor. When I stop and think about it, though, I remember (as a previous poster mentioned) that the nursing and medical models are vastly different. Ultimately, I prefer the nursing model to the medical model any day, and when I finally "go all the way" it will be to become an NP!

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I think the poster may not have articulated what she was trying to express. She has not begun nursing school yet and is probably not be aware of all of the certifications that are available to nurses. In her young nursing mind, she was just thinking "all the way" meant medical school. I don't think she meant to offend anyone and I hope that others will take this into consideration and be kind to her.

Poster, you are very young and can do whatever you want to do. :yeah:

I wish I had returned to school at the age of 30. I am 45 and just returning.

I say go for it and best wishes!!

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I think Jennifer may not have articulated well what she was trying to express. She has not begun nursing school yet and is probably not be aware of all of the certifications that are available to nurses. In her inexperienced nursing mind, she was just thinking "all the way" meant medical school. I don't think she meant to offend anyone, especially nurses and I hope that others will take this into consideration and be kind to her. In fact, I think what she said (which may have been totally missed) is that if all nurses (who she complimented) became doctors, there would be happier hospitals (obviously meaning that nurses know how to run things correctly and create happier environments, i.e. hospitals). At least, that is what I got out of it.

Jennifer, you can do whatever you want to do and best wishes to you whether you go to nursing school or medical school. The field can use you! :yeah:

I wish I had returned to school at the age of 30. I am 45 and just returning.

I say go as far as YOU want to go!!!

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Well I knew what you meant!!! U were talking about going the farthest you can in the health field. Do what you think is right! If you want to go to school for nursing...than do it!!! and continue to med school...do that too!!! I come from a long line of people in the health profession. Especially nursing...to be exact. You can do it!!!!! Stay postive and fight all counter attacks!!:coollook:

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IMO, doctors treat illnesses, nurses care for patients. I'm much more interested in the patient than the disease. I once worked for a Chinese Buddhist pediatrician who blended western and eastern medicine to provide a more hollistic approach to patient care. I really liked her and how she worked. If I were a doctor she is the kind of doctor I would want to be, but really, I just don't want to be a doctor. I hope to go on and get my MSN either in neonatal or women's health, but not because I want to be "like a doctor." I want to be able to provide the best level of patient care possible.

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I went to nursing school the long way. I got a degree in biology because I thought I wanted to go to med school. Then I got burned out and chose nursing. I did not know what I was getting into when I went to nursing school. Nursing is a profession where your decisions will either save or harm a life. You are the eyes and ears of the doctor. It just depends what you want in the end? I chose nursing because I just want to work PRN and have plenty of time for my family and still think critically every day I am at work. If med school is your goal - head that way. The classes you take in nursing school are not the same ones you need for med school (organic chemistry, physics, etc.) Just do some soul searching and you will find your answer.

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Becoming a nurse is huge investment and it just seems like a waste to do it with the sole intent of going on to med school shortly after. I met a doc who was a nurse but she became a nurse in her early 20s and spent almost ten years in nursing before she decided to go on to med school.

The OP says she will be 30 when she graduates from nursing school and starts med school. How much time does she want to be a practicing nurse before going on to med school? Does she think that she can work as a new grad nurse and go to med school at the same time? I know that everyone is different and maybe the OP is super scary smart and can do it but it seems like a recipe for disaster to me.

It just seems that there are easier ways to get into medical school than purposely going the NS route. I have a friend who is in med school right now and I hear the stories...I think it would be just about impossible for the OP to be a new grad RN and do med school. If she plans on just getting the BSN/RN and not using it then that is a total and complete waste of a nursing school seat that could have went to someone who actually intends to practice as a nurse for at least a few years. Also, age IS a factor when applying to med school so I am sure the OP will not want to practice as an RN for a few years before applying.

If your heart is set on being a doc pick another major, do really well, and be a doctor....best of luck to you!

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.
Some of us would consider obtaining a PhD or DNP 'going all the way.'

;)

That's what I thought. I thought, "Oh, Boy! Someone is considering getting a doctoral degree in nursing. Good for her/him!"

I was soooooo disappointed in the OP. I hate to think that some nursing students still think that nursing is somehow "less than" medicine. :cry:

I spent 4 years in college, 2 years getting an MSN, and 5 years getting a PhD. That's as many years as med school plus a 3-year medical residency. I don't consider myself "less than" the physicians I work with. We are just different.

Oh ... and in the academic world .... PhD's outrank MD's. I'm the one who "went all the way" with my education, not the physicians.

llg, PhD, RN

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Specializes in Neonatal ICU (Cardiothoracic).

I think the OP is simply like the rest of the public, grossly unaware of what nursing is about. I don't think anyone was exhibiting the "Nurses Eat Their Young" behavior, I just see a reaction to someone unwittingly dissing the profession because of misinformation.

This thread really isn't about the role of nurses. If you want to be a physician, forget nursing school and apply to medical school. If you want to be a nurse, apply to NS. Nursing school is not a stepping stone to becoming a physician (see how I'm avoiding the term "doctor", seeing as how nurses have their doctorates these days).

If you want to further your education as a nurse, by all means, you can work through your BSN>MSN>DNP/PhD. THAT is the terminal nursing degree....

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.
That's what I thought. I thought, "Oh, Boy! Someone is considering getting a doctoral degree in nursing. Get for her/him!"

I was soooooo disappointed in the OP. I hate to think that some nursing students still think that nursing is somehow "less than" medicine. :cry:

I spent 4 years in college, 2 years getting an MSN, and 5 years getting a PhD. That's as many years as med school plus a 3-year medical residency. I don't consider myself "less than" the physicians I work with. We are just different.

Oh ... and in the academic world .... PhD's outrank MD's. I'm the one who "went all the way" with my education, not the physicians.

llg, PhD, RN

You didn't go all the way. You went all the way way.

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