It really annoys me when nurses say they are going to go to med school...

Nurses General Nursing

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I see a lot of posts by nurses who think they are going to go to med school. A pre-med BS and BSN are totally different school tracks.....if you are an RN, it is almost impossible to move on to med school without getting a totally new bachelor's degree. In fact, as an RN it is almost impossible to become a PA without taking at **** load of new classes. Does this pipe dream annoy anyone else??

First to the OP I will say congrats!! Bless you for having so little in your life to fret over that this is at the forefront :)

Secondly, I have no idea about med school, but I have first hand experience with a PA school admissions specialist. She told me that they jump for joy when they get applicants that are RN's. The love love love to accept RNs and do so on a regulat basis because,

"nurses go on to become excellent PA's"

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Specializes in PDN; Burn; Phone triage.

Pre-reqs vary by institution but, as it's been pointed out by numerous other posters, there really *aren't* that many pre-reqs to get into medical school and the science courses are mostly basic first and second year college courses that many BSN students have to take, plus humanities. The "hard" classes accompany the extra fluff needed to get what is traditionally thought of as a competitive degree to get into medical school -- biochem, etc.

Yeah, you've probably got a better chance of getting into medical school if you go the traditional route but isn't that always the case with everything? I have a few friends who got into medical school with middling grades because they augmented their applications with a great MCAT score, different and meaningful volunteerism, a well-written essay and a good interview.

Had a speaker during nursing school who was a RN that went into medicine. She said the biggest hurdle that she had to jump was during the interview process when people would come down on her about why she wanted to go into medicine vs. nursing -- it's a very big distinction in the medical world.

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Nah. What bugs me is patients who ask for fried chicken after a heart cath.

This is my all-time favorite response!

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touche!

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Specializes in Public Health, L&D, NICU.
It is pretty darn near impossible to get into med school with a nursing degree. It's not that I don't want people to follow their dreams, but it is very unrealistic. There are a lot of hard science courses that are required that BSN students simply don't take. Nursing and medicine are totally different specialties....Just a pet peeve of mine.

Totally not true. I have a family member who graduated from nursing school a couple of semesters ahead of me from the same BSN program and then started med school the next fall. She's a doctor. Not at all impossible.

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

Have an MD who was once an L&D nurse. She says she got tired of not being able to make decisions on her own, so she went to medical school. Great to work with her

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I'm BSN (2007) and MD (2012). It's not impossible, you just need to put in the hard yards. One thing that really annoyed me was the cold shoulder I got from my colleagues after they found out I got accepted into med school. During one particular shift, I asked for some help regarding a patient from a senior RN, and she actually said 'why should we help you when you think you are too good for us.'

I am proud to be a RN. I am proud to be a MD. I moonlighted as a RN during medical school (and interestingly, still do the occasional RN shift now as a 1st year resident). They are different but complementing professions. To nursing students: please do not say you are going to 'medical school' if you are studying nursing. Be proud you are studying nursing, it is an extremely worthwhile profession and it is by no means second fiddle to MD. To the RNs who want to become a MD, do not let others discourage you, pursue your dreams, you will be an excellent clinician given your dual backgrounds, and your patients will reap the benefits.

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Specializes in Emergency.
I see a lot of posts by nurses who think they are going to go to med school. A pre-med BS and BSN are totally different school tracks.....if you are an RN, it is almost impossible to move on to med school without getting a totally new bachelor's degree. In fact, as an RN it is almost impossible to become a PA without taking at **** load of new classes. Does this pipe dream annoy anyone else??

You need to do your HW...Not only is it possible with the latest trends in med school acceptance-see oldpremeds.org, but many...I say many PA schools will accept most if not all of the required science classes from a nursing degree. Not sure what classes you took to become a nurse? Good luck..sorry you are so perturbed by other peoples ambition...anything is possible!

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Specializes in Emergency.
I hate when nursing students tell you they plan to go on to medicine, becoming an RN as a "stepping stone" to MD. I wish people would realize the difference between the two professions. It's those types of students that make RNs seem like failed MDs.

Wow...so much "acid" how bout realizing they are complimentary and anything is possible...it is posts like this that remind me how much human beings...to use your word..."hate" each other for idiotic reasons.

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Specializes in Emergency.
Uhhhhh, looks like there's a lot of resentment and misinformation going on here. An individual with a BscN is at no more disadvantage than a person with a Bsc in lets say Science. If anything a nursing degree will give you a leg up on your medical education as you'll have a basic understanding of pharm, micro etc..and even bedside manner. To apply to med school you only need to have a degree (can be an Arts degree for god sakes and the required pre reqs, yeah a lot of the pre reqs probably won't be in a standard nursing degree but that's why people do them in the summer. Your MCAT also has to be pretty high but to say nursing puts you at a disadvantage is plain misinformation.

Why does it annoy you when someone shows intent to pursue further education? If it makes you feel inadequate then that's a reflection on your insecurities. I find the same thing happens when a nurse announces they want to pursue NP. You have insecurities, get over them. If anything you should be happy for this individual.

Sorry, but nurses really have to get over this inferiority-complex.

THANK YOU! Could not have expressed it better...

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I hate when nursing students tell you they plan to go on to medicine, becoming an RN as a "stepping stone" to MD. I wish people would realize the difference between the two professions. It's those types of students that make RNs seem like failed MDs.

With all due respect, I think you need to find a new pet peeve to 'hate'. Why are you annoyed that certain nursing students are planning on going into medicine? Maybe they started nursing and realised they liked being a MD more? And their career aspirations has nothing to do with you. Would you be annoyed if they said they wanted to be an engineer or lawyer?

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I know several nurses to MD, nurses to PA (they wanted to participate in surgery). I know 3 Graphic Designers to MD too.

If you are smart and want to take on some more financial burden, why not? Becoming an MD is not so difficult for some people. You will find this once you get a chance to meet some of these people.

Don't be jealous, work on your self-esteem OP.

Would you rather they "play" doctor?

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