Need advice Nurse or Doctor

confusedstudent_88, BSN, RN · May 16, 2012

"Do I get my nursing degree and have a guaranteed job while working towards a med degree"Please read more threads here. There is no "guarantee" in nursing anymore.

I planned on moving to where nurses actually do have a guaranteed job. I've been on the site for awhile now. Where I'm moving the unemployment rate is 4% I've done my research thanks

confusedstudent_88, BSN, RN · May 16, 2012

Thanks everyone for the feedback!!

dirtyhippiegirl, BSN, RN · May 16, 2012

You're a psych major.

Have you actually taken any hard science or math classes yet?

The pre-reqs that you might have taken for nursing school won't be the same as the pre-reqs for medical school and the pre-reqs for medical school will probably be harder than most of your psych classes.

From a very pragmatic view point: if you choose medical school, you're going to go up against undergrads who have degrees in biochem, human biology, etc. Psych is generally considered an "easy" degree. So you're going to have to do really well in your pre-reqs. How are your Physics II skills?

re nursing, your undergrad degree probably covers more pre-reqs for nursing school than med school. But, as several other posters have pointed out, it's just as hard to get into nursing school these days, too.

*Wanting* to be something - even shadowing, interviewing, etc. - is totally different from actually being able to pass the classes with good grades.

dirtyhippiegirl, BSN, RN · May 16, 2012

I planned on moving to where nurses actually do have a guaranteed job. I've been on the site for awhile now. Where I'm moving the unemployment rate is 4% I've done my research thanks

So you're moving to....Mexico? eh?

I'm absolutely certain that us new grads would love to know of that place in the US where new grads are guaranteed a job. You could probably make good money by charging various desperate AN new grads for this information.

confusedstudent_88, BSN, RN · May 16, 2012

So you're moving to....Mexico? eh?
I'm absolutely certain that us new grads would love to know of that place in the US where new grads are guaranteed a job. You could probably make good money by charging various desperate AN new grads for this information.

Thanks for the tips. Actually nursing is needed in more of a rural area. This is what I have seen from the many posts on this website!! Many new nurses get degrees and move to Cali or other places where the nursing need is low. Research about an area and call around. Or read the forums on this site for various states

confusedstudent_88, BSN, RN · May 16, 2012

You're a psych major.
Have you actually taken any hard science or math classes yet?
The pre-reqs that you might have taken for nursing school won't be the same as the pre-reqs for medical school and the pre-reqs for medical school will probably be harder than most of your psych classes.
From a very pragmatic view point: if you choose medical school, you're going to go up against undergrads who have degrees in biochem, human biology, etc. Psych is generally considered an "easy" degree. So you're going to have to do really well in your pre-reqs. How are your Physics II skills?
re nursing, your undergrad degree probably covers more pre-reqs for nursing school than med school. But, as several other posters have pointed out, it's just as hard to get into nursing school these days, too.
*Wanting* to be something - even shadowing, interviewing, etc. - is totally different from actually being able to pass the classes with good grades.

And psych was easy!! Lol I had different plans all together when I got that yrs ago but after I got into it hated the lack of contact I could have with patients.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · May 16, 2012

Hello everyone-
I am having a slight issue. I was just admitted to nursing school but I feel like I want to be a doctor. I have had this nagging for some time and I finally have the courage to go for it. Do I continue on my path and become a nurse then go back to school for a med degree or do I start taking the prereqs for med school and go from there? I am moving away from my home in Cali to Nebraska for nursing school and figured id go to school there because of the cost of living.
Do I get my nursing degree and have a guaranteed job while working towards a med degree (more debt) or do I just go for my med degree (less money... but still a ton of money).
Thanks for your input!

In this economy, a nursing degree does not equal a guaranteed job. Plus, I imagine it's pretty hard to work while in medical school full-time. Nursing curriculums don't include all the courses required for medical school, so you'd end up having to take physics, biochem, organic chem and whatever else after you graduate with your nursing degree.

If you want to be a nurse, be a nurse but I definitely would not recommend it as a stepping stone to becoming a doctor. Why spend all that time and money on a degree you're not going to end up using?

threebrats46 · May 16, 2012

Im In NY and so many new grads can't find jobs. I have friends in Cali and same story. One I know moved to Texas for work.

It's not easy anymore! I would not be an RN unless your heart is into it,you will burn out quick, It's so different from being an MD.

confusedstudent_88, BSN, RN · May 16, 2012

Im In NY and so many new grads can't find jobs. I have friends in Cali and same story. One I know moved to Texas for work.
It's not easy anymore! I would not be an RN unless your heart is into it,you will burn out quick, It's so different from being an MD.

Yea that's what I was trying to tell some that replied to my post! I'm moving to Nebraska. The unemployment rate is 4% tons of jobs. Also Utah needs nurses.

PMFB-RN, RN · May 16, 2012

I planned on moving to where nurses actually do have a guaranteed job. I've been on the site for awhile now. Where I'm moving the unemployment rate is 4% I've done my research thanks

*** Got to medical school. You already sound like a doctor.

Patti_RN · May 16, 2012

People often give (and take) advice to 'follow their dreams', or that 'education is always worth it'. If we all followed our dreams, I'd be working as a surfing instructor/ scuba instructor/ and skiing instructor. Education is valuable, but paper certificates from one university over another often don't translate into more earning potential. The reality of life is you have to eat and have shelter over your head and you need to find a job where you'll be happy so you can provide yourself with those things.

A career is a business decision. You're deciding how much time and money to invest in preparing yourself for a job--hopefully a job that you'll pursue for a decade or more, anyway. So, you have to add up the expense of the degree, your lost income while completing the degree and residency program, and compare that to your expected earning potential when you finish.

Med school costs (approx) $40K to $50K per year for 4 years and the average debt a graduating medical student carries is $150K. In your situation, you will probably need to take some rigorous science classes. That will take a year or two, and cost $15,000 for tuition. Do you have student loans to repay, already? If so, you may be $200,000 in debt by the time you graduate from medical school. Your residency follows which isn't highly paid. The salary escalates each year, but for about 4 years you will make an average of $50K per year--no overtime pay, no bonus for backshift or weekend. If you work 80 hours a week (not at all unheard of) you'll be making about $12.00/hour. Of course, your pay will increase once you're an independently practicing physician. Estimates vary, but you should make somewhere around $130,000 per year in family medicine. So, let's add this up:

Two years tuition for pre-reqs: -$15,000

Medical school tuition: -$200,000

4 years of residency @ $50,000/ year $200,000

Then consider becoming an RN and eventually an NP. If you do an accelerated 2nd degree program, it will take about a year to 18 months and cost $30,000. So, you'll be working as a nurse within two years from now. Nurses make somewhere between $40K and $50K per year, plus overtime. So if you work an extra 10 hours per week, you can boost your salary by $20,000/ year. After you have a couple years experience, you go to NP school and complete it in 3 or 4 years, while still working. Your employer may pick up all most of the tuition. When you finish, you'll be making somewhere between $80,000 and $120,000/ year.

Two years BSN tuition: -$30,000

Salary (5 years @ $50,000/ year) $250,000

NP tuition (but could be reimbursed by your employer) : -$50,000

NP Salary (3 years @ $90,000/year) $270,000

My very rough estimate, and rounding and approximating salaries/ tuitions, etc, bring you to two different figures in the year 2022 (when you would finish your residency after med school). Going the med school route, you would be in debt by $15K to $50K. If you go the BSN to NP route, you'd be ahead by about $600,000. Obviously, you still need money to live during your med school years, and during your BSN years, but my comparison only takes into account tuition and salary.

So, for about the same job description and duties, as an NP you'll be more than a half million dollars ahead in ten years from now.

Sunny0308 · May 16, 2012

I can't imagine anyone becoming an Aide if they really want to be a Nurse. Or becoming a grounds crewman if they want to be a pilot. Of course you are awfully young, but if you want to be an MD, do it. Anyone can do anything with the right attitude and hard work.