New nursing student, career choice questions

[qtran429]

Hi all,

I am a newly admitted nursing student. My ultimate goals is going to Medical school and being an M.D. I am 25 and still have some communication issues because I've only been in the U.S for 5 years. My question is "Should I go for Master degree in Nursing after I get my BSN so I can have some extra times to sharpen my communication skills or should I just go straight for the MCAT to the medical school?"

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Quy

[DisneyNurseGal, BSN, RN]

I considered this same path, and I would not recommend getting your masters degree unless you plan on becoming a nurse practitioner. If you get your MSN (masters science nursing) that is 7 years MINIMUM then you need to start medical school which is another 4 years after than. I understand you want to sharpen your communication skills, but I would think the practice you get in nursing school will help you. You also can work as a nurse for a couple of years to get more practice without the added expense of paying for a masters degree you are not going to use.

[green34]

I would consider going for nurse anesthetist or practitioner. One ER doctor constantly says he wishes he had gone the anesthetist route.

[sjalv]

Forgive me if I am missing something obvious, but why don't you go directly for a pre-med bachelor's degree? Why are you going into nursing at all? In any case, I would not recommend getting your MSN, as others have said.

[loriangel14, RN]

If you want to be a doctor why are you going to go to nursing school? Why not just complete the pre med requirements? Becoming a nurse isn't really a step towards becoming a doctor.

[swansonplace]

Take a class to master reading and speaking English. Learn to read and understand quickly. Finish BSN, and then MCAT. Find our what they require for you to get into medical school as the competition is fierce, and start working on it. Make sure you have enough money to make it through, if not consider that into your plan.

[priorities2]

Yeah, maybe you can work part-time as an RN after your BSN and take a couple of the medical school pre-reqs at a time. You will need to take Chem 1+2, OChem 1+2, Physics 1+2, and two semesters of biology. Some schools require statistics or calculus.

[Alicia.Cheyanne]

I would say don't even go into nursing then...Two people in my family have gone to medical school and their pre reqs are COMPLETELY different. You have to take 2 semesters of biology, general chemistry, physics, and organic chemistry. This is NOT required for nursing. If you get your BSN then you won't have completed the proper requirements for med school entry and will have to do a lot more work, and probably stay for another year or two. Plus you probably won't do well on the MCAT unless you take the pre med classes.

Don't become a nurse if you want to be a doctor.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

PPs are offering great advice. Nursing is not a stepping stone to Medicine... it is a whole different profession. If you want to become a physician, go to Medical School.