NP or MD

Atl-Murse · Oct 30, 2016

Get admission first .

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · Oct 30, 2016

You have completed prerequisites for a nursing program. Pre-requisite to medical school is a bachelor's degree.

Leadership ability or lack thereof is not a determinant in professional school admissions.

You are not even a nurse yet, but you claim to know the particulars of the NP role? Color me skeptical.

HIstudent808 · Oct 30, 2016

admissions where?

HIstudent808 · Oct 30, 2016

1 med school and nursing schools are plentiful but per location, there is only 20-30 spots available for RN program. over 150 people apply per year and only 20-30 make it per location (ADN and BSN levels) we don't enroll on a quarterly basis either, it's once a year. I'm just keeping my options open and because I don't know EVERYTHING about the profession I'm just reaching out for advice, I was discouraged when my counselor said I wouldn't be prepared for DNP if I went straight into it after finishing my BSN. I totally would agree it's for the experienced nurse...but that's when I started thinking about MD (only because there are no DO schools here) I'm just figuring out if it'll be worth the wait if I step out being that the job market is REALLY bad here for new grads.

roser13, ASN, RN · Oct 30, 2016

Bare? Do you mean bear?

Applications to med school are onerous. Are you prepared for that burden?

HIstudent808 · Oct 30, 2016

Please don't be rude, I'm simply asking for advice and guidance. just an FYI, you can't just get a bachelors degree and apply for (most) Medical Schools. There is (usually) specific coursework (the hard sciences) that go along with that. I'm just asking questions and want to get some 2 cents...

roser13, ASN, RN · Oct 30, 2016

Qualify for med school admission, then ask this question.

kaylee. · Oct 30, 2016

I think the general consesnsus (from your counselor and most rns) is that becoming an NP requires experience. Why? Because your program will not have the extensive training and residency that mds get. That is why you NEED acute care experience. Docs have 4 years med school, a year of internship, and at least another of residency to learn their craft. NPs get a more limited training PLUS the experience they bring. Thats mainly it.

Luckyyou, BSN, RN · Oct 30, 2016

Do you have a competitive MCAT?

Julius Seizure · Oct 30, 2016

Good golly, this thread is not going well.

OP, my understanding is that you have not yet completed any college degree yet, correct? You have done some college courses, but not a full degree? It is a little unclear where you are at in the whole job/schooling progression of things, and that may affect the advice that you get here.

If you choose the NP route, I would agree with your counselor that going straight to DNP without work experience is not ideal. Gaining that work experience will likely mean working nights, weekends, a specialty that you don't like, and/or having to move away to a place with a better job market. With time being "of the essence", consider that at least two years of experience would be preferred and may even be required for some NP schools or specialties. If you have not yet gotten the bachelors degree, the time factor may not matter so much - both require a bachelors degree, and then either a MSN or med school. After that you will either be a resident MD, or a novice NP (both are paid positions).

Speaking of specialty, do you know which you would like to pursue? If you go the MD route, you will have several years before you are at the point of making that decision, but if you choose the NP route, you choose a specialty when you being your graduate degree and that will determine where you can use your degree (i.e. pediatrics, family, adult, acute care, primary care, neonatal care, mental health, etc.).

As far as DO vs. MD, sure, there are differences in the programs, but the type of healthcare provider that you become is up to you.

Are you unable to go to school outside of Hawaii?

Finally, have you considered physician assistant as another career option?

Good luck in your decisions!

BrendanO, MSN, RN · Oct 30, 2016

NOTE: I've completed pre requisites for both nursing (at ADN and BSN levels) and med school.

So you already have a bachelor's degree with organic chem, biochem, statistics/calculus, physics, etc. coursework completed? Have you considered an MSN/RN program and then a DNP? Some DNP schools have didactic courses you can be doing online while you working, before you entering the program full-time.

Or, as PP said, PA school? If you want to be working as a "mid-level" provider in as little time as you can, PA will get you there at least as fast as BSN-DNP (and likely a few years faster, depending on your specialization area for the DNP).