any regret?

Papadoc · Mar 11, 2006

I'm a college junior...I have been pre med but I've been volunteering in a woman's hospital which has really opened my eyes to nursing. I am very seriously thinking about totally forgetting about med school and I've taken some of my nursing pre reqs but I KNOW there are frustrations associated with practice as an NP instead of MD/DO. Has anyone else faced this and why did you decide to go this route? Does anyone regret not going to medical school when it comes to practicing? I know nursing is an excellent career and I know the opportunities are great but what about the rest??
Thanks,
Allison

Hey AllisonLP!

I know exactly (or at least I think I do) that feeling.I've been doing that soul searching for a looong,loooong time (you could check some of my old posts). But in my case I'm already an RN, and I've tried med school,but withdrew for some health reasons.It's a very personal decision, and nobody really could tell you what "the right thing" to do is. In my case yes, there is a regret for not applying to med school earler, when I was in a much better health, and didn't have a family responsibilities. But I started my medical school on the path of least resistance. I've applied to several off-shore med schools in the Caribbean, got unconditional acceptance, didn't revew any of he basic sciences, and went over there without my family. These are the reasons that pushed me over the edge, and I had to withdraw before I would have failed, especially biochem. However, I realized that tere is no substitute for a real medical education. Despite being almost 36 y.o, and not in my best health, I'm planning to study for MCAT and re-take some of the pre-reqs, and apply to some D.O schools (my choice). But I'm not talking you out of going the nursing route. What's important is not to look for shortcuts, which I did for such a long time. Otherwise regrets are liable to catch up with you.

Good Luck

FLAgal14 · Mar 13, 2006

Hi AllisonLP:

Well I'm going through the same crisis as you, except I was accepted to med school (D.O. school) this year and I literally have one day to really make up my mind whether to go. I'm still really on the fence about it. It's such a hard decision - and I don't know what the right choice is. It is a personal decision and there are soooo many different factors that go along with making such a decision - for me it is debt, family , and quality of life. I am stuck between nursing and being a physician because I've shadowed both and I respect both fields and could see myself in either role. You've got some time to think about it though - I'm a non-traditional student (I'm 27) - and the average age of med students is around 24 now I believe. So whatever you do - don't rush into any one decision. From what I've heard from my friends in med school - they all wish they took a year off after college because most of them are burnt out now. So I would suggest to continue shadowing, talk to both doctors and nurses and try to get a feel for what type of role you would like to have in the healthcare field. Good luck Allision!

P.S. In regards to your statement about frustrations in nursing - there are frustrations for MD/DO's too. Just check out SDN to see what I mean.