Nurses Going to Med School

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Feb 11, 2009

I can only speak of my daughter's journey into med school, graduated pre med from a top university. She was Phi Betta Kappa , she received the only academic excellence award ( the sole award in a class of 6,000) and published. She did not get into the first round. Got a scholarship for a Masters in Clinical Research completed a two year program in one year , is now in medical school.

It is not for the faint of heart.

1totry31 · Feb 11, 2009

I think that if you are interested in becoming a doctor you shouldn't let all of your hard nursing work go to waste. A lot of these posts make it sound like nursing is a blow off and not difficult.....Many of my instructors are PHd level nurses and they are smarter then some of the doctors I have met, and I have seen them catch doctors errors on several occassions. I am saying that you should look into becoming an advanced practice nurse, or even a nurse midwife. I have two friends; one is a NP, she has a practice that she shares with an MD in a rural area. She writes prescriptions and sees her own patients everyday. She even does hospital rounds. My other friend is a CRNA, her salary is comparable to an MD in that she makes around 130,000 a year and she is incharge of maintaining peoples lives while they are under anesthesia (she is very similar to an anesthesiologist). Both had extensive graduate level training after nursing school, yet both are very well respected by the MDs they work with. I am just saying becoming an RN is a building block for many advancement opportunities. Nursing is a very respectable profession, and if it was as easy as some of the respondants on here clam that it is, I would't of had to compete for a spot in nursing school and beat out over 400 applicants who all had at least 3.5 GPAs. Also I had to take 2 semesters of CHEM at my school, a semester of BIO, 2 semesters of A&P, Micro, Organic CHEM, STATS and another Full YEAR of MATH, plus a foreign language... and all the other pre reqs that go with it psych, life span, nutrition, english, speech, ethics, patho phys, and the list goes on. For most people I'd say that isn't a piece of cake. Also as nurse I can honestly say when I am done next May, I will have a very well rounded education and I will be ready to apply to graduate school to get my MSN so I can become a nurse educator.

caliotter3 · Feb 11, 2009

My first time around, I was in the hard science classes with the pre-meds, pre-dentals, and pre-engineers. I can assure you that the nursing/allied health courses I have taken since then in no way compare to those classes. I tip my hat to anyone who takes a pre-med course at a highly ranked school and is successful in gaining admission to med school. I couldn't hack those courses then, and even with maturity, I doubt I could hack them now.

jpeters84 · Feb 11, 2009

First off, inlandm18mempire I resent your comment that "nursing is considered an easy major." Medical school admissions professionals don't feel that way because I've been told directly from them that it is not considered a less challenging major. Only someone who doesn't know what they are talking about would call nursing an easy major. No one really thinks that their nursing school pharmacology is going to replace thier medical school pharmacology. And I don't think anyone is really foolish enough to think that the pre-requsites are the same for nursing school as medical school so stop trying to clarify that.

I think that sometimes doing nursing school gives a person a much clearer picture of the roles of a physician and the roles of a nurse. And only after spending an extended period of time training to be a health care provider do some people realize that the role they want to play falls more in line with that of a physician. I'm sure the person who posted knows all of the pre-requisites required to apply for medical school and knows that both getting into med school and the road ahead to completing a residency is difficult and paying for loans will be tough. But let's be real if a person wasn't up for a challenge than they could have never put in the work and dedication to complete a nursing program to begin with.

I think that if you've thought long and hard about this, talked to physicians and advanced practice nurses alike, consider all of the work and ramifications involved in medical school and still have the desire and drive to go for it than go for it.

There are plenty of nurses that have been succesful at going back and completing the pre-requisites with top grades, doing well on the MCAT, and successfully gaining admission into medical school. I do think that the mindset and way that you think about providing care for your patients is much different with medicine but for some who like quick, clear, concise, technical information it's a relief.

Being a nurse applying for medical school isn't going to be a huge advantage. It will give you a small leg up in the medical experience column. But med schools really concentrate on the strength of your academic preparation and academic performance. If you don't meet the criteria for those two than your nursing isn't going to make up for it and get you in the door. If you took the most challenging classes you could find and excelled in them and did well on your MCATs than your nursing experience will just be that extra thing that further proves that you are the student that they want.

Just do your research, work hard, and go for your dreams. If it's what you really want than you can do it!

RN-LOGIC · Feb 11, 2009

INlAND18, I :down: really find it offensive and ignorant on your part to deliberately state that ''nursing is considered an "easy" major''. I do understand that there is tremendous difference between nursing and medicine, however; this differences do not make nursing an easy major. There were over one thousand applicants to get into the nursing program at the school where I was chosen, with only 60 spots available. I took me 4 years plus to reach and accomplish my BSN, during that time I was working part time and eventually lost my job due to nursing school. Shortly after that I lost my condo leaving me out in the street and I ended up sleeping in my car. I still went to school because I really wanted to become an RN. It was my dream. I remember days that I would cry due to the stress that I was put through nursing school, days that I thought about quitting. My clinical teachers could be so rigorous. Students would be send home if they didn't know their meds and I mean really know them, Missing three days of clinicals would put you out of the class. if you failed two classes then you were out of the program. Drop your GPA lower than 3.2 then you were out too and I can continue on. I graduated last year with only 24 other classmates, leaving out 35 students that we started the program with. I would like for you to tell this 35 student who couldn't hack it, that nursing is an easy program... I would really appreciated that next time you write something you get educated and to get your facts straight. What really matters is if you really want something and if you do, just REMEMBER that something gots to give.

TinkerNurse · Feb 11, 2009

it's a very convoluted process. you have to take several prereqs, which are hard classes (among the hardest one can take), do VERY well in those and shine, get your bachelor's (high GPAs only), take the MCAT and once again, do well and shine on that. then after you interview and are accepted (hopefully!), you'll embark on 4 years of studying fairly constantly, then a residency, which ranges from 3 years to the nth year, depending on the specialty you choose to practice. it's a very long, and costly, road to take. a nursing degree may make you a unique applicant, but it's definitely not something that will get you ahead. nursing is considered an "easy" major, and you MUST take hardcore science classes to prove yourself. they are very, very, very difficult classes... especially organic chemistry. Very few people do well in those classes, and usually only the brighest people make it! Many people must apply to a TON of medical schools all over the country, and hopefully they will get an interview and accepted at just one. It's very, very, very difficult to get into medical school. If you are accepted, you will more than likely have to pack up and move to a new, unknown city. A friend of mine grew up here, in SoCal, and was accepted all the way heck over in New Jersey. She had to pack up everything and move out that way. She's now a resident, and makes very little money while working 80 hours a week. She has $250,000 in school-related debt. Because the debt amount attached with Medical School is SO HIGH, failing is NOT an option. You must succeed as a doctor or else you will spend your life paying that debt down. I'm not trying to discredit anyone in nursing school, but the difficulty level of nursing school to medical school isn't even comparable. The truth is, most nursing school students would flunk out. But hey, if you're truly dedicated, then go for it! :)

Errr by who exactly? I don't know what kind of program you took but my program is known to be one of the most difficult programs at my school. It is HARD to get into, they only accept the best students, and out of the 120 that start the program usually less than half graduate. So do tell who exactly considers nursing "easy"? :down:

missjennmb · Feb 11, 2009

Every few months the local hospital sends out a PR newsletter. In the back it lists all of their new doctors/residents and what their undergrad degree was. In a list of about 20ish new doctors and residents, about 80% of them had a worthless undergrad degree. By worthless I mean something that had ZERO to do with medicine. Things like political science, humanities, history, computer engineering. IMO, if you can get into med school with those degrees, then you can get in with a nursing degree and have a better foundation.

If I did not have 3 kids and a husband and live 5 hours from the closest medical school I would seriously consider going that route. It IS very time intensive, but I would be very surprised if it was academically harder than nursing school. Different sure, but not harder. I have 138 IQ and NEVER broke a sweat for a college class ever (and I have been to college for my Assoc Arts, as well as for specialties like Software Programming and Accounting) and I am having to put every single second of my free time to stay afloat (this is the first moment I have not studied or slept or worked or been in school in 3 days...I eat w/ my notecards next to my plate)

Maybe those who suggest that nursing is "easy" went to a different school because I KNOW my school is not remotely easy, lol. They took the best of the best from the group tested, and people are still dropping like flies.

The one thing I will say, that is as a nurse practitioner you still have to answer to a doctor, and that, to me, is SEVERELY unappealing. If its a good doctor fine, but you would never have true autonomy and in the end you still have to do what he or she tells you to do rather than what your heart, your education, and best practice teaches you to do. (I saw a CNM have to chose between her heart and her job after her patient had to see the doctor one time and he insisted out of the blue on an intervention that she had been working for months with the patient to avoid - and guess who won? the CNM had to chose her job and walk away with her tail between her legs as it were because if she had not she would have had her education for nothing)

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Feb 11, 2009

Look man, I am not trying to hurt any feelings here, but I am also not trying to feed the OP any BS. Lookit, most undergraduate programs require A&P I, II one semester of biology, one to two semesters of chemistry, and microbiology. These are not hard classes. Medical schools want something more challenging. I understand that there have been dudes that have gotten in with a Carl Marx major or even an art major......THIS IS NOT COMMON. Typically someone applying to med school needs a chemistry or biology major. You need chem I, II, organic I, II bio I II, biochemistry, microbiology, physics...etc. Most nursing school applicants have NOT taken these classes.

Many schools (inlcuding one I took some pre-reqs at) have multiple science classes. They have a version of microbiology, chemistry, whatever, that is very in-depth and technical--this is for the science majors, pre-med and pre-vet students. Then they have a more basic version of the same subjects for health profession students (nurses, radiology techs, etc.) that focuses on only what they need to know.

The schools specifically let students know that the two versions can't substitute for each other, so if you want to be a bio/pre-med major, you can't take the "lighter" version of the class. They also warn students that the health professions version may not transfer over to other schools or even into other health profession programs, especially if you're transferring out of state. Depending on the destination school, they often do...and they often don't. I had to fight a bit to get my Microbio class transferred to NS--it worked out for me, fortunately.

So you could apply to medical school with your NS background--the NS experience would probably give you some advantages--but be warned that your classes might not all automatically cross over, and you may have a lot of pre-reqs in your future.

CharmedJ7 · Feb 11, 2009

Every few months the local hospital sends out a PR newsletter. In the back it lists all of their new doctors/residents and what their undergrad degree was. In a list of about 20ish new doctors and residents, about 80% of them had a worthless undergrad degree. By worthless I mean something that had ZERO to do with medicine. Things like political science, humanities, history, computer engineering. IMO, if you can get into med school with those degrees, then you can get in with a nursing degree and have a better foundation.
If I did not have 3 kids and a husband and live 5 hours from the closest medical school I would seriously consider going that route. It IS very time intensive, but I would be very surprised if it was academically harder than nursing school. Different sure, but not harder. I have 138 IQ and NEVER broke a sweat for a college class ever (and I have been to college for my Assoc Arts, as well as for specialties like Software Programming and Accounting) and I am having to put every single second of my free time to stay afloat (this is the first moment I have not studied or slept or worked or been in school in 3 days...I eat w/ my notecards next to my plate)
Maybe those who suggest that nursing is "easy" went to a different school because I KNOW my school is not remotely easy, lol. They took the best of the best from the group tested, and people are still dropping like flies.
The one thing I will say, that is as a nurse practitioner you still have to answer to a doctor, and that, to me, is SEVERELY unappealing. If its a good doctor fine, but you would never have true autonomy and in the end you still have to do what he or she tells you to do rather than what your heart, your education, and best practice teaches you to do. (I saw a CNM have to chose between her heart and her job after her patient had to see the doctor one time and he insisted out of the blue on an intervention that she had been working for months with the patient to avoid - and guess who won? the CNM had to chose her job and walk away with her tail between her legs as it were because if she had not she would have had her education for nothing)

In my understanding, this is not entirely true - there are some states like Washington and Arizona where NPs ARE completely autonomous, ie, have no requirement to have interaction with an MD (for diagnosing, treating, and prescribing). To be more complete, the following states have no official requirement for physician involvement: Alaska, Arizona, District of Columbia, Idaho, Iowa, Maine (After 2 years), Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming. Source: http://www.webnp.net/downloads/pearson_report08/ajnp_pearson08.pdf

Whether or not this is how it works in practice might be another story, but generally if autonomy is a large concern these states seem to have good legislation in place and good reputations.

inland18mempire · Feb 11, 2009

please don't attack me, the messenger. i'll all about nurse power. but a nursing degree, in no way, shape, or form, can even compare to the level of difficulty of a degree in say, organic chemistry. i'm not trying to diminish a nursing degree in any way. it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. but for someone to pull As in advance courses, like organic chemistry, it takes absolute hard work, and dedication from the absolute brightest of people. i defy any of you to meet with an admissions advisor from a reputable medical school that will NOT say nursing is an easy major compared to an advanced science degree. I have a nursing degree - I AM ALL ABOUT NURSE POWER. I have also taken advance science courses, and the studying kicked my butt. The nursing degree was a walk in the park compared to that material. I know that anyone who has done the same thing would agree. If you haven't, then you have no business commenting about it.

A nursing degree by itself = hard.

A nursing degree vs. advanced science degrees = easy.

Please know that I am referring to advanced science. I'm not referring to the intro biology courses that many college students take. I'm talking about that special biology class you get to take after you have taken biology classes to the nth degree.

TinkerNurse · Feb 11, 2009

please don't attack me, the messenger. i'll all about nurse power. but a nursing degree, in no way, shape, or form, can even compare to the level of difficulty of a degree in say, organic chemistry. i'm not trying to diminish a nursing degree in any way. it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. but for someone to pull As in advance courses, like organic chemistry, it takes absolute hard work, and dedication from the absolute brightest of people. i defy any of you to meet with an admissions advisor from a reputable medical school that will NOT say nursing is an easy major compared to an advanced science degree. I have a nursing degree - I AM ALL ABOUT NURSE POWER. I have also taken advance science courses, and the studying kicked my butt. The nursing degree was a walk in the park compared to that material. I know that anyone who has done the same thing would agree. If you haven't, then you have no business commenting about it.
A nursing degree by itself = hard.
A nursing degree vs. advanced science degrees = easy.
Please know that I am referring to advanced science. I'm not referring to the intro biology courses that many college students take. I'm talking about that special biology class you get to take after you have taken biology classes to the nth degree.

:down: :icon_roll

CharmedJ7 · Feb 11, 2009

I think the question of "easy" is highly variable between person and program. I also think it's a term that gets people offended very easily, and it's difficult to judge it objectively - some people may find organic chemistry harder than physiology because it is less directly and concretely relevant to everyday life or things you may be familiar with. Others, myself included, do not find it exceptionally difficult because it responds well to work (ie, if you put in the effort and work through it, you WILL get it, you will see the logic in it, you will see arrow pushing in your sleep). Likewise some people think biology (and Med School) is easy because it's a lot of memorization, some people think it's hard for that reason.

The point is, most people who are not breezing through their program think they have it harder than other people, and few people ever really get to judge fairly (if you go from advanced science to nursing, nursing may seem easier because you already have a good knowledge base). A similar debate is in arts vs. science, and there will never be a consensus on that either - even though I've done both, and have my opinion (arts is easier), that's hardly the be all end all of the debate, it's just what comes more naturally to me. A very logically minded person may well find the medical model more compatible with their thinking than the nursing model.

I think familiarity is key - I'm coming off a biochemistry major from a notoriously hard school, and I would say my 400 level classes are easier than the 200 levels. Are they really? Very likely not, but from my perspective and background, they are. Can we please leave off the my major is harder than yours thing? I think it suffices to say that the OP, and anyone else considering medical school or an advanced science degree, should be aware that the shift over will involve adjusting to a different way of thinking and a lot of work. If you're willing, awesome, they are all phenomenally interesting and challenging fields.