Nurses Going to Med School

Valhalla_Pure · Feb 11, 2009

inland18, did you really expect NOT to get attacked undermining a nursing education on a nursing forum? Come on now I have been on both sides, so here is are my comments:

I completed one of those "advanced science degrees" prior to entering nursing school. Was it hard? You bet it was, I did all the med school pre-reqs and pulled off great grades, endless hours of volunteer work, etc. But I decided that nursing was a path more suitable for me, and haven't regretted my choice since starting nursing school. But to insinuate that nursing school is easy? No wonder people here are so riled up. I am doing very well academically in nursing school, but nursing school presents unique challenges that need to be experienced to be understood.

I think a better way to caution the original poster would be to state that the pre-req's will cover different material than may have been covered in your nursing education, so be prepared for a different experience. Bottom line - both degrees are different experiences.

To the OP: As a nursing student, you have had the oppurtunity to learn how a nurse practices, as well as see physicians in their practice. After lots of self reflection, you decide this is a path you wish to pursue, by all means go for it! Check out the pre-med forums for lots of valuable information. Good luck to you!

Valhalla_Pure · Feb 11, 2009

Well said, CharmedJ7.

BellasMommyOBRN · Feb 12, 2009

yea, be careful of saying "easier". that is a subjective statement

i have taken organic chemistry 1 and was successful, i will be taking 2 in the fall. it was pretty intense but it was interesting! now does that mean i am a genius and i could have slept through my nursing pre-req's? heck no.

rence01 · Feb 12, 2009

a wise man once said...... "the only thing that is standing between you and your dream is YOU"..... if you really want something bad, nothing will stand on your way regardless of how big,tough,or demanding it may be, so if you really want it...GO FOR IT... others have made it, why not you?

best wishes

smilingbig · Feb 12, 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.

Chemistry & biology majors just have to take fewer classes since they are already majoring in subjects that include the pre-reqs for medical school. If you were to major in something else, that would just add more classes that would need to be taken. Since medical school is already long enough a lot of pre-med students do go that route! Other degrees may be more common than you think. Most medical schools post the statistics of those accepted into their program.

Below is UTSW's Number of students in the 2008 class with the following majors:

Biology/Microbiology – 80

Biochemistry – 27

Engineering – 23

Neuroscience – 14

Chemistry – 13

Other – 12

Business – 10

Physics/Biophysics – 9

Social Science – 8

Humanities/Fine Arts – 7

Psychology – 7

Honors Program – 5

Mathematics – 3

Pre-Med Major – 2

75% - Science/Engineering Majors

25% - Non-Science Majors

19% - Double Majors

My husband is a pre-med/biology major and uses an online medical forum quite a bit. There are also quite a few books on what medical schools look for. I've seen too many to give you any names... but they're out there. If you can meet with a pre-med advisor that is in contact with a medical school admissions committee that would be best. An advisor like that is rare, but can offer a lot of insight!

Good luck!!

netglow, ASN, RN · Feb 12, 2009

There are many nurses who have taken advanced sciences... many have multiple degrees FYI (to some posters) you can take advanced sciences while in college if it suits you... nobody tells you you cannot because you are getting your BSN (as if you must do the "dumbed-down" versions), ROFL. :icon_roll

jpeters84 · Feb 14, 2009

inland18mempire,

I think you're less than, shall we say, enlightened. Let me enlighten you a little. Maybe you went to a program where the nursing degree was not that challenging. The level of work and requirements between different degree programs varies heavily. I have a prior degree and masters in the humanities and I am about to finish a third degree in biochemistry this summer while also completing nursing school (what can I say, it took me a long time to make up my mind about what it was that I wanted to do with my life). So while I'm not Paul Farmer I'm no idiot either.

Hands down advanced science classes are extremely difficult. Nursing classes can be very difficult as well but in a completely different way. My nursing program is the most difficult degree/classes I have ever taken, even harder than my advanced organic chemistry, biomolecular structure classes, etc. If I were only taking one hard nursing class and a few of the easier nursing classes I may feel differently but with my program we have 6 very challenging classes at a time, every semester, for five semesters, and it is beyond brutal, beyond any pain I ever have experienced in my advanced science classes. The concepts are much harder in the advanced sciences but the level of work required to be succcessful and pull A's is much harder in my nursing program than in the sciences AT MY UNIVERSITY.

Every school is different and every person's concept of "difficult" is different. To me science is fairly straightforward and linear whereas the difficulty of nursing comes from the different mode operandi at play. So I think it's a bit arrogant of you to declare nursing a lesser degree. It may be at your school but hey, that's just your experience, which does not encompass the sum total of all nursing schools and advance science experiences. Just be careful what you say, think it through, and say hey this is my experience, may not be true for everyone...

inland18mempire · Feb 14, 2009

Thanks for enlightening me.

My opinion still stays the same, though.

amarah2391 · Apr 18, 2009

i want to do the same thing but havent spoke to anyone whose done that..

sugarsweet21612 · Apr 20, 2009

First off, inlandm18mempire I resent your comment that "nursing is considered an easy major."

i hope nursing is not considered an easy major or i would be in biggggggg trouble if i had chosen to major in something else!!!

sugarsweet21612 · Apr 20, 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.

i'm sure it's hard and the sciences majors spend a lot of time studying... but from what i've heard from everyone at my school who has to take organic chemistry as a pre-med... a 70 or 65 percent is an A in that class... whereas say about a 40 is passing. i wish we got those kind of curves in nursing. :yawn:

NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN · Apr 20, 2009

There is no comparison of nursing school to pre-med or med- school. Its like comparing apples to oranges here.

I don't see how any one in his or her right mind can even think nursing school is easy or nursing is easy. Both nursing programs and pre-med programs are challenging in their own way. However, to say one is harder than the other is impossible because they both entail different concepts.

to inland18mempire- Nursing school should NEVER be considered easy. Tell this to all of the people who've failed out of the nursing program. If nursing was so easy we wouldn't have a nursing shortage would we ? We would have more faculty because " nursing school is easy", we would have more nursing graduates because " nursing school is easy", and we would have more nurses out there working because nursing school is easy". Nursing school is not easy ! After every exam I thank God that I passed it ! As failing in nursing school is so common now days.

So any body that says nursing or nursing school is easy has " Lack of knowledge related to nursing school vs pre-med as evidence by stating that nursing school is easier than pre med"