Nurses Going to Med School

CuriousMe · Aug 14, 2009

I don't know that I was clear in my original post... so I'm going to go through this and clarify some things.
No, these weren't the requirements at all. I'm not sure what you mean by 200 level and 300 level (my school didn't have them). Organic Chemistry wasn't a requirement for the 3+2 program, Calculus was not a requirement (although it was recommended), and no physics was required. Introductory Biology was required, as was Microbiology. General Chemistry was also required, as were some random general requirements from the school.
I admire you for taking on nursing and Chem - good luck!
I understand that having a science major is more difficult than a nursing major. You said it well - the difference between both majors is how each is difficult. But to completely discount nursing and to speak about it like it is so inconsequential in the medical school admissions process is a disservice, in my opinion. Some posters here were making nursing science pre-requisites seem like a walk in the park. The point of my original post was to show that some of us don't have the luxury of taking science classes that are separated from non-sciences majors, and that we share classes with people applying to medical school and people applying for doctorates in Biology. Case-in-point: I didn't have the option of an "allied health" Microbiology class to fulfill my pre-requisite. And boy, was it challenging and it caused me so much stress. I didn't do as well as I would've liked (though I am an overachiever), but I was in a class taught by a microbiologist that was mixed with graduate students and people who were going on straight from undergrad to programs to get their doctorates. But I did it (and I'm not doing this to toot my own horn), and I know that if I could do it that there are so many other smart people on this board that could do the same thing I did.

My apologies if I didn't understand the intent of your post. I obviously don't think that all nursing students can't handle the science major level classes (which is what I meant by 200 level and 300 level...at the school's I've been to, 100 level classes are generally for non-majors) because I'm taking science major level chemistry and I've taken some of the biology required as well. It just seems that there's a group in this thread who are pushing that the sciences required in most nursing programs are equal in difficulty to those required pre-med/science major classes and that has just flat out not been my experience.

I think that working as an RN will be more beneficial to a med school applicant than the fact someone has a BSN. The clinical experience gained can be spoken about in the essay and in the interview. I do not think that the med school will find much value, academically speaking, in the nursing coursework though.

Oh and thanks for the admiration (my classmates think I'm nuts :eek: )...really, I just enjoy chemistry and had to take upper level electives for my degree anyway. I figured that biochem would be more useful to me than analyzing a Haiku or some other humanities thang

Peace,

CuriousMe

JomoNurse · Aug 14, 2009

i don't think the pre-reqs to nursing school "in general" are easy... compared to the pre-reqs of medical school "in general" they are easy... i'm sorry. but nurses are very ignorant here to believe that you can even put the two on the same page. medical school pre-reqs are enormously difficult and weed out those not capable. only the brightest get into medical school. there are no average students in medical school. when i went to nursing school, there were many students that couldn't even write a decent paper - it was pathetic and sad.

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Aug 14, 2009

Red Cell is correct in that the pre-nursing classes simply do not fulfill the medical school prereqs. They don't. The pre-nursing gen chem is distinct from the pre-med gen chem, and so forth. It is a condensed and simplified version. Whatever adjective you use to describe them, they are not pre-med courses.
And yes, you can have any major you want. But, again, you need to fulfill the med school prereqs I previously posted, the nursing major will not include them.

Unless you're like me, and you have the regular year of general chemistry and a year of organic and a year of math...

The nursing major MAY include them - it depends on what classes you took. I didn't take "nursing math" or "nursing chemistry" - I took a year of calc and a semester of stats and a year of gen chem (and a year of organic b/c I wasn't sure what I wanted to do). So be careful in your generalizations, please. I know plenty of BSNs that I work with that took these very same classes.

Guest343211 · Dec 21, 2009

Red Cell is correct in that the pre-nursing classes simply do not fulfill the medical school prereqs. They don't. The pre-nursing gen chem is distinct from the pre-med gen chem, and so forth. It is a condensed and simplified version. Whatever adjective you use to describe them, they are not pre-med courses.
And yes, you can have any major you want. But, again, you need to fulfill the med school prereqs I previously posted, the nursing major will not include them.

No that untrue. It depends upon the school and the level sci course you took and if it is transferrable to other undergrad science programs w/ a lab, etc.

Our bios were EXACTLY the same, curriculum as those of universities in our area that has strong science programs. And this can even be so for community colleges, if those colleges's science department's have alliances and such w/ four year programs in the area, which many of them do--these students are a big part of the community college mix--and have only become a bigger part of it in light of the economy and continuous tuition hikes.

Please know the facts. Just b/c in your nursing program you did not take a generic lab science w/ curriculum and credits that matches other four-year insitution's sciences does NOT mean this is true for all students and all nursing programs at all schools.

Guest343211 · Dec 21, 2009

I think that curve right there should illustrate the challenging nature of those classes. To be considered to have an excellent mastery of the subject with knowing 65-70% of the material? That's not making it easy for the students, that's recognizing the massive amount of information they have to get their heads around. That if you know 65-70% of the material, you are in the top percentile of your class.
None of the science prerequisites I took for nursing would have counted towards a major in biology. They *were* simplified versions of the courses biology majors would have taken. They were still challenging (with the exception of Intro Biology which was easier than 9th grade Bio). There are just different requirements for different fields. As nursing students, we're not expected nor do we need to be experts in biology or chemistry. We're expected to be experts in nursing, and that requires a solid, functional knowledge base in biology and chemistry.

Again that is NOT the case for everyone at all or every school. In fact, I'd be miffed if they felt they had to give nursing students a "dumbed down" version of biological sciences. What a slap in the face for nursing and other allied health students. Come on. It really depends on the particulars of the programs.

BTW, just b/c a student takes core prerequisites for med school: year of chem, year of o. chem., year of physics, year of bio, and for some, calculus; it does NOT mean they are in anyway, lol, "experts" in say chemistry or biology or physics for goodness sake. That's what PhD programs in those particular disciplines are for.

When med students are required to take at least a year of p.chem as well and (LOL) get an "A" in it just to get into med school, that's when it will really get interesting.

holleritup · Dec 21, 2009

"*Because this thread seems very touchy about the word "easier" let me be clear that this is because you do not need the additional science classes so it's a more direct path, the length of time to complete is shorter, and even though you are being trained to practice medicine, it's just not at the same intensity of a med school. So it's not easy, just comparitively easy."

haha and you make a lot less money too... isn't it all about the benjamins in the end?

melmarie23, MSN, RN · Dec 21, 2009

o-chem was hands down, the hardest class I have ever taken in my life. Those who said it was like taking a foreign language-touché!

I have my BS in Biology. I can say that without a doubt, that that program was more academically challenging, at least for me, than my nursing program. I too toyed around with the idea of med school, which is why I majored in what I did as an undergrad, so that I would have all the necessary pre-reqs. By the time I graduated, I was so mentally burnt out that I took some time off (and worked-in research) for a bit and recollected myself and really questioned what it was that I wanted to do with my life.

Now here I am 4, almost 5 years later, and am wrapping up nursing school. Its been challenging, in its own way, and one in which I fully welcomed. Its required me to think differently and be more creative-something which I was not made to do as a Bio major. It has also ignited a such a passion in me that my previous major never had.

Majoring in Bio, Chem or a combo of both, is hard. The pre-reqs for Med school are extremely challenging and rigorous. And so is nursing...but in its own specific way. Like others have said, we're comparing apples to oranges here. So lets please stop the tit for tat...

Faith213 · Dec 22, 2009

Red Cell is correct in that the pre-nursing classes simply do not fulfill the medical school prereqs. They don't. The pre-nursing gen chem is distinct from the pre-med gen chem, and so forth. It is a condensed and simplified version. Whatever adjective you use to describe them, they are not pre-med courses.
mis
And yes, you can have any major you want. But, again, you need to fulfill the med school prereqs I previously posted, the nursing major will not include them.

I took the same general chemistry class that the chemistry and biology majors took. It's not the same in every program. We had the option of the "easier intro to chemistry" class but some pre-nursing students take the same chemistry that other majors do. A lot of them don't, but it is an option.

r0b0tafflicti0n · Dec 22, 2009

I don't know what kind of "RN for Dummies" school some of you attend/attended, but I feel like I've been ripped off:

http://www.uic.edu/nursing/prospectivestudents/bsn-admissions.shtml

Saw LOTS OF PRE MED students milling around in those classes, hmmmm. . .

r0b0tafflicti0n · Dec 22, 2009

Again that is NOT the case for everyone at all or every school. In fact, I'd be miffed if they felt they had to give nursing students a "dumbed down" version of biological sciences. What a slap in the face for nursing and other allied health students. Come on. It really depends on the particulars of the programs.
BTW, just b/c a student takes core prerequisites for med school: year of chem, year of o. chem., year of physics, year of bio, and for some, calculus; it does NOT mean they are in anyway, lol, "experts" in say chemistry or biology or physics for goodness sake. That's what PhD programs in those particular disciplines are for.
When med students are required to take at least a year of p.chem as well and (LOL) get an "A" in it just to get into med school, that's when it will really get interesting.

When I meet a physician who can write a paragraph that I don't have to edit and rewrite for them, things will get REALLY interesting. . .

Mineee45 · Dec 23, 2009

This next semester will my last and final in nursing school. I'm also looking into medical school, but I have other options im looking into as well.

Guest343211 · Dec 30, 2009

I took the same general chemistry class that the chemistry and biology majors took. It's not the same in every program. We had the option of the "easier intro to chemistry" class but some pre-nursing students take the same chemistry that other majors do. A lot of them don't, but it is an option.

yup. Same here.