nursing school options

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My lifelong dream has always been to be a physician, I still hold that dream and plan to attend medical school following college. Currently I am about to enter my senior year in high school and I am an IB diploma candidate focusing on life sciences. I plan to attend the University of Washington for undergraduate and postgrad med school. My question is... would a BSN degree be an appropriate path for undergraduate, is that even an option? People often speak of premed as a major , but I have always interpreted it that as long as you have the appropriate courses and GPA the degree it results in has little effect on your competitvness as a medical school applicant. I would think that a nursing program would contain the required prerequisite courses for medical school. I believe that some clinical experience before medical school would make me a better physician and that nursing during medical school would help me gain me some clinical insight as well as providing a salary to pay through medical school. What do you think?

-Josh

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

I'm going to give you my honest opinion.

A premed major (usually Bio/Chem focused) would make for excellent preparation for med school. While nursing majors do take several sciences, they are not as in depth as the premed courses. I am sure that a medical school would prefer to see a candidate with a bachelor's in Chemistry than nursing (I may be wrong, but I have 2 MD's in the family and this is what they have done).

Another issue here is that nursing school is very competitive. There is also a need for nurses who will stick with the field. I don't think becoming a nurse, getting a license and practicing for 4 years, then ditching it is a smart thing to do. Now, if you had said in your post that you were possibly considering med school but were very interested in nursing....I would say go for the BSN. BUT...since you stated your dream is to be a physician.....do not waste your time in a RN program. (Again...IMO)

There are many many people trying to get into nsg programs around the country right now who want to make nursing their lifetime career.....I say if you dream of being a MD then go for it. Nursing isn't a stepping stone career (or, at least it shouldn't be) and I don't feel you'd be better prepared for med school by doing that.

Focus on hardcore sciences in college, and then continue on with your dream! Good luck!

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Josh,

If your dream is to be a physician, then everything else is a distraction. What that means is if being a physician is your dream, your soul reason for being on this planet, then do not let the incidentals of money and other things distract you or sidetrack you from that goal. Hold that thought.

As for the academic requirements to grow you from point

A to point B, you will need to do your research. Thinking and dreaming are inspiring, but laying the bricks to create the path means you will have to do the work to get you there. Examples include what is your current GPA? Are you taking lots of science courses, especially biology, chemistry, and advanced math? What type of physician would you like to be? Do you like to work directly with people? Do you prefer the thinking part of science and would you be more inclined to pursue research? Do you spend some time each day taking care of yourself physically (exercise, good nutrition, cleanliness, and sleep), mentally, socially, and spiritually? Do you have balance in your life? Are you well organized? Have you interviewed any physicians who are doing the type of work you would like to someday be doing? How did they get from point A to point B? Have you sent for admission information from the college or colleges you would like to attend? Have you discussed your plans with an admission counselor? Have you discussed your plans with a financial aid counselor?

My point in asking yourself these questions and more is to set you off in a direction that will help you find answers that matter and more. A person can certainly enter the healthcare arena as a nurse and move on to become a doctor. It is your dream, after all. You are the spark that will make it happen. But it would be helpful, I think, to know yourself if you really want to be an MD or a nurse, as they both help people, but in different ways. What are your strengths? Ambitions? Do you have the personality to run the ship and land safely with all present and accounted for or - given the leadership opportunity, would your ship run aground and everyone on board is on their own?

Money will come to you if that is what is needed for your goal. Believe in yourself and know and visualize yourself in your goal and the money will come. You will have to connect with people and organizations to facilitate this, but the money will be there if you are pursuing what is in your heart. And that is the bottom line. Good luck and keep believing!:dancgrp:

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Major in Chem or Bio. I was thinking about going to be a MD, but when I spoke with a doctor and an NP they both said nursing and the road to MD are completely different so if I was gonna be a Doc , then I needed to change my major right away because nursing would take me down a path unrelated and I wouldn't get to become Doc with that route.

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I think it definitely is possible. I've also looked into the MD program at UW, and it seems that after getting your BSN, the only thing keeping you from getting into med school is a few other classes not covered in a Nursing program, such as physics and perhaps calculus.

Also, think about if you being and MD is that valuable to you. Ever consider PA or NP? Both are easily achievable with a BSN and hard work.

Best of luck :up:

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Hmm. This is tricky. I quite admire your reasons for thinking about getting your BSN and then become a Doctor. I know that the IB programs are quite demanding (almost went into one, but we moved, friends did though, poor things lol) and that you could easily get into a Nursing program, and hey you might even like Nursing more than you would think. I don't think you would be wasting your RN if you got it if you plan on working as one. But I think the deciding factor would be to actually find out what the Med school you want to get in prefers, and if they don't have a preference then the experience couldn't hurt.

Good Luck

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Specializes in Critical Care, Hospice and Palliative Care.

Hi Josh,

If you plan on becoming a physician, I do not think earning a BSN is the way to go. Like previous posters have stated, the science prerequisite classes for med school are much more in depth and would not be satisfied with a nursing degree. It makes much more sense to major in Biology or Chemistry because of the span of courses you have to take: you have to take the full yearlong sequences of at least Biology, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physics and Calculus. For nursing school, the science prerequisites are general survey courses that usually last 1 quarter/semester and do not satisfy the requirements for med school. During your undergrad years, you should focus on maintaining a stellar GPA and participating in extracurricular activities that will make you a stand-out candidate for medical school. You should check out the Student Doctor Network at http://www.studentdoctor.net/. It's a great forum and I know you'll be able to seek advice from others who have been in your shoes. Good luck!

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