older students- RN to MD?

Nurses General Nursing

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I am an older student about to start nursing school in the fall. I was wondering if there are any older students out there who are in nursing school and plan on going on to medical school. Or older nurses who are in or plan to attend medical school. For those that are, did you find age to be a problem in your endeavors? Did you graduate and secure a job as an RN before attending medical school? Did you continue to work while attending medical school? How did you fund your schooling? How many years do you have left in school?

I'm just curious for now. I have thought about attending medical school, but I have two young children, and I think I may have to wait until after they graduate if I decide to go that route. I'm 28 now, and I would be 37 when the youngest graduates. Am I just too old?

Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

Reminds me of a quote I read in Shadows of the Wind by Zafon. Destiny is just around the corner- but does not make house calls. You have to go meet it.

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Just curious why not interested in advanced practice nursing? It would be less schooling and you could still be a provider.

I'll look into that too, thanks!

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Reminds me of a quote I read in Shadows of the Wind by Zafon. Destiny is just around the corner- but does not make house calls. You have to go meet it.

The problem is that my destiny is a stranger, and I'm afraid of the unknown. I know that if I ever do decide what my destiny is, I will meet it with open arms. But the problem is that I'm indecisive and a little bit insecure (my age is just one point). I know that I WILL succeed regardless of the final decision.

I love the quote, BTW. :nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke: 5 smiley faces.

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I always thought I was going to be to told to get to med school! I'm in my second year of my BN - I'm 20!

At the moment my (very, very) tentative plan is get my BN, register, do my new grad year and then work part time as an RN and crash into medical school. The school I want to attend only runs a post-grad medical degree so hopefully I won't be the oldest one there... I'll be 24 when I (if I) get to med school.

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Skip nursing and go straight to medical school. Medical school and residency are going to take a lot out of you life as will nursing school and gaining experience as a nurse. You should decide, either nursing or doctor. They are very different professions.

I start nursing school this fall. I'm doing nursing school as opposed to medical school (or even law school, which I considered briefly) because, as I said, I have young children. I want them to see the fruit of my labor sooner, rather than later. Of course, I also considered majoring in English. Honestly, I just needed to make a decision, and in the end, it was nursing school.

Also, I don't mind switching to what you say is a very different profession. Change is exciting for me. So is learning. :wink2:

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Well, should I ever decide to pursue an MD degree, I'd be about 60 years young when I'd start getting paid for my services. :D How's that for starting later in life? My take on age is it's a state of mind...that's how I' see it...though when I was in my 20s, I honestly thought 60 was ancient. Ha, how time has a way of changing your thinking. :)

Your question about being "too old" to be a doctor at almost 45 is probably more a concern you have about how your "baby" peers will perceive you. To that, I say very respectfully, "who cares?" If you're called to be a doctor in your wiser years, age shouldn't be a hindrance. As long as you have a passion for medicine, are in good health, and your mind is intact, pursue your dream. Heck, I'd be your patient simply because you'd have more life experience than the "baby" doctors...;)

You should know I returned to pursue my nursing degree at 47 years young/old...uhhh, I felt a wee bit out of place among the teeny bopper students, as I saw them, but managed to get over it. After all, I wasn't there for them. Yes, at times, it felt like I was attending school with my kids. :) I was 2nd to the oldest in our class; my dear friend was 52 years young. If we did it, you can too.

I wish you much success in your pursuits.

:yeah:Thank you for that! You're an inspiration. I love seeing students who are around my mom's age (or older!). That being said, I'm not too worried about what my peers think. When it comes to my age, that is. I guess it's more along the lines of having so few years left to practice as a doctor after finally graduating. Oh, and I use the word teeny bopper too... :wink2:

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I always thought I was going to be to told to get to med school! I'm in my second year of my BN - I'm 20!

At the moment my (very, very) tentative plan is get my BN, register, do my new grad year and then work part time as an RN and crash into medical school. The school I want to attend only runs a post-grad medical degree so hopefully I won't be the oldest one there... I'll be 24 when I (if I) get to med school.

Okay, NOW I feel old again. :p

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I agree with the previous poster who pointed out the difference between nursing and doctoring -a nice compromise might be advanced practice nursing, as was mentioned. Otherwise, you may find yourself frustrated when you discover that all your nursing preparation won't go very far toward your medical training, although it will be a great foundation for additional nursing degrees. I know a lot of advanced practice nurses (NPs, CNSs, etc) and most of them tell me that their advanced training was not nearly as overwhelming as their undergraduate work, simply because they get the opportunity to focus on areas that truly interest them. On the other hand, medical school will require you to take a lot of courses all over again, and if you hated some of it in nursing school I doubt you will feel excited about re-inventing the wheel for med school.

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Skip nursing and go straight to medical school. Medical school and residency are going to take a lot out of you life as will nursing school and gaining experience as a nurse. You should decide, either nursing or doctor. They are very different professions.

I have to disagree for the most part. I think because i have a different outlook. I think going nursing is a great idea. Medical school and residency are going to take a lot of life, but if somebody wasnt ready to take those kind of changes and challenges they should neither be nurse or doctor, or anything for that matter. Things take time. And I personally believe nursing will be an valuable experience before going to med school that you couldnt get as if you were a bio or chem major going straight to med school. She will be learing to deal with patients, and interact on a totally different and holistic side. I think its great. I think its a better hands on clinical experience than shadowing somebody for clinical experience just to put down on your application for medical school. But that is just merely my opinion.

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If you really want med school, go while you are young.

You want to pay off your student loans before you retire.

My brother just graduated from med school owing $250,000.

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One aspect of becoming a nurse that I hadn't counted on was that it made very clear to me that I do NOT want to become a physician. I'm sure there are others for whom the reaction was the exact opposite.

MLP (either pa or np) may still be in the cards; pharmd a bit less likely but still something I may pursue. However, working in this field has cured me of any med school "what ifs".

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You are going to drive yourself crazy. Go with your gut. If it turns out you don't like the decision you made, then change it. Do all that you can with your life. You could die tomorrow. Good luck!

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