Aspiring Nurses: Why not Med School??

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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Many of the courses required for Nursing Schools and Medical Schools are the same, as many of you are aware. What made you choose the Nursing route over the MD? They are both challenging and require lots of commitment, but MD gets more prestige. So why Nursing? Enlighten me! :idea:

Specializes in ACNP-BC.

This is a great post because I am starting to wonder why I never applied to medical school. Maybe it's because I just turned 30 and am questioning everything in my life? lol :) I have been an RN for 2 years now and really do enjoy spending time talking with my patients. I'm in NP school now and will graduate May 2008. However I still think about applying to medical schools even though I know how expensive, time consuming, and difficult it will be to get in, and I know I would still need to take physics, organic chem, etc... I think I really like the idea of autonomy and independent practice-and that is why I keep thinking about medicine, even though I like nursing too. Anyone else ever feel this way? Help!!!!

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.

christvs,

Some states like my own (AZ) allow full autonomy and independent practice for APNs. I drive by a couple of NPs' private practice offices every day.

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Specializes in Med/surg, ER/ED,rehab ,nursing home.

I started as a LVN/PN not sure if I would like being a nurse. I tested out well enought to be in the ADN program. When I passed my LVN boards I was offered a scholarship for RN. I did not take it. Mostly due to spouse being moved around too much in the 1970's, military life for 23 yrs. But I did get an associate in general studys which took 10 yrs to complete. No computer classes or collleges closeby. I must admit that I was not emotionally ready for the challenges of being a RN. But with experience under the nursing cap, I was able to breeze thru the nursing component of

RN. You have to have the courage in your knowlege of what to do and when. I have thought about Nurse Practioner but I would be so indebt that I would have to have my estate pay it off. But that is where I would truly like to work. I wanted to do something like that before it was even thought of as a field of work. Out of highschool I wanted to be a Veternarian. Prior to that, I wanted to grow up to be a horse running free. :rotfl:

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There's nothing a nurse, or even a prospective nurse, hates more than the often-asked question "Why didn't you just become a doctor?" I read a very compelling article that I think sums up all of our feelings on the subject: http://www.nursingprograms.com/labor-of-love-a-nurses-story

Besides, what vould doctors do without nurses?

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I'll admit to only reading the first page of this long thread, but what the heck, I'll put in my two cents ;)

Why didn't I become a doctor? Because I did not want to be a doctor. Why did I choose nursing? Because I wanted to be a nurse!

As has often been mentioned, the educational journey of a nurse is not merely the foundation of the one to become an MD. They are different, and distinctly so. A few science classes and general ed requirements do not equal a linear path, with one stepping off to get a license in nursing or continuing on to get a license in medicine.

Some do find this type of questioning insulting. For instance, hearing "you're smart enough to be a doctor, why are you only a nurse?" is, as you can imagine, grating to the smart nurse who is satisfied with her chosen career. You wouldn't hear anyone say "you're smart enough to be a veterinarian, why are you a nurse?". Sounds silly, but there it is. Why isn't he or she a veterinarian? Because he or she does not wish to be. Similarly, that nurse probably also did not wish to be an engineer, a chemistry teacher, a medical researcher, or a bank manager.

I suppose it wouldn't be unfair to ask a smart, competent, experienced nurse why she hasn't chosen to become a NP....at least in that regard, one is inquiring as to whether the nurse wishes to grow in her scope of practice, to become "more" of a nurse. I wouldn't be insulted by that, I'd actually be flattered that they thought I should CONTINUE my education and take the next career challenge.

But I wouldn't be so interested in discussing it if the person wondered why a smart gal like me was only a nurse ;)

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Many of the courses required for Nursing Schools and Medical Schools are the same, as many of you are aware. What made you choose the Nursing route over the MD? They are both challenging and require lots of commitment, but MD gets more prestige. So why Nursing? Enlighten me! :idea:

Just because nursing schools accepted some people that doesn't mean that med schools would have. I fail to see the comparison. Nursing is nursing.....and medicine is medicine.

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Specializes in geriatric, med/surge, psychaitric.

Too old, have 4 children and would rather be able to spend time with them and have their love and respect and still be able to help others without the additional liabilities, worries and college loans a doctor ends up with.

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Specializes in NICU Someday, I Hope.

After a spectacularly mediocre undergrad performance followed by some professional experience, I went back to school to earn a chemistry degree and try to get into med school. Although I did quite well on the MCAT and aced my postbaccalaureate studies, I couldn't get into the few schools which I was willing to attend.

So, in my case, the answer to why not med school is because the ones to which I applied wouldn't admit me. Bummer but such things is life made of.

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I wish I could have gone to medical school. And became a psychiatrist. But I'm not smart enough. Thats just my honest opinion.

It's a long hard road for MDs.

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I wish I could have gone to medical school. And became a psychiatrist. But I'm not smart enough. Thats just my honest opinion.

It's a long hard road for MDs.

Don't ever think you can't accomplish your dreams. I myself have regrets of not pursing med school but after years deciding to go back with kids now I applied to nursing school. I just think for me nursing school is the second best thing to being a doctor. I just hope that I don't get sick of school because I want to pursue a masters. By the way I am approaching 30. Good Luck with any journey you choose.

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When I was a little kid, I did thought about being a doctor when I grow up. Now, I am almost 24 years old, and start going to nursing school this fall. I don't want to spend half of my life in medical school to become a doctor. I don't think my brain will not be able to make it and it is too stressful:trout:. I think being a nurse will be best for me to start my career in next few years.

God bless!!

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And, I think that the chemical engineer or physicist that you mention would fall flat on their face trying to take the NCLEX [in addition to the biology/organic section of the MCAT]-NCLEX is way harder than the MCAT. The only thing hard about the MCAT is the reading speed you need to have to complete the passages and answer the related questions in the time limit for the section. The closest MCAT comes to critical thinking is the essay portion where you have to have to develop a thesis-antithesis argument.

As I said earlier, the pre-medical school degree was easy. College physics and organic chem were simple because they are cut & dry. If you understand the basic principle behind the topic and memorize some set of formulas/rules to apply to a particular problem, you don't need to go further. Nursing, on the other hand, played havoc with the high GPA I brought into nursing school. I had to fight/work hard for my grades in nursing school. With my first degree, it was effortless to walk away with an A. So, the 'RIGOR of training' for nursing school was much more than it was for medical school. It all boils down to what comes easy for an individual. What is hard for one, may just be easy for another. Nursing appears to be more physically and emotionally demanding to medicine, where medicine is more time and mentally demanding to nursing-professions that are really uncomaparable to each other.

I just saw this... and, well.. I was honestly stuck between laughing and wondering if you truly believe that its easier for * most people * to complete the pre-med curriculum or simply the prerequisites for med school than complete the pre-reqs to get into virtually any nursing school in the U.S.

Your *typical* nursing student hopeful is struggling to get/keep a "B" in General Chemistry and doesn't have the math background to even TAKE calculus (which, by the way is realistically a basic requirement for med schools here in the U.S., as is a 3.5 GPA in math + science courses to be competitive to even get INTO med school).

.. Furthermore the NCLEX isn't an "entry" exam. The MCAT (med school) and LSAT (law) are. Pass the NCLEX and you're good to go! Get a luke warm score on the MCAT or LSAT and you've just shut yourself out of most of the respective schools... even with a 3.5 GPA!

You say that a pre-med degree is easy. Well, for MOST people, at MOST * reputable * colleges and or universities... the pre-med degree isn't "easy".

Let me put it to you this way. Take 10 pre-med majors with a 3.5 GPA take the courses that are GENERALLY required for nursing school and it would likely be easy to them.

then...

Take 10 random chosen, pre-nursing and or AS degree'd RNs, and have them take Physics (with lab), at least 1 semester of Calculus, Organic Chem I and II (with labs), Chem with Qualitative Analysis (with lab) and maintain a 3.5 GPA in those courses.. (((chuckle))) how many would Pass all of those classes first take? Out of those that pass, how many would have maintained a 3.5 GPA

The nursing field is awesome! I really like how its getting more in depth/technical.. but for heavens sakes, most college educated and reasonable thinking individuals can readily gather that pre-med at MOST schools in our great nation is a tougher curriculum than virtually ALL pre-nursing programs in the U.S.

Plain Fact. My Reference? Look at virtually every college & university "course requirement" book here in the U.S.

Please email me curriculums from a regional or national universities that proves *generally* otherwise and I'll eat my shoe.

Isn't the NCLEX pass rate typically over 80%?

Hmmm... interesting how ? 80% of students ? at most universities in the U.S. don't qualify to even TAKE calculus and or organic chemistry without going back and taking several pre-req math courses, just so they can get up to speed to be able to get organic chemistry, physics, calculus, etc.. even on their schedule! ;)

The nursing profession is needed, and highly regarded, however lets keep things into perspective shall we?

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