Is it this hard to get into med. school??

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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Just wondering... but it seems like it shouldn't be this hard to get into nursing school. Is it this bad for those trying to get into med. school (yrs on waiting lists and so on)?? Maybe it's even harder idk. Seems kind of crazy to me.

Getting into Med school is a whole other ballgame. The process is rigorous (and I know, I had just started dating my now-husband when he was applying). It involves an in-depth standard application, then secondary applications, interviews, etc. You have to have excellent MCAT scores, which requires classes much harder than nursing pre-reqs. When I applied to Nursing school, it was basically fill out an application with name, and transcripts. No interview, nothing. I wished that they had done interviews or looked at the student as a whole like they do Medical students. I think it would get the best students into nursing schools and people that truly should be in nursing school would have more spots.

p.s my husband did get into med school and is going to graduate in a year (but the whole application process was a HUGE roller-coaster)!

Just a note that my nursing school app process seems pretty different from yours. We have the standard app, and a petition for points, then the addendum with your Winter grades added.....the top 150% of candidates are invited back for a proctored essay, then the top 120% are invited for interviews. Grade wise it's pretty competitive I have over a 4.0 (yes, at my school you can get over a 4 if you have A+'s) and it's likely I won't get in this term. Oh and I did move across the country to study in Oregon.

Not trying to imply that it's as in depth as med school.....but its not always quite as cut and dried as your experience either.

Peace,

Cathie

You can't compare the two. The classes required for medical school are much harder and more competitive than the courses for nursing school.

organic chemistry...

At my school, pre-meds weren't even allowed to take A&P because it was considered an "easy A" to boost the ol' science gpa.

It's funny that you say that because at my school I was told there were a lot of pre-med students who had to drop A&P because it was so difficult.... I guess it varies with everywhere and everyone...

Specializes in Peds, PICU, Home health, Dialysis.
It's funny that you say that because at my school I was told there were a lot of pre-med students who had to drop A&P because it was so difficult.... I guess it varies with everywhere and everyone...

Although, Gross Anatomy and Physiology at the medical school level literally covers what us nursing students learn in our 2 A&P classes in probably a few weeks span.

As others have already written, comparing admission to medical school versus nursing school is not valid. But I don't think it's because of the pre-requisite classes, such as A&P: To be admitted to medical school requires a bachelor's degree at minimum. Many college graduates complete one-year prep courses on top of that before they even apply to med school. To be admitted to nursing school requires a high school diploma at minimum.

I make the point because, no, I don't think medical schools have anywhere near the waiting lists that nursing schools. By the time applicants have reached that level of qualification, many who would not succeed have already been weeded out. The best competitors have survived. Nursing schools, if the posts on this board are any indication, have high attrition rates. The "weed out" occurs there, and I think that's too late.

I know at the respected public university I attend, a freshman who is admitted to the university with fewer than 24 credit hours can simply declare himself to be a nursing major and does not have to compete for admission to the College of Nursing. I think we'd see a lot more aspiring doctors if medical schools made it that easy.

As one poster noted, there is no universal admissions tests for nursing schools. I think that's too bad; if there were, perhaps it wouldn't be as hard for strong candidates to get into a program, and attrition levels wouldn't be as high. The "weed out" would begin with that test (as it already does at some schools). And those of us with prior degrees and high GPAs might not have to fight as hard for the seats left over after the first-time college students are admitted.

Specializes in Peds, PICU, Home health, Dialysis.

I know at the respected public university I attend, a freshman who is admitted to the university with fewer than 24 credit hours can simply declare himself to be a nursing major and does not have to compete for admission to the College of Nursing. I think we'd see a lot more aspiring doctors if medical schools made it that easy.

There are many aspiring doctors, hence the statistics I posted regarding the fact that in 2006 there were 40,000 applicants for only 18,000 spots. Furthermore, I wouldn't want to see medical schools make their admissions policy less stingent. The fact of the matter is that not everyone who wants to be a physician should be a physician. Only those who take their academics very serious and choose to put in the time and effort during their undergrad to achieve a high G.P.A. should be considered for medical school. There is a reason why medical schools have extremely competitive admission policies -- our society doesn't need Joe Schmoe's who graduated undergrad with a 2.5 g.p.a. and barely scraped through medical school as physicians with people's lives in their hands. Just my 2 cents though. :)

I couldn't agree more. What I tried to say -- perhaps not as clearly as I could have -- is that the academic standards for being admitted to nursing school should be tougher. If they were, we wouldn't have as many people waiting to get in, only to drop out along the way. Well-qualified candidates likely to succeed should be admitted first. A universal admissions test, for starters, might help to identify those candidates.

Not everyone who wants to be a doctor should be one. The same adage likely applies to nurses, from what I've seen among my (dwindling) classmates.

Of course, the very real problem that nursing schools -- and prospective students -- face right now is the instructor shortage. And that's another thread.

Someone said to me recently that one difference between med school and nursing school (besides the time committment) was that in med school the information is more straightforward and to the point and less of the fluff and stuff that you learn in nursing school. Not sure how true this is, but thought it made sense when it was told to me.

Specializes in Adolescent Psych, PICU.
I haven't run into anyone that it took years for them to get into medical school. .

Oh I have! I know one guy who actually had to go back to school and get another degree (so 8 yrs total) because he messed up so bad with his first degree! I have another friend that it took her 4-5 years to get accepted, she just didn't give up and worked in a hospital as a transporter the whole time. There are a lot of medical school applicants who apply year after year, I know plently of them (we have a lot in the hospital where I work).

To the OP you can't compare medical and nursing school. Nursing school is a 2 or 4 years degree, medical school far beyond that and requires much more.

To the OP you can't compare medical and nursing school. Nursing school is a 2 or 4 years degree, medical school far beyond that and requires much more.

You are right, but I think what I was trying to get at was in terms of after completion of all prereqs. and admission criteria. I was wondering if after they have completed all of the necessary criteria, if it was still as competitive as nursing school (or if it is not so competitive, at that time, since most of the weaker ones have been weeded out due to the extensive criteria). From what I have read on here, I guess it is still very competitive at that point.

In other words, many people finish the prerequisites for nursing school, but due to the high demand for nurses (and in turn, the long waiting lists) many of them have to pursue a short term career until they are accepted. And I did not know if this was the same case for med. school students (again, in terms of waiting to get in, not b/c of incomplete requirements but b/c of the large number applicants with relatively few spots). I should have been more clear about what I was asking, but I was not trying to compare the entrance requirements of med. school to those of nursing school... just the level of competitiveness b/w applicants who have satisfied all requirements.

I think I am being very redundant, but I hope I was more clear this time.

Specializes in Accepted...Master's Entry Program, 2008!.

Med school is exeedingly competitive, even after you have met all the requirements. The reason is because there are only N spots and 10N applicants. How they got there doesn't really matter, it's simply a numbers game.

Around here the med schools have a certain time limit of accepting the MCAT scores. Most require that it be taken within the last 3 years. Some will accept up to 5 years. So with med school you also have the time factor. True, there is no limit on the number of times you can take the MCAT, but I wouldn't want to even attempt it 3-5 years after taking it the first time. I'm sure that I would not score as high.

And for the record, I did attempt to get into med school (10 years ago). So I know the process and what it's like. It's very, very, very tough.

As to how that compares with nursing school, I don't know. It seems that nursing school relies more on idiotic selection methods than med school (and I'm thinking of the countless lotteries than some schools use). In some programs, you get in by holding the winning lottery number. Which is exceedingly silly. I have not heard of any med school that uses a lottery. The application process is much tougher, but at least you have some control over it.

very interesting, i agree

Med school is exeedingly competitive, even after you have met all the requirements. The reason is because there are only N spots and 10N applicants. How they got there doesn't really matter, it's simply a numbers game.

Around here the med schools have a certain time limit of accepting the MCAT scores. Most require that it be taken within the last 3 years. Some will accept up to 5 years. So with med school you also have the time factor. True, there is no limit on the number of times you can take the MCAT, but I wouldn't want to even attempt it 3-5 years after taking it the first time. I'm sure that I would not score as high.

And for the record, I did attempt to get into med school (10 years ago). So I know the process and what it's like. It's very, very, very tough.

As to how that compares with nursing school, I don't know. It seems that nursing school relies more on idiotic selection methods than med school (and I'm thinking of the countless lotteries than some schools use). In some programs, you get in by holding the winning lottery number. Which is exceedingly silly. I have not heard of any med school that uses a lottery. The application process is much tougher, but at least you have some control over it.

I agree.

(P.S. You didn't miss out on anything -- I did get in, and all I have to show for it is a lot of debt (!)...and a less-than-glowing "image" of doctors:lol2: .)

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