RN to MD

Hi, i am an RN and i have a plan to go to medical school. BUt i don't have a BSN. My question is do you need to have an undergrad degree to apply to med school or is taking all the pre reqs and passing the MCAT without a degree acceptable. please let me know, coz if an under grad degree is not required i can just take the required classes otherwise i would have to have my BSN or any other degree first.

Thank you

Get your BSN, or some other 4 year degree. Find a university that has pre- professional programs, like law & medicine. If you are accepted into a pre- professional program, and you GPA & MCAT scores are tops, you stand a good chance of getting into med school.

There are many books on the subject at your local book store. These books have websites, and interview tips, as well as a lot of great information.

Good Luck!!

I'd say go for it....

If you have the will there's a way.

A very good friend of mine started as a critical care nurse (we both have BScN and critical care certificate) but because she's too bored and too smart she decided to go to Med School. She passed MCAT with flying colors, got accepted into Med School. After almost 6 years, she's now a cardiologist for a teaching hospital. People around her always comment that she's got an impeccable bedside manner. Very polite and very attentive to her patients. Another nurse I knew went into med school and she's now a critical care intensivist.

On a side note...I just wanted to add that I took OCHEM at a community college a few years back and the majority of our was full of nurses trying to go to medical school. If you want it- go for it.

You are young. That doesn't last long enough. Follow your dreams!

On a side note...I just wanted to add that I took OCHEM at a community college a few years back and the majority of our was full of nurses trying to go to medical school. If you want it- go for it.

Community college is not the way to go for premed. Medical schoold will not accept this education, and it does not prepare the student for the MCAT. You can't take the easy way to med school, and don't fail trying to save a buck.

As a former Pre-Med Biology Major myself, (I actually have a BS in Biology and took the MCAT) I know that it is recommended to have a bachelor's degree in SOMETHING and to have the prerequisite classes--which include physics, organic and inorganic chemistry, several biology classes, and many other prereqs that BS degrees require. You also need to score high on the MCAT and have good interviews!! I actually decided on nursing because I want to be there for the patient, not the disease. Now I only have one year of nursing school left until I earn my BSN!!!

Why not try for a DrNP (Doctor of Nurse Practice)? Columbia University is pioneering this degree--click on the link for more info...

http://www.nursing.hs.columbia.edu/programs/drnpfaq.html

I once had thought about becoming an MD, but the more I see of medicine (nursing is a healing art/science, but definitely NOT medicine), the less I desire to become a doc. I love being a nurse, and cherish the ability to spend more than 5 minutes with a patient; I've been the one at the bedside with the family when a patient passes away; I'm the one who fights to save a patient's life because it's the right thing to do and not because my ego refuses to accept defeat; I'm the advocate for the patient, trying to get them the care they need when they need it. Don't get me wrong, I am not anti-doctor (my daughter is marrying one next September--great guy!); I just feel that if you're a good nurse, and enjoy being a nurse, you shouldn't stop being a nurse just to advance your scope of practice. If being an MD/DO is your dream, go for it! But don't think it's your only option.

Stepping off the soapbox,

JohnWayneHair

RN, BA, BSN

Seems interesting that you want to go this route.

Going to medical school is a totally different pathway and to me it seems like you would have to "unlearn" some things.

Why not go into a nurse practitioner program? There are a lot of RN to MSN programs out there.

MD's treat the disease, Nurses and NP's treat the pt's response to the disease...very different thought processes.

Good points, Larry.

bottom line is that there are some medical schools that do not require a bachelors degree, however this is the exception to the rule and the people who get accepted without a bachelors are the exceptions as well. I liken it to the admission requirements to nursing school. Ours says you need to complete the prequisite coursework with a 2.5 gpa minimum. However just because that is the minimum requirement, it doesn't mean that anyone is going to actually be selected into the program with those stats. Good luck to you

Studentdoctor.net, Mommd.com, and Oldpremed.com all have excellent information for people who are going the non-traditional route for medical school. From my research there may be a slight disadvantage for people who have completed a BSN, but if you can demonstrate how committed and passionate about becoming a doctor, it shouldn't be an issue. Good luck.

the university where i live lets you get into their med-school if you have 30 units of upper division courses (almost a bachelors) and take m-cat. they do not require that you have your bachelors, and if you have yours it can be any major, it doesn't have to be science related. and i know of 2 dr's that were nurses before, one was my family practitioner. she was a nurse for 8 yrs and after taking some pre-reqs she applied for med-school and got in. now she is an MD. and the med-school where i live is not competetive, they only take in-state applicants, so if your grades are good and your m-cat is too there is a good chance you are in. i cant say that about private or ivy league schools, but try looking into your state colleges, i bet its the same there.

I have thought about going to medical school. I may yet. I just enjoy nursing in the ICU too much right now. I think that my experiences as a nurse in critical care will help me if I become a doctor. I will understand the frustrations of nursing and how patients react. I will get a "gut feeling" of what patient outcomes are going to be.... etc..