RN to MD?

np_wannabe · Feb 23, 2007

Hello, Hello-Wannabe. If you do not find the answers you are looking for, there is also a site called student doctor network. Although some here may have the answers you are looking for, since your question is med-school specific, I thought you may want to look there as well.

Good luck!

FLAgal14 · Feb 23, 2007

Hi hello_wannabe

Definately check out student doctor network. You also should look into osteopathic medical schools (DO) as well as MD. DO's tend to favor non-traditional students and look at more than just numbers (i.e. GPA and those dreaded MCATS). Getting a nursing degree isn't a bad idea but beware that you are going to have to take the pre-med requirements in addition to all the nursing school requirements (and they are different). But if you think you could see a future as a nurse than go for it. Maybe once you are a nurse you will find that you love it or want to go onto become a NP or a PA. Good luck and PM me if you have any specific questions about the med school application process (I was accepted into med school last year but decided not to go for several reasons).

KungfooNurse · Feb 24, 2007

Thanks np_wannabe and Flag for your help! I will definitely check out that site! I guess I'm a little overhwhelmed with all my premed searches! I figure no matter what, I'll be in school for a while regardless of what career path I choose. It looks so far that I will probably take the longer RN route... I'm thinking I could knock off some Bachelor's requirements because I already have one, and perhaps I can try to squeeze in some pre-med classes. That is, all after I become an RN and decide later on that I still have the drive to become a doctor. I can't help but bang my head with my books everytime I think of how much I regret being a bad student as an undergrad! haha oh well.

Hey I'm not saying a RN is not a great occupation. My mother is a RN at kaiser and she's a great woman. I guess I'm just scared with my type of personality that if I do become an RN, I'm going to wish I was a doctor. Or maybe I won't and I will be happy, but I see it coming.

I am pretty much decided on becoming an RN first because I don't want to burden my parents and my bf. If I do the doctor route, then I want to be the one that has to sacrifice.

Oh yeah, just curious...to Flag, I believe? I was just curious if you don't mind me asking... why did you deny med school??? I mean maybe your answer will help me feel more eased, or maybe not... maybe I'm just curious why you would go through all the grueling requirements and processes and not go through with it?? Thanks again though for all your support!!!

BAtoCNM · Feb 24, 2007

Hey there! As a liberal arts grad who later considered either med or nursing school, I thought I'd offer my two cents.

When I first started looking into this, I thought nursing was just "medicine lite." It's not. The reality is that nurses' work is cheapened in our culture (though that's changing thanks to the efforts of many nurses) and glossed over as "tender loving care," when it's much more complicated than that. So it can be hard to get a realistic view of what nurses do. Or at least it was for me. There are many different specialties you can pursue as a nurse, like oncology or critical care etc etc that would best match different types of people. If you want to be a different kind of provider, keep in mind that PA/MD/NP all have slightly different models of practice. Yes, these fields have a lot in common and work together, but the training and philosophy are not identical.

I would highly recommend you decide which one is best for you before you spend too much time or money pursuing courses that will only be suitable for one of these paths. What I found most helpful was conducting informational interviews with all sorts of practitioners. You'd be surprised how many people are happy to share their career stories with you. I also read a lot about the different fields and shadowed an MD and a certified nurse midwife. Which path you choose depends on what you really want to do. What patient population are you interested in? What clinical setting? Are you most drawn to primary care? Surgery? Research? A combination?

You will find it MUCH easier to get admitted to programs if you can clearly articulate in your personal statement and admissions interview WHY you want to pursue a particular track, and how the end result (the degree) will take you where you want to go professionally.

amzyRN · Nov 24, 2007

I apologize in advance because I realize this is a NP forum! I just wanted to see if anyone here with their experience in the field would be able to grace me with their knowledge!!!
I am a recent graduate from UCI who is finishing up their nursing pre-reqs at Saddleback college. I majored in Economics so I do not have any pre-med requirements fulfilled within that degree. My undergrad gpa sucks in economics... it's a 2.5 give a little. I was a superinvolved (extracurricular activity) kid... now it's biting me in the butt! I am currently a ripe age of 23... and I am not tired of school. If I was put into a med school program, I KNOW I would excell.
I heard of a post bacc program, but I don't even think my gpa qualifies for it! I realized that I wanted to become a nurse pretty late... and while taking nursing classes and excelling so well in them makes me really regret not taking up bio as an undergrad and excelling.
I was wondering if anyone knew about the Medical School Application process well enough to give me advice as what to do. I was thinking maybe I should become an RN first while taking med school pre-reqs and then applying for med school (after a few years of working).
Currently my gpa is a 4.0 in my 26 semester units for nursing pre-reqs (which will include the 9 units I am currently finishing).
Any advice for me? I mean even if you are a NP who thinks that being an NP would be the smarter path for me to take, I would appreciate your advice. I'm not that great with this server thing yet, so please bear with me!
-THANK YOU SO MUCH IN ADVANCE!!!

First off, pre-med pre-requisites aren't that bad. I've got a first b.a. degree in molecular and cell biology and have done all of the pre-med pre-requisites and then some for my b.a. They are hard, but with a lot of study and interest, one can do quite well. I loved chemistry so I enjoyed organic a lot. I think in total, the pre-recs are 2 years of time if you have basic chemistry, physics, and are up able to take calculus from the start. If you want to go into medicine and you know for sure, maybe just volunteering in a hospital would be the way to go. MD training takes longer, so if time is an issue, maybe not going into nursing would be the way to go. I'm doing an accelerated 2nd degree BSN, so that I may soon go on to NP school. I chose nursing because I believed that it was a more holistic and humanistic way of facilitating the healing process. I believed that through it's caring model, that curing would be enhanced, an a more long lasting effect could be achieved. Now, though I'm really excited to be in my program, I've been having some doubts. It seems that the nursing profession is striving to become more scientifically based in that it is trying to achieve a science of caring. I'm not too sure that I agree with that philosophically and I'm wondering if maybe I should have just applied to med school instead. Sorry to get into my current dilemma, but I would advise you to look before you leap, so to speak. Speak to an adviser and check out the student doctor web site. Good luck and don't ever let anyone scare you away from medicine because of pre-requisites and the MCAT. You can do anything if you are passionate about it,

J

Burnt2 · Nov 26, 2007

I was accepted into a med school overseas, but I opted for CRNA school here for many reasons.

It can easily be done. Student Doctor Network is an EXCELLENT resource. There are some good schools that you can look at, just be careful, there's quite a few bad ones, especially in middle/south America.

Take a look at Saint Georges University...excellent reputation, they have taken lawyers, business majors, and other non-biological majors before (although its 6 years of school if you have no biology background).

If your GPA is low, chances are you won't get into a good DO school here unless you excel with your prereqs/classes and the MCAT.

DaisyRN, ACNP · Nov 30, 2007

i apologize in advance because i realize this is a np forum! i just wanted to see if anyone here with their experience in the field would be able to grace me with their knowledge!!!
i am a recent graduate from uci who is finishing up their nursing pre-reqs at saddleback college. i majored in economics so i do not have any pre-med requirements fulfilled within that degree. my undergrad gpa sucks in economics... it's a 2.5 give a little. i was a superinvolved (extracurricular activity) kid... now it's biting me in the butt! i am currently a ripe age of 23... and i am not tired of school. if i was put into a med school program, i know i would excell.
i heard of a post bacc program, but i don't even think my gpa qualifies for it! i realized that i wanted to become a nurse pretty late... and while taking nursing classes and excelling so well in them makes me really regret not taking up bio as an undergrad and excelling.
i was wondering if anyone knew about the medical school application process well enough to give me advice as what to do. i was thinking maybe i should become an rn first while taking med school pre-reqs and then applying for med school (after a few years of working).
currently my gpa is a 4.0 in my 26 semester units for nursing pre-reqs (which will include the 9 units i am currently finishing).
any advice for me? i mean even if you are a np who thinks that being an np would be the smarter path for me to take, i would appreciate your advice. i'm not that great with this server thing yet, so please bear with me!
-thank you so much in advance!!!

i had to throw my two cents in... you sound a lot like me. kinda like the same exact situation actually. here's my history in a second:

- i did the two year "sentence" at a "harvard on the highway" and could have cared less about my gpa (for similar reasons you mentioned)

- i went on to a 4-yr college and changed my major a thousand times. didn't know what i wanted to be "when i grew up"

- it wasn't until i started working at a psych hospital that i began to look at nursing.

- i went back to harvard on the highway for nursing prereqs.

- i graduated with my adn in 2003 (i was 25 yrs old).

- i worked as a nurse and discovered very shortly that i wanted to do/know/be responsible for more. the adn was not enough. i didn't want to be "just a nurse"... i thought.

- i did an rn-bsn program from 05-06. at this time, i was looking into medical schools and i was accepted to an acute care np program. my husband and i thought long and hard about what would be best for us... we do not have any children. i chose the acnp program because no matter what i did in the acnp program, it wouldnt count for crap in getting accepted to medical school... as far as getting out of prereqs etc. were concerned. it would have been a minimum (best case scenario) of 8 yrs... blah.

if i were single, i may have done medical school instead of np school. but... now that i am about to graduate from the acnp program, i am very glad i chose this route... and many md friends have been very reassuring that i made the right decision. several mds i know said they wouldn't do it again, if given the option.

what i have learned in my acnp program is that there is a lot of autonomy, responsibility, and sense of accountability that is similar to that of an md without the added costs, etc. i don't see myself as a "mini" doctor or anything like that... i know that above all, i am a nurse... and i value nursing very much. i still wonder if when i'm done if i will have wished i had gone to medical school... but when i step back and look at the daunting time frame it would take... and the fact that i would have to go back to square one in prereqs... the acnp becomes a bit more favorable. *hehe*

i'm just ready to move on with my life... and i think the acnp will provide me the satisfaction/lifestyle i need to be happy for a long time.

but... my friends have an ongoing bet that i will go on to medical school... so just for that reason alone i can't go! *lol*

best of luck! hope this helped ya think about things...

Burnt2 · Dec 1, 2007

and the fact that i would have to go back to square one in prereqs... the acnp becomes a bit more favorable. *hehe*

not entirely true. you'd need 2 physics classes, 2 math classes, and organic chemistry if you havent done it in order to do well on the mcat. easily achieved along with regular undergrad bsn classes, imo.

my sister is a nurse attending med school, it took her 7 months to do the extra requirements for med school, after she graduated, while she was working ewc.

i was one physics class away from finishing the extra prereqs (although i'd already been accepted into med school) when i was accepted into crna school and opted for that, followed by an extra year or so to get my fnp (they share the same 9 core msn classes, which cuts down on the 2nd msn degree).

DaisyRN, ACNP · Dec 1, 2007

not entirely true. you'd need 2 physics classes, 2 math classes, and organic chemistry if you havent done it in order to do well on the mcat. easily achieved along with regular undergrad bsn classes, imo.

i understand i wouldn't technically have had to start from square one with the prereqs because i did have a bsn, so i apologize for that, but i knew there several of "back to the basics" that i would have to take...

okay, so to clarify... i was wanting to go to texas tech for medical school and they require 6 hours of upper level biology, 8 hours of regular chemistries, 8 hours organic chemistries, and 8 hours of physics. plus: 6 hrs of general biology, 6 hrs of english, and statistics - these last three are required for most any bsn. and one of the chemistries is required for bsn as well. the other science courses, however, are not. so, the remaining courses could very reasonably be done 3-4 semesters, considering you probably wouldnt want to take upper level biology, physics, and organic chemistry all at the same time.

so, the above credits are in addition to other basic baccaulaureate requirements (although some overlap) because you are expected to have completed 90 hours of coursework to apply and the classes above only account for 47 hours.

at the point before i started the acnp program (summer 06), i could have started taking the courses i don't have in summer 2006, fall 2006, spring 2007 - and applied to med school at this time, taken the mcat?, then finished up either summer 2007 or fall 2007. then interviewed from aug-dec 07, and if accepted, started aug 2008. then it would be 4 years of medical school, plus 3-4 years of residency and more if i wanted to do a fellowship. just the thought of that time requirement makes me sick at my stomach, even though it really isnt that terrible. i just want to move on with my life and get to do things i haven't been able to do because i've been in school.

i just wanted the initial poster to realize that an np route might provide him/her with the satifisfaction (autonomy, decision-making ability, job opps) he/she desires... if they aren't looking forward to tackling the additional time constraint or bringing up their gpa. i know that i was surprised by the degree of desirability i found in the acnp; like hello-wannabe, i thought i would only be that happy doing medical school.

amzyRN · Dec 3, 2007

i understand i wouldn't technically have had to start from square one with the prereqs because i did have a bsn, so i apologize for that, but i knew there several of "back to the basics" that i would have to take...
okay, so to clarify... i was wanting to go to texas tech for medical school and they require 6 hours of upper level biology, 8 hours of regular chemistries, 8 hours organic chemistries, and 8 hours of physics. plus: 6 hrs of general biology, 6 hrs of english, and statistics - these last three are required for most any bsn. and one of the chemistries is required for bsn as well. the other science courses, however, are not. so, the remaining courses could very reasonably be done 3-4 semesters, considering you probably wouldnt want to take upper level biology, physics, and organic chemistry all at the same time.
so, the above credits are in addition to other basic baccaulaureate requirements (although some overlap) because you are expected to have completed 90 hours of coursework to apply and the classes above only account for 47 hours.
at the point before i started the acnp program (summer 06), i could have started taking the courses i don't have in summer 2006, fall 2006, spring 2007 - and applied to med school at this time, taken the mcat?, then finished up either summer 2007 or fall 2007. then interviewed from aug-dec 07, and if accepted, started aug 2008. then it would be 4 years of medical school, plus 3-4 years of residency and more if i wanted to do a fellowship. just the thought of that time requirement makes me sick at my stomach, even though it really isnt that terrible. i just want to move on with my life and get to do things i haven't been able to do because i've been in school.
i just wanted the initial poster to realize that an np route might provide him/her with the satifisfaction (autonomy, decision-making ability, job opps) he/she desires... if they aren't looking forward to tackling the additional time constraint or bringing up their gpa. i know that i was surprised by the degree of desirability i found in the acnp; like hello-wannabe, i thought i would only be that happy doing medical school.

i was just on one of the other treads about medicine versus nursing and surprisingly there were a couple nurses that stated that nurses were "eyes and ears" of docs. i think they meant regular rns. because i've got a lot of education and am doing a second degree bsn now, i don't want to be "eyes and ears". i want to use my brain and be respected for that. the time commitment involved in med school is a bit much considering i'm in my 30s and am already committed to an accelerated 2nd degree bsn. did you encounter that type of disrespect in the field, or was you mind valued by your co-workers, including the docs. also, do you really think the the np route gives you the autonomy and respect you deserve? i've thought of going to pa school, but thought the np route made more sense at the time. thanks for the info and congrats!

j

DaisyRN, ACNP · Dec 3, 2007

i was just on one of the other treads about medicine versus nursing and surprisingly there were a couple nurses that stated that nurses were "eyes and ears" of docs. i think they meant regular rns. because i've got a lot of education and am doing a second degree bsn now, i don't want to be "eyes and ears". i want to use my brain and be respected for that. the time commitment involved in med school is a bit much considering i'm in my 30s and am already committed to an accelerated 2nd degree bsn. did you encounter that type of disrespect in the field, or was you mind valued by your co-workers, including the docs. also, do you really think the the np route gives you the autonomy and respect you deserve? i've thought of going to pa school, but thought the np route made more sense at the time. thanks for the info and congrats!
j

thanks for the congratulatory remarks! :) and... yes, i would agree that "eyes and ears" refers to rns. what that implies is that rns are frequently the first line of defense in noting immediate changes in the patients and reporting acute findings to the provider.

i'm with you on medical school... im about to be 30 and understand that i could start my life at 40 (if i did medical school), but ya know... i'm ready to enjoy life now. i want to upgrade to a new house, a new car, take vacations, etc.

as i stated in my first post, i do feel that being an np will grant me the autonomy and sense of responsibility that i need. as for your coworkers' perceptions, i have been told that it is highly recommended you do not go to work in the capacity of an apn where you were a staff rn. it's just a big adjustment for both you and your coworkers. some people do fine, and i think it depends on the kind of environment you are in. i have never felt inadequate/stupid/unappreciated by my coworkers/docs. granted, i have not started working as an acnp yet, but i have done clinical rotations at both hospitals i worked at previously. both the doctors and other nursing staff have been super supportive and proud of me. they have been more than happy to do anything to help me along, e.g. pulling me aside to read ekgs/xrays/compile differentials/etc. frankly, if they aren't happy for what i've done, that's with them. i know what i've accomplished and i do not "throw it in their face" so to speak. i appreciate everyone for what they do... and i will never forget where i've come from. :) (i was a unit clerk/tech... cna... nurse extern... rn, adn... rn, bsn... and now... rn, msn, acnp!!) *hehe*

as for deciding between pa/np... there are plenty forums to help ya make that decision. i'm happy with the route i chose.

best wishes!