RN to MD

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Specializes in CCRN.

I have long considered going to medical school. The more experience I have on the floor, the more it affirms my desire to pursue a career as a MD.

Have any of you done this before?

How did you go about doing so?

Is this really something that is doable?

How does medical school compare to nursing school?

Would my knowledge from nursing school benefit me in medical school?

The course I'm considering is:

Getting my bachelors in biology online while working as a RN

applying to med school, and so on

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

I'm guessing if there are any RN-turned-MDs, they are probably not posting here anymore. They're probably posting at alldoctors.com or whatever the physician/med student equivalent to this site is.

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Specializes in CCRN.
I'm guessing if there are any RN-turned-MDs, they are probably not posting here anymore. They're probably posting at alldoctors.com or whatever the physician/med student equivalent to this site is.

thank you - I'll ask on there! :)

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Specializes in Emergency.

Be careful. Your sure to get a bunch of nay sayers about this. ..check out the multiple posts-that said I have always had similar aspirations-as far as I can tell talking to numerous RN turned MD/PA/NP etc...at my place of employment, the consensus is depends on you and really how could hands on experience in the trenches of pt. care and critical thinking as a nurse "not" be helpful! Just be forwarned...many seem to think it is absurd-fight the negativity and stay in your own movie!

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Specializes in Emergency.

Also-depending on your age/life situation, oldpremeds.com is an excellent site full of stories and information about doing it the non-traditional way!!! Always fight the absurd narrow viewpoints in those that live in the world of pre-conventional morality!

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Specializes in Anesthesia, ICU, PCU.

I don't imagine any MDs will be hanging around here, even if they were once nurses. I suggest you post on studentdoctor.net. I've made a similar inquiry on that forum and found a RN turned MD. Give it a shot.

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I have seen it done but it is by far the most inefficient way to get into med school especially if you are an RN without the pre reqs done. Trying to get those science classes done while working is very difficult. How do I know? I did it.

As others have said, any RNs turned MD/DO will not be lurking around here anymore. There are quite a few RNs turned PAs on the pa forums and a handful of RNs turned MD on the student doctor forums.

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Specializes in telemetry.

Hi!

Its possible!

I'm an RN who is currently in my 2nd year of medical school (procrastinating my neuro/micro/psych finals studying).

After nursing school I immediately started my pre med course - 1 yr gen chem, 1 year o chem, 1 year physics, and 1 semester bio (2 semesters bio are required and i had one from my BSN). These took me two years to complete, and I worked as a nurse while I did it. Then MCATS then application, now here I am.

I'm in the caribbean for school -> but the path I took can get you into a school state side if you have a more stellar GPA than I did. (didn't know I wanted to go to med school til my last year of nursing school so wasn't ever worried about my gpa until the end, and did great in the med school pre-reqs)

Will knowledge from nursing school help you ask... Yes! But its kind of a trade off, my super sciencey based undergrad friends here and I are good opposite things... they're better at the chemical processes and all the nerdtastic things, and I'm better at relating everything to what happens in real life, and at the clinical aspects of things... both of which are equally important here.

How does it compare to nursing school... It is definitely more intense... way more intense. The load of material is insane... and we delve into everything as deep as we possibly can... I can feel a difference in the way I absorb information than before. I am a sponge, because I have to be. It is different than nursing school... less practical application, more deep understanding... now i'm not in clinical rotations yet, but I imagine that will be where us former RN folk will shine.... but until then we're all just trudging through like everyone else.

Are you working on your BSN? If yes, then you don't need a whole degree in biology, just the pre-reqs I listed (+ maybe calculus depending on the school).

GOOD LUCK!

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

I know of three nurses who successfully changed careers -- to physician. Two were MSNs & 1 was a BSN when they started their new educational path.

Interestingly enough, the two who became DOs seemed to have a much easier transition than the one that went MD - probably because DO philosophy and curriculum is much more closely aligned with that of nursing. Although the educational requirements are basically the same in terms of length of time it takes, the DO schools are much more inclusive and more likely to actively recruit 2nd-career applicants.

Best of luck to you. Keep us posted on your progress

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