stuck between nursing and medical school

[youngEd]

i'm 24 years old and i'm 1 semester away from finishing up the prereqs for nursing....

or...

i'm 24 years old and i'm 4 semesters away from finishing up the prereqs for medical school...

my mother was a nurse and she worked hard for her RN-BSN. she was only a nurse for about 6 months before she died in the hospital she worked at. i was about 16 and i was down the hall from her room when it happened. since then my father killed himself and i had a little sister die of cancer. so all i have is 1 little sister left, my baby sister. it was my dream to help her through college and to make sure she went through it smoothly (sorta like no one guided me).

speaking of, at the age of 18 i decided to go to a school for digital arts. biggest mistake of my life. im 25k in debt. i know how to run a multimillion dollar studio...but good luck making a living off of recording other peoples music. i wish i had someone to talk me out of going to that school.

so here i am, with a 300$ bill every month, 25k in debt, with 1 or 4 semesters to go. if i continue with nursing, i'll complete my ASS degree by the fall of 2009.

if i transfer into the university, i'll just be taking the mcat exam by the fall of 2009.

everyone tells me that this debt should not hold me back, and should not be the reason why i jump into nursing, just so i could start working faster. on the other hand i would rather enjoy being a nurse (or course i would eventually work my way up to a NP or higher).

any advice?

[moyz]

I think that you should not take the debt into consideration at all unless you're little sister is really having to rely on you for money. Make the decision on what you want to do.

Honestly, a $25,000 debt is a drop in the bucket when compared to the loans you have getting out of med school (Was it a loan? B/c you can ask loans to be held while you're in school. They accrue interest, but at least you're not paying $300/mo). But pretty much everyone comes out of med school in the same boat, a huge debt with little pay...but they will be able to make pretty good money in a couple of years and get rid of that debt.

I would also consider looking into USUHS, the military med school (stands for Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences). While in school, the students are commissioned officers in whatever branch of the military they signed up with, and they are paid to be in school, about $65,000/year I think. But then you would owe the military time afterwards-7 years not counting residency, so that could be a big drawback for you.

I interviewed their yesterday and the students seemed soooo happy. A little stressed as all med students are, but they definitely seemed happy to be there. Just something to look into for you.

Definitely make the decision on what you want to do!

[sddlnscp]

I am so sorry for your tragic losses and I commend you for wanting to care for your little sister.

My opinion is to follow your heart. Search deep within yourself and find out what you truly want to do. Picture yourself 10 years from now, what are you wearing? What are you doing? What is your life like? How do you interact with your patients or do you even have patients? Are you happy or do you have regrets? It's important to think about the future and then think about which position will get you what you want.

I would suggest also talking to a variety of Doctors and nurses. I never worked in the Medical field before I started nursing school as a CNA or anything else, but I knew it was for me just the same. I talked to so many people (my family Dr., my kid's Dr., the NP in that office, all the nurses I could corner, my OB Doc, etc., etc., etc.) before I started and that helped a lot. However, I also turned off every ounce of what everyone was telling me and searched my own soul for what would make me happy. That is truly the best thing to do.

Best wishes in whatever you choose and let us know.

If you absolutely can't decide, I would say go with nursing. You can get the degree and then work on the BSN and eventually become an NP. Or, you can get the degree and finish the pre-Med degree and then become a Dr. Your options are not closed off just because you chose nursing. But that is jut me, you need to follow your heart and your true interests.

My heart is with you.

[NurseguyFL]

If what you want to be is a doctor, then you will not be happy with nursing....and you don't want to risk taking on more debt and switching mid-stream because you are unhappy with your decision.

I couldn't agree more with the above statements. Medicine and nursing are two very, very different things. The one you choose should depend on what you really want to do with your life. I do not recommend taking courses to pursue both a degree in nursing and a degree in pre-med. The classes required for one discipline are very different from those required for the other. None of these classes is easy, and at the end of it all you'll have spent a lot of time, effort, and money on classes that you don't need.

I suggest that you think more about your long-term educational and career goals and about how much time and money you are willing to put into both to get what you want. Do some research into what is involved in each profession, and then consider which would be a better fit for you. Obviously, it takes longer and costs a lot more to train to become a physician than it does to become an RN, but if after seriously thinking about this you decide that you want to be a doctor, then do not let yourself be thrown off by either factor.

If you take nursing courses now and then decide to switch to pre-med, you're going to find yourself needing to take many additional upper-level classes in math and the natural sciences. If you take pre-med courses now and then decide to switch to nursing you're going to find that a lot of the classes you took aren't relevant to a nursing degree. The decision is ultimately yours, but I advise against doing both. Otherwise you'll end up wasting years of your time and thousands of dollars in tuition and books.

[IWANT2BEEANRN]

A very important point to look at here is that a lot of hospitals offer tuition reimbursement to new nurses entering into the profession.

Also, there is loan forgiveness from National Health Service Corps. Here is the web address: http://nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov/

Finally, perhaps looking at the student loans as an investment will help.

[anne74]

In the grand scheme of things, $25,000 is not that bad. I owe $60,000. I wish I only owed $25,000. And, you're 24. You'll be able to pay it off.

I think a lot of people strive toward med school because it's more prestigious to say their going to be a doctor. I would never want to be a doctor. Doctors don't have lives outside the hospital. I look at doctors now and think - I'm so glad I can go home when the shift is up. I'm so glad I can see my friends and family and have a social life. Personally, I would go for nursing. You can easily switch between specialities, you can do travel nursing and make bank, you can go for your NP or CNS, and basically do doctor-type work (write orders, scrips, etc.). You have more flexibility with working part-time, full time, different shifts, etc. You could easily leave bedside nursing and do medical/pharm sales, health insurance companies, etc.

So, if you really want to work the majority of your life and you want to eat, drink and breathe medicine, then go for med school. If you're interested in medicine, helping others, but want a balanced life, flexibility and multiple other opportunities, then go for nursing. And, if you're in nursing for a while, you can still go to med school if you desire.

Just don't go for med school because it would look cool, or others would be impressed. Not that I think that's why you'd want to go to med school - but really think about what life as a med student and doctor would mean for you on a daily basis. Do you want to live that kind of life? What benefits would it bring to you personally, other than presumed prestiege?

Good luck!

[anonymurse]

Awright Bud! Go for the gold then get that baby sister through school.

[Albqrabbit]

DO NOT GO INTO NURSING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

15 years into it--- It was the worst mistake of my life! Everyday an understaffed back-stabbing pink-collar sweat shop from Hell.

MD will pay, and your soul won't be squashed like a bug.

Just go straight for the MD-- unless you want to disempower yourself..,,,, Yes you have had really bad breaks-- But the quicker easier 'Now' road to 'Nursing" is the Devil calling your name.

Do not do it, skip the RN, Go on to MD, no matter what the bills are at the end, you will be able to pay them, and you get to DIRECT CARE. You have no idea what it is like to work w a fucktard MD who gets all the glory, and all the $$$$, and have to carry out just wrong orders. Just wrong! You will have POWER as an MD, as a RN, you will only have *****-power, a very poor substitute.

Your little loved one is counting on you to step up and be the provider---do it, become a DOCTOR.

Don't let your loved ones down by making 1/5 the income, and having to play power games w your low-life underachieving co-workers from Hell. Just suck it up and go on while you are still in 'school mode'. You will still ***** about being a DR, but you will be making $300,000/yrn doing it- versus a very hard-won $53,000/yr.

Don't let your little sister down!

Those who want to villify me for my anti-nursing position- go ahead---but believe me, I have 15 years of experience informing my views, and lots of RNs would agree with me, there are so many intractable problems in this line of work, and yes it is a job, not a career. I have learned much, but I also could have lived without it.

GIRLY,,,,GET YOUR MD!

[OCNRN63, RN]

Why was a 4 year old thread resurrected?