Thinking of dropping Nursing school and doing Pre-Med

Betenhauser · Nov 9, 2015

Do whatever you want.

How helpful...

Betenhauser · Nov 9, 2015

There are thousands of MDs that started as RNs. It is certainly an option to drop out, however nothing is preventing you from looking into medicine on the side while completing your BSN. You can Always use your connections as a nursing student to see what the med side is like, as well.

B_rac777 · Nov 9, 2015

You do realize that medical school would be many times more difficult than taking the prereqs with nursing courses, right?

I went to a pretty hardcore nursing school with 100% nclex pass rate. I don't think med school was much harder than what we did, just longer, 4 years instead of 2 years.

SummitRN, BSN, RN · Nov 9, 2015

I went to a pretty hardcore nursing school with 100% nclex pass rate. I don't think med school was much harder than what we did, just longer, 4 years instead of 2 years.

direw0lf, BSN · Nov 9, 2015

Some people actually do find the medical model easier and have an easier time with organic chem, biochem etc. I am one of those people who does think mcat questions were easier than nclex although I'm getting better.

elkpark · Nov 9, 2015

Some people actually do find the medical model easier and have an easier time with organic chem, biochem etc. I am one of those people who does think mcat questions were easier than nclex although I'm getting better.

Keep in mind, though, that the MCAT is an entrance exam and the NCLEX is a licensure exam. A more valid comparison would be the MCAT with any of the various screening exams used to evaluate nursing school applicants, or the NCLEX with the USMLE.

SummitRN, BSN, RN · Nov 9, 2015

I guess I could see how someone might find an organic chem question easier than a question about how which caring theory best explains some NANDA BS.

But few are proud of the converse. I don't really respect the ability to regurgitate the completely manufactured BS that comes from ivory tower nursing academia.

Jules A, MSN · Nov 9, 2015

I think you should really do some heavy research. Becoming a doctor is no joke, and requires a lot of sacrifice. If you have the devoted passion for it, and if being broke and having very little life for the coming years doesn't fAzE you i say go for it. That is, if you truly do not care about your life for the sake of medicine.
Otherwise, do BSN, get stellar grades, and become an NP.

The only thing I agree with here is that being a physician is no joke. I'm friends with several physicians and yes they have worked hard and invested a lot of time and money but they are very satisfied with their lives.

OP if you think you might enjoy medicine better than nursing, and I definitely would have if I had been more mature and insightful at your age, I say definitely do not continue with nursing and instead pursue medicine. I wish I had. Good luck.

Jules A, MSN · Nov 9, 2015

I went to a pretty hardcore nursing school with 100% nclex pass rate. I don't think med school was much harder than what we did, just longer, 4 years instead of 2 years.

I'm confused, did you do both med school and nursing?

Dfalck3 · Nov 9, 2015

I went to a pretty hardcore nursing school with 100% nclex pass rate. I don't think med school was much harder than what we did, just longer, 4 years instead of 2 years.

Well I don't actually believe this is true. I have several friends in different BSN programs, but I also have my husband who is in Medical School. He has been studying for STEP 1 for over a year and he still has a lot more to study. I also think the contents are different so it's not that comparable either.

People should stop trying to compare medical school and nursing school.

OP, you need to do what makes you happy in life. Medical school is no joke, very competitive to get into, but if it is what you want, then you need to start trying. My cousin had to apply 3 times to get into medschool and had to retake the MCAT 3 times too, but it was worth it at the end.

amb218, BSN, RN · Nov 9, 2015

This is a tough choice to make and I've actually had a few friends who have switched out of nursing to take pre-med courses. I will say that a lot of these same people tried taking pre-med courses and just realized that they weren't interested in medical school at all OR that the pre-med classes were extremely difficult and not what they thought they would be like. Granted, I go to a university that is known for being extremely difficult and pre-med is absolutely no joke here. Some of the classes are designed so that only 2 people out of 20 or so students get A's.

I would thoroughly research the pre-med curriculum and also shadow a physician to really see what it's like. There are many different types of nursing that you can do that are very focused on disease processes and such - when you go to nursing school, you're not tied to becoming a floor nurse or anything. You can pursue whichever type of nursing you would like. I'd also mention that if you decide to take on the pre-med route, we're talking classes where you will not be learning about the human body on a large scale but more on a cellular level. And if you're at all familiar with organic chemistry or physics....well, let's just say the human body is not often talked about at all in those classes. You won't start any of that until med school. So, you'll have 4 years of med school and then probably a 3 year residency minimum (depending on specialty) ahead of you. And it's no walk in the park to say the least. Just some things to think about.

Also, as a Nurse Practitioner in many states (esp in primary care), you will definitely be diagnosing and prescribing medications with a ton of autonomy. At the hospital I currently work at, you can hardly tell the difference between NPs and physicians when they talk to patients and in rounds. Of course, they have different roles, responsibilities, and job description but the point is, they are very much so involved in the patient's plan, putting in orders, etc. and work very closely with physicians. They help to create the plan of care whereas the floor nurse will be directly implementing it. Both use a great deal of critical thinking and skills but are different. At least, that's what I've experienced! Good luck in making your decision.

Jules A, MSN · Nov 9, 2015

Also, as a Nurse Practitioner in many states (esp in primary care), you will definitely be diagnosing and prescribing medications with a ton of autonomy. At the hospital I currently work at, you can hardly tell the difference between NPs and physicians when they talk to patients and in rounds. Of course, they have different roles, responsibilities, and job description but the point is, they are very much so involved in the patient's plan, putting in orders, etc. and work very closely with physicians. They help to create the plan of care whereas the floor nurse will be directly implementing it.

Not sure where you are but at my hospital I am an attending and do the exact same job as a physician. There is no different role, responsibilities or job description. Unfortunately my education was lacking as compared to the physicians and my salary, although excellent, is much lower. Again if someone has the interest and smarts I would strongly urge medicine over nursing.