Thinking of dropping Nursing school and doing Pre-Med

elkpark · Nov 12, 2015

Source? I can't find it on their site.
As someone who has taken the med school pre-reqs, even if they were waived you would still have to take the MCAT which would be near impossible to succeed in without having a class background.
Obviously there are a few people out there who could do it by self-study but it is very very hard.

I looked at the site, also, and, while it didn't say anything specifically about BSN degrees, it did say that there aren't any prerequisites -- but it did have some kind of statement about how most people who are successful candidates have had ... (and then they rattled off a long list of courses, the usual, traditional med school prereqs). So, apparently, they don't actually require prereqs, but they warn you that you don't have much chance of succeeding on the MCAT or in school without having taken them. (That's some pretty fancy hair-splittin', there, Tex! :))

katherine100, LPN · Nov 12, 2015

Mindofmidwifery

"You probably won't get into medical school so just be an NP"

no. It is not insulting to suggest NP. NPs can have PhD, and the ones that do have more independence than a PA. It is kind of silly to come on a nursing board and ask about med school. There are no med students answering the OPs question and giving advise about the pre reqs, training, time required, etc. Therefore does the OP really want to do medicine? He is just thinking about it. Not even sure.

QuietRiot · Nov 13, 2015

Can't we say the same thing about being a PA instead? Isn't that also insulting to the PA profession?

Whoever is suggesting to the OP to the NP is being kind of insulting, as if being an NP is a backup plan if you can't be an MD. "You probably won't get into medical school so just be an NP." However, suggesting that they should just be a PA instead makes sense. I am also suggesting going to be a DO or whatever, I think I read somewhere that it's more doable than being an MD, correct me if I'm wrong.

MeducateMe · Nov 13, 2015

I'd drop the nursing program. Not only will you have wasted tine + money on a BSN if that's not what you really want, you will also be less likely to return to school and it's very unlikely you could juggle doing well in your pre-reqs + a nursing schedule therefore you won't even be earning nursing money while back in school. Focus on your med school application.

mindofmidwifery, ADN · Nov 13, 2015

Can't we say the same thing about being a PA instead? Isn't that also insulting to the PA profession?

No, PA and MD are in the same category. They both follow the medical model

FutureNP2U · Nov 13, 2015

Have you considered becoming a PA, Physicians Assistant? Or do you want to go straight into a MD program?

Akewataru · Nov 15, 2015

I think doing nursing before medical school is not a bad idea. Be prepared to answer the question intelligently about why are you switching careers. Yes, you do need a good GPA and MCAT, but if your undergraduate GPA is not good you will need a stellar MCAT, (520 and higher out of 528). A high GPA will not coverup for a bad MCAT because it is indicative of how you will do on the USMLE steps. Plus it will make your GPA suspect (grade inflation). Plus you will need to do a post bac program or a special masters program show you are capable of handling professional level coursework. In addition, you need these four things:

Clinical experience (being a nurse will come in handy here)

Non-clinical or clinical volunteering (non-clinical would be better if you work in the medical field already)

Research experience (preferably with a poster and/ or publication especially if you are looking at mid to top tier medical schools as the top 20 are research powerhouses).

Shadowing (about 50 to 100 hours)

What I also suggest you do is go to www studentdoctor net and go to the "What Are My Chances" forum look at other people who in a similar spot as you and ask the same questions of yours are unanswered. There are admission committee members that will answer your questions.

Jacob080110 · Nov 15, 2015

Source? I can't find it on their site.
As someone who has taken the med school pre-reqs, even if they were waived you would still have to take the MCAT which would be near impossible to succeed in without having a class background.
Obviously there are a few people out there who could do it by self-study but it is very very hard.

You're right, the MCAT will still need to be taken, and I was wrong about needing a four year degree to be accepted. They prefer 4 year degrees but will take students with 3 years of college coursework.

College of Medicine | Admission Procedures

Miss Infermiera2b, BSN, RN · Nov 16, 2015

Thanks for the reply. I always take into account the fact that I am pretty young and still have a whole life ahead of me. My biggest concern is what if in the future when I'm older and probably too old to go to medical school, I completely regret the years of becoming a nurse. By research what exactly do you mean? Based on my exposure with nursing in my classes and clinicals right now, I just don't feel like I have any motivation to want to become a nurse. I know the following years are going to suck but honestly they really shouldn't if you want to become a doctor med school, residency are all going to be parts of that process. Do NPs follow the medical model more than the hollistic model?

NP's use the nursing model, and also integrate some elements of the medical model. They render medical diagnoses, prescribe medication (including controlled substances in some states) and must include elements of pathophysiology in their practice. Research has found that many patients prefer NP's to physicians because they treat a person holistically, but also with the knowledge, expertise, and resources that a higher level provider has.

AnnieOaklyRN, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Nov 16, 2015

I would consider finishing the BSN, and then if you still want to become an MD, and that doesn't work out you at least have a backup plan. Also remember even if you drop out now you will still be responsible for all the debt you have accumulated and you will have to start paying those loans back. You may drop out and then figure out that going for your MD takes a lot of money, work, and dedication, and that you don't have that in you, becoming an MD sounds great until you realize how much goes into it.

I suggest you continue on to finish your BSN and then you could consider NP or PA school.

Annie

RXtobeRn27 · Nov 21, 2015

finish your BSN.. find a job and get some life experience..

Robert (EM MD) · Sep 28, 2016

I was an EMT and later a paramedic working in a busy 911 system and am now a happy EM physician. My suggestion to you would be to carefully reflect on what exactly you want, or don't want, in your career, before you make any irrevocable decisions.

You are conveying discontent with your nursing education but it's not clear to me if you are dissatisfied with what you see looking forward to a nursing practice. Nursing theory seems from my limited exposure to it to have a lot of woo; med school has a lot of science but is not without its irrational aspects too. For example, many of the "scientific" explanations you learn in med school are known to be false, yet they continue to be taught out of tradition and habit and unwillingness to say "we really have no idea why this happens."

But formal education is temporary and practice is lifelong. In practice (pardon the pun) physicians tend to have a little more grounding in science and research methods as well as more freedom to vary their practice based upon the evidence. But good nurses and good doctors both follow the literature, pay attention to pathophysiology and pharmocology and (OTOH) spend large parts of their day on communicating with patients, implementing standard protocols laid down by hospital committees, CMS, JHACO, etc., and examinations and other physical skills (not to mention charting . . . lots of charting.)

If you want to think and be a scientist, you do not have to be an MD/DO, or even an NP -- ED and ICU nurses are scientists, you'd better believe it!

So nursing practice and physician practice don't necessarily differ to the extent their educational tracks might lead you to expect. What distinguishes physician practice is greater responsibility for the overall plan of care and (usually) managing more patients at a time. What distinguishes nursing (it seems to me; others could tell you better) is more direct bedside care; nursing is "the tip of the spear" in military parlance.

I do plenty of physical things: I help move patients, I put in lines and ET tubes, I examine everyone. But I rarely empty a bedpan, I don't fetch as many blankets of cups of ice chips, and there are times when I would much rather be at the bedside doing those things and talking to my patient than doing what I am doing, frantically scrolling through 15 years and a dozen hospitalizations' worth of medical records trying to understand my patient's history.

There are other things to consider too: healthcare education is exhausting and most of us have fantasied about throwing it over and doing something else. This may be your way of thinking about getting out of the situation you're in, when in reality you're exactly where you wanted to be and you just need to gut out this stretch. Or, if you decide you want to be a provider, you can consider whether you want to build on the nursing path you've already started on with an NP or CRNA, or whether you want to get off the path quickly as early as possible and start again with the goal of being a PA/MD/DO or what have you.

Only you know what is really important to you. I went to med school because I wasn't satisfied with the limited path and treatment of paramedics. I didn't become a PA or an RN because I knew that I didn't want to spend the next 30 years carrying out someone else's plan or being called an "assistant." I am very happy in my career, although I do miss the bedside care I got to do as a medic, and the pressure and demands from patients, regulators, administrators, nurses (yes!) and my partners is no joke. I wouldn't change it for anything. I hope you find the right path for you.