I'm currently pre-nursing. I have been interested in being a doctor for many years, but all the chemistry scared the bejeezus out of me. So I have planned to go for FNP, instead.
The trouble is....I have this nagging feeling that I am not a nurse-person. I feel very strongly about healthcare, treating the whole person, educating patients in disease prevention, and NOT throwing pills at every symptom, which is why I thought NP would be a good fit for me, but my proffessors keep telling me to go to med school instead.
(No offense to anyone please, I've gotten great advice from some of you here over the last couple of years, which is why I pour out my guts to you now.)
I have figured that by the time I get my DNP, I can be finishing Med school and beginning a residency. I'm 33 with 2 year-old twins...adding to my stress over which way to go. I don't want to abandon my family to go to med school. The NP program I'm heading into can be done mostly online. Luckily, I have a very supportive husband who is pushing me to go MD as well.
Any advice from other mom's or NP's out there? Do any of you wish you had gone MD?
what is the hurry? Get your RN first and work as a RN which is a very flexible job allowing time with your kids. Do that first then decide if NP, PA, or MD is right for you. It seems some healthcare experience would actually be an advantage to applying to med school, I've known some good but not steller students with life and healthcare experience accepted while others with top notch grades from university and no life experience not get in.
I think I am more of a 'doctor person' and a 'nurse person', but I'm making do. I was pre-med, but I have an illness which makes it very unhealthy for me to work too much and sleep too little. I decided to go the NP route. I am currently applying for NP programs. Nursing was kind of a shock; it is truly a different animal from medicine. It can be very task-centered and you get orders to do things from everyone! You might want to shadow a nurse to see what they do! It's been a very difficult couple of years, but I'm starting to settle into nursing. and I do agree with if you want to go to medical school, nursing is not very useful. You will have nearly 2 years of more coursework prereqs to get into med school.
Only you know what is best for you and your family. However, for me, I chose NP over MD because of the holistic aspect of nursing. I think you have the best of both worlds with nursing:up:. And, you still have autonomy and prescriptive authority (in most states). I hope this helps.
I'd bet NP school will be a lot easier to get into than med school. Also, a lot easier on your family life. NP and medical school can't even be compared. You sure won't be doing med school online, and you sure won't be in your own cozy bed seven nights a week. You'll be pulling 36 hour at a time shifts operating on 3 or 4 hours of sleep for slave wages for several years. I feel guilty enough about the time I've spent on nursing and how it's kept me away from my children, I can't imagine how medical school must eat family time, especially for a mother.
I figured you might be 17 or 18 at first...at 33 you'd better get the ball rolling, I just turned 34 and on my way to NP school and feel like such a geezer. I'll be about 37 or 38 by the time it's over...a dinosaur. I don't want to rain on your parade but the age thing has been a real issue with me. At 34 I've had four children (maybe I'll have one more, but as old as I'm feeling now probably not) and I've been a nurse 9 years. This can be an exciting time for you but I would try to be realistic about it, too. If I were in your shoes I would definitely go the NP route, especially considering some NPs make as much as some MDs.
I've got a learning disorder when it comes to chemistry, too, why agonize over it? It will only drag you down.
NP, NP, NP. AT this point you also don't have to become a DNP, I had heard the wheels were turning fairly slow toward that and shouldn't take full effect until about 2015. I seriously doubt there will be more money in a DNP over a regular NP, so while I can I'm going to take the money and run.
Anyway, good luck. Nursing can be an exciting adventure.
Specialty how? I am doing acute care, but you are prepared to work in any acute care area. There are no specialties.
You have to choose Acute, Family, Pediatric, Womens Health, Adult, or Midwifery up front - in Texas anyway. Your entire program is geared to that specialty, and you are limited as to where you can practice.
I have a friend for instance who is an anp - she had to go back for an FNP cert, and is basically having to do an entire program all over again except for about 8 core courses.
vetiver
26 Posts
Good question OC85. I've been wondering that.