ABSN Program and finish Premed Prereqs?

Hello,

My question is, would it be better to wait to take these classes after my ABSN program or should I take them during the ABSN? I would take them one by one during the ABSN program, but take them two by two afterwards. The classes are Calculus, Physics 1 and 2, and 3 Chemistry classes. If you want more background on my situation then read down below, but it’s pretty long so I wanted to ask the question first.

I am a non traditional student only now just realizing that I have a deep desire to become a Doctor. I had no idea what I wanted to do in college so I got my English degree, low GPA of 3.2, I was a college athlete on scholarship and my life was my sport. After college I married my high school sweetheart who had enlisted in the USAF, two years after that I enlisted in the USAF because I still had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I got blessed that my job was in medical, Aerospace Physiology, and I had always had a burning desire to become an officer because I loved leadership and the challenges and responsibilities that came with it. My husband and I had our first daughter, I got out of the military and was still trying to figure out what to do with my life as I worked through some Graduate classes in Theology thinking that I could be a Chaplain officer in the military. Through an even longer story I became a die hard all in Catholic who LOVES the Church but could no longer pursue Chaplain officer due to the fact that Catholicism does not ordain females. I still had this drive and this desire to learn and lead and help others but had no idea where to start, my husband suggested nursing and after some research and talking with some good friends who were nurses I decided to apply to my schools ABSN program, not really feeling the click of it but thinking it would be a great career. We had our second child, our son, and I got accepted into the nursing program for the Summer. Well, after so many Doctor and ER visits for both my son and our daughter something finally clicked and I started doing more research and asking questions about medical school and now I am for certain that being a Doctor is my end goal. Something I never thought I would be smart enough to even pursue. However, I CANNOT drop out of the nursing program due to a number of factors I won’t go into. To apply to the one and only medical school I would be able to attend, that being the University of Uniformed Services, due to family responsibility (I.e, you get a salary as an active duty person as you go to school), I still need about six classes plus taking the MCAT. My question is, would it be better to wait to take these classes after my ABSN program or should I take them during the ABSN? I would take them one by one during the ABSN program, but take them two by two afterwards. The classes are Calculus, Physics 1 and 2, and 3 Chemistry classes.
Thanks so much and sorry for the essay!

1 Like

Hello.

I am in a similar boat being a senior BSN student that wants to go into medical school. The decision to take the pre-req courses is entirely up to you. Do you that that you will perform as well as you can with taking pre-med courses on top of hard nursing courses? If you can I would do it, but if you think it will hinder your GPA. I would advise against it.

My goal is to graduate nursing school first and complete my pre-reqs while building up with EC/leadership portfolio. Hope this helps!

Taking on too much at once may make your grades suffer, which is bad. Try not to overload yourself here.

I don’t think that’s your biggest problem. This is ——>
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“To apply to the one and only medical school I would be able to attend, that being the University of Uniformed Services, due to family responsibility (I.e, you get a salary as an active duty person as you go to school)”
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It is hard to secure an acceptance to US medical schools. Something like only 40% of applicants matriculate every year. Trying to get into just ONE specific school has a very low probability. UUS had only 5% of their verified applicants matriculate last year (per MSAR). It would be a shame for you to put in so much work, only to be rejected from the one school you apply to.

Is HPSP not an option? I would seriously reconsider whether or not it’s all or nothing UUS for you. That sounds like a recipe for disaster.

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Thank you for your reply! Definitely I would love to try to apply for the HPSP for other schools. Right now though my husband is done with the military and as soon as I get out of nursing school and get back into the military then he’s out, I can’t blame him they have used and abused him as a mechanic. I just can’t see a way that I could be able to go to another school and not having some kind of steady income/healthcare for our kids. This is all very much in the future so things might change, but I will definitely heed the advice and not take on too much at a time and also be flexible for whatever comes our way as far being able to apply to more medical schools.
Thank you!
Kayla

Hi!

Thank you for the reply! That is a very good question and honestly NO. I would probably lose my mind if I tried to do nursing school and med school prereqs and be a mom to two very little people. I think you have the best way forward and I will just need to keep telling myself that getting stellar grades and clinical experience in my BSN program are the right steps to getting into med school.

Thank you so much and good luck!
Kayla