“Pamula”,
Have you SCAMMED the generous and sincere people here on OPM?
You have left ONE post and never posted here again… methinks “her post” was a pathetic attempt at humor… there are certain clues
1 “She” posted all caps, is she REALLY even a grown-up, much less a “nurse”? Shouting is VERY common among teens (remember guys, I have 3 TEEN daughters), this has ALL the finger prints of a youngster. Was this some teen age kid who happened on the site and thought to have fun with the “old folks”.
2.“She” asked questions that were all theoretical and impossible for anyone but “pamula” to answer. Further evidence this is a teen, incidently, this rubber stamp sort of “theoretical question to which only the asker knows the answer” sounds oddly like the TEEN classical counterpart, “Help, I need to know if I could be pregnant?” or “Could I be pregnant?”
3. “She” parroted perhaps TOO typically our typical first post giving age, reason for not “doing it” earlier but now changing ones mind and has new desire BUT her post is suspicious because it was too darn SHORT, there was not even a little exposition, no resume, no reasons, no GPA’s etal.
4. “She” actually told us JACK! Like the teen not mentioning whether any sort of intercourse took place… even if “only once” or “only for a second”
Shame on you “pamula”, if that is your real name…
However, if you are for real… Forget it sister…
I’m just curious…What makes you RNs want to go to med school vs. nurse practitioner?
Kristen
For me
I had no intention of doing it long term anyway but intended it as a stepping stone UP
In my circumstance, I was looking many years and a lot of money to get to nurse practioner just a FEW shy of what I spent going into medicine. Plus by law, I would still be a NURSE (nursing practice acts).
So why not go a few extra years and get the whole thing? As it turns out with the KMS program I am on… it was CHEAPER for medical school too.
That’s a heck of a question teacher’s… I’m struggling with it myself. But instead of NP vs. medicine, I’m fighting with CRNA vs. anesthesiologist (or any other medical specialty).
It’s funny, this is one of the first threads I read when I found this site, but now I’m re-reading it and really agree with what Dr. Renard said about the decision to enter the priesthood (I can’t remember the word used…!) It took me a long time to figure out that being in the medical industry was the best idea for me, and now that I’ve made that decision, I continue to tear myself up with the RN/CRNA vs. MD decision. Every time I think I have the answer, I wake up with different feelings…
Why M.D. vs. NP? For me, it was about responsibility. I’d realized that I wanted to be the one who really did have the ultimate responsibility. In hindsight, as an oldest child, I’ve always wanted to be in charge. 
And in my young adult life I’d gravitated to positions where I took a lot of responsibility - in paid and volunteer positions and as a mom.
So as soon as I heard the half-joking suggestion from a friend, “You should go to medical school!” I thought and thought and realized, you know, he’s right. I should.
And I’m glad I did, for exactly these reasons. I LOVE being the one responsible. It can be fear-inducing, for sure, but nonetheless it’s a good fit for me. It complements my personality and has made me stronger. It gives me great pleasure and also exhausts me. I love what I do and am so glad that I made that leap.
Mary
This was also the reason my mom gave me when i asked her why she went back to med school.
She likes her autonomy, and the buck stops with the doc where she practices. She also mentioned that she often felt she was doing a lot of the physician’s job when she was a nurse and why not get the respect (and pay) they got. I think now, because she works as a doc where she used to work as a nurse, she commands more respect because she was once a nurse and knows their job is not easy either and acts accordingly.
In the very near future NPs in the state of MO will have to have their PHDs to practice…time is no longer a factor. I know for me becoming a RN was the perfect stepping stone to medicine considering I am quite the nontrad with 2 children to support…with help of course. In the ER, I work side by side with MD/DOs often following standard protocols and learning their different styles of practice. I know this can only help me as it will provide a great knowledge base and clinical exposure. Right now my biggest question is the BSN then postbac vs BS something else. My GPA is a 2.9. I Could bring it up with my BSN…Although i just have this gut feeling I should just go for a typical BS PreMed. Especially reading the prior posts RE BSN! 
- teachers heart Said:
Kristen
Sorry so late, but my reason is simple
I'm burned out of Nursing as a Male, not Patient care nor medicine, but Nursing politics, as a male I found them to be difficult for me, several NP's told me I would work just as hard in NP school as medical school and since I wanted FP there was only a few years extra to be the Doctor.
So a Doctor is where I wanted to be personally and with deep thought and how I felt I went for it.
Hope you understand
Bill.
- Heather1215 Said:
No matter what they can get a PHD but they are not Physicians. Nurses that are Dr. by PHD's are high level Nurses yes but still Nurses and the PHD study is in the focus of Nursing, different then Medicine as a Physician. It's hard for the public to understand the differences but as you go through this you will understand the differences if you were a Nurse then Physician.
Congratulations!!!
I tried to reply the other day, but have been unable to post.
Mary, I think we’re somehow related (Catholic upbringing, oldest child, have to be in charge, etc. )
You have all given me plenty to think about, I’m trying to get a few more cards on the table, but I’m on the diving board, and staring at the water. I’ve almost got enough gumption to take the plunge. So far, I’m feeling pretty good about it.
Again, I appreciate the comments. It’s really helped me in my soul searching, and weighing all the factors. I feel like the more I read the posts, the better I’ll be able to completely think through the decision.
Kristen
I do, that’s good to know. That’s kind of where I am. I want to do FP.
Did your teenage daughters also inform you that on teh intarwebz, Caps-Lock is like Cruise Control for KOOL? lol
Anyways, going to derail this topic a bit, but this thread reminded me of a funny website:
http://ssshotaru.homestead.com/files/aolertranslat…
Cool, FP is why I went to the Caribbean, it is not Competitive and FP’s are greatly needed in RURAL areas where I am now.
Where are you in the South? I’m in western KY, Paducah to be exact. But I think I’m going to move to Ohio this summer to go to school and be near my family.
Southern GA near Florida, 80 degrees yesterday LOL
I think you just prefer the warm weather vs the hell frozen over midwest
- Heather1215 Said:
Sorry, its getting cold here tomorrow, like in the 50's Burr!
Mary,
What you said about discernment struck a chord with me also. I was talking to my priest (Episcopalian) about it last week. At the risk of sounding a bit philosophical, I too am thinking about jumping off the diving board. I’m taking the pre-reqs, meeting with advisors at local post-baccs, etc. I’m trying to figure out if this is my calling—not like a calling to be a nun, but deciding if this is what I am meant to do in the universe—or not.
I read a thread last week at MomMD that has upset me. There are women (and I guess men?) who have finished their MDs/DOs and are very unhappy. They (definitely more than one) said they wish they had never done it. 
I’m gearing up for the race and the pain and trials, and I’m looking at people who have finished who say it’s not worth it.
I’m glad that you said that you love what you do. I also applied to 2 accel BSN programs this year, but I think my personality is more geared towards being in charge, diagnosing, etc. For me, anyway, jumping off the diving board IS a bit of a religious experience. I’m looking forward to a day that it just feels normal to be pre-med and saying so, rather than it feeling like such a big deal…
There are people in all professions who aren’t satisfied, wish they picked another profession, are unhappy with how they spend their days. I think that happiness in your medical career depends on it being a good match at what you are passionate about, what you are good at, what makes you happy. These people who are unhappy with their choice of medicine (I know several) in my humble opinion didn’t find what they were expected, or worse yet they didn’t consider what they expected when they started and compare that with the realities of the profession.
Hope that helps some!
Adam