Family Nurse practioner to MD route

Hello,

I am a 34 yr old mother of two young boys 2 and 6. I have been a family nurse practitioner for the last 5 years and recently made up my mind to finally follow my dreams of going to med school. I recently enrolled a local CC t re-take my pre-reqs as my undergrad science GPA was not so good 2.9 because I withdrew late from my chem 2 class and switched to nursing and received an F grade. I did much better in grad school with a 3.8 cumulative GPA.

I feel motivated to do this but I constantly worry about the impact it will have on my family especially my kids. I also feel pressured to keep it as a secret because of the responses I have already received from some friends and family member who believe being an NP is just the same as an MD just a cheaper route. What are my chances of making it so far, what do I need to do that I probably am not doing? Are my undergraduate days going to hunt me?

I welcome and appreciate feedback on anyone in a the same or similar boat as I am.

Thanks

Liz

Your undergraduate days will haunt yes, but an upward trend and reinvention will make up for it. You’re looking at 2-3 years of solid As in science before even thinking about applying. If you just did a BSN before NP school, then you can definitely fix that science GPA since you’re missing your physics and chem series.

Hello! When you apply the application services will separate out your graduate level classes from the undergrad. Schools can also see the new classes separate from your original undergrad classes. This is beneficial for you because you have a really strong upward trend in your grades. You have a ton of clinical experience and a great story to tell on your application about how you realized being a physician was a better career fit FOR YOU, then being a NP. Pre-clinical years will be pretty similar to working an 8-5 job. Clinical years will be rougher as the schedule is really variable, it’s difficult to plan anything, and some of the hours are really awful. This can be difficult with young children, but doable. As for keeping it a secret, only you can determine how comfortable you’ll be doing it. Personally I would look at educating those friends and family members as a way to practice my answers for adcom interviews. You will be asked why you want to be a physician, particularly since you already have a terminal degree as a nurse practitioner. You’re going to need an answer to that question because you will be asked it at every. single. interview.



Good luck to you on your journey!

I am a nurse practitioner working full time currently. I find it difficult to take traditional courses while working full time. I have extremely valuable experiences in healthcare. How unfavorable would online courses including the sciences be for me? I could conceivably have 3 MDs write letters of recommendation for me. I am also currently nurse practitioner faculty and my extra curricular a include running a photography business, teaching acting to children and teens, and volunteer note taker for deaf student in chemistry. Like others, I ALSO have a horrible undergraduate past that haunts me and I have a very simple mind that has a hard time with the sciences.

@vschow wrote:

I am a nurse practitioner working full time currently. I find it difficult to take traditional courses while working full time. I have extremely valuable experiences in healthcare. How unfavorable would online courses including the sciences be for me? I could conceivably have 3 MDs write letters of recommendation for me. I am also currently nurse practitioner faculty and my extra curricular a include running a photography business, teaching acting to children and teens, and volunteer note taker for deaf student in chemistry. Like others, I ALSO have a horrible undergraduate past that haunts me and I have a very simple mind that has a hard time with the sciences.




Most medical schools do not take online sciences for pre-reqs. You have to show schools you can handle the basic sciences and the MCAT and there’re no way around this fact, regardless if you are an NP or not. Not saying you won’t have an advantage clinically as an NP, but schools will still expect you to survive the medical school curriculum and pass the board exams.

I recommend either looking into the requirements of the school(s) you want to apply to or doing a broad search for which schools accept them so you can determine whether or not you’re willing to go to those places.



I had 5 online classes on top of my brick-and-mortar undergrad degree and found at least 15 schools that would look at me.



Regardless of your path, you need to really do well in the courses to try to overcome your “horrible past.” A huge time gap may have them look beyond what you did years ago and more at what you’re capable of now. There really is not way to mathematically overcome a bad undergrad GPA by post-bacc alone.

Hi all! Thank you for the feedback. I used MSAR to check out schools that accept online prerequisites and there are some in my state that will take them. I’m hesitant to do it only because I want the greatest probability of getting in, but I’m also old and I feel time is of the essence. I fully understand I must be able to prove that I can handle the science courseload. Science has always been difficult to me, so it’s tough. I suppose, I just have to take the time to take the in person courses to maximize my chances of getting in. Any other advice from any other full-time employed pre-meds would be greatly appreciated! How did you make it work?