Hello all, I’m in my 1st semester of NP school at Duke. Prior to starting i had given a lot of thought to finishing up pre-reqs for med school, and even thought about going to a post-bacc program. i decided against it, though, because i thought i had to take the opportunity provided. afterall, i could always fall back on this degree (ACNP), right? well, now that i’m in the program i have gotten really discouraged w/ the whole “nursing” profession. i’ve found that a lot of the content is redundant from what i learned in undergrad and i’m not being taught as in depth as i think we should be. ya know, considering i’m going to be responsible for lives and all.
i feel this profession puts too much emphasis on irrelevant coursework when their energy should be focused on clinical courses, not psychosocial theory. the attraction to med school, for me, is the in depth knowledge i would be provided. i love “nursing” and taking care of the critically ill, but i don’t share the opinion of those trying to hold onto the “nightingale mentality”. i want to be a thorough, competent clinician and desire to be taught as such.
ok, enough venting. i’m 28 yr old and have no pre reqs that satisfy admission for med school. i have A/P I and II, microbio, and a chem w/out lab, but don’t have any other “hard” sciences.
i looked into some post bacc programs, but the cost is considerable. my question, do med schools care if you take 2-3 yrs to complete the pre reqs on your own…as a non degree student, or is it more attractive to complete a post bacc? has anyone done the post bacc here? any RNs/ARNPs that decided to go to med school?
thanks. reading this forum is comforting knowing that there are others in the same situations.
81FSUnole, I feel your pain. Oh, do I. Long story short, I started a combined BSN/MSN program at age 29 based primarily on my regard for various practicing NPs/midwives. Little did I know what nursing education was. I bailed after finishing the BSN in favor of premed prerequisites. Now 32, taking prereqs, working. (Spent a year taking care of personal business.) My only regret is that I did not leave nursing school the same week I realized something was wrong. Duke has private school tuition, needless to say.
Nurses and nurse practitioners on the board, I have the utmost respect for your profession. My concern was with nursing school.
I could go on at length, but will not. 
–sc
^^yeah, man, i have utmost respect for PAs and NPs, but the curriculum and administrators need to evaluate the current state of medicine, not be stuck in the days of ol’ where nurses were merely pill pushers. the profession has changed a lot, but these admins and faculty are concerned w/ hanging on to silly, outdated concepts (nursing diagnosis, theory, bed making) in order to maintain some sense of pseudo independence from medicine…when in reality we’re providing the same thing in the end…well being!
good luck to you in your endeavors. im strongly leaning to not coming back next semester, going home to florida and enrolling as a non-degree student in order to finish the pre reqs. sucks, though, because i hate florida. too hot!
not to bash or show favortism to anyone…but education, as an institution, supports the status quo by…key word here…“controlling information” so that, in this case, nursing school students will not be equipped with the same toolkit as higher paid, more powerful medical practitioners… It’s part of the social conflict paradigm. If you’re a person who observes the big picture and allies with the oppressed, then you might be angered at the lack of modernization or evolution in many nursing programs. If you’re trying to be an MD for the money, and nothing else, then you would do nothing to spur change in institutions that ensure your “untouchability”. Nurses and Physicians Assistants ought to be better equipped with the best tools and information. U.S. soldiers don’t fight with muskets and walky-talkies in Iraq and Afghanistan, do they? As a former NCO in the Army, I think the nurses and PAs are the backbone of medicine, and we all know how difficult it is to do anything with a fouled backbone. It’s not a level playing field, whatsoever. It’s theatening to medicine, and disenchanting to those who want to be practitioners of medical care. Oh yeah, and it’s threatening to patients. Anyhoo, those are my thoughts.
Hi Have you considered the uniformed medical university or the military in general they not only have a great md program but the PA program you would probely already quilify for and they pay you a great salary and all tuition costs while attending
wow, chris, excellent points you make. i have never thought of it that way. makes perfect sense, though.
no, haven’t considered the military for the education. i have, however, considered them after i complete NP school…seeing as though duke’s tuition is insane and ill have a hefty amount of student loans. thanks for the idea.