Nursing School before Medical School??

Hey all,


I’ve been away for awhile. Been working my butt off and basically just needed to worry about work and only work. Now, I’m back at it but I need some advice from you guys.


I’m poor, and am in need of money. Just, I’m sure, as is everybody else. I work close to 70 hours a week and I make to the tune of $15.00/hour. Recently, my car’s fuel pump kicked the bucket and I had to drop 9 bills on the stupid thing to get it running again. I NEED MONEY.


With this in mind, I thought it a prudent decision to go into something that will give me more and, more importantly, faster financial security. So, I figured Nursing to be a pretty safe bet, all things considered.


So, I’d like all your opinions on this concept. You guys have been great help in the past, and I’m sure you’ll give me gold again.


Thanks!



I’m new to this forum and your post really caught my eye. I started out pre-med and got my BS in Biological Sciences planning on going to med school. I took the MCAT, didn’t study for it, got a 21 (horrible!) and applied to schools anyway. I ended up getting an interview at Kansas University med school, but didn’t get in. I had been in so many tough classes at the end of my degree and I burned out. I thought I wasn’t ‘smart enough’ for med school and just needed a break. I worked in research and decided I HATED it.


Like you, I decided to go to nursing school to make better money and get some clinical experiences. I am currently in an accelerated 1-year nursing program and I LOVE it. It’s my first time being in a clinical setting and it’s amazing. However, I want more. I have finally decided that no matter what happens I have to be a physician. The good news is that I have a plan this time. I’m not going to be worried about time or money.


I am planning to get a job in a few months and it’s going to be great. I’m going to retake a few classes that I haven’t had in a while, then spend some serious time actually studying for the MCAT. (All while making money and gaining clinical experience.)


I don’t know what your educational background is, but if you already have a bachelor’s I recommend finding one of the accelerating nursing programs. You’ll be gaining experience that will help you in med school (classroom and clinical) and you’ll be able to make enough money so that you don’t have to worry about paying for bills. I think that having a bachelor’s in nursing plus the clinical experiences will certainly help my chances of getting in to med school.


Sorry if I’ve written too much! I just found this site today and it’s so nice to be able to speak to like-minded people.

I don’t have a degree right now. I’m going for the associates track for nursing, and push from there. I really would like to get into medical school, as well. It hasn’t been a lifelong dream for me, like it has for some other people. I wanted to do it as a kid, but shyed away from it because I thougt I couldn’t handle it. But, that’s a thing of the past.


Anyway, I though nursing school would be a good transition into medical school. Give me good money, experience, and a spring board.



Merlin-


after posting a response I read your blog. It was so nice to see the same things I’ve been going through mirrored on your blog. I’ve been on the “med school or no med school” cliff for several years now and my husband is SO happy that I’ve finally decided to do it.


A few things that I’ve found along the journey that I thought you might find helpful after reading your blog. (Just my opinion):


You don’t always have to take the official route to get to med school. I went in to talk to the med school adviser and she told me to give up and go home because I would never get in without a 3.8 gpa. She swore I wouldn’t get an interview. I had a 3.3 overall gpa, a 3.0 science gpa, a 21 on my MCAT and I still got an interview at an out-of-state school. It defies all odds. But I’ve had a tough life and I’m used to defying the odds. Do you have to prove to med schools that you can handle the work? Yes. But does that mean that you have to have a 3.8 gpa and a 33 on your MCAT? No. not unless you want an ivy league. I went through 4 years of pre-med and everyone was horrible because they were so anxious and competitive and rigid in their thinking. But the truth is, one bad grade in a class won’t hurt you. Even a really really bad semester won’t hurt you. You just have to find that special thing that makes you stand out from everyone else (like a degree in nursing and being a non-traditional student who is a husband and father). I know I’m on a rant here, so I apologize. But, I spent so many years listening to people who told me I would never be able to even interview with these schools and I did it. And as for the doctor who told you that Drs. work like dogs, ugh. I am so tired of listening to people talk med school up like it’s the worst thing in the world and their life is so horrible as a doctor. Yes, you work hard, very hard. But you’re doing what you love. And in my opinion, no matter what I do for a career I will pour all of myself into it because that’s just how I am. I think a lot of med students and doctors make the profession out to be so much more than it is because it makes their job and their lives seem more valuable. (I mean that in the best way!) I think that anyone who has some intelligence and works extremely hard can get into med school. That’s my rant…