Hi, everyone! I apologize in advance for the long rant and appreciate any help and feedback I may get. I’m 24 years old and currently in an accelerated BSN-RN nursing program (16 months- I finish this August). I previously graduated with a Biology major and a minor in Chemistry. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do as a profession (my family pushed me to go to dental school my entire life, so that’s what I naturally gravitated towards. I realized freshman year of college that I really disliked dentistry after shadowing multiple dentists and working in a dental office). One thing I always knew was that I loved medicine, and I loved helping others (as cliche as it sounds but I grew up being in and out of hospitals so that’s where it’s stemmed from). I found out about the PA profession and decided to go for that since I never thought I would be able to get into medical school (lack of confidence, "not smart enough, etc.). My senior year was kind of a mess and I kept going back and forth between different professions until I ultimately decided that I wanted to give medical school a shot, after the head of the pre-med committee convinced me that I could do it. I purchased one of those absurdly expensive prep courses and studied for roughly 5 months with a tutor. Doing practice exams (the test prep company’s and AAMC’s exams) I would score around a 508. Something ended up happening and I had to reschedule my exam, about a month or so further. When I took the exam I absolutely bombed it and got in the high 490’s. I’m not sure if it’s because I pushed the date, got lazy, stopped studying as hard, or just had horrible testing anxiety. After I saw that grade I thought, well, I’m a complete idiot and I can’t even believe I thought I was good enough to be a doctor. I completely gave up that dream (looking back, I wish I hadn’t been so hard on myself and retaken the exam). I then went back to the PA route thought, but also found out that I could do an accelerated nursing program and then go through an NP program. I thought about switching majors to nursing in undergrad but wasn’t able to. I’ve realized that I’m not happy in nursing school, and I don’t think I will ever feel fulfilled as an NP. When I’m at my clinicals, I always gravitate towards the physicians and what they’re saying about the patient. By no means am I saying that I think doctors are better than nurses, or whatever else someone might come up with. I think nursing is an AMAZING profession, and being in nursing school has taught me so much and I have the ultimate respect for nurses, as well as NPs.I just really miss the medical model and medicine. And medical school has continued to be on my mind this entire time. I’m feeling so lost and don’t know what to do. I really want to graduate, take the NCLEX, start working as a nurse but also start studying for the MCAT and try to actually apply this time around. I’m afraid that admissions will look at my application and think I’m an utter mess or heavily question my reasoning for wanting to go to medical school. I looked at past posts on here and people are saying to read someone named Mary Riley Renard’s posts, which may have been deleted (I can’t seem to find them). Other than that, I’m trying to figure out what else would strengthen my application and kind of put everything together.
Side note- I have a friend who dropped out of dental school her third year and decided she wanted to pursue medical school. She just got accepted into an amazing school, and she is the one who has inspired me throughout this and made me think it’s somewhat possible. A few others are supportive, but nursing peers and professors think I’m betraying the field, “going to the dark side,” etc. If you have ANY word of advice, I would greatly appreciate it. Kudos if you’ve gotten this far. Thank you again!
I have a very similar story. I have a degree in biology, took the MCAT in a hurry wihtout any studying ( was in a very abusive relationship and getting away was my hope), got a 493 on MCAT, got into a master’s program in biomedical sciences with guaranteed interview to their medical school, got conditional acceptance by doing well in medical school coursework with A’s and B’s. Condition was to maintain at least B’s. After my acceptance, abuse at home became worst and I ended up having to go through a nasty divorce. I ended up with just one C in medical neuroscience and lost my admission. I was left to be homeless and no money, I went the Master’s entry nursing program because I needed to be in school because I had so much in loans and had no way to pay my bills. It’s been 4 year since I took the MCAT, I felt the same way throughout nursing school. Having been pre-med my whole life and having taken medical school coursework, I was not happy in Nursing school. I felt horrible. I just finished nursing school, it was a 2 year Master’s program. I am waiting to take the NCLEX, but I also want to study for the MCAT and reapply this year. I would also love some feedback. ( of course, I have only shared a little bit of my story, there were a lot of other obstacles that i had to overcome, but I know one thing for sure and that is I want to go to Med School)
I am in a similar boat. Senior BSN student here, didn’t know what i wanted to do - had straight A’s in my AA program, but still didn’t think I was competitive or “smart enough” for med school, much like you. Have decided since then that nursing isn’t for me, as my original intention was CRNA/DNP. I’ll be graduating with a solid 3.9GPA, great ECs, but unfortunately no research; have yet to take the MCAT.
My advice is to stay quiet about med-school talk to others in your program - it will only stir negativity. It’s unfortunate, but true. Physicians don’t care at all about this dilemma, I have found, and are more than willing to talk to you about the path and guide you along. I don’t know why, but (in my own anecdotal evidence) nurses are very possessive, and become neurotic over peers leaving the field.
As Per this entire forums directed-goal, GPA/MCAT are only one side to the story, and simply get you in the door. Everything else gets you into med school. Push for that 505+, kill your ECs and statements, and I’m sure you’ll do fantastically in med.
but I know one thing for sure and that is I want to go to Med School
One this is for sure - if you want med school badly enough, you can get in. It’s not the “perfect” 4.0/520 researcher who saves puppies and plays Chopin at nursing homes that has the “best” app - they don’t have an underdog story behind their reason to go to med school. You can’t play in an orchestra filled with the best cello players - you need everyone. Get the MCAT you need to get into the door, kill your ECs / volunteering, do research if you want, and really sell your story in your statements. You will get it if you push hard enough for it, even if that means multiple cycles.
Oh my goodness. I have an almost identical story to yours. I’m not sure how to private message, but I would love to know where you are on your journey now. I am trying to prep for the MCAT.
As I read your statement, I kept thinking if I wrote this because this is me haha. I was pre-med my whole life. I loved science and of course wanted to help people, but I loved the in-depth knowledge and answers to my why’s. I took the MCAT in a hurry trying to run away from a terribly abusive marriage. I got a 493 ( I didn’t study for it at all because I was constantly being abused mentally and physically but I still took it to get into a Master’s in Biomedical Sciences program. I got a conditional acceptance (A’s and B’s in all med school courses), but ended up going through a divorce after my conditional acceptance. I ended up getting one C and lost my admission. I was broken and in a terrible mental state. I ended up in a Master’s Entry Nursing program but felt exactly how you feel. I knew from day one this is not for me. I don’t like this. I have huge respect for nurses and I strongly believe they are not being paid well enough for what they do and not respected enough either, but this is not for me. I graduated from the program in March but we couldn’t sing up to test until like June and finally have my license. I also was very lucky to get a clinic job and don’t have to kill myself working for a hospital. I hope to get my experience and shadow the doctors in the clinic and hopefully somehow get my self to study for the MCAT. I don’t think I will be happy with NP especially because there is so much nursing theory and less of medicine. Having taken medical school coursework, I know I can’t lie to myself that I will be a good provider if I just become an NP. I am hoping to take MCAT next year sometime when I feel ready. Most of my nursing peers were people who changed their careers and were mostly pre-med etc as well. Whenever I tell them I want to go back to med school, they are so negative and so against this idea and were so mad that I chose an office job instead of killing myself working for little money at a med Surg floor. I didn’t care for med Surg at all during my clinicals. So if medicine is what you really want, try to find jobs like clinical research or maybe psych nursing where you won’t be super exhausted and can study for MCAT. I don’t know if there is a message option here, but if you want we can talk further. I am on Facebook as well and part of the premed hangout group. You can do this and don’t listen to nursing peers.
Hey girl, I just replied, I have the same story. Let’s all chat lolz. I would love to stay in touch with others in the same journey. There is a facebook group called NP/PA/RN something to MD and I am a member. very supportive group.
Thank you so much. I was really down due to this quarantine and didn’t realize I am replying to the same story the second time. hahaha. I didn’t know I had left a response here and completely forgot about it. Thank you very much.
