RN seeking real advice on med school.

I have been agonizing for quite sometime on the direction I want to proceed for grad school. I was thinking CRNA, CT PA, or Acute Care NP. The problem is that none of them feel right. I had dismissed med school a long time ago but recently something my neurologist said to me really got me thinking. I am now a single mom of a nine year old and am wondering how the heck I would pull this off? Is it truly worth it to put my life on hold for like 10 more years? I am 31 now.

Fall77!


It really depends on what you really want to do in life! There are people older than you in my class and on this forum, so I would say that your age definitely is not an issue.


Being a single mother definitely complicates things a little bit, but doesn’t make it impossible. There is a girl in my class who is a single mother (well - not quite, but her husband has been deployed ever since the school started) to a (now) 6-year-old and she’s doing great! I would think that a 9-year-old (or possibly 10 or 11 when you start) would make things even more doable. Of course, it will be helpul if you have a support network like extended family, good friends or a trustworthy babysitter just in case!


It’s a long road and substantial financial commitment, but if you cannot imagine anything else in life making you happy and fulfilling your dreams, then go for it! Others have done it before!


Good luck,


Kasia



Thanks for the encouragement! I have wanted to be a doctor since I was 4 and I remember sitting in my mom’s college bio class. Life takes alot of funny paths and all of a sudden your in your 30’s and you have a child and you feel like it is too selfish to go after your dreams. How can I tell my daughter to go for her dreams if I’m too afraid to go for mine? My boyfriend, who is a CT surgeon, is so encouraging which really helps. Once again, thanks for replying!

Fall77,


It sounds like you are on the right path. I just wanted to add my two cents about going to graduate school for nursing if what you really want it to be a doctor. That is what I did. I am currently a nurse practitioner in orthopedic surgery. I spend half my time in the OR and half in the clinic. It is a great job and I love it, but I am not a doctor. I have decided that I have to go back to medical school. For me, it is the only option. If you have been dreaming about it since age 4, go for it!