Hello all, it’s been a while…. I am currently working as a Nurse Technician at a local hospital. My boss approached me the other day and told me of an RN to PA program that will take 11 months and then a PA to MD program that will take about 3 years. Is there any truth to this? I am only wondering because, YES, I do want something to fall back on. With all the Med school applicants each year growing, there is a possibility that I will not be accepted (might as well face that). I want to have a career, NOT a degree.
I have chosen medicine because, for years I was a telecom engineer and dealing with computers everyday (same thing every day), I was bored and wanted a challenge.
I have aspirations of being a doctor of sports nutrition, something I cannot do as a nurse, though, I have to think realistically… I am NOT a mathematical person, working in engineering for so long you think I would be (computers do it all). I have gotten my first C (in statistics) and I am actually a little worried when I think of how heavily math is weighed in your GPA for med school. I know that I have the personality and the sheer love of medicine to make a good doctor, I just feel a little insecure in my math skills to be 100% sure of myself.
Anyway…. Hearing this from my boss really gave me a better feeling; I would be able to have a fall back career just in case and wouldn’t be stuck holding a degree in Bio, Chem, etc. with NOTHING to do with it (That interests me). Has anyone else heard of this pathway to MD? If so, please let me know.
I still plan on putting every ounce of my soul into being a well rounded student, but I still have a long way to go. I still have to get through general Chem I and II, Orgo Chem I & II, as well as physics I & II, and Calculus…. I have to admit, it scares me a bit to even look down the barrel of those classes, but I will continue, in stride, to complete my objective of MD…
Hi, I am not sure about the programs you are speaking of. I know that most PA programs are 2 calender years and regardless of you do PA or MD…you will need sciences. As gloomy and horrible as it sounds I think you just have to say to yourself…'i can do this'. sounds very simple doesn't it? But being in a similar situation (that is @the beginning of this new path and looking ahead to chems etc) , my algebra instructor said this and i have tried to bear it in mind and i think it has helped. so anyhow just look ahead and keep your chin up. i have found reading through other peoples similar struggles is reassuring. lizzie
I've never heard of anything like this - doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Knowing the nursing field as I do, I have to confess that I'd be surprised to find that there is an 'RN to PA' track anywhere. 'RN to NP' maybe.
As for PAs being able to make it to MD in three years instead of the usual four, I haven't heard of that either, but I can see where it might be possible. At GWU, our big class during second year - Intro to Clinical Medicine - was taken with the PA and NP students. That was 12 credits out of ummmm probably 40 we took that year, but each school sets its curriculum up differently and I can imagine a setup where a PA could get credit for a year's worth of medical school, maybe.
However, I detect an undercurrent to your question because you talk about your worries regarding the sciences. Regardless of what path you take to med school, you are going to have to know those sciences and use your problem-solving capabilities to the utmost. Of course you will have to take all those classes, and the MCAT, no matter what your path. If such a path exists as RN-PA-MD, it won't be easier. In fact given the time involved in each step, I submit that it's actually going to be harder.
You really can do this - if it seems a bit much, try just focusing on one class and giving it your all. You don't have to commit to the whole adventure up front, of course - I know sometimes it feels like doing anything along the pre-med track is akin to sentencing yourself to prison for the duration. Try to just think of it as one course, one semester, one year, one test, each in turn. You can do it!
Thank you all very much! It really helps to get advice like this. It is so overwhelming to go through this alone sometimes. I do get support from my wife, but she cannot understand all of the tribulations that I go through daily. It helps to chat with people that DO understand and CAN lend some palatable advice. I have been telling myself all night that I can do this, and you know what; I am actually realizing that I DO know a lot of this. I have become lazy when it comes to studying (coming from all my Gordon Rule classes) because I excelled at all of the courses. I spent a lot of time just playing and little time studying, cause I could get away with it in those courses. Now I am facing the reality of science and the weight of a ton of bricks. I have been working diligently at creating new study habits and to be honest, they are actually paying off. I spend a couple hours at a time, three or four times daily, and I am getting this info into my head. It is crazy to think of how quickly bad habits can overrun the good habits and we can lose ourselves in life.
Again, thank you all SO much for understanding and giving your input…
I am still confused as to where to go. I am going to be thirty in a week 
, I have two kids (3 year old and 3mth old), and I am balancing my jobs with school and all the rest (I actually work better under a lot of pressure). I am just pondering the practicality of getting my nursing degree now, then pursuing Med school. The nursing degree has loan forgiveness involved, so it would be a nice option to know that my BS would be practically taken care of and that I could continue in school while I work off my loan. BUT, not to put nurses down (I RESPECT the H.E. double hockey sticks out of them), I would forgo a LOT of classes to go that route and lose some precious time. I think, on one hand, a paid degree (with loan forgiveness) buys me time to concentrate on the main goal of MD and still gives me something WONDERFUL to fall back on. While I continue on in my education I would have a great job……
BUT on the other hand, I could get my BS in anything (as long as the pre-reqs are there) and try to go straight to med school…. It is so hard for me to decide, I hear the nightmarish stories from both ends of the spectrum and realize that neither path is EASY, but that the end product is where the rewards are reaped. I have to go deep inside myself and ask, “Which is more important to me?” being a nurse NOW and trying medical school later, or trying for med school in a couple years after all the pre-reqs are met and sacrificing a solid career to support my family while I could be continuing college…? (keeping in mind that I am a nurse tech and that the job is good, but it cannot support a family.