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From nursing to MDCM


ceelbe

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Hey guys! 

Lately I’ve been thinking of taking the leap from nurse to doctor and I was just looking for any information anyone would have to offer! Are there many ex-nurses you guys have come across who are applying/accepted? I’m currently finishing my (first) bachelors degree in nursing at McGill but have been working as a registered nurse for a little over 2 years following the completion of my DEC. 
 

With the path I took to become a nurse, we didn’t require the science prereqs so I’ll have to do them, but I will have completed my bachelors degree this time next year. My GPA is 3.87 but I can easily get it up a bit higher in my last two semesters. 
 

Do you think there’s a decent chance in getting in? Do you think my nursing background would benefit me? I work on a surgical floor where we work with McGill surgical residents. The only thing is that I have basically no research and volunteer work as of yet. Should I focus on improving those within the next year or two as well as getting my prereqs done? Does CV really matter that much? Does anyone know if the Casper is different for MDCM versus the one I had to take to get into nursing at McGill?

Thanks in advance for anyone offering input!

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Hello fellow nurse!

24 minutes ago, RN_to_MD said:

Do you think there’s a decent chance in getting in?

I think you do have a decent chance! The average admitted applicant has a GPA of around 3.9, so it would be great if you can bump it up in the next year.

26 minutes ago, RN_to_MD said:

Do you think my nursing background would benefit me?

It definitely would since you have clinical experience! Make sure in the CV you highlight qualities such as leadership, initiative etc. (https://www.mcgill.ca/medadmissions/prospective/selection-process/non-academic-criteria

28 minutes ago, RN_to_MD said:

The only thing is that I have basically no research and volunteer work as of yet. Should I focus on improving those within the next year or two as well as getting my prereqs done? Does CV really matter that much?

While those volunteering and research could definitely add to your application, they are not a necessary requirement. Of course, if you do decide to do them in the next 2 years it won't hurt! What really matters though is how you describe your experiences and what you've learnt from them (see the link attached above). CV counts for 10%, so while emphasis is on academics, it's still important to have extracurriculars to show you're a well rounded applicant.

32 minutes ago, RN_to_MD said:

Does anyone know if the Casper is different for MDCM versus the one I had to take to get into nursing at McGill?

Yes it's different. The MDCM Casper is "Canadian Professional Health Sciences" and the nursing one is from a different category. However, I've done both and did not notice a difference.

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15 minutes ago, ADoseOfLuck said:

Hello fellow nurse!

I think you do have a decent chance! The average admitted applicant has a GPA of around 3.9, so it would be great if you can bump it up in the next year.

It definitely would since you have clinical experience! Make sure in the CV you highlight qualities such as leadership, initiative etc. (https://www.mcgill.ca/medadmissions/prospective/selection-process/non-academic-criteria

While those volunteering and research could definitely add to your application, they are not a necessary requirement. Of course, if you do decide to do them in the next 2 years it won't hurt! What really matters though is how you describe your experiences and what you've learnt from them (see the link attached above). CV counts for 10%, so while emphasis is on academics, it's still important to have extracurriculars to show you're a well rounded applicant.

Yes it's different. The MDCM Casper is "Canadian Professional Health Sciences" and the nursing one is from a different category. However, I've done both and did not notice a difference.

Thank you so much!! I remember seeing your post that you were looking into applying for 2022! Depending on how fast I can get my prereqs done maybe that will be me too :) however I think with COVID I think it’s going to be hard to get prereqs done because of the labs and cegeps only taking current students right now, so I’m not sure how long that will delay me unfortunately. 

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7 minutes ago, canada747 said:

Hey! Yes, I know one former nurse in my class. They're a great student, and honestly seem super knowledgeable. So it's definitely possible. :)

Awesome thank you, that’s reassuring :) I’m definitely a good student and have gained lots of knowledge over the years so hopefully that would help with my application. 

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