Nursing as Premed

[nursepremed]

Hello everyone! I am currently a second year nursing student who happens to also be a pre-med! From my 2 years so far in nursing, I am not as competitive as other pre-meds in terms of GPA and preparation for the MCAT. This is because nursing is so subjective. It is like shooting for an A+ blindfolded. My pre-nursing years composed of solid science courses which I scored a perfect GPA in, and now that I am in the program, my GPA fluctuates. I have been toying with the idea to switch to a science major instead, but I think I will stick with nursing. Are there any tips to make myself stand-out or be more competitive? 

[ceelbe]

Hey! I don’t have advice but wanted to say I’m also a nursing premed, and wanted to wish you good luck  GPA is definitely crucial from what I understand so if you really think you can’t get a competitive GPA, you’re in a tough situation, because nursing would be a great career to fall back on if ever medicine wasn’t happening right away. Best of luck!! 

[ER_Mike]

I also did a BScN and am now going into my first year of medical school. Making sure you get the GPA up there is key. Otherwise, take summer courses to hit prereqs/do your MCAT sciences. If you can get your GPA to where it's competitive -- which, yes, can suck and be especially annoying because nursing has a lot of subjective grading -- you will be extremely well-suited as an applicant. You'll already have patient care experience, you'll have a better idea if the profession is right for you after all, and you'll hopefully have MDs/RNs who can give you a letter or two. Plus, all the ethical business will be second-nature to you. And, yeah, being able to work and make good money right after school is nice for while you're applying.

So yeah, recommended but ONLY if you can ensure your GPA is competitive. If you can't achieve the grades, being a nurse won't matter. Plenty of NPs out there whose GPA isn't quite good enough and find themselves as out-of-luck as anyone else, after all.