Guest Nurse2Md Posted December 31, 2005 Report Share Posted December 31, 2005 Hey all, I just wanted to know how many nurses turned doctors exist out there. I'm in my 4th year and I am thinking about applying to medical school next year. Are nurses given equal consideration in the application process? I also would like to know how any nurses did on their MCATs? How did you find the test? Sometimes I feel a little guilty applying to medical school; like I'm a traitor or something. Can anyone out there answer my question please?|I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Snew Posted December 31, 2005 Report Share Posted December 31, 2005 Hi Nurse2Md, I think there are a lot of people in your current situation. You should not be ashamed for wanting to become a doctor, it does not make you a traitor or anything! If anything, you experiences with patients in a medical setting can only help you! However, you should be cautioned that medical schools will most likely question your decision for a career switch, so as long as you are prepared to defend your reasons for choosing medicine over nursing, I am sure you would be fine. This often comes up when people are switching from a medically unrelated career, such as engineering, as well. Also, there are a lot of people on these boards that are in medical school from a nursing background (Nurse Nathalie comes to mind as an active poster). I am sure they would be happy to answer any of your questions. However, since this forum is not used to much (there was apparently hacker who caused the forum to lose a lot of old posts) try posting your same post (or ask the mods to move it for you) in the Temporary General Premed Discussions listed at the top of this page. A lot more people post on those boards, and they are more stable. Since I am not in nursing, I couldn't be much help, but good luck! Snew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest booty911 Posted January 2, 2006 Report Share Posted January 2, 2006 Hey there, I just finished filling out my undergrad application to MUN and applied to the nursing 4 year program for a BN. I also hope to become a doctor someday and wonder if nursing is the best thing to do, should i be ashamed. My mom is a nurse and I asked her opinion and she believes in me that i can be a doctor and should be...no matter what path i take. You'll get lots of experience in the hospital, plus after school if you like, you can take extra science courses to prepare for the MCAT like i am going to do. also, if you don't get in right away...you have a great job to fall back on until you do get in. i believe that if you believe in something and work hard for it, you will achieve it. good luck in the future! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ella29 Posted January 23, 2006 Report Share Posted January 23, 2006 Hi there, I am currently in Nursing, and hoping to get into Med School this year (fingers crossed!!) Anyway, in my opinion, Nursing is a great field to do an undergrad in, because you get a lot of hospital experience, as well as medical background. My only advice to those who are going into nursing, is not to broadcast that you want to go into medicine. A lot of nurses are against people doing that, because they do see them as traitors. However, there are many people who acknowledge that doctors and nurses focus on different health care aspects, and therefore be seen as two separate entities. Plus, if you enjoy the health care field, and you dont get into med school, at least you are still able to get a job (very easily!) somewhere in health care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nurse2Md Posted January 23, 2006 Report Share Posted January 23, 2006 Thanks for the advice. Sometimes I wonder if it will be a good idea to ask some of my profs to be a refree in the future. I've always wondered how they would react to hear that my true interests lie in the medical field. I guess I will have to feel them out and only ask the ones that won't see it as a problem. I would like to know..what med schools did you apply to? Did you take the pre req courses? Let me know...its always nice to hear from other students in a similar position! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ella29 Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 Well, right now I am only in my third year, and therefore I could only apply for McMaster. If I do not get accepted (*knocks on wood*) I am planning on taking pre requisites this summer and then doing my MCATs and applying Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NurseNathalie Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 It's really too bad that 'shame', 'guilt', and 'secrecy' are tainting your experience :\ A career in medicine, for most, is a long-term (if not a life-time) ambition- and I always told my kids: 'the trip there, is as important as acheiving the destination ! '... I carry this philosophy in life as well. When I hear comments like 'don't speak of your ambitions around nurses or they may shun you'... it makes me embarassed for the whole nursing profession to be perfectly honest ! I can't say that I've ever experienced that myself though. I went into nursing because going into medicine was not possible at the time. Since I wanted to work in the health care field and help ppl, nursing was a close (and acceptable) second, to fill that need I had. From day one, everyone around me knew that my lifetime goal was medicine. Maybe its because when I discussed it with my peers/teachers/ nurses I worked with- I always did it in a positive and matter-of fact way... maybe your approach (and inner feelings of guilt ?) get reflected and that's how nurses react? who knows.. I just know that I have always been supported in my decision to go into nursing. No one ever made me feel like I was a traitor, or that I didn't belong with them since I wanted to do something else in the future. As a matter of fact, I think my biggest 'supporters' (other than my patients) are the nurses I worked with. Not only did they support my decision, they always provided me with lots of opportunities to learn and get practice. Nursing, is very very different than medicine. Its along the same lines, but its like comparing apples and oranges. I am extremely grateful for having had the opportunity to nurse before medicine because it gave me a very broad perspective about the health/illness continuum from a different outlook than I would have had from only medicine... The experiences I had working in Northern Ontario as a nurse, and what I have learned as a result- will definetely make me a better doc... not that docs aren't good if they weren't nurses..and not that nurses aren't as good as docs.. but being different, and looking at different aspects of a person's life- I have both those perspectives now. its hard to mesh the two! but I'm hoping in time to find my own grove! nursing, medicine.. we all want to help our patients/their families/whole communities. But as a physician, I can do it in a different way- not better or worse- just different. As far as I'm concerned, my journey as a physician started the day I started nursing school- it showed me the other side of the medal- now, I can work in a different capacity with different skills and responsibilities- for the rest of my carreer. I know a few nurses who went into medicine. There is no advantage being a nurse, nor are you less competitive. I wonder what the stats are for nurse-to-physician? wow.. rambling! that's it, I'm cutting myself off ! so sorry! I obviously still have to learn that 'charting a 10 min visit in 3 words or less ' skill ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nursius Maximus Posted July 9, 2007 Report Share Posted July 9, 2007 Hey Nat, this is an old post hopefully u r still around. Im a new grad ER RN and am luving it, this has led me to further my education as I luv the idea of enhancing my abilities. n e ways was wondering if u had n e insight to share please...cheers, nursius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuTURDOC Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 hi i'm a new grad and med school has been a lifelong dream. I just have a question for nurses applying or in med school. how did you complete your prereq's. i've been offer4ed a full time position and dont know how i will be able to juggle work and courses. any suggestions, how long did it take to complete your prereq's? thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nursius Maximus Posted August 3, 2007 Report Share Posted August 3, 2007 cool name, reminds me of star-trek or doctor who lol. Check out the BSN-MD thread... ive sent a few PM's and would gladly share some info when I hear back : ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citan Posted September 20, 2007 Report Share Posted September 20, 2007 I'm considering switching to nursing next semester...not that I find Animal iology boring or anything, but I find nursing closer to what I would like to experience during undergrad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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