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Bacherlor of Science (Nursing) - BSc(N) at McGill to McGill Medical School

Zhivago

By Zhivago
in McGill Medical School

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Zhivago Newbie

Zhivago

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Hello,

 

A friend of mine is doing her 2nd degree in Bacherlor of Science (Nursing) - BSc(N) at McGill and doing great in it. Soon, she will have the required 60 credits completed for 2nd degree admission requirements at McGill medical school.

 

Are there any ex-nursing students in McGill's med school? Is this a good degree to apply with?

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Robin Hood Newbie

Robin Hood

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Hello,

 

A friend of mine is doing her 2nd degree in Bacherlor of Science (Nursing) - BSc(N) at McGill and doing great in it. Soon, she will have the required 60 credits completed for 2nd degree admission requirements at McGill medical school.

 

Are there any ex-nursing students in McGill's med school? Is this a good degree to apply with?

 

Something I found about McGill Nursing:

Ben McGill 80% de tes cours sont straightforward ( pharmaco, pathos, physiologie, anat , bio ect..) Ya les stages et dautre cours (genre soins palliatif, je suis aller a aucun cour, g rien lu et g eu un A, des amis a moi sont aller a tous les cours on tout lu et on eu B, c tellement subjectif) qui sont hyper subjectif. Mais en tout et pour tout tu peux avoir une super moyenne, mais c'est beaucoup de travail. ta a peu près 18 crédits par session so get ready.. mais moi j'ai beaucoup aimer, I enjoy science courses so its pretty cool. Chaque année y'a du monde qui rentre en med, mais je peux pas te dire si c'est plus facile de rentrer par soins inf ou par anatomie par exemple, faudrait voir les statistiques pour ca..

 

But can't you just ask him/her about how doable is it to get good grades? I have been wondering about this for a long time.

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Zhivago Newbie

Zhivago

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Something I found about McGill Nursing:

 

 

But can't you just ask him/her about how doable is it to get good grades? I have been wondering about this for a long time.

Well, from what I can see, it is VERY hard. A LOT of work. A LOT. But she enjoys it because she has always been very interested in health. If she doesn't get in medical school, she says she will still be very happy with nursing as a career.

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Robin Hood Newbie

Robin Hood

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a1b1 examined this option very carefully before opting for exercise science @ Concordia where he is a top student.

 

He asked about it here and got no answer, so why should he take the risk.

Also, Nursing may not be that rewarding CRU wise, a 4.0/4.3 gives 31 at Laval I think, which is borderline.

ES seems to be a good choice, and I hear some good feedback about OT/PT but there isn't much info about it here.

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a1b1 Newbie

a1b1

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He asked about it here and got no answer, so why should he take the risk.

Also, Nursing may not be that rewarding CRU wise, a 4.0/4.3 gives 31 at Laval I think, which is borderline.

ES seems to be a good choice, and I hear some good feedback about OT/PT but there isn't much info about it here.

 

If your goal is med and you want to get there through Nursing, make sure to evaluate all the pros and cons before making the decision.

 

When i was in cegep I was 100% set on going into nursing at mcgill. It offers a great back up plan in case I did not get into med (lets be realistic here, not everyone is going to make it, and I saw myself as someone who might not make it) and I figured I would enjoy the program since I am interested in the health care field.

 

However, through-out my DEC I started to notice some issues with the nursing program, issues which I never got the answers to. I contacted the admissions department and got a vague reply. I asked on this forum and no one could answer my questions. I contacted friends of friends and asked them questions and got ignored. Bottom line it was a risk, one that I was not willing to take.

 

On the other hand, I knew a couple of people who were in exercise science who told me that it was possible to do well if one puts in the hard work. Also, the exercise science program did not have the same problems as the nursing program does (or did). So at the end of the day I had to place my bets on the "safer" option, and im glad I did :).

 

Im not saying Nursing is a bad choice, and im not saying its a good choice either, but I strongly encourage you to evaluate all the details before taking this path.

 

When I was deciding between ES and Nursing back in cegep i made myself a list of pro's and cons and here are a few that I remember. ( Note : the exercise science section of this list is more concrete since I have now completed 1 year within this program, where as the information provided in the nursing section might not be entirely accurate, nonetheless I would advise you to investigate the issues mentioned below).

 

Exercise Science (the good)

- Hard work (30-40hrs of study per week) = good grades (>3.8/4.3)

- Program difficulty = moderate

- Teachers are very approachable

- Straightforward multiple choice exams

- Practical/Fun Labs

- Grading = Not subjective (except maybe labs... see below)

- Environment = friendly, to my knowledge no cut throat premeds, even thought everyone is aiming for some professional school (OT/PT/MD/Pharm/Dentistry e.t.c)

- Research opportunities : easily available

- Volunteering/Student involvements (ECs) : easily available

- Sources of help : easily available (learning lab, tutoring, office hours e.t.c)

- No problems with the program as far as 60/40 rule and 30 credits a year.

- If you pick your electives wisely, you can pretty much guarantee yourself an A+ with minimal work ( i.e INTE 290 )

 

Exercise science (the bad)

- Lab Exams : can sometimes be subjective, depends on the luck of the draw, this is only the case for CATA labs/252 (prescription).

- Loyola is far

- The volume is alot (expect to be studying non stop if you want your grades to be top of the line. As mentioned earlier the material is not complicated but the volume is tremendous)

- Exercise Physiology (the infamous course where only 2-3 people in 100 get an A-)

- Not much of a back up plan unless you get into a professional school or do a masters (some may not agree with me here).

 

I will also add the above section regarding the pros and cons of the ES program to the ES thread created by f_d.

 

 

Nursing (the good)

- Mcgill (reputation - this is a factor for some people)

- Back up plan : you will have a great job once you graduate and if you fail to get into med you can always work and eventually become a NP.

 

Nursing (the bad)

- Grading can be subjective

- The course load is intensive

- Summer courses (from what I remember, you have to do your internships during the summer)

- When you finally apply to med, you may or may not be asked why you are switching from nursing to med. With MMI's this is unlikely, but still, its something you may encounter.

- Program credit problem : from what i recall, in 1 year you have 29 credits, I have no idea how this is viewed by the admission departments. I recall contacting the nursing department and asking them if it would be possible to take an extra credit in order to get 30+, they replied that they would only grant this to students who are performing very well in the program, and even then they might not allow it. I would advise you to look into this matter, someone on this forum told me not long ago that this was no longer an issue, but you should look into this matter just to be safe.

- Program credit problem : you have a few courses that are 4 credit courses, I have no idea if med schools see this as 3 credit or as 4? From what I recall in 1 year you had 2 of these 4 credit courses, and if they were seen as 3 credits then you would once again end up with less than 30 credits for that year, in which case you fall back to the problem mentioned above.

- Courses : you have biochem, pharmacology, microbiology courses and e.t.c. Do not be fooled by the nursing names under which they are disguised. You will be taking some heavy science courses in which you may or may not perform well.

 

If any current nursing students have answers to some of these issues or would like to address some of these points, please feel free to give your input. I am still a bit curious about the answer to some of these unanswered questions.

 

In the end, all of these unanswered problems combined made me choose ES over Nursing.

 

 

Hope this helps,

 

Best of wishes

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Zhivago Newbie

Zhivago

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Does anyone has info about OT?

Careers in Occupational Therapy Fact Sheet

 

Becoming a registered occupational therapist (OT) in Canada is a fantastic choice. The knowledge and skills you acquire will enable you to take your career in many directions. Few work days are routine! If you are social, compassionate, patient, analytical and a problem solver, then you should seriously consider a career in occupational therapy.

 

What exactly does an occupational therapist do?

As an occupational therapist you help people to participate in the activities that are important to them regardless of their physical or mental ability. These activities may be work or school related or focused on self-care or leisure activities.

 

Hospitals, clinics and rehabilitation centres are traditional settings for occupational therapy. However, many OTs also work in the community where they can see first hand how and when the activities have to be performed.

For example…

 

Consulting in schools to help children with writing difficulties and other learning challenges.

Assisting seniors in their homes to manage independently and safely.

Using technology to enable young people to live independently after automobile or other accidents.

Assisting people with mental illness to learn necessary life skills, such as cooking, banking, etc.

Working for municipalities to make parks and recreational centres accessible to all.

Heading up disability management programs for large national corporations.

Estimating costs for future care in medical-legal disputes.

Travelling to Third-World countries to set up rehabilitation programs.

Researching the health effects of participation in meaningful occupations.

 

How much education is required?

To become a registered occupational therapist in Canada, you must have graduated from an accredited university program. There are 12 Canadian educational programs and each of their curricula includes the required 1000 hours of fieldwork training for accreditation. Some provinces require that you also pass the national certification examination.

 

Becoming an occupational therapist requires commitment and high marks are important. Most university programs require a grade point average of 70-75% along with a good understanding of occupational therapy.

 

Educational programs differ. Check each program’s admission criteria carefully. Doing so will also unveil differences in program approach, philosophy and other unique characteristics.

 

Current entry-level programs are offered at the undergraduate and Master’s level. Many people with an undergraduate degree in arts or science find the Master’s programs very attractive, particularly if they are already working in a health or rehabilitation setting.

 

If you do not feel you are university bound, you may wish to consider a related community college program and work as an assistant to an occupational therapist.

 

Is there a future in occupational therapy?

Canada’s healthcare system is in a state of flux, but the demand for occupational therapy services continues to grow. As an OT, you are not restricted to working in traditional hospital settings. In fact, over 50% of OTs work in the community - for schools, businesses, municipalities, home care programs and in private practice. Most provinces and territories report a shortage in occupational therapists.

 

What type of salary and benefits can I expect?

Salaries for new graduates usually begin at about $40,000 and can grow to more than double that amount depending on the position, as well as where and how an OT chooses to practise. Many entrepreneurial OTs enjoy healthy incomes. Other OTs have moved into related areas where the ceilings on salaries are much higher, particularly in management, administration or consultative positions.

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Legion Newbie

Legion

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^^^ Do you (or anyone else) know people with OT or PT degrees who got into med school?

 

When I looked at the requirements for Physiatry, it said previous clinical experience is preferred. So I'm just wondering if you would be at an advantage if you have a PT degree.

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Legion Newbie

Legion

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Not necessary. Go that route if you don't get in immediately. :)

 

Yea, that's what I'm thinking. I've read here that schools look more preferably at research-based graduate degrees compared to course-based (OT & PT). So I'm still doubtful about this route.

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Legion Newbie

Legion

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Course based would be fine but use this approach as a Plan B. Clinical experience is more meaningful than research in my humble opinion if you intend to deal with patients.

 

I agree. But the question is do adcoms think the same?

 

Research-based doesn't lead to a job.

 

Agreed. The good thing about MPT is a secure job after graduation. And you could just keep applying to med school while working full-time as a PT.

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Jurgen Newbie

Jurgen

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Hi,

I know 2 nurses who graduated from the BScN program at McGill and who got accepted the year following their graduation. One had 3.9 and the other had 3.6 of GPA.

I'm currently a BNI student at McGill, i.e. I'm already a nurse from cegep and just finished my first year of BNI at McGill. I have a 3.95/4.0 GPA. Anybody aware of BNI nurses being accepted to medicine at McGill in the past?

Thanks!

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Robin Hood Newbie

Robin Hood

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Hi,

I know 2 nurses who graduated from the BScN program at McGill and who got accepted the year following their graduation. One had 3.9 and the other had 3.6 of GPA.

I'm currently a BNI student at McGill, i.e. I'm already a nurse from cegep and just finished my first year of BNI at McGill. I have a 3.95/4.0 GPA. Anybody aware of BNI nurses being accepted to medicine at McGill in the past?

Thanks!

 

Do you know how they found it (like about subjectivity)?

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