Have Nursing Degree, eligible for med school?

[Guest Xtreme]

I will be graduating shortly from my Nursing program, giving me a Degree in Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

 

I was told by individuals in my class that it is possible to write the pre-med exam and be eligible to enter med school with this degree.

 

Is that so?

 

I'm new to the board, and have not been able to find any information to help me out in this regards.

 

I hope someone could lead me in the direct path!

Thanks.

[Guest Kirsteen]

**Edited to alter the MCAT month mistake--thanks aneliz.**

 

Hi there,

 

A nusing degree is just as good as any other undergraduate degree when applying to medical school in Canada. In fact, there are a number of nurses roaming around the board, and could comment more.

 

The "pre-med" exam that is being referred to is the MCAT. Two Canadian schools don't require it: McMaster and Ottawa. So, technically, you could apply to both this year (as long as you satisfy their other requirements) and be considered for entry in September 2004. (By the way, the application deadline is Oct. 15th, so hurry, if applying is an option for you this year.) If you wish to apply to any of the other Canadian schools (aside from the Northern Ontario Medical School, which won't supposedly require the MCAT, but for which applications will not be accepted until next year) then you'll have to take the MCAT. You can write it in either April or August of each year. Check out the AAMC site for more details.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest aneliz]

Unless something has changed, the MCAT is written in April or August (not October) of each year. You must write by the August prior to your application (ie August 2003 for Sept 2004 entry).

 

A nursing degree is as good as any other degree...provided that you maintained a full course load during your degree and have a decent GPA. The only thing to watch out for are pre-reqs. I am not sure how easy it is to get all of the med school pre-reqs into a BScN. At UWO the nursing students don't take chem or biochem and don't take a bio course with a lab either. This can be a problem for some schools that have fairly stringent pre-reqs. Check out each schools' requirements on the OMSAS website.

 

Good luck!

[Guest tappety tap]

Just to let you know... we have at least two nursing students in our class

[Guest Xtreme]

Thanks for all your replies.

 

I will look into each school and go from there.

 

I appreciate your time!

[Guest Lorae]

yup, that's what you have to do.

 

You'll find that each Canadian program has slightly different requirements... there isn't much consistency in their pre-requisites.

 

I am a nurse and am applying this year. I've taken additional courses in biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, and biochemistry, and I've written the MCAT. With this under my belt I am able to apply to 7 different schools.... There's still some schools that I don't meet the pre-requisites for, so I'm not able to apply to them

 

Your best bet is to research each school and determine what you need in order to apply.

 

Don't forget to take a look at McMaster. They have no prerequisites and no MCAT - so you could apply there right away (it's pretty competitive).

 

Also, pay close attention to the requirements for the school(s) in your own province. In most provinces, about 90% of the spots go to in-province applicants, so there isn't much left over for the out of province ones.

 

good luck

[Guest Xtreme]

I personally think I will need an extra year to upgrade my science/biology background.

 

I hope I don't have to, but I'll look into it.

 

Thanks alot!