RN Going to Med school

[FCMike11]

Yeah we've seen this thread plenty times, what I am really wanting to do is lay out my degree plan for you guys and looking for some responses on how attractive it would be to med school.

Currently an RN working in ICU, already enrolled in a online BSN course at UT Arlington. No I didnt choose to be an RN with the intent on going to med school, I just applied and happen to get in, not really knowing what I wanted. So I fell in love with nursing and here I am.

I've done my homework, i've flipped CRNA, PA, & NP around as much as I possibly could, and it would be considerably less school/time to become a CRNA without as much debt overhead.....so let me be clear money is not my drive, I could make more in other avenues.

I think i've known the whole time my real desire....to become a doctor, I was just scared to say it out loud because of the time/devotion/debt tied to it, and now I have said it out loud (figuratively) I cant shut up, its pouring from my heart. At this point it would compromise who I am and i'm certain if I didnt attempt MD school I would always wonder what could of been.

So plan is to finish my BSN, then attend a post-bacc program(or just take the required sciences) and begin applying, and of course take the MCAT. I already know a handful of physicians personally so letters of recommendation wouldnt be an issue.

What do med schools think of you having a BSN as your undergrad? A plus considering the 3 or so years of healthcare exposure i've had, or a minus since I have trained in a different scope/pathway in the medical field?

This is already pretty long so i'll keep it at that in hopes of getting some responses, ALL comments/suggestions etc are welcome.....and would love to hear of other RN's thinking of med school or already there......if you read this thank you!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[myhandsarecold]

i think you have a great shot at getting in. the chance of getting into a med school right now is 50/50 (18000 matriculate out of 42000) so the odds are good. just maintain at least a 3.4 average and 28 MCAT and u're good to go; this will not assure u a spot at the competitive med schools but should be adequate for most. apply broadly to increase your chances even further including DO schools. you shouldnt have a problem fitting in med school and your healthcare experience will demonstrate commitment to patient care. there are 2 nurses in my class and our admissions committee make it a point to admit at least 1 nurse per year. goodluck

 

[FCMike11]

Thanks for the reply, a couple of questions I have still, what is the difference between me going to a post bacc program and just taking the pre-med sciences independently? An why in the world do post-bacc programs requires an mcat? Seems kinda backwards if I have still yet to take the classes that educate you in regards to the MCAT.

An since I will of had 2+ years of ICU experience around time of admissions, what type of volunteer/leadership (im removing healthcare exposure considering where I worked) do you think will be necessary to keep me competitive?

 

[myhandsarecold]

Thanks for the reply, a couple of questions I have still, what is the difference between me going to a post bacc program and just taking the pre-med sciences independently? An why in the world do post-bacc programs requires an mcat? Seems kinda backwards if I have still yet to take the classes that educate you in regards to the MCAT.

An since I will of had 2+ years of ICU experience around time of admissions, what type of volunteer/leadership (im removing healthcare exposure considering where I worked) do you think will be necessary to keep me competitive?

a bunch of the postbacc programs guarantee you an interview spot or actual first year position in med school upon completion and so they require the MCAT. Some of them want the MCAT as a screening tool for grad school instead of GRE. Some of them want the MCAT to see whether you will even have a chance of making it- to or passing medical school. A bunch of the programs don't require it because they either want your money, have no connections with med school, or just don't care. I doubt you need anymore volunteering/shadowing experience especially if you have physician coworkers that are willing to write you a letter. getting into med school isnt as hard as other people make it out to be. btw, 3.4 GPA and 28 MCAT put you somewhere between 10th to 20th percentile of all med school matriculants so you should aim to do better than that obviously give that you would be sort of nontraditional.

 

[FCMike11]

How could they expect you to have a decent mcat score if you have not completed the sciences? I almost feel i should just take them independently at TTU in lubbock, i know med admissions consider them as competitive.

Current undergrad gpa 3.0, im so focused now i WILL make straight A's for the remaining 2 years of my bachelors, an then quit work and 100% focus on the sciences.

Today i got a volunteer position as a tudor for boys and girls club, an also was approached by my prev RN school to teach the simulation lab, also plan to tudor 1st and 2nd year nursing students an assist with degree plans. Would this be ample in regards to the type of volunteer/leadership med schools are looking for?

 

[myhandsarecold]

How could they expect you to have a decent mcat score if you have not completed the sciences? I almost feel i should just take them independently at TTU in lubbock, i know med admissions consider them as competitive.

Current undergrad gpa 3.0, im so focused now i WILL make straight A's for the remaining 2 years of my bachelors, an then quit work and 100% focus on the sciences.

Today i got a volunteer position as a tudor for boys and girls club, an also was approached by my prev RN school to teach the simulation lab, also plan to tudor 1st and 2nd year nursing students an assist with degree plans. Would this be ample in regards to the type of volunteer/leadership med schools are looking for?

i dunno, i personally think that the volunteering and leadership stuff that med schools make you do is really more for people like me who went straight to med school from college and consequently have not had significant life experiences. you, having been in the hospital setting and ICU, would be able to demonstrate leadership and first hand experience in attending to stressful situations, showing compassion, responsibility (hopeful your employment record is spotless because anything bad during your time here would obviously be REDFLAG!). if you have any more questions, you should probably sit down with admissions people at your closest med school and they will probably be okay with being more open about your chances. right now, it's busy since it's interview season, but later in the year or in spring, they could probably tell you about what type of people they have admitted before and specifically, how many nurses, people with previous healthcare careers... The MCAT stuff, well, there are some school that actually do not require the MCAT (believe, there are special programs out there that exist, you need to do a very extensive google search and talk to the premed advisor in the university where you will be doing your postbacc; however, most of the time there is a catch to having the MCAT waived). you can also study independently and take practice tests or take a commercial review course since you're going to be spending all that time and money anyway. TTU at Lubbock? never heard about them, ask if it would leave to a guaranteed spot to TTU med school. there are also special dual degree programs that give you a BS-MD pathway.

 

[FCMike11]

Shouldn't of abbreviated it, Texas Tech University. I guess for now I am doing all I can do, still feels odd continuing nursing courses for now, but its all about the finish line, hard to consider either way with the convenience of an online program and halfway through my bachelors. I mean there really isnt anyway adn + year of prereqs and the required science courses for med school could compile up to a degree, right?

 

[myhandsarecold]

Shouldn't of abbreviated it, Texas Tech University. I guess for now I am doing all I can do, still feels odd continuing nursing courses for now, but its all about the finish line, hard to consider either way with the convenience of an online program and halfway through my bachelors. I mean there really isnt anyway adn + year of prereqs and the required science courses for med school could compile up to a degree, right?

cant you do an online accelerated BSN + minor in biology? or some sort of minor where you can take the science courses?

 

[FCMike11]

That would be best for me really, considering a less than great undergrad gpa, I would have an additional 1.5 years of classes to boost it. So declaring a minor I just have to have those classes completed before I finish my online bachelors, right? So I'd have to quit working earlier and just do them simultaneously the sciences at a university. My only question...do you have to take the sciences at the university you are doing your bsn...because I'm certain I can't take classes like orgo 1/2 online etc.

 

[TheGrand]

I would just like to pop in and say that your situation is very similar to mine, albeit a few years behind. I'm currently a nursing student with less than a year away (Graduating at May 2012) and I'm also thinking about medical school. I already have a guaranteed spot for an online RN-BSN program so that's out of the way. I'm also interested in working in an ICU setting.

Can I pick your brains for a second? Is it possible to do the online RN-BSN program while doing, maybe 1-2 class a semester and working full time or is it too much? This would be basing on your experience in doing the online program. I'm planning on doing the science prerequisites while finishing the online RN-BSN program (w/c is approximately 1.5-2 years).

I'd very much appreciate it.

 

[Instatewaiter]

There are 3 kinds of "post-bacc" programs:
1) For those who have not taken any of the pre-recs. These do not require an MCAT and would be the kind of programs for which the OP is looking. You take the MCAT while in these programs.

2) For those who have finished the pre-recs, did poorly and need some grade remediation (undergrad). These often require an MCAT

3) For those who have finished the pre-recs, did poorly and are opting for graduate level courses. These are often called SMPs (special masters programs) and do not help to bring up your GPA.


I agree a 3.4 GPA and 28 MCAT is low. This is probably the average for DO schools. MD school averages run 3.7/31 currently.

What do med schools think of you having a BSN as your undergrad? A plus considering the 3 or so years of healthcare exposure i've had, or a minus since I have trained in a different scope/pathway in the medical field?

This is already pretty long so i'll keep it at that in hopes of getting some responses, ALL comments/suggestions etc are welcome.....and would love to hear of other RN's thinking of med school or already there......if you read this thank you!

Some say having a BSN is a huge plus while others say it is a negative. The only reason it would be a negative is because med schools don't like to poach nurses away from their work. It is more about stepping on toes. I personally think having a BSN would be a plus if you had a few years of clinical experience to go along with it. I had multiple nurses in my medical school class.