Becoming a doctor after nursing

[sharebear003]

I am a senior in high school and my parents are making me be a nurse. I didn't really have much of a direction and so, even though I don't want to be a nurse, I had no other choice really. My parents are also the kind of people who will just drag me down after like 5 years in school and discourage me. Now I'm thinking maybe I should have done medicine. But then again, how can I be a doctor when I don't want to be a nurse? Also, I'm held back by the idea that medical school and being a physician may be too hard for me.

I am in AP Bio and I have maintained an 85 so far, unweighted. But it is very hard and I have gotten a few 70's. Thanks to God I haven't failed so far and I got a 91 on the midterm but that may be because I looked studied the previous tests and many of the questions on the midterm were repeats from previous ones. It is one of the hardest classes offered at our school and many of my classmates are failing or close to failing. I am also taking AP Lit, AP Gov and politics, College Calculus (which is dumbed down for us; I have a 91) and college level Spanish. I have avoided advanced sciences and math until this year because I didn't think I could handle them. Regular Chem and Physics were tough but ended with A- in both and have gotten A's in all my classes except in honors geometry which I got an 87 in.

My plan (and this could be a map for many people like me) is if I do decide to go to medical school I'd work as a nurse in an ICU after completing a fellowship which will take like 2 and 1/2 years. So I'll be what- 24, 25. Then I'd have to take post bacc courses which will take like another year. So I'd join med school at like 26, 27 and graduate at like 30 or 31. Then let's say a residency takes 4 years. I like radiology but there are so many hoops to jump through and I also like noninvasive cardiology but I'd probably have to open up my own practice and do hospitals need noninvasive cardiologists? So basically I'd be an actual doctor at like 35. This is also kind of scary since I'd have spent my golden 20's in school.

What do y'all think of this? Am I in over my head? Is this completely ridiculous? I mean at the end of it I'd only have a degree (albeit a beautiful and powerful one) and I probably have no family of my own which I really would like.

tl;dr

should I go to med school after nursing when I'm a self described slightly above average high school student who is unsure if medicine is right for them?

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[Dr. Death]

Go to college, be successful, become more independent, spend time shadowing different fields to decide what you want to do, make decision based on what will make you happy, not your parents.

 

[yeasureyoubetcha]

Tell your parents to bugger off. Its your life not theirs. If your end goal is med school, do med school. Otherwise its an opportunity cost

 

[sharebear003]

Tell your parents to bugger off. Its your life not theirs

I tried that as a joke and they were so pissed off they didn't speak to me so that's not an option. Also I'm afraid to do something against their advice and end up regretting it.

 

[Dr. Death]

Tell your parents to bugger off. Its your life not theirs

This was my first thought too. But I'm guessing OPs parents are financially invested in OP right now. Also stab in the dark but it seems like parents like these are usually from another culture.

 

[NickNaylor]

I am a senior in high school and my parents are making me be a nurse.

That's your problem right there. Your parents aren't "making you" do anything unless they're dragging you handcuffed to your classes. Once you are in college and an adult, you can do whatever you want with your life. They might have preferences or ambitions for you, but ultimately it is you that is going to live your life, not them, and will have to live with the consequences of the choices you make. Easier said than done, of course, because standing up to your parents can be difficult. But ultimately it's your choice, and you should make that known to them. Again, I know this is easier said than done.

Do whatever it is you want to do and pursue it to the fullest. Why you would do something that your parents are "making" you do - in addition to the time and effort spent on what is essentially a wasted endeavor - is beyond me. If you want to be a physician, then do that. Don't spend the limited time you have on this earth to pursue things that you aren't interested in for the sake of pleasing others that will bear absolutely none of the repercussions of those choices. That's a formula for failure and dissatisfaction.

 

[sharebear003]

That's your problem right there. Your parents aren't "making you" do anything unless they're dragging you handcuffed to your classes. Once you are in college and an adult, you can do whatever you want with your life. They might have preferences or ambitions for you, but ultimately it is you that is going to live your life, not them, and will have to live with the consequences of the choices you make.

Do whatever it is you want to do and pursue it to the fullest. Why you would do something that your parents are "making" you do - in addition to the time and effort spent on what is essentially a wasted endeavor - is beyond me. If you want to be a physician, then do that. Don't spend the limited time you have on this earth to pursue things that you aren't interested in for the sake of pleasing others that will bear absolutely none of the repercussions of those choices. That's a formula for failure and dissatisfaction.

But... but... I really can't just ignore them because I'm terrified of doing something against their wishes and end up regretting it and wishing I listened to the,. Besides, they're paying for my college so...

 

[NickNaylor]

But... but... I really can't just ignore them because I'm terrified of doing something against their wishes and end up regretting it and wishing I listened to the,. Besides, they're paying for my college so...

Well my friend, this is part of becoming in an independent adult. It's hard. You can ignore them - again, they're not going to drag you in chains to your nursing courses. It may be difficult, it may result in drama and strife, but there isn't anything preventing you from doing it apart from your fear of doing so.

 

[sharebear003]

This was my first thought too. But I'm guessing OPs parents are financially invested in OP right now. Also stab in the dark but it seems like parents like these are usually from another culture.

Wow how did you know? Yeah they're Indian. I know Indian parents usually force their kids to be doctors but my parents weren't smart with their money and now they need me to be financially independent from them. :/

 

[NickNaylor]

Wow how did you know? Yeah they're Indian. I know Indian parents usually force their kids to be doctors but my parents weren't smart with their money and now they need me to be financially independent from them. :/

Then if anything, they should want you to become a physician. Financially speaking, you will do well either way as an RN or MD/DO, but the earning potential of the latter is orders of magnitude greater than the former.

 

[yeasureyoubetcha]

Wow how did you know? Yeah they're Indian. I know Indian parents usually force their kids to be doctors but my parents weren't smart with their money and now they need me to be financially independent from them. :/

So why would you do something they're pushing you into with your own money?

 

[sharebear003]

I really shouldn't have started off with that sentence lol.. Could you guys please give me your opinions of my plan and whether u think I'm cut out for med school? Thank you

 

[Dr. Death]

I really shouldn't have started off with that sentence lol.. Could you guys please give me your opinions of my plan and whether u think I'm cut out for med school? Thank you

We can't really decide that for you and here's why.
A. You haven't taken prereqs and aren't even halfway through college to guage GPA (AP classes often don't count for med school prereqs)
B. You aren't even close to taking the MCAT
C. You have no meaningful EC activities that med schools will care about
D. You've never shadowed a physician to even know for sure if that's what you want to do.

 

[sharebear003]

We can't really decide that for you and here's why.
A. You haven't taken prereqs and aren't even halfway through college to guage GPA (AP classes often don't count for med school prereqs)
B. You aren't even close to taking the MCAT
C. You have no meaningful EC activities that med schools will care about
D. You've never shadowed a physician to even know for sure if that's what you want to do.

Wow I'm crying right now. This isn't fair we shouldn't have to decide the rest of our lives in the 12th grade :/

 

[yeasureyoubetcha]

we shouldn't have to decide the rest of our lives in the 12th grade :/

I didn't

I'm 4 years out of undergrad, working full-time and I decided medical school was the path for me in Nov 2014

 

[MedicaMagus]

To be fair...you don't really have to decide the rest of your life in the 12th grade. It just seems like it right now.

 

[NickNaylor]

Wow I'm crying right now. This isn't fair we shouldn't have to decide the rest of our lives in the 12th grade :/

No, that's exactly what @Dr. Death is saying - it's too early to even get into this discussion. Asking if you're "cut out" for med school based on your performance in an AP class is useless. You haven't even started college yet. You don't need to "decide the rest of your life" right now. One of the major jobs of your time in college is to determine what you're fulfilled by, what kinds of things offer the former, and how to go about pursuing those paths. Get into college, do as well as you possibly can during the first year academically, then start making these decisions. Right now you should focus on graduating high school and picking a college.

 

[sharebear003]

I didn't

I'm 4 years out of undergrad, working full-time and I decided medical school was the path for me in Nov 2014

Well that's great. How did that affect your social life- I mean were you able/ want to/are you going to start a family?

 

[Pagan FutureDoc]

Wow I'm crying right now. This isn't fair we shouldn't have to decide the rest of our lives in the 12th grade :/

You don't have to decide anything in high school. Go to college, take a year or two to figure out what you want to do with your life.
Many students change their majors once they get in college.

Take predominantly general Ed classes your first year or two that way you are making progress towards a degree without committing to one.

 

[sharebear003]

You don't have to decide anything in high school. Go to college, take a year or two to figure out what you want to do with your life.
Many students change their majors once they get in college.

Take predominantly general Ed classes your first year or two that way you are making progress towards a degree without committing to one.

Is that possible when you're on the nursing school path? Isn't nursing school like really tailored to preparing students to become nurses?

 

[yeasureyoubetcha]

Well that's great. How did that affect your social life- I mean were you able/ want to/are you going to start a family?

No major implications to the social life. I was lucky that my undergrad major had all of the pre-medical pre-requisites within it. 2015 was busy cramming MCAT stuff, volunteer, shadowing, and applications. I still went out and hung out with friends during this process. Of course, I intend to start a family, just not now. There is a balance to be struck.

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

But then again, how can I be a doctor when I don't want to be a nurse?

Nurses and doctors do totally different things! So not wanting to be a nurse or not feeling cut out for nursing doesn't really say anything about your chances of becoming a doctor. And pretty much nothing you've done in high school says anything about your chances either.

Choose a college that YOU (not your parents) feel is a good fit for you. When you get there, take a bunch of classes that interest you. Throw in some sciences, if you want, but also try some new things. That's the point of college--to find out what you're interested in. You don't need to start doing this immediately when you get there, but eventually, try shadowing some doctors, nurses, PAs, if you're still interested in health care. Don't stress yourself out trying to make a decision now when you haven't even seen what these careers entail!

And stop worrying about doing something you'll regret. It happens to everyone. Part of growing up and becoming independent from your parents is taking responsibility for your own choices. It can be scary but even if you make mistakes, I think it's better to know that they're YOUR mistakes, your choices. You'll be fine, OP.

 

[TallPreMed]

If you're handling your college finances then it's up to you to decide what you want to do. You probably aren't doing something right if you aren't pissing someone off. Go to school, take your classes- take premed courses if you want. Your parents won't have access to your grades unless you give written permission. So say you're taking nursing classes and take the very basics- bio, micro, ochem etc etc.

If you take that route please realize that your parents will find out and they will NOT be happy... not only that, but you will probably change your major at some point in college. I had four different majors and my career aspirations ranges from Doctor to nurse to college basketball coach to... Having no idea what I wanted to do, I just wanted my bachelors! So I did that, graduated, worked crazy hours right out of college, then got into retail management and despised every minute of it, then got into healthcare and love every minute of it. So just chill, go to college and enjoy yourself. You're only 18-24 once

 

[Med Ed]

tl;dr

should I go to med school after nursing when I'm a self described slightly above average high school student who is unsure if medicine is right for them?

This is fairly simple to address.

Step 1: Tell your parents whatever they want to hear.
Step 2: Go to a decent college/university.
Step 3: Do whatever you want.

 

[raiderette]

One of my closest friends has a similar situation. Her parents won't pay for school if she doesn't go to school for certain majors. It is either obey or quit school, get a job or go into the military, and wait until she is an independent student. So she is doing what they want and making the best of it.
That being said, you can certainly be a doctor after being a nurse. If you do the ICU/critical care route, you can also do NP and Nurse Anesthetist. The non-traditional forums have plenty of people that did both. A few even took the pre-reqs to be a doctor while taking a little longer to get through nursing so you have the option of taking the MCAT and going straight to med school. You will have some questions that will be asked in the interview, though, about why you didn't choose nursing.

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

Is that possible when you're on the nursing school path? Isn't nursing school like really tailored to preparing students to become nurses?

Yes, the point of nursing programs is to train future nurses. If you're not sure that nursing is what you want, I suggest you go to college and explore other fields before you settle on a major. You don't need to declare a major right away. I think college could be a really great experience for you, OP--good chance to gain some independence from your family and start deciding what it is that you want. Ultimately, if you decide you want to be a nurse, you can still do that--whether you major in nursing or not. There are plenty of direct entry nursing programs out there that are designed for people who already have bachelor's degrees in other fields.

My advice: pick a college. Keep your options open. Try to talk things out with your parents but, if that doesn't work, remember that this is your future, not theirs. They may think they still know what's best for you but you're an adult now and it's time to start making decisions for yourself.

 

[JustAPhD]

What's scarier, disregarding your parents' wishes or spending your life in a career you hate?

 

[TBV]

:troll:

 

[Demosthenes1]

What's scarier, disregarding your parents' wishes or spending your life in a career you hate?

I can definitely say it's the former for most people in OP's position, same for mine.
@sharebear003 A lot of the advice is coming from upper-middle class American kids w/ parents that gave them a lot of room and told them to "follow their dreams" so their advice may be trash.
I'd suggest you go to medical school, you can get in w/ a BSN as long as you have a good MCAT score, solid ECs, and some campus work done.
As for as for the fear of burning your 20s in school, that's a fear for a lot of us. You just have to make time for yourself, and there will be a lot of time.

 

[eteshoe]

In all honesty, until you toughen up and learn to talk to your parents about your life goals - then you will be wrought with guilt and uselessly spinning your wheels. I had tough immigrant parents (I'm an immigrant as well) so I know what the pressure is like, however, you have to sit them down and really explain why this option is better for you. Make a powerpoint if you have to - and come up with an alternative major that would incorporate things you like and give you a solid outcome if you choose not to attend med school.

 

[Promethean]

Going to medical school requires getting a Bachelors degree (among many other things.) A BSN is an adequate degree that will not only allow you to apply to medical school, but a nursing education will give you a leg up on certain aspects of medical school. You don't have to be a biology major to go to medical school.

Don't get me wrong. Medicine and nursing are complimentary, but different disciplines. Going to nursing school isn't a watered down version of medical school. You will learn some of the same things, but you will learn some things that doctors don't, because it isn't part of what they do. It doesn't hurt to know more things than you need to.

I didn't get to start nursing school until my late 20s, because I didn't have anyone to support me while I was in school. I didn't apply to medical school until after I'd been a nurse for several years. I got in. You can, too, if it is something you want.

Don't worry about your whole life. Life is very long, and has many opportunities in it. Worry about doing well now, in the courses you are taking. Use your electives opportunities to take pre-reqs for medical school. Your mind may change several times along the way, but if you just do your best with whatever you are doing right now, you will be setting yourself up to have more opportunities and better choices in the future.

 

[futuredoc71]

Do what you want to do. You're parents will support you in all of your dreams if they are good parents. And if they don't, well then be an adult. Get a job while your in college. Apply for financial aid and pull your own weight. If you really want to be a doctor, you're plan makes no sense. Time to grow up.

 

[futuredoc71]

Wow I'm crying right now. This isn't fair we shouldn't have to decide the rest of our lives in the 12th grade :/

You have plenty of time to decide what you want to do! Find out what you like first. Take some classes in college and live a little. Life isn't a rush. You can slow down and enjoy it at your age.

 

[AlfonsTheGuru]

:troll:

no

 

[Im76at711]

I tried that as a joke and they were so pissed off they didn't speak to me so that's not an option. Also I'm afraid to do something against their advice and end up regretting it.

yea telling them off is a terrible idea. your parents are your parents. I would try to sit them down and tell them your viewpoints and listen to what they have to say. To be frank, I am usually used to it being the other way around. parents pushing kids INTO medicine. haha

EDIT: what state do you live in.