Nursing degree or biology degree for pre med?

[3PQ29A]

Hello, I'm a currently a junior in college and I'm in quite the dilemma.

I've always wanted to be a physician and I've been on the track of a biology degree. I'm doing really well- 3.97 GPA, and have a year and a half to go (due to some scheduling problems.) I do a lot of medical volunteer work over seas, no research, but I got offered a job in a hospital as a CNA, so I can do that along with my bio degree.

Recently though, my friend just got her nursing degree and realized that she wanted to do medicine instead. She got into med school and is now on her way. She told me that instead of getting my biology degree, I should get a nursing degree and then apply to medical school. That way, if I don't get accepted I can become an NP or reapply and work as a nurse until I get into medical school. Where as if I didn't get accepted with my bio degree, I would be stuck doing research or teacher as a job (bleh!)

I know a lot of doctors who were once nurses, and they think it's a good idea as well. I would finish schooling the same time as I would with a biology degree, so I would graduate at the same time.

So I applied to nursing school and got in, and I start in June. But reading threads on here have got me worried. If I do nursing, is my dream of being a doctor out the window?

I know a couple people from adcoms and the ones I know don't have a problem with nurses trying to get into medical school. A degree in nursing I personally would prefer because these plant and animal classes are boring me to death! Plus, no matter what, I'd at least have a job that I'd enjoy and is making a difference in people's lives. But eventually if all fails I would shoot for NP.

But is this a bad idea? I plan on working a few years as a nurse before applying to med school. And I've finished all med school pre reqs but o Chem so I'm not worried about classes or scheduling!

Please help! Any advice appreciated

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[Mwooster]

Hello, I'm a currently a junior in college and I'm in quite the dilemma.

I've always wanted to be a physician and I've been on the track of a biology degree. I'm doing really well- 3.97 GPA, and have a year and a half to go (due to some scheduling problems.) I do a lot of medical volunteer work over seas, no research, but I got offered a job in a hospital as a CNA, so I can do that along with my bio degree.

Recently though, my friend just got her nursing degree and realized that she wanted to do medicine instead. She got into med school and is now on her way. She told me that instead of getting my biology degree, I should get a nursing degree and then apply to medical school. That way, if I don't get accepted I can become an NP or reapply and work as a nurse until I get into medical school. Where as if I didn't get accepted with my bio degree, I would be stuck doing research or teacher as a job (bleh!)

I know a lot of doctors who were once nurses, and they think it's a good idea as well. I would finish schooling the same time as I would with a biology degree, so I would graduate at the same time.

So I applied to nursing school and got in, and I start in June. But reading threads on here have got me worried. If I do nursing, is my dream of being a doctor out the window?

I know a couple people from adcoms and the ones I know don't have a problem with nurses trying to get into medical school. A degree in nursing I personally would prefer because these plant and animal classes are boring me to death! Plus, no matter what, I'd at least have a job that I'd enjoy and is making a difference in people's lives. But eventually if all fails I would shoot for NP.

But is this a bad idea? I plan on working a few years as a nurse before applying to med school. And I've finished all med school pre reqs but o Chem so I'm not worried about classes or scheduling!

Please help! Any advice appreciated

Try out nursing. When you apply you'll be nontrad and many schools would like that. Hey, quality paid clinical hours in the thousands before app. Just make sure your other ECs are strong too!

 

[bbca]

Lurked for a long time but signed up to answer this from the perspective of a nurse who now intends to go to medical school. Unless you plan to work as a nurse for a while (i.e. several years), stick with the bio (or anything other than nursing) degree. In fact, find a major that doesn't "bore you to death" and enjoy studying something non-medical. You've got years of that ahead of you. You can always go PA if med school doesn't work out (which is a better idea than NP). Nursing is really just not worth it unless you're actually planning to go non-trad. Also, if you haven't already done them, taking the pre-reqs while doing nursing may not work out because the nursing courses are inflexible (you can't pick the section that works around your other class times) and entire days get eaten up doing clinicals. Just my two cents.

 

[W19]

I agree with the above poster... If you don't plan to work for at least 2 years with your nursing degree, stick with the bio major...

 

[jl lin]

IDK, you can argue it a number of ways. As a pretty experienced RN, CCRN, I personally believe at least a good 3 years full-time as a clinical RN in an acute or critical care is more worth the while. That's really the time it takes to get from novice to more proficient--even if you are a fast learner, depending upon the area in which you work--say critical care. It will also give you more experience, insight, and funds. Otherwise, I am not sure the investment in time and money is worth it to go this route, and so getting a degree in say a science and getting some benchwork would be more worthwhile.

It's also going to be a challenge getting through the RN/BSN workload and doing all the med school pre-reqs as well as everything else--RN clinicals plus carrying the other work can be challenging--especially depending upon the school and your clinical professors/instructors. Some are just OK, and others are busty-b@lls. At my school, you get A's in everything, but if you didn't do well or couldn't handle dealing with the clinical instructor--some are more on the drill sergeant end of things, which isn't necessarily bad--you were out. The clinical courses can be weed-out.

Can you do it in less time, I supposed it's been done; but I say if you are going to do nursing, make it worth you while give and get something out of it.

There is also a feeling among people that getting a degree in nursing w/o a firm commitment to it may not be to your advantage for med school. Nurses that successfully entered into ms are generally those with a fair amount of experience that had a true commitment to it. I am sure this is not always the case, but it seems that it may be so in the general consensus. Again, I suppose that too can be argued. Personally, when I went to nursing school, it was b/c I wanted to be a nurse. I didn't really get why I like medicine more until working in critical care for a number of years.

 

[gmbz]

@jl lin hit the nail on the head. I am also a BSN/RN converted to MD. Once you have the hours in and the years working, you are gold in terms of experience and patient contact. However there are tradeoffs here. You need to be able to answer the question Why not NP or DNP? Why the career shift? I believe that these questions are completely fair game.

I have heard from many others who have walked the path before me that you need to be able to hop back down to the bottom of the ladder. Be prepared to stay there for a while! Best of luck to you OP!

 

[Mad Jack]

There's nothing wrong with getting the nursing degree. You'll have experience in the hospital and know what it's like to some extend. You'll have an edge on clinical skills when compared to your peers. If you have to take a gap year, you'll have a great income. Plus if med school doesn't work out, you'll have a degree that can actually get you a damn job, and one that opens a lot of doors if used properly at that.

 

[jl lin]

• [Tuition, fees, books and supplies for a traditional four-year bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) typically cost $40,000-$200,000 or more, depending on whether it is a public or private school and its reputation. Tuition, fees, books and supplies for an accelerated BSN program -- for students who have already earned a bachelor's degree in a non-nursing subject -- can cost$17,000-$90,000 or more.] NCLEX fees, continued licensing fees, certification fees (ACLS, PALS, NALs or the like + nominal cost for HCP-CPR). In my area, initial certification for ACLS, PALs, etc, are ~$300 each. CCRN test fees and such are $220 -$325, if you meet the specific area (ICU, PICU, NICU) eligibility requirements to sit for the certifying exams. These things add up. Not terrible, but then you have to maintain them and do the membership for discounts and such.

http://education.costhelper.com/nursing-school.html

Depending on the time-factor, it may not be worth it. You only learn so much is two years full-time, again, even if you are a quick learner and are interested and motivated--again, depending on which area you go into in nursing.

I say this knowing of too many BSNs that went or are going straight into NP or CRNA programs, and their level of knowledge sucks primarily b/c of lack of experience and the desire to study on their own, go through research, grow in knowledge and stay up-to-date. I mean it's better than nothing clinically speaking, but not sure it's worth it if one is planning to push ahead directly into medicine. Better to volunteer or work as an emergency department tech while working toward a research lab position, depending upon where you want to apply--MD vs. DO.

 

[dwgrubbs1s]

As someone who is a BSN graduate currently finishing up a few pre reqs to apply to medical school, I would say no. From the start of nursing school I wanted to eventually become an NP because I thought that I had no chance at being MD/DO. (Screwed off first few years of college and had about a 3.3 GPA). Once I got into nursing school I kicked ass and did really well which helped my GPA but by my third semester I realized it was nothing more than glorified social work a lot of times. I am currently working on a CPC floor while going back to school. It is nice to have a little money but if I had it to do over again I would've buckled down, not listened to other people, and went with a biology/biomedical sciences degree. I absolutely love every bit of the pre req classes I am taking. I am very passionate about science and what happens at a molecular level. This helps studying and learning the material. By going the nursjng route I had a lot of good clinical experience and have an idea of how hospitals work, however I sacrificed a lot of opportunities to get into any research or things of that nature. I am still currently trying to find some research work to help round my application and become more of a "scientist". My advixe, which may not mean much, is to go get the biology degree. You have a good GPA and if you buckle down and work your ass off on undergraduate classes and do well on MCAT I would assume you would stand a good chance at most MD schools. (Probably a few top tier ones that would be difficult to get into just because everyone has really high GPAs there I would assume). Work as a CNA and make some money during undergraduate but don't do nursing just as a back up plan. If you are like me and really enjoy science and applying it medically, you probably won't like nursing school.

 

[jl lin]

As someone who is a BSN graduate currently finishing up a few pre reqs to apply to medical school, I would say no. From the start of nursing school I wanted to eventually become an NP because I thought that I had no chance at being MD/DO. (Screwed off first few years of college and had about a 3.3 GPA). Once I got into nursing school I kicked ass and did really well which helped my GPA but by my third semester I realized it was nothing more than glorified social work a lot of times. I am currently working on a CPC floor while going back to school. It is nice to have a little money but if I had it to do over again I would've buckled down, not listened to other people, and went with a biology/biomedical sciences degree. I absolutely love every bit of the pre req classes I am taking. I am very passionate about science and what happens at a molecular level. This helps studying and learning the material. By going the nursjng route I had a lot of good clinical experience and have an idea of how hospitals work, however I sacrificed a lot of opportunities to get into any research or things of that nature. I am still currently trying to find some research work to help round my application and become more of a "scientist". My advixe, which may not mean much, is to go get the biology degree. You have a good GPA and if you buckle down and work your ass off on undergraduate classes and do well on MCAT I would assume you would stand a good chance at most MD schools. (Probably a few top tier ones that would be difficult to get into just because everyone has really high GPAs there I would assume). Work as a CNA and make some money during undergraduate but don't do nursing just as a back up plan. If you are like me and really enjoy science and applying it medically, you probably won't like nursing school.

Hmmm interesting. I would not say that my role/functioning as a critical care RN as been more like a social worker. Truth be told, it's often like you are a bit of everything; but remember too, in critical care we are taking a few or one patient and reading & honing in on many things--labs down to the minute repeated, hemodynamics and responses w/ inotropic agents or other agents, monitoring function and response of say IABP (In the old days we used to have to time them ourselves, but now they self-time.), constant review of various blood gases (not necessarily just arterial), and effects on them by way of mechanical ventilation or other medications and such. There is a ton of close up, anal-retentive-based monitoring and evaluation constantly going on, and that is really the purpose for a patient to be in an ICU in the first place.

So in these areas, if you are not a close analyzer, you will not like it or be good at it. While there are always social and family dynamics, especially so with critically ill kids, I've really had to be focused on priorities of monitoring, analysis, responses, f/u, etc. You have less patients, but it's more intense, more involved, and it's a very anal retentive environment for what has to be seen as necessary reasons. As such, you are also constantly working in a fishbowl and have be OK with it. If you can't deal with people breathing down your throat and watching every jot and tittle, it's going to be utter hell. And when these kids are sick, you really won't have a lot time for social work, but you must be open to constant family presence and family-centered care. In fact, in most of the units I have worked, each had it's own social worker.
But again, I am mostly relating my experiences from my particular area of nursing.

 

[3PQ29A]

If I did a nursing degree I would definitely work a couple of years before applying to med school, and I would complete my remaining pre reqs while working as a nurse. Not in nursing school.

But a lot of you are suggesting that I continue my bio degree. In that case, would working as a CNA be beneficial? Also, what ECs are medical schools looking for? I've done a lot of shadowing and I work in clinical settings overseas frequently. Is that enough?
And last question, if I get my bio degree and get rejected from med school, how competitive are accelerated nursing programs? I'm just worried that I'll be jobless, where as right now a job as a nurse is right there in front of me.

 

[futuremdforme]

You're doing great in bio. Why would you complicate things? Just try to go straight through.

 

[esob]

You might want to check the med school prereq's too. I was surprised when I recently looked at TMDSAS prereq's that they essentially exclude all "pre-health professsion" classes

 

[NoTownPreMed]

From an RN perspective, I'd say stick with your bio degree if your main goal is to become a physician. I say this because going the RN route is such an investment in time and money.

 

[jl lin]

I will say that if you go into the right areas working as a RN, clinically speaking, the experience would be quite helpful in terms of getting a flavor of things--direct clinical hours--as opposed to saying later on, "What the hell did I get into?" But it's a mixed and complicated bag, and in terms of time and money, it may not at all be worth it, particularly if you only plan to work in it for a year or two.

 

[cabinbuilder]

I would say don't do either. Do a degree that you enjoy and add in the pre-req science classes. If I had to do it again I would have been an English major with the pre-req's. Nursing is a whole different degree and you should do it nursing is your passion. You do not have to have a biology degree to go to med school.

 

[theblondefutureMD]

Hi, I am seventeen years old and half way is done with my first year of community college while still attending high school. I plan on becoming a surgeon and attending medical school, however, the things that I hear about getting accepted terrifies me but also keeps me well motivated. My community college is free and I was wondering if I should go ahead and complete and associates degree in nursing and then go to a senior college to get my degree in biology and then attend medical school. Is this a good idea or should I just stay on track of getting my associates in medicine and then bachelor in biology and then med school?

 

[Weirdy]

Hi, I am seventeen years old and half way is done with my first year of community college while still attending high school. I plan on becoming a surgeon and attending medical school, however, the things that I hear about getting accepted terrifies me but also keeps me well motivated. My community college is free and I was wondering if I should go ahead and complete and associates degree in nursing and then go to a senior college to get my degree in biology and then attend medical school. Is this a good idea or should I just stay on track of getting my associates in medicine and then bachelor in biology and then med school?

A nursing degree does not help you unless you want to be a nurse.

1) Finish non-science cores in community college
2) Transfer to 4 year university. Take sciences and upper level science electives (or major in a marketable degree you actually want and take pre-reqs at the same time. Biology degrees are useless in the real world)
3) Take MCAT and apply

Non-traditional students usually means older students or career changers.

Consider posting your question in the pre-med thread.

 

[esob]

Don't do your core sciences at CC, just take the general stuff such as history and govt.

 

[coppernickel]

I say stick to biology. From being an ER tech/CNA, I know there are doctors who were nurses, and it'll be certainly helpful as a doctor to have that experience and will also make residency better (plus you will know your specialty of choice by then).

But: new nurses I see really have SO much on their plate in the beginning. It has been fascinating to watch them come in, be on orientation, learn, and then get set free in the ER. I'm about their age, and I totally admire them for it, willing to help as much as possible, too. But I see that they have a mountain ahead of them, and then they are eventually competent and then they become confident. It is a process that definitely takes more than a year. The thing is, I think this is a similar process that PAs and new residents go through too. You have to get used to a whole lot of things, tasks, procedures, documentation rules, people, etc. Why go through that twice? On top of that, it'll be hard to juggle premed prereqs and work, and definitely the MCAT and work. MCAT prep is no joke, takes up whole days. I can see how you could do 3 12 hour shifts, and then use the rest of your week. But it'll be really tough.

My recommendation: Finish up biology strong. Do all your premed reqs now. Challenge yourself with higher level bio/biochem. Take the MCAT with all the college studying still fresh in your head. Then, if you want to be a nontrad, then do whatever you want, because you have completed all the tough stuff for your app. The priority of your efforts and attention should go to what you know for sure you want. If you're worried about money during the gap years, that's another issue entirely though.