RN to MD Progress/Support Thread

[Hatfield0429]

Congratulations on med school! It's awesome to hear that it's possible because I already feel a lot of pushback from people with the whole "why not NP/CRNA? thing. Were you able to find an RN job for a "new grad" that was just a 24hr/wk? That's really my biggest concern because doing even one lab science class with a full-time 3 12s/week will be hard with scheduling lab + lecture. Thanks!

I’m not the one you were replying to, but I personally started an LLC to work with a local agency. I picked up shifts that fit with my schedule.

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[Cecnok]

Hi everyone,
I'm an RN and I'm starting my career changer post-bac program next week. Classes are online for the time being, and only three days a week. In my mind, it seems like I should have adequate time to balance both working three 12s (night shift) while taking my classes, but obviously I won't know until I start. I know some people have done this per this thread, but I just wanted to see if anyone else could share their experience working while taking courses full time. I'm taking gen chem 1 and calculus this summer, if that matters. Thanks!

I did this! I was working a modified full time (2 12s every other week) and it was still hard. Especially being on night shift. Labs took up a LOT of time that I felt I really needed to study. I got a lot of As but also a few Bs. My school was using the quarter system when I started too and that made the courses fly by. Anyways, I eventually slowed down from 3 courses a quarter to 2, then 1. I got all As after slowing down. I felt so much better after pacing myself and taking the pressure off of getting it done quickly. Now I’m working per diem while studying for the MCAT. I also think it’s important for us to get our volunteer experiences in. It was impossible for me to do until I slowed down. Not to discourage you, I actually think is very doable. You’ll just have to work hard. Find study resources that make it easier to learn info when your professor doesn’t (that was Khan academy for me). Assess your mental health as you go, and slow down if needed. Hindsight for me, I’d have just taken 2 classes at a time and tried to get all As. Good luck on your post bac!

 

[DO_or_Die]

Hi everyone,
I'm an RN and I'm starting my career changer post-bac program next week. Classes are online for the time being, and only three days a week. In my mind, it seems like I should have adequate time to balance both working three 12s (night shift) while taking my classes, but obviously I won't know until I start. I know some people have done this per this thread, but I just wanted to see if anyone else could share their experience working while taking courses full time. I'm taking gen chem 1 and calculus this summer, if that matters. Thanks!

I bumped down to part time and then by the time of MCAT study/volunteering/applying I went completely PRN. I'm sure there are many that did all of this with children/working full time but for me there was no way I could maintain a 4.0, retain the information and do it all while working full time. I think you should do what you're doing and see how it's working but if your grades start to slip you'll need to reevaluate and it would be good to talk to your manager sooner rather than later. My manager knew since the beginning and was very accommodating.

 

[hanfutdoc]

Alright guys here is the burning question:

does a formal post bacc give you an advantage??? Is it worth the money??

 

[peepof5]

How's everyone doing?! Who else is applying this cycle?

 

[gramnegative]

I'm rooting for you. I had a successful cycle last year and if you have any questions, please reach out.

 

[FCMike11]

Oh wow, haven't posted here in awhile. I am a a first year internal medicine resident. I worked before medical school for ~7 years and continued working throughout (starting at the end of first year). Glad to share anything that might be helpful

 

[gramnegative]

I'm an incoming M1. How was working through school? Was it worth it? I've debated it, especially if I could find a job as a research RN or something more chill.

 

[Ganon]

Starting M4 now!

I'm an incoming M1. How was working through school? Was it worth it? I've debated it, especially if I could find a job as a research RN or something more chill.

Not the poster above, but I worked some to help with COVID. Working during third year SUCKS.

 

[sunshinefl]

I worked for 1.5 years, and quit halfway through M2.

I don’t recommend it. I think it hurt my grades and Level 1. I wouldn’t do it again. It’s just not worth it in the long run. There’s only so much time and energy in the world.

 

[FCMike11]

I'm an incoming M1. How was working through school? Was it worth it? I've debated it, especially if I could find a job as a research RN or something more chill.

If you are determined to work, I’d recommend not working during first year just to get a sense of what kind of time you actually need for studying (I found it varied from person to person greatly). Then after first year make an intelligent decision. If you don’t have to I’d err on recommending not. I didn’t have a choice but to work, drop out, or join the military. I loved working throughout - sure clinical application was cool to myself growing, but mostly I loved having a place where I was a professional and not a student for a bit.

Also what I will say is I went to a pass/fail very mental-health focused school. This helped GREATLY. My school is associated with my residency and one of my coresidents (from elsewhere) has been really blown away by the support.

 

[Ganon]

It is seen as uncouth to talk about money as a med student but… bear in mind that a 40 year career as a physician is like worth in excess of 8 million dollars in income on the VERY conservative side.

Be very careful risking that for the hope of earning ~50k working as an RN prn or part time for a few years or something. It can be done safely, but there is always a cost.

that’s my advice!

 

[ToliBro]

Starting classes for pre-reqs in the fall. Discussing our plans for life with wife has been rather stressful as she has some strong opinions about location that may or may not work out, but I'm so relieved to finally be at the point of committing to this. Hope to be joining y'all in matriculation in a few years

 

[emily74]

Hi everyone!
I'm so glad I found this thread. I am a new-grad RN (graduated this May) based in Boston looking for some advice. I've know I've wanted to go to med school since my 3rd year of nursing school, but decided to stick through it because it was too late to change paths. While I do love nursing and really enjoyed my experience in nursing school, I always knew that the education I was getting was not sufficient enough for me. This summer, I applied to a formal post-bacc program (Tufts) but was denied. I have a couple pre-reqs done from undergrad (Chem 1/2, Calc 2), and have AP credits for Bio and Physics (but I would probably want to retake those courses, right?). My undergrad GPA was a 3.61 and I worked as a PCA for 3 years in nursing school.

What I'm wondering now is how I should continue. Because I was rejected from the formal program, I am planning on taking pre-req courses part-time at Harvard Extension School while working as an RN. I've been applying to a lot of jobs, mostly outpatient/office jobs because I'm not sure I can handle working full-time on a med-surg floor as a new grad while also taking classes. Here are my questions:
1. Will only working "easy" outpatient or office nurse jobs be frowned upon by ADCOMS? Should I try to attain some acute care experience?
2. How many classes should I be taking while working 36-40 hours a week? Should I take more classes and work less if I am trying to apply to medical school ASAP?
3. Is there a certain order in which I should take my pre-reqs? Should I retake the classes that I received AP credit in?
4. Realistically when should I start studying for the MCAT? I'm honestly feeling so burnt out right now from studying for the NCLEX straight for 4 weeks haha

If anyone has any experience with this, I would reallllly appreciate some guidance. I'm feeling pretty lost right now . Thank you in advance for your help

 

[Ganon]

1. Will only working "easy" outpatient or office nurse jobs be frowned upon by ADCOMS? Should I try to attain some acute care experience?
2. How many classes should I be taking while working 36-40 hours a week? Should I take more classes and work less if I am trying to apply to medical school ASAP?
3. Is there a certain order in which I should take my pre-reqs? Should I retake the classes that I received AP credit in?
4. Realistically when should I start studying for the MCAT? I'm honestly feeling so burnt out right now from studying for the NCLEX straight for 4 weeks haha

This is just my opinion, I am not an expert and am only qualified as a peer:

1. Your RN job should help inform your "why I wanna' be a doc" question. That could relate to outpatient medicine just fine. Out of a huge # of interviews, almost none asked about my RN experience (crazy, right?). Any job is fine, but find one that works with why you wan't to be a doc/exposes you to the pathology and patients you like.

2. As many as you can earn A's on. a few B's are okay, but in general you want mostly A's and that should guide you. Also your stress level/ability to function/mental health etc. but you know all that.

3. Take them in the logical order: Gen chem/Bio, then biochem/organic, physics whenever etc. As for retakes, check with the med schools you're eyeing and see if your AP classes work. That might be school-specific. I didn't have AP credits so maybe someone else can chime in here.

4. Once you've completed your prerequisites. Don't sit for the test until your practice tests are consistently where you want them.

 

[peepof5]

Hi everyone!
I'm so glad I found this thread. I am a new-grad RN (graduated this May) based in Boston looking for some advice. I've know I've wanted to go to med school since my 3rd year of nursing school, but decided to stick through it because it was too late to change paths. While I do love nursing and really enjoyed my experience in nursing school, I always knew that the education I was getting was not sufficient enough for me. This summer, I applied to a formal post-bacc program (Tufts) but was denied. I have a couple pre-reqs done from undergrad (Chem 1/2, Calc 2), and have AP credits for Bio and Physics (but I would probably want to retake those courses, right?). My undergrad GPA was a 3.61 and I worked as a PCA for 3 years in nursing school.

What I'm wondering now is how I should continue. Because I was rejected from the formal program, I am planning on taking pre-req courses part-time at Harvard Extension School while working as an RN. I've been applying to a lot of jobs, mostly outpatient/office jobs because I'm not sure I can handle working full-time on a med-surg floor as a new grad while also taking classes. Here are my questions:
1. Will only working "easy" outpatient or office nurse jobs be frowned upon by ADCOMS? Should I try to attain some acute care experience?
2. How many classes should I be taking while working 36-40 hours a week? Should I take more classes and work less if I am trying to apply to medical school ASAP?
3. Is there a certain order in which I should take my pre-reqs? Should I retake the classes that I received AP credit in?
4. Realistically when should I start studying for the MCAT? I'm honestly feeling so burnt out right now from studying for the NCLEX straight for 4 weeks haha

If anyone has any experience with this, I would reallllly appreciate some guidance. I'm feeling pretty lost right now . Thank you in advance for your help

For AP credits, it really depends on the school. Some schools accept it across the board (as long as it's listed on your official college transcript), some schools won't like it, and others will accept AP credits for certain classes but not others! Further complicating things is the fact that some schools want to see you have taken the lab in college, even if you earned AP credit for the class. I'm including VCU's statement as an example:

"VCU’s School of Medicine does accept AP and CLEP credit to meet pre-medical course requirements if these are documented on an official transcript. Please note that lab credit will still be required and applicants may meet lab credit with the lab sections of advanced science courses or practical experience, such as documented relevant experience in a research lab."

It's easier to use your AP credits for things like English, Calc, Psych, or Statistics. For the hard science pre-reqs, it gets tricky. I would consider retaking those in college.

As for your other question, when I first started my pre-reqs I worked full time and only took one class + a lab. I recommend starting off easy like this until you figure out how to balance your job with classes.

 

[gramnegative]

As compared to Ganon, my work as an ICU RN came up on every interview I attended and was usually a siginificant part of the conversation, but that may be due to the extensive work I did with COVID pts from early in the pandemic. I do think that, unfortunately, like it works elsewhere in nursing, the critical-care jobs will be getting the attention, as well as anything that is unique (even though we all know how hard and complex MS can be!). You know what you can handle. I was in a similar position as you were in and started classes about 3 months after I started my first job. 2 was the max that I felt comfortable with taking at one time while working full time. I would say, as RNs, the question is always going to be if we can hang academically, which means I would stress getting as many A's as possible in your pre-reqs and upper-division science courses.

Getting into med school is a marathon, not a race. I would focus on completing your pre-reqs before starting studying for the MCAT. I had budgeted about 3-4 months to study for my test and COVID ended up pushing my test back by a month. Screwing up the test because you are rushing and unprepared is a good way to torpedo your application. Feel free to reach out to me via dm.

 

[emily74]

Thank you everyone for your replies ) You have no idea how much it means to hear from other people who are going down the same path/have already succeeded in the transition from RN-MD! I've honestly felt so isolated throughout this entire process and it's almost an embarrassing subject to talk about with my nursing peers/professors. Right now, I'm going to focus on getting a job that will allow me to balance work/life/school and will probably start off with one class this upcoming semester...

One more side note.. I feel like I have seen mixed comments on whether or not RN applicants need competitive volunteer and shadowing hours. What are your thoughts? I do not have any MD shadowing experiences, but am definitely hoping to form some relationships with the physicians I will be working with in the future. As for volunteer work - does anyone have suggestions for unique volunteer work that an RN can do?

 

[ToliBro]

Thank you everyone for your replies ) You have no idea how much it means to hear from other people who are going down the same path/have already succeeded in the transition from RN-MD! I've honestly felt so isolated throughout this entire process and it's almost an embarrassing subject to talk about with my nursing peers/professors. Right now, I'm going to focus on getting a job that will allow me to balance work/life/school and will probably start off with one class this upcoming semester...

One more side note.. I feel like I have seen mixed comments on whether or not RN applicants need competitive volunteer and shadowing hours. What are your thoughts? I do not have any MD shadowing experiences, but am definitely hoping to form some relationships with the physicians I will be working with in the future. As for volunteer work - does anyone have suggestions for unique volunteer work that an RN can do?

I think the answer is going to depend on how many clinical hours you expect to have by the time you are applying. I will end up having 20k-25k hours in a wide variety of settings (mostly ICU) prior to a theoretical matriculation and can use that to speak to my observations of physicians in a large number of roles. You may or may not have enough experience to do that, and some schools do like that box ticked, especially if you go the DO route and need a DO letter.

Some service to the underserved never looks bad on an application. Perhaps a free clinic would be interested in someone with RN licensure?

I applied to a formal post-bacc program (Tufts) but was denied.

Do you have minimal student loan debt and family ties? If so, have you considered casting your net more widely and applying to a large number of post-baccs with school linkages? Anticipate that you're going to be applying to 15-30 med schools anyway.

 

[emily74]

Do you have minimal student loan debt and family ties? If so, have you considered casting your net more widely and applying to a large number of post-baccs with school linkages? Anticipate that you're going to be applying to 15-30 med schools anyway.

Thank you for the reply! I wanted to stay in the Boston area (family + relationship) and heard great things about the Tufts program. TBH I thought I would get in with no problem (high ACT score, great rec letters, above average GPA, 3 years experience in healthcare); I was definitely way too confident. I've decided to just DIY the rest of my pre-reqs instead of trying to reapply to other post-baccs and wait around for another year. That way I could create my own schedule and work full-time as well.

 

[FCMike11]

Thank you for the reply! I wanted to stay in the Boston area (family + relationship) and heard great things about the Tufts program. TBH I thought I would get in with no problem (high ACT score, great rec letters, above average GPA, 3 years experience in healthcare); I was definitely way too confident. I've decided to just DIY the rest of my pre-reqs instead of trying to reapply to other post-baccs and wait around for another year. That way I could create my own schedule and work full-time as well.

That's what I did! You will have to grind a little.

1.) It won't be like that. It'll still be a positive you worked. Some areas do lend to more interesting experiences/valued experiences. I preferred working nights with 12 hour shifts. Just the only way it worked for me.

2.) Up to you. I started with a single class - then two- then eventually while working full time I was taking ~10-12 credit hours a semester. GPA **** remains important. I'd just reccomend not taking your pre-req classes too far apart - it'll help with MCAT studying.

3.) Just normal order - Gen chem 1&1 with bio 1&2 - and such. It just kinda works for the sequence. But not necessarily important but just makes the most sense I think.

I wouldn't start studying for the MCAT until you finish most of your pre-reqs or complete.

 

[emily74]

That's what I did! You will have to grind a little.

1.) It won't be like that. It'll still be a positive you worked. Some areas do lend to more interesting experiences/valued experiences. I preferred working nights with 12 hour shifts. Just the only way it worked for me.

2.) Up to you. I started with a single class - then two- then eventually while working full time I was taking ~10-12 credit hours a semester. GPA **** remains important. I'd just reccomend not taking your pre-req classes too far apart - it'll help with MCAT studying.

3.) Just normal order - Gen chem 1&1 with bio 1&2 - and such. It just kinda works for the sequence. But not necessarily important but just makes the most sense I think.

I wouldn't start studying for the MCAT until you finish most of your pre-reqs or complete.

Thank you!! Can't believe you worked 12 hour night shifts while taking classes, that's super impressive!

I keep thinking of new questions every time I reply to these posts. The classes and labs offered at Harvard Extension are still going to be online in Fall 2021 and Spring 2022, is that going to be a bad look for ADCOMS? Considering most undergrad classes are returning to in-person this fall.

 

[peepof5]

I'm applying this cycle and did not shadow because of COVID. Now that things are opening back up, I've finally secured shadowing. It's too late to list on my primary application, but I've been mentioning it in secondary essays, and might also be able to include it in update letters later in the cycle. My rationale is this: if there are schools out there that really don't care that I'm an RN and want to see the shadowing box checked anyway, I don't want to give them an easy reason to reject me. Others have definitely been successful without it, but shadowing will never hurt your app.

Fair warning - some of the schools I'm applying to mention that they are accepting online coursework only through Spring 2021. Perhaps there are some good options around you to take the classes in-person as a non-degree seeking student? It is worth considering so that you don't limit your choices later down the road.

 

[livia114]

Hi everyone!
I'm so glad I found this thread. I am a new-grad RN (graduated this May) based in Boston looking for some advice. I've know I've wanted to go to med school since my 3rd year of nursing school, but decided to stick through it because it was too late to change paths. While I do love nursing and really enjoyed my experience in nursing school, I always knew that the education I was getting was not sufficient enough for me. This summer, I applied to a formal post-bacc program (Tufts) but was denied. I have a couple pre-reqs done from undergrad (Chem 1/2, Calc 2), and have AP credits for Bio and Physics (but I would probably want to retake those courses, right?). My undergrad GPA was a 3.61 and I worked as a PCA for 3 years in nursing school.

What I'm wondering now is how I should continue. Because I was rejected from the formal program, I am planning on taking pre-req courses part-time at Harvard Extension School while working as an RN. I've been applying to a lot of jobs, mostly outpatient/office jobs because I'm not sure I can handle working full-time on a med-surg floor as a new grad while also taking classes. Here are my questions:
1. Will only working "easy" outpatient or office nurse jobs be frowned upon by ADCOMS? Should I try to attain some acute care experience?
2. How many classes should I be taking while working 36-40 hours a week? Should I take more classes and work less if I am trying to apply to medical school ASAP?
3. Is there a certain order in which I should take my pre-reqs? Should I retake the classes that I received AP credit in?
4. Realistically when should I start studying for the MCAT? I'm honestly feeling so burnt out right now from studying for the NCLEX straight for 4 weeks haha

If anyone has any experience with this, I would reallllly appreciate some guidance. I'm feeling pretty lost right now . Thank you in advance for your help

Hey Emily! (and whoever else is willing to lend some knowledge/insight)
My name is Livia, and I am also super happy that I found this thread. I feel like navigating the path from an RN to MD is a little tricky, and I definitely don't have all the answers. I am currently going into my Senior year of Nursing school and will graduate with a BSN in nursing. I am going to need to complete at least a year or twos worth of prerequisites for medical school once I graduate as a nurse, since certain classes weren't covered in my nursing curriculum. My plan is to work as a nurse in Boston per diem or part time as I continue to go back to go school to complete my prerequisites to prepare for medical school. I had a few questions for you, or for anyone who is willing to give me some insight!
1) when applying to college am I still considered "undergrad" or "grad" since I would be applying with an already completed Bachelors degree (BSN Nursing)?
2) do I have to declare a major since I will basically be taking just random classes that I need in order to fulfill prerequisites for medical school?

As Emily mentioned I also do not have any experience navigating this route, and I feel VERY lost and overwhelmed trying to figure it all out in time to apply to schools.

Any advice or responses are greatly appreciated!! Thank you

 

[aceegreene]

Fair warning - some of the schools I'm applying to mention that they are accepting online coursework only through Spring 2021.

Could you tell which schools these are? I’m also taking online classes and am concerned by this.

 

[peepof5]

Could you tell which schools these are? I’m also taking online classes and am concerned by this.

Kaiser (online only ok through Spring 2021), Dartmouth (ok through 2020-2021 academic year so essentially through Spring 2021 as well), USF (states online prereqs not allowed but may be considered on a case by case basis). I don't remember if there were more tbh.
It's a good idea to look into this early. Most schools have a COVID statement regarding pass/fail and online courses.

 

[emily74]

Hey Emily! (and whoever else is willing to lend some knowledge/insight)
My name is Livia, and I am also super happy that I found this thread. I feel like navigating the path from an RN to MD is a little tricky, and I definitely don't have all the answers. I am currently going into my Senior year of Nursing school and will graduate with a BSN in nursing. I am going to need to complete at least a year or twos worth of prerequisites for medical school once I graduate as a nurse, since certain classes weren't covered in my nursing curriculum. My plan is to work as a nurse in Boston per diem or part time as I continue to go back to go school to complete my prerequisites to prepare for medical school. I had a few questions for you, or for anyone who is willing to give me some insight!
1) when applying to college am I still considered "undergrad" or "grad" since I would be applying with an already completed Bachelors degree (BSN Nursing)?
2) do I have to declare a major since I will basically be taking just random classes that I need in order to fulfill prerequisites for medical school?

As Emily mentioned I also do not have any experience navigating this route, and I feel VERY lost and overwhelmed trying to figure it all out in time to apply to schools.

Any advice or responses are greatly appreciated!! Thank you

Hey Livia! So glad that there are people out there that are in the same position as me. I'm located in Boston as well!! If you ever want to talk privately or meet up just so we can figure this out together, DM me! Where are you looking to take your classes? I don't think you need to formally apply to colleges as "undergrad" or "grad" if you are just enrolling in courses as a non-degree seeking student. I'm planning on taking classes this upcoming fall at Harvard Extension and it literally took like 10 minutes to enroll. As far as I'm aware, you only need to apply if you are looking at a formal post-bacc program such as Tufts.

 

[aceegreene]

Kaiser (online only ok through Spring 2021), Dartmouth (ok through 2020-2021 academic year so essentially through Spring 2021 as well), USF (states online prereqs not allowed but may be considered on a case by case basis).

Are you basing this off their websites only or did the application system or MSAR indicate this too?

 

[peepof5]

Are you basing this off their websites only or did the application system or MSAR indicate this too?

It's reflected on both for the three schools I mentioned.

 

[rnmdsoon]

Hello!
I am currently working as a telemetry nurse, but I really want to pursue medicine. I am thinking about starting / enrolling in pre-reqs this fall since my BSN was from abroad (so I have to take classes again anyway). I'm just wondering if any one you guys were able to balance work & studying? For the program I'm looking into, they have night classes mostly and I also work nights. I'm thinking of only working at least once or twice a week to pay the bills and the rest to study. Any advice?

Thank you! And you all are an inspiring me right now to reach my dream.

 

[gramnegative]

I took 2 classes at a time while working nights 3x12. The timing of the class was less of an issue compared to how frequently classes were scheduled. I pretty much worked Thur-Fri-Sat for two years and took classes Mon-Thurs, which my wife didn't love and if my schedule deviated at all I had to go to class after working all night and sometimes had to return that night as well.

Since your degree is not from a US institution I believe you either need at least 90 credits or a bachelor's from a US school.

 

[peepof5]

I'm just wondering if any one you guys were able to balance work & studying?

Definitely possible!! I feel like most people on this path have continued to work to some extent or another. I guess it depends what your course load will be, part time or full time, but either way nursing is so flexible it works out pretty well as long as you pace yourself. I was full time while taking prereqs, went PRN while studying for MCAT then picked my hours up again afterwards.

 

[Newtonian21]

In Med School now after 1 year on Med/Surg and 6 years ICU, did travel nursing as well. You’ll be fine.

 

[RNtoPhysician]

Hello All!
I’m glad to have found this forum here! I am currently an RN and going through this current application cycle. I have a few things that may be different than others. I am only going to apply to one school this cycle. This is because my wife is in NP school and it would mess up her program if I were to move somewhere else and we both decided it would be too hard on our family for me to move away and they would have to stay because the next closest school is four hours away. The next thing is that I am a father to a daughter. My feeling is that being a parent and a working professional really helped me with my school when I went back last year.

Covid brought out a lot of good and bad for everyone and for me, it made me realize that deep down I needed to try and become a physician to see if I could do it. This along with the fact that I always found myself so curious at all of the knowledge that physicians had. I have worked in both ICU and PACU as a nurse and those experiences are invaluable to me. I love being a nurse but I knew that I wanted to be a higher level provider and after heavily considering CRNA and NP school, I decided that medical school would be the best route for me because of the knowledge and responsibilities that come along with being a physician.

When I went back and took classes, I came out the other side with A’s (15 credits, O Chem, Cell Bio, Physics, and Biochem). I was part time during these classes but partly that was so I could take care of my daughter more often and do more stuff around the house as my wife was working extra to help with the bills. To say that I am grateful to my wife would be an understatement. She has been my rock during the whole process and has been supportive as well. I also had the MCAT to take. I studied every day (even if it was only for fifteen minutes) starting in late January and I took my test at the end of May. I studied a lot and was worried how I would do. I ended up with a 512 and I was so excited for that score!
That’s pretty much my story! I can answer some questions if others have questions but otherwise, best of luck to everyone on this application cycle!

 

[Newtonian21]

Hello All!
I’m glad to have found this forum here! I am currently an RN and going through this current application cycle. I have a few things that may be different than others. I am only going to apply to one school this cycle. This is because my wife is in NP school and it would mess up her program if I were to move somewhere else and we both decided it would be too hard on our family for me to move away and they would have to stay because the next closest school is four hours away. The next thing is that I am a father to a daughter. My feeling is that being a parent and a working professional really helped me with my school when I went back last year.

Covid brought out a lot of good and bad for everyone and for me, it made me realize that deep down I needed to try and become a physician to see if I could do it. This along with the fact that I always found myself so curious at all of the knowledge that physicians had. I have worked in both ICU and PACU as a nurse and those experiences are invaluable to me. I love being a nurse but I knew that I wanted to be a higher level provider and after heavily considering CRNA and NP school, I decided that medical school would be the best route for me because of the knowledge and responsibilities that come along with being a physician.

When I went back and took classes, I came out the other side with A’s (15 credits, O Chem, Cell Bio, Physics, and Biochem). I was part time during these classes but partly that was so I could take care of my daughter more often and do more stuff around the house as my wife was working extra to help with the bills. To say that I am grateful to my wife would be an understatement. She has been my rock during the whole process and has been supportive as well. I also had the MCAT to take. I studied every day (even if it was only for fifteen minutes) starting in late January and I took my test at the end of May. I studied a lot and was worried how I would do. I ended up with a 512 and I was so excited for that score!
That’s pretty much my story! I can answer some questions if others have questions but otherwise, best of luck to everyone on this application cycle!

You’ll do fine, and fully fine if you don’t apply to just one school. How far out is your wife from graduation? TBH, applying to one school is limiting your chances of getting accepted. Been there done that. Was in ICU for 6 years. Prior to that did one year med surg. In Med school now, and I’m glad I made this decision. There is just a lot to learn down in the scientific level than what nursing did to me. You can pm if you wanna talk some. Gluck!

 

[RNtoPhysician]

You’ll do fine, and fully fine if you don’t apply to just one school. How far out is your wife from graduation? TBH, applying to one school is limiting your chances of getting accepted. Been there done that. Was in ICU for 6 years. Prior to that did one year med surg. In Med school now, and I’m glad I made this decision. There is just a lot to learn down in the scientific level than what nursing did to me. You can pm if you wanna talk some. Gluck!

She graduates in August of 2023. I know it is really limiting but I know one of the professors at the medical school well because I do research with him and I know some of the physicians that teach at the school too. And it is the school where I did nearly all of my undergrad. I am hoping that and knowing students that are currently in the program and that have recently graduated will help me get in. Thank you for the encouragement!

 

[Newtonian21]

She graduates in August of 2023. I know it is really limiting but I know one of the professors at the medical school well because I do research with him and I know some of the physicians that teach at the school too. And it is the school where I did nearly all of my undergrad. I am hoping that and knowing students that are currently in the program and that have recently graduated will help me get in. Thank you for the encouragement!

That’s nice! You’ll do great.

 

[DO_or_Die]

Hello All!
I’m glad to have found this forum here! I am currently an RN and going through this current application cycle. I have a few things that may be different than others. I am only going to apply to one school this cycle. This is because my wife is in NP school and it would mess up her program if I were to move somewhere else and we both decided it would be too hard on our family for me to move away and they would have to stay because the next closest school is four hours away. The next thing is that I am a father to a daughter. My feeling is that being a parent and a working professional really helped me with my school when I went back last year.

Covid brought out a lot of good and bad for everyone and for me, it made me realize that deep down I needed to try and become a physician to see if I could do it. This along with the fact that I always found myself so curious at all of the knowledge that physicians had. I have worked in both ICU and PACU as a nurse and those experiences are invaluable to me. I love being a nurse but I knew that I wanted to be a higher level provider and after heavily considering CRNA and NP school, I decided that medical school would be the best route for me because of the knowledge and responsibilities that come along with being a physician.

When I went back and took classes, I came out the other side with A’s (15 credits, O Chem, Cell Bio, Physics, and Biochem). I was part time during these classes but partly that was so I could take care of my daughter more often and do more stuff around the house as my wife was working extra to help with the bills. To say that I am grateful to my wife would be an understatement. She has been my rock during the whole process and has been supportive as well. I also had the MCAT to take. I studied every day (even if it was only for fifteen minutes) starting in late January and I took my test at the end of May. I studied a lot and was worried how I would do. I ended up with a 512 and I was so excited for that score!
That’s pretty much my story! I can answer some questions if others have questions but otherwise, best of luck to everyone on this application cycle!

If you really want to go to medical school, I wouldn't recommend this plan. My partner was in NP school while I was applying and it would have been much easier for them to take a sabbatical and resume later than it would be for me to have only applied to one school and continue to delay us further as you know the training is so length from start to finish. The reality is that nothing is guaranteed and you need to cast a wide net. All the schools I was very sure would interview me...didn't and vice versa. I ended up at my number one, which I attribute honestly to luck. I was ready to pack up and move across the country, my RN friend in medical school has 3 young kids <5 years of age and this is what he had to do. I don't mean to strike a negative tone and I do hope you get into your school, but if it doesn't work out this cycle I would weigh your options again. 512 is a solid score and you will get in somewhere! Congrats!

 

[FCMike11]

Exciting stuff. We all had to trudge a little through the first two years - just try to relish the time you have to study solely on disease patho - it truly helps. It's important for remembering treatment and diseases and you will be revisiting it every day in residency.

Clinical years were enjoyable and you'll feel good when you go into the hospital and feel your groove. Staff will appreciate your understanding of the hospital and soon you will be a goto - because you understand. Residency it has helped a LOT. There are so many intricacies my coresidents are having to learn on the basics of day to day hospital function - things that have nothing to studying for internal medicine boards or even prescribing/writing notes necessarily.

I think if you understand the considerations of pursuing medicine (which if you did work for any degree of time that should have helped) - you'll have fun. I love what I am doing. Interpersonal stress has been significant - just try to lean on and be absolutely understanding of your significant other - they deserve it but you do too.

 

[JustintheDoctor]

Hello all, will be an RN next semester and wanted to pursue Anesthesia, I personally feel that medical school instead of CRNA is the better route for me. I’ll end up with 1000-3000 *hopefully* ICU hours by the time I’ll apply since I need all of the prereqs and need to finish my BSN (my school is ASN to BSN).
im taking my BSN required physics which is like intro to regular physics, it is online with prerecorded lectures from what seems like a terrible professor and i have zero clue what’s going on.
How did you guys manage taking and mastering (for the MCAT) the normal non calc physics 1-2 as nurses who likely didn’t take them before?
If I’m being honest, my entire cohort is just finding answers online for this A because it is IMPOSSIBLE to learn, and I WANT to learn. So hopefully next year or the year after, my med school physics will be in person and I’ll actually get to ask questions etc.
(I took all of Bio and got As so will need a I just refresh when MCAT studying, and just need gen chem 2, orgo and biochem).

 

[gramnegative]

Make sure you to brush up on your trig, precalc, and algebra - that will help more than anything.

 

[Sn00pygrrl]

Hello all, will be an RN next semester and wanted to pursue Anesthesia, I personally feel that medical school instead of CRNA is the better route for me. I’ll end up with 1000-3000 *hopefully* ICU hours by the time I’ll apply since I need all of the prereqs and need to finish my BSN (my school is ASN to BSN).
im taking my BSN required physics which is like intro to regular physics, it is online with prerecorded lectures from what seems like a terrible professor and i have zero clue what’s going on.
How did you guys manage taking and mastering (for the MCAT) the normal non calc physics 1-2 as nurses who likely didn’t take them before?
If I’m being honest, my entire cohort is just finding answers online for this A because it is IMPOSSIBLE to learn, and I WANT to learn. So hopefully next year or the year after, my med school physics will be in person and I’ll actually get to ask questions etc.
(I took all of Bio and got As so will need a I just refresh when MCAT studying, and just need gen chem 2, orgo and biochem).

My post-bacc algebra-based physics 1 & 2 classes used the OpenStax College Physics textbooks, which are free and have a ton of practice problems. I would try the problems on my own first and then check my answers with collegephysicsanswers.com. I bought a subscription ($8/month) which was a great deal. Shawn, a physics teacher in Canada, has uploaded step-by-step videos on how to solve nearly every single problem in the OpenStax College Physics series. I would not have made it through physics without learning step by step how to apply concepts from the class in problem-solving. Shawn also gave me a good refresher in algebra and trig, which I hadn't used in many many years. It set me up very well to take gen chem 2 (which is more quantitative) and a more math-heavy stats class afterwards.

Also--get yourself a solid graphing calculator--my husband bought me a TI-83 and though I didn't think I would need it, it saved me a ton of time being able to do multiple-step calculations much more quickly.

Good luck!

 

[jhmmd]

My post-bacc algebra-based physics 1 & 2 classes used the OpenStax College Physics textbooks, which are free and have a ton of practice problems. I would try the problems on my own first and then check my answers with collegephysicsanswers.com. I bought a subscription ($8/month) which was a great deal. Shawn, a physics teacher in Canada, has uploaded step-by-step videos on how to solve nearly every single problem in the OpenStax College Physics series. I would not have made it through physics without learning step by step how to apply concepts from the class in problem-solving. Shawn also gave me a good refresher in algebra and trig, which I hadn't used in many many years. It set me up very well to take gen chem 2 (which is more quantitative) and a more math-heavy stats class afterwards.

Also--get yourself a solid graphing calculator--my husband bought me a TI-83 and though I didn't think I would need it, it saved me a ton of time being able to do multiple-step calculations much more quickly.

Good luck!

This is great advice and I just wanted to add to be sure that your prof allows you to use graphing calculators (as opp. to standard scientific calculators).

 

[rosalinn]

Hello everyone, I am a new grad nurse working in the ICU. I want to apply to medical school in the future but I dont have all my prereqs. I was wondering if it is advisable to work for at least two years as a nurse while trying to do class. Or should I work one year as a nurse then quit to do full time school?

 

[Ganon]

Hello everyone, I am a new grad nurse working in the ICU. I want to apply to medical school in the future but I dont have all my prereqs. I was wondering if it is advisable to work for at least two years as a nurse while trying to do class. Or should I work one year as a nurse then quit to do full time school?

It was rough, but I worked my butt off during prereqs. It enabled me to save up a lot of money, and the relationships with physicians counted as "shadowing" and got me some great LORs.

 

[gramnegative]

I feel like more than one year of experience will help distinguish you and give you more stories to draw on for secondaries and interviews. I worked full-time and took classes part-time. Working longer also helps to build relationships with physicians for LORs, as the above poster said.

 

[saintsnation97]

Hello everyone, I am a new grad nurse working in the ICU. I want to apply to medical school in the future but I dont have all my prereqs. I was wondering if it is advisable to work for at least two years as a nurse while trying to do class. Or should I work one year as a nurse then quit to do full time school?

I am in the same boat!! I graduate this December and have a job in the ED waiting for me. I am deciding whether I work full time while taking classes or if I work and then do school full time. I almost wonder if working full time and doing part time classes would look better in the application as it sort of indicates that you’re able to manage school and work.

 

[saintsnation97]

hello everyone !!
I am Hispanic born in Honduras and moved to United States at 8. First gen citizen, first gen college grad and a hopeful first gen medical school graduate. I am currently in nursing school and graduate in December with my BSN and have a job lined up in the ED. I have worked as an ED tech for the past year in a level 2 trauma center and have loved every minute of it. But the more I worked and at the start of my last semester of school I realized how much I wanted to know and have a deeper understanding of things that were going on with patients. Prior to me deciding i wanted to go to medical school, I found myself in trouble for nursing exams as i would prioritize patho, medications etc, rather than nursing care for my exams. So the curiosity for a deeper level of understanding has always intrigued me.

I still need to satisfy at least 32 hours of my pre reqs for med school. I plan on crushing that and MCAT as well to make up for my low GPA in a nursing curriculum that has a 7 point grading scale, an excuse really but maturity has really set in now and i know what i want in life. I also plan doing a masters program aimed at med schools if I need too also. It has been a tough road navigating life as a first gen citizen with no guidance but proud of who i have become.

I am excited to start this journey and will keep y’all updated on how it goes. I read through many of your post and loved seeing these stories!!
FYI. I plan on working a year full time to save money and just a year in general to refocus before starting my prerequisites. Then planning on taking part time classes DYI while working full time. I will do 16 hours at my local university then transferring those 16 hours to a formal postbacc and finishing the rest of the 16 hours formally to benefit from connections and MCAT resources to a total of 32 hours or more if i decide to take a class or 2 more.
I will ask alot of questions in the future, sorry in advance.
Wondering if during this year off that i will be working it would benefit that I do volunteering and maybe look into researching at my hospital to boost my app to offset my low gpa ?

 

[atnightingale]

I am late to this party, but I am a 15+ year nurse and 6 weeks into M1. Going well so far. Good luck all!

 

[mchlstvn]

I am late to this party, but I am a 15+ year nurse and 6 weeks into M1. Going well so far. Good luck all!

I'm way early. I got 11 weeks left into my two year RN program. I'll be starting my BSN then Premed next year. Makes me proud to see RN's advancing their careers to Medicine. @atnightingale Good luck on MS1!