MSK9's Medical School Thread & Guide

[anewmanx]

How dearly I wish I could go to medical school, but life happens.

I hope you get an acceptance soon state-side. Congrats on the hard work. You have a long road ahead of you.

Hmm, I'm just curious, Have you applied to a Medical School?  And to how many?  Which states?

More of a circumstances situation. 15 years ago I failed out of CC during a semester of hard sciences mostly so my sgpa is fouled up, it was because of a disabled child needing multiple surgeries in a 32 day period. Then I joined the military to get money for school and became severely disabled, which took nearly a decade to recover enough from to get back to functional. I got 4.0 the last 3 years of college and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Religion, but without finishing any of the premed requirements. Right now I have 4 kids age 6 and under and can’t move from the area, so even if I did my prerequisites I couldn’t handle the schedule of medical school with them so young; at least not until they are all in school which is 2-3 years from now.

So I have decided to use these three years to do an accelerated nursing bsn/msn program and pursue np certification. I’m using Straighterline to fulfill the nursing prerequisites (for 3 local programs that take it) which gives me a head start On knowledge if I decide to then change gears and do the medical school prerequisites at the local state university. It won’t negatively impact my amcas sgpa since Straighterline isn’t a college. 

I’m halfway done with the 24 credits of prerequisites already in 9 weeks, 7 weeks to go. Plan to start in January. I’ll be 40-41 and debt free by the time I become an NP if I decide to go on to medical school. I could work 2 years as a pmhnp and make enough money to have medical school paid in cash, with something to fall back on if I fail out. 

That’s the dream! I seriously doubt I’d ever be happy as a nurse or nurse practitioner, but it’s an option, the time is free, and it costs me very little since I have GI Bill benefits left, so why not? Good clinical experience for a med school application I suppose.

[indigoshuffle]

How dearly I wish I could go to medical school, but life happens.

I hope you get an acceptance soon state-side. Congrats on the hard work. You have a long road ahead of you.

Hmm, I'm just curious, Have you applied to a Medical School?  And to how many?  Which states?

More of a circumstances situation. 15 years ago I failed out of CC during a semester of hard sciences mostly so my sgpa is fouled up, it was because of a disabled child needing multiple surgeries in a 32 day period. Then I joined the military to get money for school and became severely disabled, which took nearly a decade to recover enough from to get back to functional. I got 4.0 the last 3 years of college and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Religion, but without finishing any of the premed requirements. Right now I have 4 kids age 6 and under and can’t move from the area, so even if I did my prerequisites I couldn’t handle the schedule of medical school with them so young; at least not until they are all in school which is 2-3 years from now.

So I have decided to use these three years to do an accelerated nursing bsn/msn program and pursue np certification. I’m using Straighterline to fulfill the nursing prerequisites (for 3 local programs that take it) which gives me a head start On knowledge if I decide to then change gears and do the medical school prerequisites at the local state university. It won’t negatively impact my amcas sgpa since Straighterline isn’t a college. 

I’m halfway done with the 24 credits of prerequisites already in 9 weeks, 7 weeks to go. Plan to start in January. I’ll be 40-41 and debt free by the time I become an NP if I decide to go on to medical school. I could work 2 years as a pmhnp and make enough money to have medical school paid in cash, with something to fall back on if I fail out. 

That’s the dream! I seriously doubt I’d ever be happy as a nurse or nurse practitioner, but it’s an option, the time is free, and it costs me very little since I have GI Bill benefits left, so why not? Good clinical experience for a med school application I suppose.

Nursing School is a tough road. I wish you good luck.

[anewmanx]

How dearly I wish I could go to medical school, but life happens.

I hope you get an acceptance soon state-side. Congrats on the hard work. You have a long road ahead of you.

Hmm, I'm just curious, Have you applied to a Medical School?  And to how many?  Which states?

More of a circumstances situation. 15 years ago I failed out of CC during a semester of hard sciences mostly so my sgpa is fouled up, it was because of a disabled child needing multiple surgeries in a 32 day period. Then I joined the military to get money for school and became severely disabled, which took nearly a decade to recover enough from to get back to functional. I got 4.0 the last 3 years of college and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Religion, but without finishing any of the premed requirements. Right now I have 4 kids age 6 and under and can’t move from the area, so even if I did my prerequisites I couldn’t handle the schedule of medical school with them so young; at least not until they are all in school which is 2-3 years from now.

So I have decided to use these three years to do an accelerated nursing bsn/msn program and pursue np certification. I’m using Straighterline to fulfill the nursing prerequisites (for 3 local programs that take it) which gives me a head start On knowledge if I decide to then change gears and do the medical school prerequisites at the local state university. It won’t negatively impact my amcas sgpa since Straighterline isn’t a college. 

I’m halfway done with the 24 credits of prerequisites already in 9 weeks, 7 weeks to go. Plan to start in January. I’ll be 40-41 and debt free by the time I become an NP if I decide to go on to medical school. I could work 2 years as a pmhnp and make enough money to have medical school paid in cash, with something to fall back on if I fail out. 

That’s the dream! I seriously doubt I’d ever be happy as a nurse or nurse practitioner, but it’s an option, the time is free, and it costs me very little since I have GI Bill benefits left, so why not? Good clinical experience for a med school application I suppose.

Nursing School is a tough road. I wish you good luck.

My impression is they are a lot of politics involved, which worries me. I wish I could just do an md right now, but asi está la vida.

[indigoshuffle]

My impression is they are a lot of politics involved, which worries me. I wish I could just do an md right now, but asi está la visa.


There are politics involved in med school admissions as well... probably more. I'm an RN and I work on a very fast-paced unit, and l would not recommend becoming a nurse as a "springboard" to medical school for a million reasons I won't go into here. If you decide to go into medicine because you've been a nurse for a few years and now you'd like to take on a different (not better) role, then that's a different story. I know many doctors who were RNs, and they're happy.

Nursing, however, is a profession in its own right. We've got our own board (no longer beholden to doctors), our own base of ethics. And, no, it is not medical school, but it is not easy... not by a long shot. The amount of work it will take you to graduate--especially an accelerated program--I wouldn't wish on anyone who was not 100% passionate about the prospects of giving direct patient care as a nurse for at least 5 years. Clinicals can be exhausting, but it is quiet challenging on the academic side. I have personally witnessed biology professors, PhDs, teachers, cops, firefighters, EMTs, doctors from other countries, enter nursing school in a nonchalant-milk-toast manner, and get weeded out because they were shocked by the academic rigor. 

I'm going to tell you a secret about American nursing schools. The "secret" is that ALL nursing schools in the U.S. are accelerated. You cannot become a good nurse in only 12-14 months, nor 2 years. To be honest with you, it takes about 5 years on the floor to really get the flow of the unit and how to manage the care of the patient, work completely independently (and know when to get help), execute effective leadership, and attend to all the nursing-sensitive indicators of quality care that patients and their families are looking for. You'll be surrounded by people like myself, who got into nursing because a nurse touched them when they were at a low point in their life. You'll be surrounded by people who wanted to be nurses since they were kids because a school nurse held their hand during an asthma attack. You'll be surrounded by people who were in medical school and were shocked when they entered residency and realized that they didn't spend any real time with patients, so they decided to go to nursing school. You'll be surrounded by people who couldn't think of any other profession to be a part of. 

You'll sometimes be asked to make tough decisions; to be a social worker, a pastor, a friend. You'll be treated like dirt on some days, and a hero on others. Like me right now, you'll be asked to risk your life and continue working without the proper personal protective equipment while the doctor does telemedicine from her house. Some days you'll be so tired you want to cry because you know you can't sleep for another 24 hours because a nurse called out and the unit is understaffed. And you'll need to do all of this while remaining professional and respectful of the image of nursing, and respectful (most of all) to the patient that you agreed to watch over while the doctor is on vacation (again!!). YOU will be spending far more time with the patient than the doctor ever will. Remember, the doctor is the head of the team, but the nurse is the neck. You should be passionate and vigilant if you are to become an RN. It is for these reasons that you should not do it if you don't want to. It's too exhausting.

I say, if you want to be a doctor, then do that. Don't waste your time.

[anewmanx]

............

You’ve given exactly the impression I got when I spent about half a year in the hospital with my critically ill child. It’s definitely not an easy job. I do seem to get the impression that a nurse practitioners role proves to be significantly different, and definitively appealing. For what it’s worth, I prefer the role doctors fill, but despise their bedside manner. Nurse practitioners win that one hands down. Since my interest is psych, I am hopeful pmhnp will bridge the gap for me between the two worlds and give me a satisfying role helping people with mental illness, drug addicts, criminals, etc. I would love to work in a state prison again in the psych ward, I deeply enjoyed being a correctional officer and working with that particular inmate population.

[indigoshuffle]

You’ve given exactly the impression I got when I spent about half a year in the hospital with my critically ill child. It’s definitely not an easy job. I do seem to get the impression that a nurse practitioners role proves to be significantly different, and definitively appealing.

Yes, it's a completely different role. On my unit, I've watched the Nurse Practitioner catch the MDs mistakes many times (and many of the nurses' mistakes too). It's the role of a provider, very much like the scope of an MD but for relatively stable patients. The doctor will manage the sickest (unstable) patients.

Still, the reason the NPs in my hospital "catch" the mistakes of the MDs and residents is that they work as a team and THEY HAVE  FLOOR EXPERIENCE. This is what sets them apart. 

Experience as a nurse is something I would be excited about, not shy away from. It really gives you "superpowers" when it comes to assessing a situation quickly and knowing how to proceed.
NPs are excellent providers because they know what a heart attack looks like before the patient is symptomatic, they know the difference between a syncopal episode and a seizure because they have that floor experience under their belt. Again, I personally would not recommend zooming through nursing school in order to attend NP school. The best NPs have been on the floor for a few years. In fact, my primary provider is an NP, and to be honest with you, when I first met him he was so squared away and sharp, I thought he was a doctor (he has an independent practice).

I also want you to realize something about nursing. Nursing in the western world used to be a step towards becoming a doctor.... so what does that tell you?

In many states, NPs practice independently. I expect all 50 states will expand provider scope in our lifetime.
I'm making my prediction about the expansion of practice in all 50 states for two simple reasons;(1) NPs cannot bill insurance at the same price an MD can (for now), this lowers healthcare cost, (2) drug companies are more powerful than the Medical Boards and will find a way to allow more providers to dispense their drugs. I also predict NPs will be perceived in the public eye much like a DO in the next 40-50 years.

10 years ago, the research by the medical board and the nursing board showed no difference in outcomes when NPs or MDs managed the care of patients, but now the research is showing BETTER outcomes for a lower price, and that, of course, is making MDs cry out about how incompetent NPs are because they didn't spend as much time in school.

You might surprise yourself and find that you are happy and satisfied as an NP. But still, get at least 2 years on the floor under your belt... 5 is better. 5 years adds up to about 10429 - 15000 clinical hours. You will develop the experience that will help you give better service to your patients and it will set you apart from the MDs and PAs. Trust me. Even though you're not a provider, patient contact, and clinical exposure count for a lot. If you want to go to medical school, then just do that. You can do it for sure, with hard work and determination. NP is an excellent path and has better financial ROI. However, as we get older ROI is not just about money, but personal satisfaction. If you want to be called MD, then, by all means, you should go for it.

[anewmanx]

You’ve given exactly the impression I got when I spent about half a year in the hospital with my critically ill child. It’s definitely not an easy job. I do seem to get the impression that a nurse practitioners role proves to be significantly different, and definitively appealing.

Yes, it's a completely different role. ....

Excellent advice. I’m hopeful I can pull it off. My hope is to hit med/surg as my first job while working on the np cert / dnp. Maybe I’ll be content with the role, but I suspect my voracious curiosity will only be sated with constant studies.

[MSK9]

Quick update on my study break.

I'm not dead and am in the last week of my first year of school. Doing fine, getting ready for the summer term and basic sciences year two. If I can do this, so can anyone. One academic year left and I'll start rotations. The course load is heavy but not unbearable. For those interested, the volume of material, not substance of material is the real challenge of medical school.

[Certainly]

Congratulations on finishing your first year! Your journey is inspiring! I want to delve into neuro tech and I have issues with large volumes of material so I have to break it down & go over my notes relentlessly.

[bjcheung77]

Congratulations on finishing your first year! Your journey is inspiring! I want to delve into neuro tech and I have issues with large volumes of material so I have to break it down & go over my notes relentlessly.

Hmm, I do almost the exact same thing, I go through my notes over and over again, I mean going through the entire text and the summaries a few times doesn't cut it for me, I make my own "shortened" notes and go through those in addition to the text and chapter summaries otherwise I forget something or another...