4 answers
Landry
Student
Midland, Texas
2
Questions
Updated
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Are there any certifications, programs, or experiences you recommend for an aspiring nurse/doctor?
I want to go to college to get my BSN, then apply for med-school. I just want to know some good qualifications that would help with my future endeavors.
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4 answers
Emily Reeves
Certified nursing assistant
4
Answers
Methuen, Massachusetts
Updated
Emily’s Answer
Hi there, I highly suggest gaining patient experience as a CNA or MA. This is a great way to gain hands on patient care experience and learn necessary skills that you will need as a nurse or doctor. As others have mentioned, if you are currently working towards your BSN, I suggest looking into NP programs as you will already have completed the prerequisites needed to apply to these programs. Best of luck!
Kathi Karp
Nurse Practitioner
1
Answer
Norwich, Connecticut
Updated
Kathi’s Answer
Hi Landry - I've been a nurse for nearly 42 years and a nurse practitioner for 12 years. I've often been asked similar questions. First, I suggest you explore each field more—maybe shadow at a local medical office or volunteer at a hospital or nursing home. Consider why you want to get your BSN versus going the physician route right from the beginning. While some students enter med school with a degree in a different field, it might be more logical to pursue a pre-med program for your undergraduate degree, then apply to medical school. Alternatively, you could earn your BSN and then continue your education and become a nurse practitioner. These fields are somewhat different. Nurse practitioners follow a nursing model to evaluate patients, while doctors use a medical model. It’s a subtle but important difference.
Regarding qualifications, if you're asking about schools, pick an accredited one. If you're asking about yourself, be prepared to work hard. Both nursing and medicine are challenging but very rewarding fields. Expect to spend long hours studying the basics. Science and math are key parts of both programs, so if those aren't your strengths, you might want to reconsider. Both careers involve working with people, so improving your people skills is also beneficial.
Regarding qualifications, if you're asking about schools, pick an accredited one. If you're asking about yourself, be prepared to work hard. Both nursing and medicine are challenging but very rewarding fields. Expect to spend long hours studying the basics. Science and math are key parts of both programs, so if those aren't your strengths, you might want to reconsider. Both careers involve working with people, so improving your people skills is also beneficial.
Albert Giannone, M.D
Retired physician/former pharmacist
22
Answers
Center Moriches, New York
Updated
Albert’s Answer
If you're planning on going to Nursing school why not become a Nurse Practitioner? It will allow you to be a clinician and you'll have a better life than a physician. Getting into medical school is still very competitive and having a nursing degree may actually work against you having a profession. I would definitely consider becoming a Nurse Practitioner. There will be post-graduate training, but you'll still be able to work as a nurse while doing so to support yourself.
Brett Schlifstein
Anesthesiologist
30
Answers
Pittsboro, North Carolina
Updated
Brett’s Answer
Hi Landry,
I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to apply to medical school after earning your BSN, as long as you take all of the pre-requisite courses for medical school. A math or science class that is adequate for your BSN may not meet the requirements to apply to medical school. So make sure you look carefully at those requirements.
After your undergraduate education, you will have some choices to make. If you have been accepted to medical school, that is one option. Or you can continue your nursing education with an advanced degree. Finally, you can begin working in the nursing field. Of course you can change your mind at may point. However, with the first two options, that would be an expensive choice, as the price of these educational routes is quite high, and you would not get the benefit of a high reimubursement career (physican or advanced nurse practitioner). Therefore, I would implore you to choose carefully. Should you choose the last option and begin working in the nursing field, changing tracks is not a big deal. You could work as an RN and then apply to medical school if you so choose (I had several RNs in my medical school class), or you could go back to school for an advanced nursing degree.
At this point in your education I would recommend getting as much exposure and experience to the different careers and fields of medicine. This could be in the form of shadowing, volunteer work, or research opportunities. Even if it turns out to be an area that is not of great interest to you, that is valuable information - figuring out what you don't want to do helps direct you to what you do want to do. It will also help you see how nurses and physician interact, and help you determine whether the nursing or physican route is best for you.
Hope that helps, and good luck!
Brett Schlifstein, M.D.
Anesthesia Director
ECU Health Roanoke Chowan Hospital
I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to apply to medical school after earning your BSN, as long as you take all of the pre-requisite courses for medical school. A math or science class that is adequate for your BSN may not meet the requirements to apply to medical school. So make sure you look carefully at those requirements.
After your undergraduate education, you will have some choices to make. If you have been accepted to medical school, that is one option. Or you can continue your nursing education with an advanced degree. Finally, you can begin working in the nursing field. Of course you can change your mind at may point. However, with the first two options, that would be an expensive choice, as the price of these educational routes is quite high, and you would not get the benefit of a high reimubursement career (physican or advanced nurse practitioner). Therefore, I would implore you to choose carefully. Should you choose the last option and begin working in the nursing field, changing tracks is not a big deal. You could work as an RN and then apply to medical school if you so choose (I had several RNs in my medical school class), or you could go back to school for an advanced nursing degree.
At this point in your education I would recommend getting as much exposure and experience to the different careers and fields of medicine. This could be in the form of shadowing, volunteer work, or research opportunities. Even if it turns out to be an area that is not of great interest to you, that is valuable information - figuring out what you don't want to do helps direct you to what you do want to do. It will also help you see how nurses and physician interact, and help you determine whether the nursing or physican route is best for you.
Hope that helps, and good luck!
Brett Schlifstein, M.D.
Anesthesia Director
ECU Health Roanoke Chowan Hospital
Thank you, this is really helpful.
Landry