I’ve been set on nursing for as long as I can remember. I loved everything about it, still do.
But recently, I have been given an amazing rare opportunity to shadow in different areas of the hospital, one of which was the OR.
Seeing these surgeries and watching the surgeons work and learning from them is incredible. Also, watching the anesthesiologists has been eye opening.
Now here’s my problem, I apply to college this fall.
Can a nursing major go pre med If that would be something I choose to do in the future?
I’m worried about making the wrong choice on my career path.
Any advice would be wonderful, and greatly appreciated!
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It is one or the other. Much easier to start pre-med and then switch to nursing than the other way around.
If you really like anesthesia, consider CRNA. Probably a better job than anesthesia in some respects anyway. You can start in nursing and then advance if you are still interested.
There is no such thing as a “PRE MED” major, so relax.
Med schools dont care what area or subject you actually major in- they ONLY care about your college GPA , your MCAT scores, any research you are able to do while in college[ so make that a priority] , your personal qualities and your LOR’s from Profs or DRs you are able to work with while in college.
You will have to take "expected"Med school prep classes - Organic Chem is one of the “typical” pre med weed out classes- and do well in them- but you dont have to be a Chem major to apply to Med school.
The best advise is to apply to colleges where you will be able to shine as a UG student AND where you wont have to take out large loans to attend.
Aim for colleges that offer guaranteed merit scholarships for high standardized SAT or ACT scores. And practice, practice, practice over this summer to get your scores as high as possible.
Dont be afraid to go to a college or U where you are among the smartest students in the class.
Med schools dont care where you go to college- only how you did once you were in college …
There is no such thing as a premed major but there is such a thing as a nursing curriculum. The level of science classes does not suffice for premed requirement. Therefore starting in nursing and then changing your mind costs more time and money.
Yes, nurses can go on to med school. Nurses can also decide to go the NP or PA route. One of the highest paying fields is nurse anesthetist
As long as you take all the premed prereqs and the MCAT, why not?
^What bookworm said…nurse anesthetist is a field with high pay and good working conditions. I’ve brought the possibility to my D as well.
Np anaesthesiologist - in high demand, highly paid…
Whoops, auto correct. Thanks for the correction, MYOS1634 (what does that stand for?)
NP around here = nurse practitioner
An someone posted that their PA child earned $125/HR in overtime pay!! Sweet.
Sounds you have had some great exposure!
Make sure you invest heavily in some shadowing and also inquiry into the time and financial commitments with all paths you are considering.
There are RNs who work in the OR in the role as RNFA (RN First Assist) and they regularly suture, close wounds, etc.
(BSN, then a 1-2 year certificate program…it seems to vary)
Acute Care NP: these usually work in trauma, ICU, sometimes OR and they have basic surgery/procedure skills also
(BSN, 2 years grad school)
There are PAs who work alongside orthopedic surgeons and many many others and they have basic surgery skills. (BS degree, 2 years of grad school)
There are RNs with advanced degrees and are Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) and they administer anesthesia during surgery. Income potential 140-200K. Must have a high tolerance for stressful situations, work under pressure, etc. It’s not just sitting by the head of the bed keeping the patient asleep.
MD: BS degree, med school, internship, residency, etc.
Explore all the roles, including time spent training, pay, lifestyle (do the work 60 hrs a week vs 30 with flexible shifts?); burnout potential, family flexibility and just what they like about their role or what they would change.
This is awesome! Thank you everyone for your responses!
You know there are surgical nurses who only work in the OR, right? Is the point that now you think you want to actually be surgeon or just that you had no idea you would be so interested in working in an OR and don’t realize that nursing can allow you to do that? Anesthesia and surgery are pretty different too, and like others have said, there are ways to be involved in anesthesia that don’t involve being an MD, so I’m just trying to figure out where exactly your head is at.
As others have said, it’s exponentially easier to jump ship from pre-med to pre-nurse than vice versa. The only major(s) that are bad for pre-med are the allied health sciences (e.g. nursing) so your best bet would be to start out pre-med majoring in some academic field (e.g. biology) and if you decide med school isn’t for you change gears and go for nursing.
I think the best path for you would be to be NP with an anaesthesiology or surgical specialty. Best of both worlds!
Yes, a nursing major can go pre-med. However, you would have fit many additional pre-reqs into your schedule. You might try some of those as electives and see how you do, including high level chemistry that is normally not required for nursing.
After you get your RN, you can apply to work as a surgical nurse, or could eventually become a nurse anetheseologist.
Keep in mind that the med school admission rates are very low, and requires that you have to spend most of your 20s in school or working long hours , vs. a BSN allows you to get a decent job after only 4 years, with a 40 hour work week and much less debt. Be wary of giving up what could be a sure thing for an option that could leave you with no med school admissions and less job options.
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My neighbor is a surgical nurse and leads an operating team and she loves it and does very well financially. She has a Master’s degree, I don’t know if she has or needed any special certificate. From what I am reading nurses are getting more responsibilities and gaining more opportunities for continuing ed and specialization. One of those areas does seem to be nurse anesthesiologist.
Nursing majors can likely have a year or two to drop the major and go premed, picking another major and doing the premed requirements, likely easier to do as a chem or bio major but not necessarily. Some nurses eventually decide to go to med school and then they likely have to take a few classes to have all the prereqs, but there is some prejudice from med schools against nurses I have read, although some make it.
Thanks for the responses!