<p>I would not recommend nursing school. This is mostly because I've simply never heard of anybody doing that.</p>
<p>I would not recommend nursing school. This is mostly because I've simply never heard of anybody doing that, which is not of course a rigorous analysis, but ... still.</p>
<p>Whereas in the case of law schools there are arguably only about 20 law schools in the United States worth going to in terms of gaining the proper credentials for certain top firms - as far as I know every medical school in the United States would be considered top notch or very near top notch</p>
<p>If you get into medical school. any medical school in the United States -you have achieved a major success</p>
<p>BDM, I would not recommend nursing as a planned pathway to medicine for most people. For most it would be an expensive and time consuming sidetrack. In the OP's case, there is a "problem" of extreme youth, that will work to her disadvantage. So one strategy is to get relevant health care experience while getting a bit older. For her, nursing might be a way to do this and firm up her thinking. I admit I am also a little worried that she has pushed too hard on getting through hoops, viewing college as only a means to the end of getting into a "top" medical school, and not devoting much thought to what she wants to do in medicine, or why (I may be overinterpreting, since she has not discussed these issues in this thread. Maybe she has thought about them, just not brought it up here). For those reasons, health care experience with no pressure to move up into a big name medical school could improve her admission chances and give her a chance to think about what she wants to do.</p>
<p>I see a student who got into an extremely selective college at a very young age, but then got considerably lower grades than she would like. Obviously the problem is not academic ability. This leads me to wonder whether she was A. not studying what she really wanted to study or B. not that committed to the career she was aiming for. Add to that bilateral doctor parents, dad on board at the local medical school, and I wonder whether she ever had a chance to consider whether medicine is the right career for her. Like I said, maybe I am worrying about nothing.</p>
<p>For most premeds I agree, heading for nursing in order to get into medical school is probably not a good idea. On the other hand, many people who want to be doctors would enjoy being nurse practitioners. So for many this is a desirable option in its own right.</p>
<p>Personally , I don't get why so many think that nursing is not a good undergrad major choice. With the exception of perhaps having to take some additional science (to make sure the premed courses are covered), how could it possibly be any different than majoring in music, or history, or ecology? We all know that all majors have been accepted into medical school. </p>
<p>The only draw back I can see is the reluctance of admission reps to take a qualified nurse (which is in shortage) out of the nursing field - and this can be a real issue. </p>
<p>On the plus side, the trained nurse will have tons of clinical expereince, one on one patient experience and practical medical experience. Yes, the approach is very different than medical doctor training, but both views are valuable and certainly the trained nurse will have much more experience with patient care than the average medical student. </p>
<p>Personally, I think it's a prejudice against nurses. If the premed classes are the same, the MCAT is high , the GPA is high and the nurse has the clinical and research expereince, really - what difference does it make?</p>
<p>
[quote]
The only draw back I can see is the reluctance of admission reps to take a qualified nurse (which is in shortage) out of the nursing field - and this can be a real issue.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>This is, indeed, the concern I had.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Personally, I think it's a prejudice against nurses]
[/quote]
</p>
<p>This is my concern. Traditionally nurses and doctors were drawn from different pools of students. The historic assumption was doctors were stronger students, and of course male. Although the latter has changed, the predjudice has not. So someone who needed to get out of school to work, did noursing for a while, then decided to go to medical school gets a strong reception due to knowledge of what health care is really about. However, someone who did nursing straight through college, then applies directly to medical school, gets a strange reception "do they really want to be a nurse or a doctor?"</p>
<p>So, for most, this is a risky strategy. Of course, if you really want to do health care, but are not ready to commit to medical school, then nursing can be a good way to try it out with a much smaller investment up front.</p>
<p>it's funny reading because right after i graduated from high school a couple of months ago, i was dead set on Majoring in Nursing and then if i am able to achieve high grades in whatever classes i do and my pre-reqs for med school, i'd apply to medical school. i have a cousin who's pretty smart that is on the same pathway. after being on CC for a while, i realized that if i really wanted to be a doctor, why am i so dependent on whether i DO well in college. why can't i just force myself and DO well. so that's what i did, i changed my major to Biology. But my cousin's still on the Nursing-Doctor pathway. for anyone considering this pathway, be aware that it is Hard to get in the Nursing Major because of it's super impacted nature. people often go on waiting lists, therefore taking a lot longer.</p>
<p>Many nurses do go on to medical school and become excellent physicians. Nurses acquire important clinical and "people" skills that are lacking in most medical students.</p>
<p>However, most nurses who become doctors go to medical school only after several years working as a nurse. The nursing major is an uncommon direct route to medical school.</p>
<p>I guess I should explain a little more. I understand yes, I am young, which is why I am taking my year off. I've never taken a summer or a term off at dartmouth so I could have this year to think about the medical profession and why I want to be a doctor. I'm going to Beijing, China that year after MCATS to work in Fuwei Hospital. I've always wanted to work in international public health rather than do private practice and looking into MD/MPH combined programs. I'll also be doing the Miss USA and Miss Asian America pageants during that year. People don't really see pageantry as a resource, but you can use your title to promote a lot of philanthropy. This year I've been able to expand on my platforms of Women's Cardiac Care foundation and Women in Science Programs. </p>
<p>Do anyone have any advice what else I could do that year besides working in a hospital?</p>
<p>Well, anything you can do to enalrge your experience in international medicine would help. Working in a hospital overseas is a great start. Can you use this as an opportunity to study effects of increased travel on health in China? Changes in Chinese medicine as the country industrializes? </p>
<p>I am afraid that the beauty pageants are going to raise many of the same associations that were brought up about nursing. Very hard to get professionals to take seriously the events, or people who participate in them. You will need to overwhelm them with explanations of how this is something other than an anachronistic throwback to an American past that many people are glad to see gone. (objectification of women, swimsuit stage of competition, vapid responses to questions posed by Bob Barker...). Many on admissions committees will be so surprised to find a thoughtful serious person having anything to do with such events that they might be willing to listen.</p>
<p>Well, except that med schools won't mind pulling a qualified beauty contestant out of that career.</p>
<p>Unusual accomplishments will make your application stand out. I know a residency selection committee member who picked an applicant for an interview because the application contained an essay about interests and achievements in ... drag racing. As is turns out, the professor was a gearhead who ended up lobbying for this applicant.</p>
<p>Many beauty pageant competitors go on to be docs. The Miss America Pageant even has scholarships for competitors pursuing a career in medicine.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Allman Medical Scholarships
Funded by DR. & MRS. DAVID B. ALLMAN</p>
<p>History of the Award
Dr. David B. Allman was a past president of the Miss America Pageant and the American Medical Association. In memory of her husband, Mrs. Allman, during her lifetime, established a scholarship foundation to be administered by the Miss America Organization for the grant of scholarships to Miss America Pageant contestants who wished to enter the field of medicine to become medical doctors. At her death in 1981, Mrs. Allman further funded this foundation so that young women involved in the Pageant system could take advantage of this opportunity to further or commence their education in the medical field. Since 1974, Allman Scholarships have been granted to various Miss America contestants at the National, State and Local level. From time to time, the Miss America Organization has contributed funds to raise the scholarships available.</p>
<p>Guidelines for Grant
Allman Scholarships will be granted annually, if there are qualified applicants, to those women in the Miss America Pageant system who meet the requirements for grant of scholarships. This scholarship is available to women who have competed within the system on the state, local or national level from 1996 to present regardless of whether a title was won. The committee members will review all applications for scholarships and will award one or more scholarships per year depending upon the qualifications of applicants.</p>
<p>A new application must be submitted each year and previous applicants may apply.</p>
<p>Applicants will be considered for the award based upon a combination of factors including, but not limited to, grade point average (high school and college/university), class rank, MCAT score, extra curricular activities, and financial aid requirements, household income and level of participation within the system.
[/quote]
<a href="http://www.missamerica.org/scholarships/allmanmedical.asp%5B/url%5D">http://www.missamerica.org/scholarships/allmanmedical.asp</a></p>
<p>
[quote]
2003 recipients
$5,000 Sarah Rushing, Yale University School of Medicine
$2,000 Tarayn Grizzard, Harvard Medical School
$2,000 Cynthia Elizondo, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
2004 recipients
$2,100 Laurie Beth Grey, Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
$2,100 Chia-Jung Tsay, Harvard College, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences<br>
$1,500 Mary Catherine Correll, University of Kentucky, University of Kentucky College of Dentistry
$1,500 Jessica Sparks, Mississippi State University, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
[/quote]
</p>
<p>its true.</p>
<p>I've already made about 20,000 dollars for college scholarships from pageantry. I only started doing it about a year ago. Teen USA was my first pageant. You get to practice a lot of interviewing skills that are related to current events such as abortion, stem cell research, etc...they also want to see you're a humanitarian, can handle school, ECs, but also have great communication skills. </p>
<p>I know that women that participate get stereotyped into a certain personality who only cares about make up and are basically dumb blondes. But thats not true at all. I know state queens that are applying to Yale and Duke and Penn and getting in due to their distinction through pageantry. America's National Teenager Scholarship Organization used to feed into Miss America Organization a while ago. </p>
<p>I think that pageants today have changed a lot from years ago. They tried to get rid of the swimsuit competition in MAO, but it was the viewers that wanted it in.</p>
<p>What happened finally?</p>
<p>If you look at her recent posts, she's actually applying this application cycle (meaning she's in the application process right now).</p>
<p>OK, so looks like she took a year off?</p>
<p>this is a very interesting thread.</p>
<p>diva</p>
<p>the ophthalmologist that i do research with (i'm an OD) started university when he was 16, med school at 18, and subsequently did residency at Harvard EEI. </p>
<p>he was/is brilliant, and i think his youth only added to his cachet. if u are mature, know what u want in life, i don't see why any medical school would deny u admission based on ur age, in view of your obvious talent.</p>