<p>I want to know if nursing would be a good job for getting work experience before and during law school. I want to be a criminal defense lawyer or health lawyer but I also want to be an oncologist. I would like some steady income and I would also like working with cancer patients. And could I major in nursing and something else like philosophy to prep me for law school. I would like to know if all of this could work. Thanks bye.</p>
<p>Being an oncologist AND a lawyer AND a nurse sounds like an extreme reach. You are talking about spending half your life in training, and racking up many hundreds of thousands in debt. The typical nursing curriculum does not meet all of the med school pre-requisites, so you might need 5 years of undergrad education.</p>
<p>Being a nurse and a lawyer might be an marketable combination and may offer special qualifications - if you want to specialize in medical malpractice lawsuits or defense. I’d try to talk to some attorneys involved in medical malpractice to get their perspective.</p>
<p>There are an excessive number of law schools, and a number are expected to have to shut down in the next few years. The better law schools have been shrinking their classes to maintain their quality. Some are increasing financial aid. Some law schools use a trick in which they offer most students merit aid, but require a high GPA in order to keep the aid in the last two years. Because of the way classes are curved, the school knows that half the students with merit aid will not keep it during their last 2 years, and will have to undertake large unexpected debts to finish. </p>
<p>Most pre-law students study a field that requires a great deal of writing and reading. You may be at a disadvantage in law school and in taking the LSAT if you haven’t done as much non-scientific reading and writing as other students. </p>
<p>If you really want to work with cancer patients, and be able to spend time with them, I’d just become a nurse. There are plenty of continuing education opportunities and specializations for nurses if you want to continue your education.</p>
<p>If you are really undecided between those 3 choices, you might start as a premed at a university that has a non-direct entry nursing program that is not extremely selective. If you do very well in your pre-med classes, you might decide to stay on that path. If you only do moderately well, it might be time to switch to nursing as a backup. </p>
<p>Law school has no pre-requistes, so that is always an option later.</p>