<p>I switched my major from theatre to pre-med (although specifically undecided) this semester and I'm really loving it, I finally know what I want to do. Barring something disastrously unforeseen on my Orgo final I'm looking at a 3.8 science GPA with only physics left as far as pre-med pre-reqs go but my advisor suggested something interesting.</p>
<p>She said that I should consider getting an associates in nursing (I'd pretty much be halfway done already) and then doing an RN to BS/MS at Michigan, Pitt or Emory so I could be an ER Nurse Practitioner (I'm an EMT right now and I know I want to be in the ER) or apply for med school if I still wanted to.</p>
<p>If I couldn't be a doctor I would really want to be an NP. The prospect of taking more clinical classes but I really do want to be a doctor. Has anyone heard of anyone who has gone down this or a path simillar to this one and gotten into med school? I know that going to community college for your pre-reqs is not looked highly upon but I'll have my pre-reqs from a Big Ten and have taken other courses at the CC. I know this is a really wierd question but any insight is really appreciated.</p>
<p>The CC thing is not that big of deal really, so long as didn't you take all your pre-reqs there, while still being a student at your regular undergrad institution...</p>
<p>As far as getting the nursing first. I would think that would take you a ton of extra time. While it's hard to be sure that you'll get into med school (since you haven't taken the MCAT yet), going NP does take a lot time. Usually they want you to have utilized your BSN for a couple of years, at least the way I understand it...</p>
<p>The other option if you're thinking NP is also PA. Both have extremely similar duties and knowledge bases. NP's tend to be more focused on preventative medicine though and health promotion sort of things.</p>
<p>Usually the A.D. route to an R.N. will take a couple of years because of the sequencing of courses. Since you've done much of the B.S. courses already, I think the timeframe would be less to pursue an accelerated RN to MSN track. </p>
<p>It is true that work experience is important. However, you could sit for your board exam once eligible (when RN courses are completed) while continuing on with the MSN courses. I'm personally partial to the NP end point compared with the PA. The reasons are flexibility. As an NP you could teach in a nursing program, could open your own clinic if desired, and could work in the ER. In contrast the PA is more dependant on working under the supervision of the MD. Many of the private practice MDs do not offer appropriate benifits compared with other employers.</p>
<p>I'm wondering if you've spent any time really talking to female physicians about their work. I, too thought I would do the med school route. As I tackled classes and honestly evaluated my future, I came to the decision that my vision of my future life as a mother and wife would not mesh well with that of a physician. Nursing has been the absolutely perfect alternative for me. It is flexible in term of specialty and you can move back and forth between full-time and part-time. Sure there are weekends and night shifts to work . . . but physicians have it even worse. </p>
<p>Although it sounds enticing at first, if you are going to med school, do not try to obtain your nursing degree. As stupid as this sounds, many med schools do not admit med/nursing students because they feel that it contributes to the nursing shortage, which, as you know, is one of medicine's biggest problems. Unfortunately, you will have to choose one or the other.</p>
<p>I don't agree. I contacted Emory School of Med with this same question and was told that your undergrad could be in any field as long as you have the pre reqs and EXPERIENCE working with patients. Nursing would certainly give you that needed experience. You may want to contact the med school you intend to apply to and have a similar fact finding conversation.</p>
<p>Also, it might help you to know that I've seen some admission acceptance rates and majors and most majors averaged a mid 30% acceptance rate, while nursing, medical technology and pharmacology (that last one is graduate work...I'm assuming they mean pharmacists who later applied to med school - ?) had a lower acceptance rate of someone in the mid 20% range. So, although lower - not impossible or unheard of.</p>