Students often ask whether an undergraduate degree in nursing is the best way to prepare for medical school. There seems to be a popular myth that majoring in nursing is good preparation for a career in medicine.
If you want to be a nurse, you should major in nursing. If you want to become a physician, select a major that sparks your intellectual curiosity and successfully fulfills the admission requirements for medical school — then apply.
Although both are integral to health care, nurses and physicians have different roles. The science prerequisites for an undergraduate nursing degree and those required for medical school also differ.
For example, an undergraduate bachelor’s in nursing may not satisfy the physics, organic chemistry, English and biology requirements for medical school. And if you’re planning to major in nursing to ensure you have experience with patients, understand that there are other ways to gain patient exposure, including volunteer experiences in hospitals and physicians’ offices.
Remember that your purpose as an undergraduate is not merely to prepare for medical school but to have a variety of experiences that develop you into a well-rounded individual. Use college to explore a variety of disciplines and foster your intellectual curiosity.
Consider also that there is currently a nursing shortage. As such, admission to undergraduate nursing programs is coveted.
Don’t pursue a nursing major if you aren’t committed to becoming a nurse. These slots are for students who intend to practice in their prescribed field of study.
Students who are fortunate enough to gain entrance into undergraduate nursing programs are expected, upon successful completion of the program, to go on to practice nursing or enter graduate nursing programs. While this is not required, it is disingenious to major in nursing in an attempt to get ahead of competition for medical school. If your heart is set on attending medical school, leave the nursing majors to prospective nursing students.
Torn Between Nursing and Medicine
If you aren’t 100 percent sure that medical school is for you and you are also considering a nursing degree, how should you decide?
First, talk to physicians and nurses about their career paths. You can also contact professional societies, including the American Nurses Association, National Student Nurses’ Association, Association of American Medical Colleges and American Medical Student Association. Or look into attending a prenursing or premedical fair where you can ask questions and learn more about these fields.
Next, consider trying to gain a closer look at both professions. Ask local hospitals or health systems about volunteer opportunities and shadowing experiences that will potentially provide exposure to multiple areas of the hospital. You might also participate in a pre-professional health summer program to gain more knowledge of potential health care careers.
As you explore colleges, look to see if they offer prenursing and premed undergraduate clubs that you could join to meet like-minded people. Also, once you know which path you plan to pursue, be sure to identify early on — before or during your freshman year — the admission requirements for pursuing either a graduate degree in nursing or medical school, since this will help you better plan your undergraduate studies.
Change of Heart
Even with the best intentions heading into college, some students will enter a nursing program only to later realize that they really want to go to medical school. If you find yourself in this situation, first seek counsel with a mentor to identify the reason you want to change your charted career path.
You’ll also want to talk to a college counselor or adviser to identify if you have enough credits in another discipline to change majors to premed. Be sure to also review science courses you’ve already taken to identify which ones fulfill medical school application requirements and which ones you will still need to take.
As you pursue this new course and are preparing to apply to medical school, you’ll also need to be prepared to explain to the admissions committee why medicine is now your desired profession. For example, some applicants were initially deterred by the cost and length of time required to become a physician and elected to study nursing, believing it was a more efficient path and better fit for life.
Once enrolled, they came to realize that their desire to be a physician outweighed the costs and time commitment. Now they must embark on the medical school application process, including determinging whether they have satisfied the prerequisites, considering postbaccalaureate programs and preparing for and taking the MCAT.
Being a nurse does not circumvent or shorten the process to become a physician nor does it guarantee entry into medical school.
Whatever your desired career path — nursing or medicine — rest assured you can make a good living and have a fulfilling career that is rich with opportunities in areas such as research, education, clinical practice, consulting or pharmaceuticals. And remember that, even if you pursue one career path and realize in the middle that your heart lies elsewhere, you still have time to rechart your course.
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How Prospective Undergrads Can Choose Between Nursing, Medicine originally appeared on usnews.com
