Medical School Pre-reqs and Application | RN to MD 

Nurses make great medical students and future physicians! Trust me, you won't regret it. I love and feel so proud of the fact that I was a nurse beforehand! Good luck on your journey, it will be so worth it! :)

Omg heyyy I’m in the same boat with you. First year graduating with BSN in 2023 in applying to med in 2024 hopefully to get in 2025!!

@@nursemdlily Thank you so much! Thank you so much for creating this youtube channel! Also that is amazing news, and that is so reassuring to hear! When I am doubting myself or doubting my abilities I always come back to your channel! You always say what I need to hear. Goodluck with your Medical School Journey! It sounds like you are killing it so far!

@@sabirahm9375 YESSS GO GIRL! We can do this! I love hearing about others taking this path. It is so encouraging and inspiring!

I’m looking forward to my RN licensure. I’ll be 44 when that happens. When I’m 48 I will apply to medical school.

Good luck! It's an incredible journey!

It is definitely possible you just have to be committed! I am an LPN and starting medical school later this year.

@@imgood2023 that’s awesome. I was an LPN for about 3 years. Went back for my RN and am now working in the er. If you don’t mind me asking, how did you approach taking classes/applying?

@@jordanschmidt9772 I had a very traditional route since I did the LPN in HS but many of my friends have transitioned RN to MD. One of them currently a 2nd year student took her prereqs with me in school while working full time nights on Med Surge. The other one started her prereqs journey last year and is currently doing them all online while working full time in oncology. Its a lot of work but like you said doable. You have to make time for it. You can start off with one or 2 classes to really get a hang of things.

@@imgood2023 Thanks for the info. You've definitely given me a lot to think about.

@@imgood2023 did you have a bachelors before LPN?

plzz tell me if after bsc nursing I will give MCAT test and if this will get clear then can I got oppertunity for md ? and this md is without mbbs ? and by md will I can became doctor with my own OPD in hospital? tell me one think the md which mbbs students do after their completion of mbbs , this md which we will do after RN is both r same ?? plzz answer me plzz I'm in confusion

I agree with the global health experience, I did the same thing and participated in medical mission trips to the Philippines

Hello please share w me how the post Bacc program is, can you work while doing it, can u apply to medschool immediately after the post bacc? Please share w me, thanks

There are several students in my class who started med school in their mid-30s. I started when I was 29 and I turn 30 this year! Age doesn't bother me though. You got this! Definitely try to get that GPA >3.0 and look into holistic MD schools as well as DO schools. You got this!

@@nursemdlily Definitely I will try. Once I transfer to another CC to get my ADN/BSN I'm hoping that boosts my overall GPA as well as the post-bacc classes. So I'm feeling optimistic that a good post-bacc GPA, combined with a 500+ Mcat and nursing experience will at least give me an interview! Always amazing to see other nurses on here go for med!

Wishing you the best, what an inspirational story. I hope to one day hear of you!!!!

@@ife5070 You bet!

Thank you for the suggestion and that seems like a popular topic of interest so I will upload a video discussing the preparing for the MCAT while working!

I sure did, they were a great resource for me and since I worked so closely with them, they wrote me truly excellent letters.

You got this! I turned 29 when I started. I am not the oldest in my class either. I just did a summer internship with other medical students who were ages 36 and 42. Its just a number! You're gonna be 33 someday, and you can be a 33-year old nurse or a 33-year old MD. Honestly Ive used my age to my advantage and feel like my experience in healthcare has only helped me navigate the healthcare system (EHR, hospital, etc), work with patients, and medical terminology. Good luck! Texas is a great place to be for med school since tuition is much cheaper haha.

Best answer to this is reaching out to the medical schools that you want to apply to. Some take old prerequisites and some may want them more recent, each medical school has their own requirements.

Hi there, no I did not think it was difficult to keep my GPA up in nursing school. I studied hard though and my nursing classmates and I studied together so that always helped me. No, Nursing school did not prepare me for the MCAT at all.

Do you mean you are doing a formal post-bacc program? Or you are doing a DIY which is informal and on your own? I didn't do a formal post-bacc so I cannot speak to it. I spent the first year of being a new graduate nurse learning as much as possible to be the best nurse I could be. The great thing is, as long as you put in the work when you are working as a new-grad nurse, you will learn so much about how to interact with patients, the healthcare team and know how to navigate the hospital. This will all help you later on when you are working on the AMCAS application and when you become a medical student. Otherwise, try to work a schedule that allows you to take courses at night, weekends or a couple of days during the week. Don't forget that you can also take advantage of online courses as well. You can do this! Take it one step at a time :)

Thank you so so much 😭 I am doing a DIY post bacc, and will be taking two courses at a time both in the evenings for 3 semesters, while I do my 3x 12 hour shifts. I’m not sure if I can handle that much coursework, but like you said, I plan to take it on a day by day basis and not worry about the future as much! (worked for nursing). Your dedication to the field of healthcare really inspires me, so thank you so much

Thank you for your kind words! I don't have kids but I have classmates who have children. One of my classmates actually gave birth during the neurology block! I can see how children may complicate things but I've definitely seen people make it work. You will need a solid support system. Kudos to you for considering this route!

@@nursemdlily thank you for your fast response! That's nice to know that having children is still a possibility. I currently work full time but I've never gotten a straight answer if it is possible to work while in medical school. I watched your video where you said you worked whole taking your prereqs but will you be able to work at least part time while in med school?

Yes I have several friends with children! Theres a person in our class who had their first child during 1st year and another one on the way during 3rd year!

Thats a great question! Unfortunately this question can only be answered by your academic advisor and the school that you wish to apply to.. this is specific to each medical school as to what courses they will take as credit. Before I signed up for some of my courses, I emailed the advisors at the schools I had on my apply list to see if those credits would transfer. Once I got the confirmation, I enrolled in the courses. All of the courses I took had course names that were pretty straight forward: General Chemistry, Physics I and Physics II, Organic Chemistry. I didn't have course names like those you listed. Hope this helps!

I would prioritize a US MD/DO school, especially with Step 1 being pass/fail next January. Caribbean med school is a good back up plan but I would at least apply 2x in the US before you go Caribbean! They have wonderful graduates but it may give you less opportunity/networking than if you were in the US.

I went with MD for many different reasons... where I live, an MD and DNP cost the same, and the DNP was completely online. I did not feel like going to a completely online school would prepare me to become a provider. I also wanted the ability to do research (which I am currently doing as a medical student). I also compared the clinical hours... the DNP requires about 750-1000 clinical hours to start practicing while an MD will have 15,000 hours through residency before they are independent. I wanted the rigor, the depth and breath of medical school to prepare me to become an expert in medicine. In the end, its your choice! There are pros and cons to these types of career decisions.

@@nursemdlily THX. That makes Med School look so much better. I think I’ll hopefully go in the future.

@@nursemdlily is the cost cost of MD and DNP still the same as per now?

I am hoping to make a video soon! I am now a 4th year and applying diagnostic radiology! WOOT!

Its definitely possible but remember to always check out the requirements of the medical schools that you want to apply to, each school may have different requirements and most, if not all, will require a bachelor's degree prior to admission.

If you have the time to do it and get good grades in both nursing courses and pre-reqs then its possible. You have to know yourself and if that is something you can and want to do. I was not someone who would have been successful doing it that way. My nursing school required a 92% or higher for an A so we had to work quite hard to get As. I am glad I took prereqs over 3 years, but that doesn't work for everyone.

Most people do but you don't have to. Some people work 1 day per week. Medical school is very demanding so most people don't work during their studies.

Hands for Humanity, Midwest Medical Missions, and AMAPeru. I recommended Hands for Humanity the most! handsforhumanity.com

I applied at 28, matriculated at 29. Theres a couple students in me class that are 35+. In my school, there are a couple students who are 40+.

You would need to check with the schools you intend to apply to, may be different requirement for each school.

Oh and what schools did you apply to if you don't mind?

I had one person from nursing that I kept in touch with who wrote a letter for me, otherwise I had my science pre-req professors write letters for me. I worked 3 days a week and only took 1 class at a time so I had at least 1 day a week where I can shadow - which I did for about 5 weeks. I used MSAR to find schools with low MCAT acceptances and applied to 10 MD schools and 10 DO schools. I only got 1 MD interview and a ton of DO interviews so I wish I applied to less MD schools and more DO schools. I don't have the list anymore but they were mostly west coast schools.

@@nursemdlily Did you find more MD schools that accepted online credit or DO schools? someone on the nursing discord mentioned that your transcript doesn't specify "online" so how would MD know?

@@nursemdlily Also did you do any research or publish anything? I feel like I don't have enough in my application

Hi I am so sorry but I do not have experience with international students and your path to medicine. I am a US citizen and went to a US MD school so I can only really speak on this experience. I wish you best of luck!

That is a great question! Although I am childless, I had classmates who started our school year pregnant or with a newborn. I also have classmates with several young kids. It's doable - I often feel that those classmates are very motivated, organized and use their time efficiently. I think its necessary to have a solid support system so that you have time to study and then when you are with your kids, you can be present and dont have to worry about schoolwork too. I hope that helps!

discord.gg/d8kN8DWMjc

Yes you can but make sure you check each medical school's requirements because it varies by each school. I took my physics pre-reqs online and the other hard sciences were in-person labs.

Physics 1 and 2, Ochem 1 and 2, Gen Chem 1 and 2, Biochem. Not in that order but thats what I took after my nursing degree to apply to medical school.

if i take a fast track bsn online program?

No it wont prevent you! Tons of bachelors programs are all online :)

@@nursemdlily Okay, thank you!

I would think so! But if you are trying to stand out as an applicant, having professional clinical hours would be more impressive.

@@nursemdlily Ok, thank you so much!!

You can apply to medical school if you have a Bachelor's and all the required pre-reqs, MCAT score, and application !

@@nursemdlily thank you so much 😍🌼🌼

Most schools prefer in person but right now with everything going on the schools are being really flexible.

Jordan thank you for watching! My top MD school choice was my state school, it had a mission that aligned with my values, it was economically a better choice and they took online and CC credits for pre-reqs. I also applied to many DO schools and got about 10 interviews (although I only attended one of them since I received an acceptance). It is more important that you look at the specific requirements from the schools you want to apply to - some schools do not accept or do not prefer online pre-reqs - I avoided applying to those schools. Although, I will share that I was accepted to a DO school that did not prefer students take their pre-reqs online so it's still possible. I took Physics 1 and 2 with lab, and biochemistry online. I would take those online again in a heart beat, it was much easier to do while working full-time. I hope this helps! (It won't hinder your application, especially if other aspects of your application are strong!)

Yes it contributes to your overall GPA.

I was involved in research as a research nurse. So I recruited and follow-up on patients in studies. But I didnt write or publish anything.

The AAMC is the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Yes, I am currently at a US MD school :)

@@nursemdlily when working as an RN the sched can be 3 days/ wk. I’m in nursing school right now and I’m thinking of pursuing an MD in the far future, do you know how the sched/hours would look like? Ty!!

@@nursemdlily wow congrats!! ☺️ thank u so much for posting about ur experience, I’ve always been curious about becoming an RN -> MD but it’s always been discouraged in the US ):

@@sofiacoleen6822 Congratulations on nursing school! That is an accomplishment in itself! You are fortunate to enter a field with very flexible hours. You can work days or nights. you can work 3 days per week, 4 days, or 5 days, it's up to you and where you choose to work as a nurse. When I worked as a community health nurse, I worked 4 10hour shifts per week Mon-Thurs and took chemistry+lab on Fridays. When I worked as a research nurse, I worked Mon-Fri 8-5pm and took online courses. When I worked in the hospital, I worked 3 days per week for 12 hours and took classes on my days off. You have so many options and you'll be making good money to save for medical school :) I LOVE medical school and hope you will continue your journey! Being a nurse first is amazing and will help you!

I'll be 30 this year. I am definitely not the youngest in my class either! :) A physician teaching me last week started medical school at age 41!

I was too! Its totally valid. Those are scary subjects.

The same as everyone else, 4 years!

@@nursemdlily so 4 years after the additional pre reqs? Then an additional 4-7 years of residency? I'm just asking because I'm 44. I have been an RN ADN for the past 2.5 years. Will have my BSN this fall. Med school will put me at 49 graduating. Which isn't bad. The residency is where I'm 😞

@@astoldbymuriel103YOU CAN DO IT! It’s never too late!

Congratulations!!