nurse to doctor

“I would not have predicted that my experiences in nursing would reveal my deeper aspirations and lead me on a meandering path towards medicine. I enjoy many aspects of being a nurse including listening to the intimate stories patients share, comforting their families…………… Some years into my career, I began yearning to expand my role. I recall a situation when I entered my patient’s room to find him in a sweat, short of breath, with a weak, irregular pulse. I applied oxygen and laid him flat in bed…………….. I felt nervous as I waited for the physician to respond to my page. When the physician arrived at the patient’s bedside, I felt an overwhelming relief. I thought, “The doctor is here. Everything will be fine.” ………….. this made me want to be the person who steps into a room and provide that relief. Though I considered furthering my education as a nurse, my desire to manage complex cases with a greater depth of medicinal knowledge sustained my decision to pursue medical school.” – excerpts from my medical school personal statement.

i started my journey in 2016, inspired by my friend Christine – a former RN, now MS1 (medical student, year 1) – and by the many brilliant physicians I worked alongside throughout the years.

once I made the decision, I stuck to it and created a rough timeline of prerequisites I needed to complete while working full-time. i did not want to rush my timeline because I enjoyed and valued the experience I was gaining as a nurse. over the span of 3 years, I took 1 prerequisite course at a time and applied for medical school in the summer of 2019. the timeline was dynamic and changed according to my work schedule and resulted as the following:

• fall 2016 – general chemistry 1
• spring 2017 – general chemistry 2
• fall 2017 – organic chemistry 1
• spring 2018 – organic chemistry 2
• summer 2018 – biochemistry
• fall 2018 – physics 1
• spring 2019 – study for MCAT
• summer 2019 – take MCAT
• fall 2019 – physics 2

all the science courses I completed were at the local community college or online. this allowed me the most flexibility in attending class and working full-time. the schedule was incredibly manageable up until MCAT studying. that was when I quit working full-time for 2 months and dedicated myself to MCAT study. those were brutally grueling months and I never wish to re-do them!

I am by no means qualified to advise nurses how to take this path towards medicine but i am happy to share what has worked for me. it was important to me to take my time during this pursuit and if you have the time to do it, I would suggest to take it slow. the years I spent working gave me healthcare and real world knowledge that prepared me for my AMCAS application activities section and medical school interviews.

I had ample opportunities to meet physicians while working and on missions trips who not only inspired me but wrote me letters of recommendations. getting to know your professors is another important detail that I didn’t know beforehand. many medical schools require a letter of recommendation from a science professor and luckily I had professors that I took multiple courses with who remembered me and my academic performance.

nurses can be protective of their role and the majority of my peers were supportive. there will always be nay-sayers, like a person who told me, “Lily, you’re just lost” when I mentioned that I might want to pursue medicine. remarks like that never halted my pursuit.

other aspects to consider is the lifestyle overhaul that will happen between this transition. as a nurse, I work 2-3 days per week according to how I schedule myself and I always go home leaving work behind. I know that this lifestyle may be forever gone starting the first day of medical school but deep in my bones, I know this is my intended path and one I choose to commit and dedicate my life to.