Nurses and doctors, without a doubt, play an important role in the health sector and collaborate closely to deliver outstanding patient care. Both have a wide range of tasks and responsibilities, but they all have the same aim of assisting people and saving lives. Many registered nurses wonder, “Should I become a doctor?” as a way to advance their careers.
Changing careers from nursing to medicine is a difficult task for many registered nurses. Some people question if they can switch careers and seek a career in medicine. If you want to be a good doctor, you should move up the healthcare ladder and take the advanced step from RN to MD.
Nurses can be great assets for medical school. If you work as a nurse or are studying to become a nurse, you already have a number of advantages when it comes to preparing for a career in medicine. Let’s take a look at what it takes to go from RN to MD.
How to Become a Medical Doctor After Working as a Registered Nurse (MD)
As previously said, the transition from Registered Nurse to Medical Doctor is not easy. But, exactly, what is the procedure? What is the best way to get started, and what educational criteria must be met? We’ll go over all you need to know about transferring from RN to MD in this section.
Educational Prerequisites
Having a Bachelor’s Degree as an RN is the first step toward becoming a Medical Doctor. You cannot begin your MD program without first earning a bachelor’s degree.
Most of the courses you took while earning your BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) may count as prerequisites for your medical studies if you have one. If you hold a non-science degree, pay special attention to the qualifications you may need to complete.
Let’s have a look at the next steps with this initial educational need in mind:
Meet the Admissions Requirements for Medical School
Taking the Medical College Admission Test – MCAT – is one of the most critical admission requirements you will face. The MCAT is a comprehensive standardized computer-based exam that assesses problem-solving ability, critical thinking skills, and understanding of scientific content, concepts, and principles rather than textbook study.
Most medical schools accept an average MCAT score of around 500, however, several programs will require higher average scores, with some Ivy League schools refusing to admit candidates with scores below 518.
Medical School Applications
After taking the MCAT, the results are sent to the medical schools to which you applied. Some schools prefer nurses because of their prior healthcare experience, while others perceive it as a barrier.
Undergraduate grades, coursework, the university from which an individual graduated, and MCAT scores are all factors considered by medical schools. Some medical schools, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), do not consider applicants with MCAT scores below a particular threshold.
Earn your Medical Licence.
Medical school programs typically begin with two years of classroom study, during which you will learn the fundamental sciences and gain a broad overview of the medical field. After that, the next two years are spent completing rotations and learning the profession on the job in a clinical setting.
Complete a Residency Programme and any other Qualifications that may be necessary.
Even after graduating from medical school, you still have a long way to go before you can practice medicine. After completing the medical program, you will need to move on to the residency program, which is where you will specialize in a certain area of medicine.
Depending on the specialization, this could take anywhere from two to seven years. Working as a resident physician is a test in and of itself: the hours will be hard, the responsibilities will be demanding, but each day you show up for your residency practice brings you one step closer to being a full-fledged actual doctor.
It’s Time to Put Your Skills to the Test.
You’re ready to pursue a successful medical profession once you’ve obtained your medical license and board certification. Changing careers from RN to MD is a long process that might take up to ten years of education, depending on your specialty.
After finishing an MD program, residency, and post-graduate training, you can work as a full-fledged doctor.
Conclusion:
When you have desire and dedication, you can change your job from nurse to doctor. Hopefully, this article has helped you better understand how to transition from a nurse to a doctor. We hope that this information will be a useful beginning point for you as you work toward acceptance into medical school. You’ve got this!