Nurse to Physician: Is There a Shortcut?
Nursing is an amazing, fulfilling career full of opportunity. But sometimes a nurse wants to advance their education and become a physician — and there's nothing wrong with that.
Many people recommend just becoming a Nurse Practitioner — it's "basically the same thing," "easier," and gets you to practice sooner. Those are fair points. But being an NP might not be enough for you. As an NP, there are times I wish I had the knowledge and training physicians experience. Pay and opportunities are also invariably better for physicians (though work-life balance may suffer), and there's often a higher level of respect. Some people even become an NP first, then later decide to become a doctor — and that's okay too.
So is there a fast-track? Unfortunately, there is no easy shortcut for anyone to become a physician. Medical school is a competitive, rigorous endeavor. But if you want it badly enough, there's no limit on the work you'll do and the success you'll have.
The Pre-Requisite Courses
As a practicing RN or NP, you're a "nontraditional" applicant. Most accepted students are fresh baccalaureate graduates who majored in science or a pre-med track and prepared for the MCAT. About 99% of medical schools require pre-requisites, and most have stringent admission criteria. Unfortunately, nurses won't have taken most of the required courses.
BSN students take science pre-requisites, but at most universities these are not the same courses required by medical school — your chemistry was likely geared toward health professionals and may or may not count. The general med school pre-requisites:
- 2 semesters of general chemistry with lab
- 1–2 semesters of organic chemistry with lab
- 1 semester of biochemistry (required by some, preferred by most)
- 2 semesters of biology with lab
- 1–2 semesters of physics with or without lab
- 1–2 semesters of English
- 1 semester of statistics with or without calculus
As a nurse, you'll likely have the biology, English, and possibly statistics done. That leaves roughly 6 courses or 20+ credits to take before you can even apply — which may take a year or two around a full-time work schedule (or part-time if possible).
Possible Shortcuts (Rare)
A few schools (e.g., Mount Sinai's FlexMed) waive pre-reqs for a small number of students — but those students must have majored in humanities, not nursing. Email admissions teams to ask about alternatives; most will say criteria are strict. Post-baccalaureate programs (1–2 years) help you complete pre-reqs and may have linkage programs with medical schools plus a letter of recommendation. Pre-reqs matter regardless — they help prepare you for the MCAT.
The MCAT
The MCAT — Medical College Admission Test — assesses problem solving, critical thinking, and application of scientific concepts related to medicine. Scores play a very big factor in matriculation. Reformatted in 2015, it spans many sections, and a strong science background helps.
Don't assume that being a practicing nurse means you'll automatically do well. Questions require deep understanding of chemistry, physics, and biology, plus critical analysis, reading, and reasoning, and now psychology and social functions of behavior.
The average MCAT score is 500; the highest possible is 528, and any score above 523 is the 100th percentile (very difficult to achieve). Different schools have different MCAT "averages," and falling below a minimum can automatically remove you from some schools' selection processes.
Admissions
Medical schools are very competitive. About 60% of applicants are rejected entirely — and that's after applying to an average of 16 schools. If you're limited in which schools you can apply to, that rejection rate is likely much higher.
Acceptance rates vary widely by school, so your odds depend heavily on which and how many schools you apply to. Applying to less competitive schools increases your chances.
Financial Aid
Even if you get accepted — how do you pay for it? The average cost of a 4-year medical school is over $128,000 (public) and over $208,000 (private). That's a lot of cash, far more than you'll earn as a nurse.
Medical school is intense — you'll likely only work occasionally, if at all, devoting your time to studying early on and to clerkships later. Like other students, you'll probably rely on student loans. The annual federal loan limit for medical school is $40,500; as long as you're not wealthy, this is pretty much guaranteed and covers most public tuition and fees, though it may leave little for living expenses, requiring harder-to-get private loans.
The Nursing Advantage
As a nurse, you bring real advantages to medical school. You'll already have a clinical understanding of disease processes, expected symptoms, and general treatments. That said, the first 2 years are very science-focused, and many RN-to-physicians report difficulty adjusting in the first few months.
It takes time and hard work — just like for all medical students. But once you reach clinical clerkships, you may find it easier to adjust thanks to your experience. A better understanding of healthcare infrastructure and your nursing background will help you become a more well-rounded physician.
