Nursing school or med school?

Question

I am a 28-year-old LPN (no collage). I want to go back to school but am not sure if I should go to med school or settle for a BSN due to my age. I have 3 children all in school all day and a wonderful support group (family and friends). All input will be appreciated.

Answer 1

Med school would be a good option, but it would come at a much higher price than tuition. Your family life would become very strained for a long time. My sister went through nursing school to become an RN, but it cost her a husband, and she had 2 kids to care for at the same time. After the kids were grown, she went back to school, but this time only part time classes, with an occasional 2 week seminar thrown in. She is now a nurse practitioner, and is doing well. Going back to school can strain a family, so be aware that a good outcome could have side affects, but doesn't always. I can't tell you which path to choose, just weigh the choices and pick the one right for you.

Answer 2

Nursing School: You are already an LPN so I would guess that getting into a RN/BSN program wouldn't be that difficult for you. Since you are already experienced, all of the background information is already known to you. You will not have to spend as much time in school either.

Medical School: You will 1.) Spend 4 years in getting a bachelor's degree 2.) Spend 4 years in medical school 3.) spend 4-8 years as a resident. You will be 40 before you are a practicing physician. I don't know what your financial situation is, but remember that most medical schools cost $30,000-40,000/year if you are not a resident of their state. Also, you (as an LPN) are probably getting paid better than you will be as a resident after medical school.

In my opinion, because of your overall situation (children and everything), I would say you should go for your BSN or even Master's in nursing afterwards.

Answer 3

Before you can even apply for medical school, you need to have a bachelor's degree in hand, and get a decent score on the Medcat exam. So you are looking at a minimum of 4-5 years before med school even becomes an issue. If you attend a college and major in nursing, on the other hand, you will graduate with a BSN. Once you pass the state board exam, you are good to go to work as an RN. Medical school is incredibly expensive, and you will finish with a considerable debt hanging over your head- just in time to have the kids heading off to college themselves possibly. You will still have at least a year or two of residency ahead of you at that point, and you don't make money as a resident either. In fact, if you can pay the interest on your loans you will be doing well. If you want a good paying job in the shortest amount of time, go for the BSN. Nurses still make good money, and you can specialize after graduation and make even more. There's also good money to be made as a private nurse. If you decide to go for medical school, you are looking at being in your early 40's before you begin to make any kind of paycheck, and at that same time you will have a debt load of tens of thousands of dollars to pay off. As a nurse, you can be out working and making money inside 4 years, and commanding a fair wage by the time you are 32 or so. I think I'd recommend nursing school, to earn the BSN.

Answer 4

Become a nurse practitioner! You'll get the best of both worlds. You'd need to find a program that would give you RN-MSN combo, I think, without already having a BS in nursing. Good luck!

Answer 5

Nursing would take less time away from your family. Of course Im prejudice being a nurse myself. If you love nursing stay with nursing. I cant imagine doing anything else. Simply Love It.