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Can anybody offer me any advice on the courses which enable qualified nurses to become doctors? Length of course? Cost? Which Universities with San Diego offer said programme?
There is no special program for nurses. You have to go to medical school to become a physician.
University of California San Diego has a great program, but like all medical schools, it is very competitive to get in. Probably want an undergrad GPA of 3.8 and at minimum a 33 (near 90th percentile) on the MCAT. Goodluck.
Yeah if you want to get into med school and want to stick with a certain area you should have about a 3.8 gpa. If you really want to become a doctor, apply to about 10-12 med schools and you should get into 1 if you have a 3.6 or so. ace the mcat, experience in the med field should help you out too as long as you dont interview and say you hate being a nurse because the hospital sucks
Can anybody offer me any advice on the courses which enable qualified nurses to become doctors? Length of course? Cost? Which Universities with San Diego offer said programme?
Thanks
S
there are no special classes even if you are already a nurse and no short cuts. Like has been said, you apply for med school and cross your figures. You can opt to be a Nurse practianer or Physicians assistant but even they are not easy programs to get accepted in...Regardless of what way you go, the additional training will take a few to many years..of course I see you live in England, you will also need to get a student visa..
Can anybody offer me any advice on the courses which enable qualified nurses to become doctors? Length of course? Cost? Which Universities with San Diego offer said programme?
Thanks
S
Costs for all med schools in the US, are very high. You may find state schools in certain parts of the country, with lower rates, relatively speaking. ie, Michigan comes to mind.
The medical school assoc. in the US has recently passed a 'mandate' or whatever you may call it- authorizing I believe 20% more first year spots, owing to physician shortage. This will take effect starting now.
There are also a few new D.O. programs/schools (one in CO and one in WA state) that have recently opened, adding to the dozen or more already in existence.
Unlike in UK, D.O.'s in the US have full physician priveleges, and are trained the same, except they also get Osteopathic training on top of their medical training. In fact, many Americans who go to their Dr. would not even notice if his/her ID badge says 'M.D. or D.O.' after their name. They do 4 yrs, plus 4 yrs of residency. Same training. They (the schools) are considered slightly easier to gain acceptance to, than 'traditional med schools'. But, any stigma is largely in applicant's minds, as the general public routinely receives regular care [including surgeons, internal med.,family practice, all disciplines] from D.O.'s, and either do not know or do not care about the technical difference in titles. And both groups attend the same conferences, receive the same pay, etc. In short, there is no real difference in outcome, though some would argue you may get a better residency slot if you went to an M.D. school, rather than D.O. But this really would impact folks wanting to do specialized surgery options. The more competitive the specialty, the more competitive the residency. [and surgery, esp. cardiac surgery, is one of ht emost sought after-it pays the most. lol]
Check out the Osteopathic Association for more info, and for schools. They have been in existence for decades. Closest D.O. school to SD would be in Pasadena.The other program in CA is in Vallejo [bay area].
Also, in addition to slightly lower MCAT and GPA scores [they are still no slouch, however!], D.O. schools sometimes accept credits for nursing and other prior medical training. Depends on the program. Costs are generally lower than med schools, as well. (a bit, again, depends on the program)
Again, D.O.'s in the US are not the same as D.O.'s in the UK, which are more like D.C.'s here [chiropractors].
Last edited by lrmsd; 03-09-2010 at 11:09 AM..
Reason: typo
If you speak Spanish this school offers a program. It is in Mexico. I have 2 male friend that went from RN to MD. They were both native Spanish speakers. It can be done. Universidad Xochicalco, Siempre Primero, Siempre adelante - Home
The Campus is just over the border in Tijuana. Also Campus in Ensenada.
Programs in other countries sound nice, but I wonder how the pass rates are on U.S. NCLEX or Medical License tests if one goes to a program in another country? I know that in nursing school, a lot of what is taught in the classroom is stuff that is going to be on the NCLEX. I'm sure it's the same with medical school.
Since there are a lot of Filipino nurses here in So Cal, I'm sure overseas nursing schools have to be on par, but is it the same with Med Schools?
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