How to Become a Doctor after Nursing Degree

Do you know How to Become a Doctor after Nursing Degree? Don’t worry, you are fortunate to have come across this article.

Are you interested in becoming a medical doctor after your nursing degree, but lack knowledge on how to go about it?

Overview of How to Become a Doctor after Nursing Degree

As a nurse, you’re sure to have some of the skills a doctor would have, and deciding to change your career isn’t a bad idea. But taking time out to learn the nitty-gritty of approaching this decision is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

Before we jump into the steps anyone can take to becoming a medical doctor after a nursing degree, let’s quickly check some of the reasons people would ever want to change careers from being a nurse to a doctor.

Reasons why a Nurse may want to become a doctor 

Some individuals have always dreamt of becoming a doctor. Still, due to admission challenges into college or something, they ended up choosing the most preferred alternative, which is nursing.

As time passes coupled with the experiences over time, they still feel the need to change cause and pursue their original career.

Some nurses just want to be more involved than they currently are, and the only way to do that is to become a doctor.

Doctors are in charge of different procedures such as invasive procedures and the like. In addition, there are many reasons why a nurse would like to become a doctor after a nursing degree.

Steps to becoming a doctor after nursing degree 

Below are the steps you should take to become a medical doctor after bagging a nursing degree:

1. Take inventory of your schooling 

First things first, evaluate your previous education before looking up to medical programs at different schools.

As a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree holder, you’ve got the major prerequisite to applying for medical programs.

Go ahead and contact the admission office of the schools you would like to go to to make a detailed inquiry about their admission requirements.

2. Sit for the MCAT exam 

The next thing you want to ensure is to write and pass the Medical Admission Test (MCAT) to be accepted into a Doctor of Medicine program.

This standardized exam is carefully designed to test your problem-solving, critical thinking, and analytical skills coupled with evaluating your previous knowledge in chemistry and scientific concepts generally.

Many schools offering medical programs require that you pass this examination within three years of applying to the medical school. Associations such as the Association of American Medical Colleges offer MCAT at various testing locations throughout the country.

All you need to do is sit for the exam; the association will forward your result to the school you applied from.

It’s very uncommon for the admission committee to consider those who didn’t pass the MCAT, which means you’ve got to give it your best shot.

3. Do an in-depth research of schools

The next thing you want to do as a nurse who’s looking forward to becoming a medical doctor is to research well into the schools and programs you would like to opt in for.

You can start by visiting the schools offering the medical programs, and then thoroughly look into their modules.

Say, for instance, you’re looking for more clinical experiences in your education; look for schools with that in their program structures.

There are a ton of online tools you can use to research different schools with different keywords. Ensure you take your time doing things as they are critical to your success as a medical doctor.

4. Apply to medical school 

With your background in nursing, quality of application, and supporting documents such as letters of recommendation and MCAT, you’re likely going to get admitted to a medical program.

The admission committee looks for your primary prerequisites such as the MCAT and your previous experience in the medical field; then they may offer the admission.

5. Complete the medical program 

You want to sit tight and complete the medical program as best as possible. Yes, a different school with a different structure for the medical program.

However, most schools follow the path of two years of in-class learning and two years of working in clinical facilities.

With your previous degree in nursing, you stand a great chance of doing quite well as you can always adapt your nursing experience while working as a doctor. With your prior experience, you can offer a great deal of help to your colleagues in a clinical setting.

6. Attend a residency program 

Upon completing your medical program, you can then participate in the residency program, which will take around two to four years to complete.

During this time, you get to specialize in a healthcare field, including neurosurgery and cardiology.

The knowledge you will gain from this program will enhance your work as a medical doctor within a specific field of medicine.

You may want to choose a field you have previous experience in as a nurse, such as pediatrics, but it’s not uncommon to see nurses trying to go entirely into new medical fields with no correlation with their experience as a nurse.

7. Get the required certifications 

The next thing on the agenda should be getting licensure to practice medicine in your state. This is majorly dependent on your specialty field as some fields require more certifications than others. So it’s important you get to know what and what licensures you need to have before going all out for it.

8. Updating your education through continuous learning 

It’s important you continue to update your knowledge to be able to renew your certifications. There are many offline and online seminars and classes you will have to partake in to continue updating your knowledge of medicine.

If there are advancements in your chosen specialty, continued education will help you to know and understand these new concepts and how they need to be approached.

Closing Thoughts on How to Become a Doctor after Nursing Degree

Deciding to be a medical doctor after a nursing degree is a huge boost in your career, but learning how to do it right will make your transmission easier and more meaningful as you will gain what and what not to do.

Both nurses and doctors are key parts of any nation’s healthcare system, and you should be proud to be in this life-saving career that helps people get the best treatments possible for their numerous day-to-day health needs.

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