New Here!!

[wannabdoc75]

Hi All,

I am new here and just wanted to ask a question. I am finishing up nursing school in october and plan to work for the two years that I am doing my pre reqs for med school. I don't think I will be satisfied being a nurse practitioner and I want to go all the way and become a doctor. I have already signed up for a post bacc pre med program at my old school that I graduated from before which is a 4 year college. How do the caribbean medical schools view community college science courses from 4 year colleges. I am taking biology I in the fall because I need to finish up my nursing courses and will be in school for 5 days a week until the end of october. But I was looking at past spring semester scheduling and their schedules are terrible. I wanted to take Bio II and Chem I and the schedules are all over the place. I am sure the schedule will be the same for next spring because my schools has a habit of keeping those schedules. The community college that I like has a flexible schedule. Can anyone tell me what they think?

Thanks

[jameslynton]

I am finishing up nursing school in october and plan to work for the two years that I am doing my pre reqs for med school. Congrats

I don't think I will be satisfied being a nurse practitioner and I want to go all the way and become a doctor. Often many very good nurses realize this. After school realized they could have had a V8 instead of an RN.

I have already signed up for a post bacc pre med program at my old school that I graduated from before which is a 4 year college. How do the caribbean medical schools view community college science courses from 4 year colleges. I know many US MD's - who did community college science courses. Wish I had. read on...

I am taking biology I in the fall because I need to finish up my nursing courses and will be in school for 5 days a week until the end of october. But I was looking at past spring semester scheduling and their schedules are terrible. I wanted to take Bio II and Chem I and the schedules are all over the place. I am sure the schedule will be the same for next spring because my schools has a habit of keeping those schedules. The community college that I like has a flexible schedule. Can anyone tell me what they think? You have a primary degree from a School and an RN I take it. First let me say this - the first Doctor I met from an Island school (SGU) she had an RN and she was a Stud muffin MD. Really good Much better than the US school Doc we had.
That said you are just starting to research Island schools. You will find you will need to take the MCAT to get in the better top schools. So prep yourself for that.
First, try US schools if your grades and MCAT are good. > 3.5GPA 30+ MCAT. If you don't toe that line above then put in several applications at the top island schools. Do your research on which schools - read about the islands - the schools and what's in the forums here. The island schools are not an easy path - But they are a path. Be serious and don't be delusional about yourself. If you had a hard time in organic or the advanced biology's like physiology - Micro - or anatomy. Then reconsider your hole cards. You have to have organic in your pre-req - Just do your best and get help fast if you get int trouble taking these courses.

Good Island school will have a minimun of approaval at least NY State - MUA- Nevis, AUA, SMU
The better schools will have most States - Saba
The best schools - IWU, SGU, AUC, Ross - will have almost all state approvals CA, NY and the rest

Know why state approval is important...It is all in the forums do searches

[wannabdoc75]

Thank you very much for the information jameslynton. I have taken Microbiology and Anatomy and Physiology I and II and have done very well in those classes. I love biology type classes but hate the classes that has any math to them. I am so bad in math so I know I have to study really hard for physics and chemistry. :cry: Anyway, I want to go to a US medical school because I have a husband and two kids. It would be ideal to get into a US school but my gpa is not all that great from my first degree. I had my first child when I was in high school and I did not really have no one to help me out at that time when I had to study or even go to class, but I decided to try to just make it and just get a degree because I was the first in my family to do so. That was 13 years ago when I tried to take the first of the pre reqs which was biology I and II, physics and chemistry. I did ok in biology I and II, not so good in chem I but passed and did horribly in physics. The pre med advisor told me I would have to do those classes over because they were done in 1993 anyway. But I am trying to redeem myself now. My nursing gpa is around a 3.35 but my first degree gpa is around a 2.6 or 2.7 and I was reading on the forum that med schools count all grades which will probably hurt me badly. That is why I want to do well in the pre req classes and do extra well on the MCAT. If I don't get in, I guess my family will be uprooted to the caribbean.

Also thank you for the info about the schools with NY approval because that is where I am from and would like to stay. You gave me alot to think about. :D

Thanks again.
Lashawn

[jameslynton]

Math is the bane of many students. Very few teachers have any flair for teaching this subject. I think I only had two the whole time I was in school - one in high school and one in college. Really good tutors are also difficult to find.
Before you launch into chemistry and physics - get all you math out of the way successfully. If you have issues - get help - get a good tutor. Now there is a key to math. It is called practice. Most people don't believe it. Doing the problems about three or four times really helps. If you do more than that and do them for speed after the three or four times. Well they begin to feel easy. I discovered this in the period between my undergrad and gradute degree. I kicked the calculator and learned the multiplication tables from 1 to 20. Till I could be given a number and do it in my head. So when I took one of my math grad math courses - I was like a transformed person. I will always tell people to practice the basics. often issues in math are because of basic issues.

[Sam84]

I had to take one of my courses at community school, Org. 1. And Ross did ask me why I had done this, so I think it matters. I had good excuse though, I was away for that summer and could not get a seat back into the US for the Fall till after classes had begun at my 4 years college. Therefore, I had no choice if I wanted to finish on time.
Good Luck!