Why She Left the Premed Track, Became an NP, and is now an M1

Session 205

In today’s episode, I talk with Hanaan, a nurse practitioner who is now going to medical school. Hanaan is also married with three kids in medical school

Hanaan initially wanted to become a doctor but along with family obligations, the lack of mentorship during her premed years somehow caused her to sidestep and follow the NP route. Not finding full satisfaction from it, she finally decided to pursue her lifelong dream to become a physician.

Listen to this podcast episode with the player above, or keep reading for the highlights and takeaway points.

Hanaan’s Journey to Becoming a Nurse

Initially a premed in undergrad
Becoming the primary caretaker of her younger siblings and her mom when her mom got sick
Considering applying to medical school
Struggling with the stigma around women in medicine and pursuing medicine as a mom
Losing her confidence in pursuing medicine without a role model or mentor
Not having a lot of support considering nobody in her family was in the medical field
Deciding to enter the nurse practitioner field and getting into a highly rated, competitive program

Her Experience as a Nurse Practitioner

Her NP program: The first half was an RN/BSN program, and the second half was an MSN Nurse Practitioner program.
Working as an EMT through the RN part and working as an RN through the NP part
Realizing at the end of her education that she still did not have a good enough background to be treating patients of high acuity, which was what she wanted to do
Her job as an NP at an academic hospital for three years

At the end of her nurse practitioner program, she realized she still didn't have a good enough background to be treating patients of high acuity.Click To Tweet

The Next Steps She Took Toward Medical School

Realizing how closed-minded she was about the possibilities of being a nontraditional medical student
- Being married with two kids at this point
Having a discussion with her husband about wanting to go to medical school
Redoing a couple of prerequisite courses so she could get refreshed for the MCAT
Taking the MCAT once
Considerations for choosing medical schools:
- Location
- Proximity to family

Comparing the MD Curriculum versus NP Curriculum

Different pace: Much more information in a shorter amount of time
A lot more details in medical school

The Importance of a Support System in Medical School

Getting a ton of support from her husband
Her mom living two hours away from them
Hiring a nanny
Having friends in medical school and also a friend in medical school who is a mom

Choosing Between Doctor and NP

Talk to as many people as you can.
- Talk to NPs, medical students, interns, residents, attending physicians, new and old attending physicians, and anybody you can.
Everybody will have a different outlook.
- Gather as many perspectives as possible to allow yourself to make the most informed decision.
- Ultimately, it’s your decision.

When deciding between doctor and NP, gather as many perspectives as possible to allow yourself to make the most informed decision.Click To Tweet

Her Advice to Any NPs Considering Going to Medical School

You already know the struggles of being in health care, so it’s an easier transition, but you still need to talk to people.
Look into yourself and understand why you want to be a doctor.
Figure out your real reason for wanting to go into medicine. If you’re doing this for the money and prestige, you’re in the wrong field.

Hanaan’s Advice to Premed Students

Find out what it is that you really want to do. If you have your heart set on medicine and being a physician—and if you’ve talked to people and done your research, and it’s still what you want to do—then go for it! Sidestepping into something else will only take you longer as you will have to start all over again like I did.

If you have your heart set on medicine and being a physician—and if you've talked to people and done your research, and it's still what you want to do—then go for it! Click To Tweet