How I did it:
In this post, I will share my personal prerequisite timeline. Yours will look different depending on if you do the DIY option or a one-year post-baccalaureate program option.
DIY option means literally that, you take courses as it fits your schedule on your own time. A post-baccalaureate program is often a full-time one-year program.
When I decided to start my prerequisites courses, I was 25 years old and had worked as a nurse for over a year. I enrolled in general chemistry in fall of 2016 and took one course per semester for three years while working full-time. I did it this way because of several reasons: one, I liked working as a nurse and it provided me with strong and relevant clinical experience; two, it was a flexible job with a stable source of income; three, I was still debating between NP/PA/DO/MD and wanted to give myself plenty of time to continue thinking about my decision. By the time I completed my courses and started medical school, four years passed and I was 29 years old!
Note: you will see that I jump around different nursing jobs until I found a very flexible and supportive position that allowed me the time and energy to take these hard science courses. Don’t be afraid to look for different nursing jobs if it makes sense for your schedule. Nursing is incredible because there are so many options!
My timeline:
Fall 2016
General Chemistry I
I was working at a community health center as a RN coordinator. This was a desk job and allowed me to work Mon-Thurs 10-hr shifts.
I took Gen Chem on Fridays from 8am-1pm at a community college.
Spring 2017
General Chemistry II
I found an interesting position as a RN research coordinator at my local university. This was also a desk job and I worked Mon-Fri 8-4pm.
I took Gen Chem II on Tues/Thurs from 6pm-8pm at a community college.
Fall 2017
Organic Chemistry I
My last nurse job I transitioned into was a perfect fit. I worked as a Cath lab holding area RN and it allowed me to do clinical work 3x/week 12 hr shifts. I stayed in this position until medical school.
I took O chem lab on Thurs from 12pm-3pm at a community college.
Spring 2018
Organic Chemistry II
Continued my Cath lab holding area job.
O chem II was on Tues/Thurs from 6pm-9pm at a community college.
At this time, I also enrolled in a 200-hr yoga teacher training certificate that I completed on the weekends.
Fall 2018
Physics I + MCAT Studying
I found a physics lab course online with Ocean County Community College and took advantage of this flexibility.
I loved the nurses I worked with in the Cath lab and formed strong relationships with the physicians.
I started to study for my MCAT during evenings and weekends.
Spring 2019
Biochemistry + MCAT Studying
My biochemistry courses was also online through the University of New England. It was HARD. I struggled a lot with this course and don’t recommend taking it online if you can avoid it.
In April of 2019, I went PRN that I could do a dedicated MCAT study period.
Summer 2019
Dedicated Study, Took MCAT, Submitted AMCAS
I spent six full weeks studying for the MCAT and taking practice exams every week. Took the MCAT in the summer and submitted my AMCAS application.
Fall 2019
Physics II
This was my last prerequisite course to finish and I completed it online after my AMCAS was submitted. Once completed, I sent updated transcripts to the schools I applied to.
Things to consider:
Now that you have read how I was able to schedule my prerequisite courses, think about how this would look in your own life.
- My nursing degree fulfilled my English, social sciences, and biology requirements for medical school so your timeline and prerequisite list may look different than mine.
- I do not have children so every day after work and on the weekends, I was able to dedicate time to my studies and ultimately did well on my courses. This also allowed me to be really flexible with my job search and hop around until I found a position that suited my schedule. Your situation may be different.
- Community colleges and online courses are flexible and economical avenues to complete prerequisites. Make sure you check with each school you are applying to verify if they accept the credits.
- Though I did not do one, I know of a nurse who completed a post-bacc program instead of the DIY program. These one-year programs are on a quicker timeline than the one I shared above though they tend to be more expensive and have more rigid schedules.
