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Should I become a nurse practitioner or a doctor?

I'm going to be going to college in 1.5 years and I'm looking at future career options. I narrowed it down to being a nurse practitioner, but it's the same amount of school to become a doctor. The main difference is a nurse practitioner doesn't go to medical school and makes less money. My GPA is around a 3.4-3.5 and I can't do AP physics. Would I be a good candidate to become a doctor and go to medical school? If not what would you suggest? Thank you so much in advance.

2 Answers

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  • D
    Lv 7
    6 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    It is not the same amount of school. Becoming an NP requires a BSN, then a 2-3 year program for the NP training. You typically have to work as a nurse in between for a few years before admitting to an NP training program. A doctor does an undergraduate degree, then goes to 4 years of med school, then does a residency of 3-6 years.

    Both medicine and nursing are competitive programs to get into. For most nursing programs, you will be admitted to the university to start pre-reqs but you will apply separately for the nursing program, usually after completing some of your basic sciences. You will need a high GPA as admission to nursing programs is competitive.

    To get into med school, you will need to complete your undergraduate degree and all the necessary prerequisites with a very high GPA and also show a great MCAT score and a well-rounded resume of activities. The competition is very intense and less than half of med school applicants get a place in medical school. (At some specific schools the acceptance rate is less than 5%.) Keep these things in mind as you decide which career to pursue.

    Make sure that you read and research both fields to understand what the differences are. Good luck.

  • ?
    Lv 7
    6 years ago

    First of all, it is not the same amount of time to become a doctor. It is the same amount of time as getting a master's degree, it's easier than becoming a doctor, and you don't have to do a specialty residency.

    Frankly, your grades at this stage aren't high enough to make you competitive in either field. You would have to raise your GPA to a 3.8-4.0 in college in order to have a chance at either program.

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