Nursing after pre-med coursework?

I completed a bach. in biology with a focus on pre-med and was planning on pursuing pharmacy school. Unfortunately, my plan didn't work out as I hoped. I have worked in pharmacy for 3 years now and I find it horribly monotonous and unrewarding. The pharmacists I work with in retail are extremely stressed and overworked working 14 hour days without even getting a lunchbreak. That's something I do not want to deal with and I didn't even mention the robot like job duty that the pharmacists and myself have to perform in retail pharmacy.

So, I'm looking into other health careers and nursing is near the top of my list. Are there any nursing programs in or near PA that allow you to obtain a masters level nursing degree or something along those lines. The reason I ask is because all of the pre-med courses I took (anatomy/physiology/etc.) were more difficult than the classes the nursing students were taking. Do these classes count towards my degree or do I have to start all over from scratch?
The reason I ask is because all of the pre-med courses I took (anatomy/physiology/etc.) were more difficult than the classes the nursing students were taking. Do these classes count towards my degree or do I have to start all over from scratch?

I had done a similar path... now in nursing realm I see the pharmD in the hospital an awesome job.... patient interaction.. advancement... good pay... respected member of health care team.. I'd look outside the pharm retail environment at the hospital pharmD.. I find it to be very interesting.. my 2 cents.

You may be in for a rude awakening. Some of those courses like anatomy, physiology and chemistry are not more difficult than the nursing classes, they're pre-reqs for nursing. You may or may not have already taken all the prerqs for the nursing programs in your area - look up the schools near you and check their requirements. But I HIGHLY doubt you will be going straight into an MSN program based on your BS in biology. You still have to go to nursing school, get an ADN or BSN, pass the NCLEX and become an RN before getting an MSN. You may very well qualify for an accelerated BSN program and that would be preferable when going for a Master's but I have seen some RN-MSN bridge programs where you can start with the ADN and the BSN is rolled into the program.

Thanks for the information on the programs. I didn't mean to offend by the "more difficult" aspect of the courses I took as far as anatomy/phys etc. go. I'm thinking about this as my career too and certainly don't belittle nurses they are just as smart as anyone else and often times I feel nurses/pa's give better care that docs. That being said I know at the two universities I attended the nursing anat/phys had much less material than the pre-med and I took the nursing versions of those classes at penn state. That is why I referred to the pre-med class in that manor.Regarding pharmacists in the hospital could you give me anymore info? Do those pharmacists really seem to like their job? The pharmacists I have spoken with about hospital pharmacy, some of which have actually done hospital, told me there was very little patient contact and they mostly sat in a white room checking scripts and consulting physicians. What I want is patient contact, I want to help others and I want to feel like I'm making a difference. Don't get me wrong I LOVE the "idea" of what a pharmacist is supposed to do but in reality i found it's much different.

Also nurses aren't given breaks either? I don't mind a long day the reason I don't like it is because I see the pharmacists I work with and how dead they are everyday. They can barely get a bite to eat or even go to the bathroom they are so overworked. It makes me sick honestly. There have been a lot of dispensing mistakes that I think are attributed to this that I have seen and being that both a pharm. and nurse along with all the other health professions are holding patient lives in their hands I feel both should be given adequate breaks.

Direct Entry MSN (Masters in Nursing) Programs

If you decide to go to school for you MSN. You can get in you may have to study for a year for your RN then take the NCLEX and pass. Then continue with your MSN. I read a post on here about this process. I know you dont have to start all over. There is another option. Good luck.

Quote from beastykatoAlso nurses aren't given breaks either? I don't mind a long day the reason I don't like it is because I see the pharmacists I work with and how dead they are everyday. They can barely get a bite to eat or even go to the bathroom they are so overworked. It makes me sick honestly. There have been a lot of dispensing mistakes that I think are attributed to this that I have seen and being that both a pharm. and nurse along with all the other health professions are holding patient lives in their hands I feel both should be given adequate breaks.

That's very unfortunate to hear. I guess it's like this almost everywhere. The nurses I know, one being my best friends mom, are forced to take 30min breaks to eat lunch at the very least. .... I will never work 14 hours straight without being able to keep my own body going regardless what my employer says or my profession. One pharm I work with was almost fired from CVS because he would get up and leave the pharmacy to use the restroom and eat. After he threatened the district manager with a lawsuit because it's against regulations to eat around medications (bodily fluids and such) that are being dispensed to the public he never heard another word about it.

Quote from beastykatoAlso nurses aren't given breaks either? I don't mind a long day the reason I don't like it is because I see the pharmacists I work with and how dead they are everyday. They can barely get a bite to eat or even go to the bathroom they are so overworked. It makes me sick honestly. There have been a lot of dispensing mistakes that I think are attributed to this that I have seen and being that both a pharm. and nurse along with all the other health professions are holding patient lives in their hands I feel both should be given adequate breaks.

Unless you didn't make the grades, your Bio major puts you four years away from a medical internship.

The pharmacists at the hospital where I work LOVE their jobs. I'm kind of jealous. They do spend a lot of time cross referencing medications, dosing coumadin, antibiotics, double strengthening drips for critically ill patients or special populations etc. They also respond to STEMI's in the ED and codes throughout the hospital. As they near the completion of pharmacy school they often get to pick which specialty they like i.e. emergency department, critical care, oncology etc. They can have as much or as little interaction with patients as they like. Most of the time it is to verify meds, allergies, follow up etc. Also. . .as FlyingICU RN mentioned, you are only four years away from completeing an MD. . . something to think about.