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if you have a nursing degree and want to become a surgeon how much more education do you need?

I have a nursing degree but my dream is to become a general surgeon. Do I have to go to medical school and go to the whole process as if I didn’t have a RN certification.
Thank You.

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Category: Nursing Education

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2 Answers to “if you have a nursing degree and want to become a surgeon how much more education do you need?”

  1. December 2, 2011

    I’m sure that you will have lots of prerec’s out of the way, but it will still take some time.
  2. December 2, 2011

    An RN certification means absolutly nothing, as far as getting into medical school and then matching into a surgical residency.

    You need to go back to school (preferably a 4-year university) and get a bachelors degree (or not if you have a BSN; but even then getting a different one is preferred over a BSN). As there are some pre-reqs for medical school that nursing majors do not have to take.

    Which are:
    1 Year of General Chemistry
    1 Year of Organic Chemistry
    1 Year of Physics
    Math up to Calculus 1
    1 Semester of Biochemistry (not required but STRONGLY recommended)

    If you are a nurse than you should already have this pre-req done:
    1 Year of General Biology

    After those are done, you have to take the MCAT and apply to medical school (which will last another 4 years). Following medical school you will have to match into a surgical residency (general, orthopedic, neurosurgery, etc..) which will last another 5-7 years depending on the specialty.