4 Nursing Careers You Can Pursue With a Pre-Med Degree
Many medical students choose different careers. If you have a bachelor's degree in biology, chemistry, neuroscience or another pre-med field, you can apply that experience to a career in nursing, which offers a rewarding path to clinical practice and health care leadership.
So, what can you do with a pre-med degree when it comes to nursing careers? Keep reading to explore four different careers and why earning an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) or Master’s Entry in Nursing Practice (MENP) is advantageous for pre-med students.
Why Choose a Nursing Career with a Pre-Med Degree?
Some pre-med students discover that nursing aligns with their personal and professional goals. Nursing offers a stable career in which you can influence patient care from your first day on the job.
How Does Nursing Enable Pre-Med Students to Make Faster Patient Impact?
A nursing career offers a more direct path to clinical practice for pre-med students who decide that medical school is too long and are drawn to both the art and science of patient care.
Becoming a nurse takes less time than becoming a physician, and individuals with a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing discipline have accelerated degree options that lead to RN licensure, including:
- ABSN: An Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) can be completed in 12-18 months, allowing pre-med students to earn a BSN in less time than a traditional four-year BSN program.
- MENP: A Master’s Entry in Nursing Practice (MENP) allows pre-med students to earn a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in approximately 20 months, compared with traditional two to three-year MSN programs.
Because pre-med students have already completed much of the required general education and prerequisite coursework, they can move immediately into their nursing studies. As a result, they are prepared to provide direct patient care much earlier in their careers.
Why Does Nursing Offer a Bright Career Outlook?
Stable employment is another benefit of switching to nursing.
The need for nurses continues to grow—amid nearly 1 million expected registered rurse (RN) retirements and the growing U.S. population of aging adults, which is increasing health care utilization and amplifying health care professional shortages.
Together, these trends translate into high demand for all types of nurses, from entry-level to advanced practice. A strong job outlook is one reason why nurse practitioner was ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the No. 1 Best Job, No. 1 Health Care Job and No. 1 STEM Job in America for the third consecutive year.
Pre-med students who pursue nursing have the opportunity to build meaningful and resilient clinical careers.
What Can You Do With a Pre-Med Degree in Nursing?
The U.S. has four times as many RNs as physicians. The size of the nursing workforce reflects nurses’ essential role in health care and in supporting patients on some of the best and most trying days of their lives.
Nursing offers many pathways for pre-med students who are interested in clinical practice, including generalist roles, such as RN and clinical nurse leader (CNL). With additional nursing education, specialized roles such as clinical nurse specialist and nurse practitioner are also options. Some paths integrate direct and indirect care, allowing nurses to also improve outcomes at the system or population level.
1. Registered Nurse
An RN is a nurse who assesses, monitors and treats patients as part of a health care team. In addition to providing clinical care, RNs also educate, support and advocate for patients and their loved ones.
Most RNs work in hospitals. Other work settings include outpatient centers, nursing and residential care facilities, and schools.
As an RN, you will get to see the impact of your care as you work closely with patients every shift.
What Is the Career Outlook for RNs?
RNs have strong job and earning potential. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported faster-than-average employment growth from 2024 to 2034 and a median salary of $93,600.
How to Become an RN?
Becoming an RN involves earning a BSN or entry-level master’s, passing the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) and obtaining RN licensure from the state where you will practice.
Remember that individuals with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree can become RNs in an accelerated time frame by completing an ABSN or MENP program. For pre-med students, this means preparing to enter clinical practice faster than a doctor.
2. Clinical Nurse Leader
The Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) role is a path for individuals who want to pursue clinical leadership at the unit level of nursing care, such as in a hospital unit.
A CNL is an RN with a master’s degree in nursing who provides, manages and coordinates care at the point of care for patients, individuals and communities. They are nursing generalists focused on improving care quality and safety.
CNL responsibilities include:
- Coordinating direct care and transitions of care
- Overseeing other health care staff
- Implementing evidence-based practice
- Measuring outcomes and applying quality improvement strategies
- Collaborating within a multidisciplinary team
- Performing risk assessments
What Is the Career Outlook for Clinical Nurse Leaders?
According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), CNL is a relatively new role developed “to address the critical need to improve the quality of patient care outcomes.” The favorable career outlook for RNs also reflects the need for CNLs to strengthen healthcare delivery through clinical care.
How to Become a Clinical Nurse Leader?
CNLs need an MSN with a specialization in clinical nurse leadership, CNL certification from the Commission on Nurse Certifications, and RN licensure. Individuals with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree can prepare to meet these requirements through a direct-entry master’s program in nursing.
For example, Elmhurst University offers an accredited online Master’s Entry in Nursing Practice (MENP) designed for students with bachelor’s degrees in non-nursing disciplines. Students earn their MSN in just 20 months while preparing to sit for the NCLEX-RN and CNL certification exam.
Elmhurst’s MENP program provides an academic foundation in nursing, practical training through clinical rotations, and leadership skills through leadership-specific coursework, preparing students to emerge with the skills of a CNL.
3. Clinical Nurse Specialist
For pre-med students who want to expand their impact beyond direct care, the Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) role offers opportunities to influence systems-level change.
CNS is one of four types of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs). Whereas RNs and CNLs are nursing generalists, a CNS is an expert in evidence-based nursing and practice in a specialized area of nursing, such as pediatrics or adult/gerontology. According to the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists, the CNS role is to influence the delivery of high-quality nursing care through direct care and by “improving nursing outcomes and system processes.”
A shift as CNS may involve:
- Diagnosing and treating acute or chronic illnesses.
- Mentoring and teaching other nurses.
- Implementing new evidence-based practice guidelines in collaboration with other health care staff.
- Designing and evaluating nursing programs for specific patients or populations.
A CNS can work across health care settings, from hospitals to outpatient clinics. Some APRNs are licensed independent practitioners in many states.
What Is the Career Outlook for Clinical Nurse Specialists?
The BLS does not report CNS employment projections or compensation data. Yet, they have a positive career outlook tied to the broader demand for APRNs, driven by increased healthcare utilization.
According to the BLS, APRN employment is expected to grow nearly 12 times faster than average from 2024 to 2034. This growth equates to an average of over 32,000 job openings each year over the decade.
How to Become a Clinical Nurse Specialist?
A CNS must have a minimum of an MSN with a CNS-focused track, CNS certification from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and APRN state licensure.
4. Nurse Practitioner
The nurse practitioner (NP) role offers pre-med students an opportunity to build autonomous clinical careers. For those seeking autonomous practice and clinical leadership without the length of physician training, becoming an NP provides an expanded scope of nursing practice.
NPs are APRNs who are clinical experts in diagnosing and treating primary and acute health conditions. They also emphasize disease prevention and health management, with responsibilities that include:
- Assessing patients
- Ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests
- Making diagnoses
- Developing and managing treatment plans
- Prescribing medication
NPs provide direct patient care for a specific population or concern, allowing nurses to specialize in areas such as:
- Acute care
- Adult/gerontology
- Family/individual across the lifespan
- Neonatal
- Pediatrics
- Psychiatric/mental health
- Women's health/gender related
Approximately half of NPs work in physician offices. Other common work settings are hospitals and outpatient centers. In states where licensed NPs can practice to the full extent of their education and training, they are independent practitioners who practice without physician oversight, often in private practice.
What Is the Career Outlook for Nurse Practitioners?
NPs have an exceptional career outlook. The BLS projects that NP employment will grow by 40% from 2024 to 2034, more than 13 times faster than average. Earning potential is also strong, with a median salary of $129,210. These figures reflect a high-demand, high-impact role in advanced clinical practice.
How to Become a Nurse Practitioner?
To qualify for an NP education program, you must be an RN with a BSN. From there, the educational requirements for NPs are a master’s or doctoral degree in nursing that specializes in advanced clinical training in an NP specialty. Graduates of Elmhurst’s MENP program are eligible to bridge to the NP role through a post-graduate NP certification program or a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program.
After completing your NP education, you will need to pass a national NP certification exam and obtain NP licensure from the state where you plan to practice.
What Are the Advantages of Earning an MSN?
Earning an MSN offers two key advantages for pre-med students transitioning to a nursing career. It opens doors to advanced nursing roles and paves the way for future professional growth.
How Does an MSN Open Doors to Advanced Nursing Roles?
An MSN opens doors to advanced practice, leadership and specialized nursing roles.
Pre-med students who pursue an MSN in nursing can move beyond entry-level roles sooner, fulfilling their interest in advanced clinical care and system and population impact.
Practicing at a higher level of nursing, in roles such as NP, allows you to expand your influence on patient outcomes, clinical standards and care delivery models.
How Does an MSN Prepare Nurses for Future Career Growth?
According to AACN, completing a BSN is only the beginning of a professional nurse's preparation. Graduate nursing degrees, such as the MSN, prepare nurses to advance their expertise and influence in health care.
Pre-med students who pivot to nursing with an MSN have pathways for future growth. Graduates of Elmhurst’s MENP program are prepared to start their nursing careers with advanced clinical impact and to pursue leadership or further their graduate education to become an APRN later on.
After completing Elmhurst’s 20-month MENP program, graduates qualify for CNL certification and the NCLEX-RN. After passing the NCLEX-RN, they can earn a post-graduate certificate that prepares them to begin practicing as a licensed NP.
A faster pathway to future graduate programs is one of the many benefits of choosing a direct-entry MSN program.
Transition Your Career to Nursing with Elmhurst University’s Accelerated Nursing Programs
Nursing offers an exceptional combination of stable employment and strong earning potential as you make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. You will be prepared to start a second career in nursing when you complete one of Elmhurst University’s online accelerated nursing programs.
Elmhurst’s accredited online ABSN and MENP leverage your experience and prior education to earn a BSN or MSN in under two years. As a student, you will receive the same academic excellence and support as in the on-campus learning environment. Dedicated student advisors will be at your side to support you from application to graduation, and clinical placement services are no extra cost.
If you are ready to prepare for your career in nursing, click here to fill out a form to access Elmhurst’s comprehensive digital ABSN and MENP program guide.
