Moving from nursing to physics

[ghdscience]

Hello it's Jack, I love physics and i truly enjoy doing research! I have a bachelors degree in nursing and I'm currently studying medical nano-technology as a masters student.

When i was a high school student, i was pushed into studying biology and becoming a medical doctor by my parents and teachers but i was not truly interested in human anatomy and physiology compared to physics. When i graduated from the nursing school (it was a nightmare!!!) last year, i decided to pursue my academic future in condensed matter physics but since i couldn't find any university that accepts bio-based undergrads for basic physics grad degrees, i chose to study medical nano-technology as it was the closest area to the condensed matter physics.

I'm very much interested to know, whether I'd be eligible to study condensed matter physics for my PhD in the US or Canada? I'm specially interested in doing research in superconductivity or quantum materials. I'd very much appreciate any response that helps me make a decision about my future. Thank you!

 

[Choppy]

I'm very much interested to know, whether I'd be eligible to study condensed matter physics for my PhD in the US or Canada?

Generally speaking, in order to get into graduate school for physics, you an undergraduate degree in physics, or a related discipline where you've covered the pre-requisite coursework that's needed to be successful in advanced courses, comprehensive and/or candidacy examinations, and conducting research. (And not just have completed it, but have been quite successful at it.)
Unfortunately I would be skeptical that an MSc in medical nano-technology would be sufficient to cover all of that. You would likely have to return to undergrad and complete the needed course work to be competitive for graduate school in physics.
It might also be worth considering why you have this interest in a condensed matter PhD in the first place. Most people will base a decision about pursing such a long-term and intensive project on their experiences working on senior thesis projects, or some other research experience. Without that, there's a risk of committing to something without really understanding what you're getting yourself into.

 

[PeroK]

Hello it's Jack, I love physics and i truly enjoy doing research! I have a bachelors degree in nursing and I'm currently studying medical nano-technology as a masters student. When i was a high school student, i was pushed into studying biology and becoming a medical doctor by my parents and teachers but i was not truly interested in human anatomy and physiology compared to physics. When i graduated from the nursing school (it was a nightmare!!!) last year, i decided to pursue my academic future in condensed matter physics but since i couldn't find any university that accepts bio-based undergrads for basic physics grad degrees, i chose to study medical nano-technology as it was the closest area to the condensed matter physics. I'm very much interested to know, whether I'd be eligible to study condensed matter physics for my PhD in the US or Canada? I'm specially interested in doing research in superconductivity or quantum materials. I'd very much appreciate any response that helps me make a decision about my future. Thank you!

What level have you reached in physics and mathematics? Have you worked through any of the standard undergraduate textbooks?

 

[CrysPhys]

i decided to pursue my academic future in condensed matter physics but since i couldn't find any university that accepts bio-based undergrads for basic physics grad degrees, i chose to study medical nano-technology as it was the closest area to the condensed matter physics.

If you were interested in pursuing a PhD in biophysics, there would be a likely realistic path, since there are interdisciplinary programs run jointly by physics and biology departments. They accept students with undergrad majors in either physics or biology, and provide an opportunity for remedial coursework in their non-major subject before proceeding. Your background would likely allow you to fill in the gaps for equivalency to a biology major fairly readily.

But such is not the case for a PhD in condensed matter physics. Here I strongly agree with the above post:

Generally speaking, in order to get into graduate school for physics, you an undergraduate degree in physics, or a related discipline where you've covered the pre-requisite coursework that's needed to be successful in advanced courses, comprehensive and/or candidacy examinations, and conducting research. (And not just have completed it, but have been quite successful at it.)
Unfortunately I would be skeptical that an MSc in medical nano-technology would be sufficient to cover all of that. You would likely have to return to undergrad and complete the needed course work to be competitive for graduate school in physics.

I completed a PhD long ago in experimental solid-state physics (which has now been subsumed under the umbrella of condensed matter physics). To be a successful PhD candidate, you need all the core foundational courses at the advanced undergrad level: mechanics, E&M, quantum mechanics, thermodynamics, and statistical mechanics, along with the requisite math. You will also need at least an undergrad course in solid-state physics. You didn't mention whether your interest lies in theoretical or experimental research. But if you plan to pursue experimental research in condensed matter physics, you should have significant undergrad experience working in labs.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Let me ask a question you will likely find annoying, but will be in the minds of the admission committee. When do you plan on entering the workforce? A BSN, then a MS in another field, then a BS in physics, then a PhD in physics...that's ~15 years in college.

 

[berkeman]

When i graduated from the nursing school (it was a nightmare!!!) last year

I'm curious why you say that nursing school was a nightmare for you. You graduated as an RN, right? What clinical rotations did you participate in? Which ones did you like and dislike? Since you graduated, have you worked as a nurse at all? Nursing (and other healthcare fields) are in demand right now, and demand will likely increase in the coming years. It is also a well-paying job, especially if you find specialties going forward that are in particular demand.

 

[Vanadium 50]

There are nursing subfields with quarter-million dollar signing bonuses. Wow.

 

[StatGuy2000]

I'm curious why you say that nursing school was a nightmare for you. You graduated as an RN, right? What clinical rotations did you participate in? Which ones did you like and dislike? Since you graduated, have you worked as a nurse at all? Nursing (and other healthcare fields) are in demand right now, and demand will likely increase in the coming years. It is also a well-paying job, especially if you find specialties going forward that are in particular demand.

While I am not the OP, I did check the OP's profile and it states that they are from Canada.

I live in the province of Ontario, Canada. And in my home province, the provincial government passed a bill back in 2019 called Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act (usually just called Bill 124), which limited the salary increases of public sector workers (of which nurses were lumped together) to 1% for each of the next 3 years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prote...ublic_Sector_for_Future_Generations_Act,_2019

This bill was highly controversial and was eventually struck down by the higher courts, but certainly contributed (especially during the COVID-19 pandemic) to nurses feeling disrespected and burned out, with many leaving the position, contributing to the major nursing shortage.

There are nursing subfields with quarter-million dollar signing bonuses. Wow.

@Vanadium 50, I can clearly tell you are from the US.

I can say with some certainty that nurses do not receive quarter-million dollar signing bonuses in Canada.

As a matter of fact, I would suspect that such large signing bonuses (and more broadly, higher wages) in the US may contribute to nursing shortages in Canada -- the classic "brain drain" scenario.

 

[ghdscience]

Thank you for writing about your experience and advice about perusing physics. Given my educational background and the fact that human life is super short, I'd say it's almost impossible for me to get a BS in physics. Maybe I get a master in biostatistics and later apply for something related to statistics/ applied math. I'm still doing research and honestly I'm still confused about my academic future!

 

[ghdscience]

What level have you reached in physics and mathematics? Have you worked through any of the standard undergraduate textbooks?

I don't have a strong background in math or physics. I have only studied Thomas' Calculus recently.

 

[ghdscience]

If you were interested in pursuing a PhD in biophysics, there would be a likely realistic path, since there are interdisciplinary programs run jointly by physics and biology departments. They accept students with undergrad majors in either physics or biology, and provide an opportunity for remedial coursework in their non-major subject before proceeding. Your background would likely allow you to fill in the gaps for equivalency to a biology major fairly readily.

But such is not the case for a PhD in condensed matter physics. Here I strongly agree with the above post:



I completed a PhD long ago in experimental solid-state physics (which has now been subsumed under the umbrella of condensed matter physics). To be a successful PhD candidate, you need all the core foundational courses at the advanced undergrad level: mechanics, E&M, quantum mechanics, thermodynamics, and statistical mechanics, along with the requisite math. You will also need at least an undergrad course in solid-state physics. You didn't mention whether your interest lies in theoretical or experimental research. But if you plan to pursue experimental research in condensed matter physics, you should have significant undergrad experience working in labs.

Thank you for your response! I like both theoretical and experimental physics. I know it'd be extremely challenging for me to be successful in any of them though. I only have some lab experience in biology but zero in physics. I think it's too late to study physics for me because I'm already 24! Maybe pursuing biophysics would be a possible option but I'm not sure if I'm interested in doing biomed research.

 

[ghdscience]

I'm curious why you say that nursing school was a nightmare for you. You graduated as an RN, right? What clinical rotations did you participate in? Which ones did you like and dislike? Since you graduated, have you worked as a nurse at all? Nursing (and other healthcare fields) are in demand right now, and demand will likely increase in the coming years. It is also a well-paying job, especially if you find specialties going forward that are in particular demand.

Well, i hope you know i only shared my personal thoughts about nursing and other things in my post. I worked as a nurse intern in multiple hospital departments including ER, ICU, CCU, etc. Nursing is really in demand now and this demand is growing rapidly. However, I didn't enjoyed nursing a lot. There are so many patients, you may feel mentally and physically exhausted at times. There's the horrible smell and all the gross things that you have tolerate in your working environment. Also sometimes patients and doctors don't respect you enough and there's more! You will only truly understand what I mentioned when you work as a nurse. Maybe that's why you can't find many nurses who really like their job in most places.

 

[berkeman]

You will only truly understand what I mentioned when you work as a nurse. Maybe that's why you can't find many nurses who really like their job in most places.

On the contrary, I work part-time as a medic, and I know lots of nurses who enjoy their work.

There are so many patients, you may feel mentally and physically exhausted at times. There's the horrible smell and all the gross things that you have tolerate in your working environment.

Yeah, there are some "gross" things in nursing and EMS (all that blood!), but for some of us it's easier to get used to it and deal with it than it is for others. And even for some who are immune to a lot of those things, there can always be some "trigger" thing that is hard to deal with. I won't mention a couple of my triggers...

Anyway, have you looked into specialties within nursing where you can avoid a lot of the things that you mention that you don't like? For example, if you work in X-ray, you won't be changing bedpans and the workload will likely be much smoother. Yes, you will occasionally have to help with X-rays of critical trauma patients, but more normally you will be taking pictures of conscious, polite people to help them out.

Can you think of other nursing/medical specialties where the workload would be more normal and you could actually enjoy the job?

 

[StatGuy2000]

Thank you for writing about your experience and advice about perusing physics. Given my educational background and the fact that human life is super short, I'd say it's almost impossible for me to get a BS in physics. Maybe I get a master in biostatistics and later apply for something related to statistics/ applied math. I'm still doing research and honestly I'm still confused about my academic future!

@ghdscience , you mentioned about the possibility of pursuing a masters degree in biostatistics (as an alternative to pursing graduate studies in physics, continuing a career in nursing, or continuing further studies in medical nanotechnology.

And yet in post #10, you state you don't have a strong background in math or physics.

I have a few questions.

1. What is your background in math? You said you studied Thomas' Calculus. What is your background in, say, linear algebra?

2. Following up on #1, what is your background in statistics? How many statistics courses have you taken so far?

3. What is your experience in programming?

I ask because I am a biostatistician (with a Masters in statistics) and most people I know who pursue graduate studies in statistics usually have a strong grasp in some quantitative discipline in their undergraduate degree (e.g. math, computer science, physics, engineering, statistics, economics, etc.).

Since you have a nursing background, admission to biostatistics graduate programs may be more flexible in this regard. But I would suggest you look at the admission requirements to biostatistics grad programs of interest.

Feel free to PM if you have more questions regarding biostatistics in general.

 

[berkeman]

Anyway, have you looked into specialties within nursing where you can avoid a lot of the things that you mention that you don't like? For example, if you work in X-ray, you won't be changing bedpans and the workload will likely be much smoother. Yes, you will occasionally have to help with X-rays of critical trauma patients, but more normally you will be taking pictures of conscious, polite people to help them out.

Or Dermatology. Sorry that I forgot to mention Dermatology...

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/what-...ermatology-professionals--438115869990853571/