Some highly intelligent students do choose nursing over med school, after spending undergrad as premed and doing exceptionally well. Some want more balance and do not necessary have to be at the top. They often apply to accelerated programs. They also become PAs, PTs, etc.
There are nursing programs out there that are intellectually challenging, filled with research etc. (DNP, phd). I am not diminishing the BSN/MSN…they are plenty challenging. Its a very different role …one that is important…but just like becoming a physician, you need to understand what the role entails and if that is what you want to do. I am also not suggesting that NPs have the same education as MDs.
Medical school is a more grueling path than nursing school, even if one pursues a nurse practitioner degree and chooses to go for the doctorate. Medical school is grueling. This doesn’t mean the NP path is easy…but it is the less intense path to take. Some want that, others don’t.
There is not a lot of overlap between premed (biology, etc) and nursing at the undergrad level…or accelerated. Different sciences, labs etc.
I think if somebody is a nurse and wants to return to medical school, they need to come up with a better “story” than suggesting (even subtly) that it’s not intellectually challenging. That’s not a good look for anybody.