Medical school vs Nursing School

Hi, I had almost finished med school pre-reqs when I realized that nursing was a better fit for my personal goals. I predicted myself being miserable during 4 years of med school and several more years of residency....the hours are horrible and I really value having time to see my family and have a life outside of work. For me, my ultimate goal is to provide primary care in a clinic setting, maybe do some teaching, and I still plan on doing that by getting a MSN. Meanwhile I am getting experience working as a RN in a hospital (most days I enjoy it although it is harder than I could have imagined!). Like some of the above posters said, RN's are the ones who (by far) have the most patient contact, and I like that aspect of it.

being a nurse is my dream since childhood
i liked the role of the nurse much more than that of the doctor

Right out of NS you can be a full fledged RN. Right out of med school...more training! About 4 years of in, in fact.

Plus, I like to spend a lot of time with the patients and help them more personally...and spend a lot of time with my own personal life and not live at the hospital.

Or an..."I know what you want to do but I just need the order!"

a year or 2, really? which school is that, i'd like to apply. is it in the u.s.?

i always assumed length of school was pretty standard: nursing @ 2 yrs, medical (med school + residency) @ forever.

nursing is usually 3-4 years even if you go the ADN route. Prereqs take a bit and THEN you start the nursing program which is 2 years.

actually, the notion that all nurses are disgruntled wanna-be doctors is false. Most nurses I know - myself included - would not want all the headaches that go along with becoming a doc.

I wanted to be a doctor when I was young, but then my life took twists and turns that took me in a direction far from institution based learning. I attended the School of Hard Knocks at the University of Life, I guess you could say. By the time I realized I wanted to be in health care, I was already 35 years old, working to provide for a family. Nursing school seemed far more attainable, as there is a top ranked nursing program right in my city, and med school would have required uprooting my family to move elsewhere. I had made a conscious decision to raise my kids in this city, as the quality of life here is high. So, nursing school it was.

Now, my kids are grown and I am continuing my education. But, as I am turning 40 this year and feel like I want to have a life to travel and try new things, I don't want to commit the next ten years of my life to becoming a practicing physician. I'm thinking either NP or PA at this time, as I do not want to do bedside nursing for the entirety of my career. Though it has been an incredible learning experience, and I have learned just as much about myself and what I am capable of as I have about medicine, it's just not the end all and be all of where I want to be in the long run.

I think, if you really want to be a doctor and you are willing to make the commitment and sacrifices in order to do so, then by all means, do it. On the other hand, nurses are the ones that do the day to day hands on caring for people, and if that's what you want, then go with nursing.