Nursing or Medicine???

Nursing Students General Students

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Hello everyone!!!

I'd like to get your opinion about something. Have any of you felt that negative pressure from your society on choosing Nursing as your profession, rather than going into Medicine? I ask this because, a hierarchy-oriented society discourages real passion within an individual and young people somehow gets 'programmed' to believe that they want to be a doctor. I'm not against doctors, but from what I've heard, most people who enter into a Medical school go there just to climb up the social ladder and not because they actually have that passion inside them.

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Specializes in Medical Surgical/Addiction/Mental Health.

I considered medical school. I went as far as taking MCAT. My test scores and GPA were enough to get me in, but I was unsure of the medical model. The other thing was that I was a second career seeker. So, I would have been in my late forties when I was completely finished. I like the nursing model; the holistic care approach. It wasn’t until I was almost finished with nursing school that I learned about a new medical school opening up in Indianapolis. The medical school will be training students to become Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DO’s). They too share the holistic approach to medicine. Had I caught wind of the school opening, I may have decided a different career path altogether. I am not at all disappointed with my decision. In fact, I don’t care what society says. Until they begin making my mortgage and student loan payments, their opinions really don’t have much weight.

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Is this thread for real? Why do people choose medicine? Answer: Money! Let's not start with the "holisitc" approach or "I can give better care to patients at the bedside." Puh-leez. Go sell that to someone lese. Students that "choose" that applied to medical school made that decision because they were turned down. Period. And they can spend the rest of their careers being "miserable"--oops sorry--I meant "providing care" for their patients. Yeah, and my gpa is 5.35. Better than yours. Nya nya nya, ha ha ha...

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I had considered Med. school as well. But, I'd much prefer to be an NP someday. NP's in my state can basically operate independently. And like Parker said, I really like the holistic approach that nurses use.

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I never considered medical school, I know I would hate it! Nursing is so much more holistic and "people oriented" than medicine is, and I am driven by that. I have had some family say "you're smart enough to be a doctor!" so yes i think in general people still consider doctors "better" somehow but nursing is where it's at!

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Specializes in ICU.

Nurses are still seen below doctors in the eyes of most people outside of healthcare. It is unfortunate but that's just the way it is. Being a male nurse I hear "so how come you wanted to be just a nurse and not go for the MD?" This question usually arises from patients when I'm at clinicals so I have to respond differently than I would if the topic arose outside of a professional environment. Many people who don't work in healthcare (including myself before I got into school) believe that nurses actually work for the doctors, not with them, it's something that needs to be addressed and spread around.

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Hello everyone!

Thank you all for expressing your opinions. I completely agree with your views. Like you've said, the public needs to understand the fact that we work with the doctors and not merely for them. Our practice is patient-centered and not physician-centered. In my place, being a doctor is like the ultimate power to control the rest of the health team, which is quite unfortunate. The holistic approach we hold on to shall never go unseen :) Thank you all so much once again and have a wonderful time ahead!!! :)

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there's a difference between the medical model -- illness care, seek the cure for the identified illness/injury, fix that, and we're done-- and the holistic nursing model-- the person is so much more than his medical diagnosis. when you decide which works best for you, you'll know.

i, too, considered med school and had the test scores for it, but you now what? they need smart, accomplished, academically-able nurses in the world, too. we are not "under doctors"; physicians do not educate, hire, or evaluate nurses (unless they hire them to work in the physician office setting...and even then, they cannot evaluate nursing standard of care. not just my opinion, set forth in court cases.) we are a profession with many accomplishments and gifts.

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... from what I've heard, most people who enter into a Medical school go there just to climb up the social ladder and not because they actually have that passion inside them.

Not sure where you "heard" this, but there are much, much easier ways for people to "climb up the social ladder" than medical school and residency. I've been in nursing for a long time in lots of different settings and geographical areas, including working at big teaching hospitals with lots of medical students and residents, and have never encountered anyone with that attitude. Not sayin' that every med student, resident, and physician I've ever worked with has been a saint, but I've never encountered what you describe.

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Specializes in SDU, Tele.

i'm told all the time about going to med school or PA... always hear that I am "smart enough to be an MD" lol but honestly, like grntea said, the world needs competent, intelligent, and able nurses to take care of patients. we have opinions too and we should share them with the doctor. if he/she is SMART ENOUGH they'll think about our opinion. its team work. nurses aren't handmaidens. but most people don't know that =/ anywho good luck in any decisions you have ahead!

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Specializes in ICU.
Is this thread for real? Why do people choose medicine? Answer: Money! Let's not start with the "holisitc" approach or "I can give better care to patients at the bedside." Puh-leez. Go sell that to someone lese. Students that "choose" that applied to medical school made that decision because they were turned down. Period. And they can spend the rest of their careers being "miserable"--oops sorry--I meant "providing care" for their patients. Yeah, and my gpa is 5.35. Better than yours. Nya nya nya, ha ha ha...

5.35 GPA, man you must be really smart. Certainly someone like yourself would never consider such a profession as nursing. I agree all nurses are miserable, the doctors however... Who wouldn't want to go to school for 10 years and pile up a 300,000$ debt, only to graduate and work 65+ hour weeks, makes for a wonderfully fulfilling life. Who needs nurses, patients can take care of themselves while they are in the hospital or nursing home. If they can't we should just let them die. Nurses think they are actually helping people but all they do is sleep with doctors and ***** about other nurses, helping people my ass.

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Is this thread for real? Why do people choose medicine? Answer: Money! Let's not start with the "holisitc" approach or "I can give better care to patients at the bedside." Puh-leez. Go sell that to someone lese. Students that "choose" that applied to medical school made that decision because they were turned down. Period. And they can spend the rest of their careers being "miserable"--oops sorry--I meant "providing care" for their patients. Yeah, and my gpa is 5.35. Better than yours. Nya nya nya, ha ha ha...

I have known a nurse who graduated this year who actually finished her first year in Med school and then she realized she wanted to be a nurse, and not a doctor. One of my friends who got accepted to a reputed Med school 'chose' to pursue Nursing! I don't agree with the fact that everyone chooses Nursing only as a backup plan after being rejected from Med school. :nurse:

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