Why did you want to be a nurse and not a doctor?

fnimat1 · Jan 19, 2002

Hmmm...why do I want to be a nurse instead of a doctor. Mainly because I think I would be more of an asset to my patients on this particular level of health care. I think nursing is a very nurturing profession among many other things. Maybe I feel this way because I am a mother (not to knock any male RN's or RN's to be, you all can be very nurturing too... ) . Most of the time the nurse is the one who has the most contact with the patient. It's up to the nurse to provide comfort, reassurance, and the best care possible. Yeah, the doctor makes important decisions (as do we....listen to me...as if I'm an RN already...lol) but just on another level. But you do what you want to do....the most important thing is to be the best at what you do...because in the end you profit from it and your patients.

Fatima

"RN to be in 2004"

pkmom · Jan 19, 2002

Sometimes I think doctors are just a pawn for the drug companies. Nursing has so much more personal contact.

zacarias, ASN, RN · Jan 20, 2002

hey!

i am 23 year old male going to nursing school. i decided to become a nurse after i realized it is clearly a bad reason not to pursue it just because the profession is female dominated. now, i have the grades to go to med school, but i feel nursing is better for me at this time in my life. i haven't ruled med school out, but for the time being, i'm fully satisfied and fulfilled by my decision to go to nursing school.

nursing is so different than it used to be. nurses, especially in the us, have such great autonomy. they are by no means gophers, or assistants to mds. nurses are veritable healthcare providers whose important position on the healthcare hierarchy is being more and more recognized by the public at large.

nursing is worlds apart from medicine. consider the advent of nursing diagnoses. nurses have diagnoses that they can give, use, and govern in their practice. nursing diagnoses represent the critical thinking that a nurse must possess to do his or her job effectively. yes doctors, nurses, x-ray techs, physical therapists, etc... are all part of the healthcare team. however, all specialties(including nursing) are equal in their value to those requiring care.

z

StudentSandra · Jan 20, 2002

it's just something i had always wanted to do. ever since eons ago when my youngest brothe was accidently born at home. i remember the dr coming to the house to check my mom & brother, and as i stood in the bedroom doorway he asked me if i wanted to be his nurse & would i hold somethings for him.

years went by, never really thought ablout college, joined the navy & became a dental tech. then after 23 years, my hubby's job moved him 700 miles from home. i left a job and boss in oral surgery that i loved. i didn't want to work for someone else, i know i would never find another boss that treated me as his partner, not his employee. so when i moved to be with my husband, we decided it was time for me to take the plung back into school.

as to why not med school, i guess it would be that my heart is in surgery, so with that route i would have had 12 years at least to become a surgeon. with nursing i can be back in the or in 3 years. i can then train for first asistant if i desire.

that's my story, hope i didn't bore everyone.

shakizer · Jan 20, 2002

For me, the reason I chose nursing, is that the philosophy is much closer to what I want to be a part of. The physician's job is mandated by third party healthcare and really focuses on the disease process, not the patient. Don't get me wrong, there are caring physician's out there but I think the nurses role is much more about the care of the patient and teaching the patient self care and that is what I am interested in. Good luck to you!!

mattcastens · Jan 21, 2002

I decided to go into nursing because I felt the philosphy suited me better. I really enjoy having true contact with my patients, rather than simply seeing them for ten or fifteen minutes at a pop. I believe in the holistic philosphy that nursing brings to its care, as opposed to the "wait and cure" approach so prevalent in medicine today. I also like the action and getting my hands dirty (granted, not all the time but... ). When a patient crashes in my unit, it's the nurses, not the doctors who get to have more of the fun.

old-master · Jan 23, 2002

The DO I work for, wants me to become an RN and to go beyond that. He said that I would also make a good doc. Now, being a Doc would be pretty darn kewl. However, the amount of schooling needed along with money is a real mountain to climb.

Also, I really do not know if I could be a MD or DO. The drug company thing has well as the amount of raw knowledge it takes to be a MD, and a good one. Not to say becoming a Rn is easy, but a MD?! :eek:

My father has a master's degree in business, but was forced to drop out of pre-med. I really do think that I would have a pray!

The last reason is that I want to be an RN, not a MD. I believe that Nurses are the heart and soul of pt care. And that is reason enough.

old-master has spoken.......

Genista, BSN, RN · Jan 26, 2002

I was asked the same thing when I started nursing school. I never wanted to be a doctor. I like the direct patient contact of nursing...you get to spend so much more time with people. I feel like I have more impact that way. Nursing also has a great deal of flexibility. You can change specialties fairly easily (compared to MDs) and the hours worked and shifts are flexible, too.

Although my career is important, my family has & always will come first, and I am not willing to give my whole life over to my career. If you are a doctor, you really have to put in some long hours. I have talked with some of the docs @ work, and some take call for 48 hrs straight. Being on call is the pits, I am sure. You have to have a whole different level of committment to your job to be an MD, it mean big sacrifices on your personal life. I don't see why people think being a doctor is better. To me, it is simply different. I would much rather be a nurse. :-)

Jacaut · Jan 27, 2002

I'm actually interested in both. I am completely fascinated by the disease process AND in the treatment process. I think the emotional and physical support nurses give is 90% of the healing factor. Dr.s get to diagnose disease and figure out the ways to treat. That's why I eventually want to be a NP- the best of both worlds.

I am in nursing school for practical reasons. I cannot afford med school and live in an area with only a community college. No university for at least 2 hours drive. It takes me 45 minutes to get to school as it is! So- I walk a walk that I never thought I would, and find I like it.

Jackie

ladyj · Mar 3, 2002

I got the exact same question from some of my family members, why a nurse and not med school? It seemed to me that doctors were always rushing into and out of patient's rooms. I am a very nurturing person and wanted that extra time with the patient. Now that I am in clinicals, however, I see that nurses are also in a hurry. I still feel that I can spend more time with a patient as a nurse.

Josefin, BSN, PhD, RN · Mar 5, 2002

Well. I started my "academic career" with studying humanities (classical archaeology, anthropology etc) for 3 years. When I got my BD I realized that there are absolutley NO jobs for archaeologists (especially not classical ones;-)) in Sweden. I had only 3 years left with grants. So, what was I supposed to do? I knew I wanted a job where I could work with people and one where I could choose where I wanted to work. So, I became a nursing student. If I had more years with grants left I would have become a veterinarian, not a doctor. Anyway I´m happy with my choise most of the days (;-)), I will start to work as a Rn at psych in June.