-To all the nurses who chose the nursing path than the physician path...

Nurses Career Support

Published

What things persuaded you that this was the right career for you instead of being a physician?

In transition now.

I do agree that nurses have a lot more time to influence or educate patients. so if you like people nursing is a great fit. I am more analytic so I tend to lean towards medicine more.

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Specializes in CVICU.

I didn't want to spend 10 years of my life in school. I didn't want to be in a career where call is almost always required and crazy hours are worked. I didn't want to have to take out hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans just to get through school. What nurses do intrigues me more than what physicians do.

What I think a lot of people considering nursing don't realize is, without even considering grad-level education, there are a LOT of different areas an RN can go into. Then when you consider advanced practice nursing, there are even more options.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
In transition now.

I do agree that nurses have a lot more time to influence or educate patients. so if you like people nursing is a great fit. I am more analytic so I tend to lean towards medicine more.

Are you going to give med school another try? Good for You!
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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

I wanted to have a life.

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Specializes in NICU.

A nurse and a physician are two completely different professions. Why didn't I become a doctor? Well, why didn't I become a social worker, or an engineer, or a makeup artist or an office worker? Because I didn't want to...I wanted to become a nurse.

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Specializes in ER, progressive care.

I always thought I wanted to be a doctor or a veterinarian when I was growing up...until I discovered all of the (more) advanced math and science that would be required along with the 8 years of schooling plus x amount of years in residency. I also found out that nurses are the ones who spend the time with the patients, not the doctors. 4 years of nursing school went by and here I am. :)

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Specializes in Case Management, ICU, Telemetry.

I considered being a physician... The I realized that I would have to do 4 years of undergrad, followed by 4 years of medical school, followed by a 2-4 year residency where you are working 80 hours a week for $30K, then to graduate with $175K in loans... that's WAAAAY too much of my life to completely forfeit. It's not like nursing school where you can have a life and work or whatever, or like nursing grad school where you can do all of that and then some. It is a forfeiture of a solid 6 years of your life. No. Thank. You.

In retrospect with the way that healthcare has gone, I'm even more glad I didn't do it: because of Obamacare, all of my MD friends are getting salary cuts and having to jump through some ridiculous hoops.

I would recommend anyone who wants to become a physician: start your undergrad at 16, seriously. Then you can start your grown up profession, get married, have kids and still be under 30.

PS in your title you are missing the word "rather". :)

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

I love midwifery care!! :) I know some great MDs that I'd recommend to anyone if they had a pathological GYN condition...but for healthy pregnancy and delivery, I absolutely loved my midwives.

I want to be a midwife, so that requires going the nursing route. I much prefer the midwifery approach to the OB approach.
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