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

[Gaby_rmz77]

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

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Because I didn't want to be a doctor. What are YOU looking for?

[Cobweb]

Huh, you know, I never even considered being a physician.

I might have gone for veterinarian, though :)

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

I was in 8th grade. I liked the show "ER". I thought "maybe I'll be a doctor." I realized that required 8 years of school plus many years of residency. Carol Hathaway was my favorite character on ER. She was a nurse. She got to make out with George Clooney. Seemed good to me. I decided to become a nurse. 16 years later, here I am.

[Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN]

I went into college as a biology major with the intent to pursue medicine. I picked up a perdiem position as a nurse's aide just to get a feel for the field. I quickly discovered that what I thought a physician did was actually the job of a nurse. I eventually changed my mind and major to nursing, no regrets.

[CodeteamB]

I did my first degree in an area of study where many of my peers intended to become physicians, medical examiners to be more precise. I decided to go into nursing towards the end of that degree. I had never considered med school. I remember a classmate rolling her eyes at me and saying "well that's a waste of time, med schools HATE nurses."

Aside from the dubious nature of that statement, she was missing the point all together. Nursing and Medicine are two totally different career paths. They each have their benefits and drawbacks, and the one may lead to the other for some, but I wanted to be a nurse, I didn't need to weigh it against being a doctor.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I have always struggled with advanced math and sciences, so I didn't even attempt getting admitted into any type of medical school.

Becoming a physician would have required 4 years for an undergraduate degree (BA or BS), another 4 years for medical school, and an additional 3 to 7 years of residency. This translates into a minimum of 11 to 15 years before a person becomes a full-fledged physician.

On the other hand, I spent 12 months completing an LVN program and another 14 months in an LPN-to-RN completion program. Nursing provides a happy medium for me: minimal schooling, flexible schedule, solid middle income, and work/life balance.

[ArtClassRN, ADN, RN]

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

I tell all my patients the same thing when they ask about this: "I'm a nurse and not a doctor because I like working with people."

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

I didn't want call. I didn't want to shell out cash for an office and staff. I wanted to be able to go home and not be bothered. Emergency medicine was not a "real specialty" when I went to school...if it had I might have decided differently.

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

To be honest I couldn't figure out a way to afford it. Now I'm glad because I see others my age who are finishing their residencies and are just starting their "adult" lives while I've been living mine. Sometimes I look back and wonder what it, then I remind myself all of the hours of work being an MD requires, the debt they carry, call, etc.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

To save on a interesting story of witnessing how a nurse handled a drunk patient while my sister was in the ER as a 4-5 year old with class and grace while he cursed her out and responded with a injection and the patient being more agreeable...I decided to become a nurse because I wanted to interact with patients, not just "treat" them.

I though about going to med school when I was 7, after learning what I doctor entailed by middle school, I had an idea that I rather be in the nursing model.

I actually had in my HS yearbook go become an NP...well, that's my semi-retirement plan; I have another 20 years to enjoy my bedside career; and I've enjoyed the 8 years that I have put into it. :)

[SwansonRN]

I never considered it. In my mind one is not a step down or up from the other. It's two completely different professions. I wanted to be a nurse because *insert cliches* not because I didn't think I was cut out for med school. I'm smart and did well in school. I could have chose whatever path I wanted and I wanted nursing. Go figure!