Student With Some Questions

[kcsunshine]

Hello,

I am currently just a student finishing my pre-nursing courses. I am posting in this section because I know that, even now, should I finish obtaining my BSN, I would ultimately be interested in ending up as an NP. As of late, I've been questioning my decision to become a nurse, and have been contemplating going to medical school to become a physician. I work as a CNA, so I know what both nurses and doctors do, and realize they have two different roles. What originally drew me to nursing was the idea that I will get more time with the patients, as that is what I am truly after: patient interaction. However, my job as well as talking to current RNs has shown me that even RNs don't seem to get as much patient interaction as I want. My mindset with this is, if I'm not going to get as much patient interaction as I want anyway, I might as well go to medical school. I am very interested in pursuing medicine as well as research, and I ultimately want to end up with a leadership role in the medical field, which is why I feel as though I'd be happy with the medical school route. However, I do not work closely with NPs, so I am not very knowledgeable about their role in the medical field, and thus I cannot safely determine if I'd truly prefer becoming a physician over a NP.

So now that you know a little background about me, I come to the reason I made this post: Do you NPs out there feel satisfied with your choice of going the NP route? Do you feel as though you have heavy pull in the treatment of your clients? Do you feel like you have a good balance of patient interaction and being a provider? Is it the best of both worlds, so to speak? Do you have any regrets about the path you chose? Do you feel like you have a good balance between work life and family life?

I'd appreciate anyone who would be willing to take the time to answer my questions, as well as perhaps describe a general day at work for you.

Thank you in advance.

[Jules A, MSN]

I went to nursing school as a second career so med school wasn't an option but if I had it to do over and had the maturity, which I didn't, that some young people do right out of high school I should have gone to medical school. I am financially motivated and that combined with the extensive education and indepth knowledge MDs have from their more comprehensive education makes me wish I had the foresight to have pursued med school.

I have a love-hate relationship with nursing. I love that in a mere 6 years of school I was able to make over $150,000 a year and I am able to be a bit more hands on with my patients. I hate the BS that I believe comes from a field that is predominately female. We tend to do things that hinder our progress and reputations as competent professionals. There are pros and cons for both but if you are interested in medical school I'd get on that sooner rather than later. Best of luck to you!

[kcsunshine]

I went to nursing school as a second career so med school wasn't an option but if I had it to do over and had the maturity, which I didn't, that some young people do right out of high school I should have gone to medical school. I am financially motivated and that combined with the extensive education and indepth knowledge MDs have from their more comprehensive education makes me wish I had the foresight to have pursued med school.

I have a love-hate relationship with nursing. I love that in a mere 6 years of school I was able to make over $150,000 a year and I am able to be a bit more hands on with my patients. I hate the BS that I believe comes from a field that is predominately female. We tend to do things that hinder our progress and reputations as competent professionals. There are pros and cons for both but if you are interested in medical school I'd get on that sooner rather than later. Best of luck to you!

Thank you for the response! I am currently in my second year of school, so I have wasted a few semesters if I switch to medical school, but at the same time, I haven't even turned 20 yet, so I am still young with no children, which means it will be much easier for me than most to set my sights on medical school.

What hinders me from immediately choosing medical school is the debt and time commitment. As you pointed out, you can make more in much less time going the NP route. This sways me to the NP role, but if NPs in general regret their decision or aren't very happy with their role in the medical field, it would surely sway me to medical school.

Money, in the end, isn't the most important to me, however. I realize I can make over 90k a year with both, and that's more than enough for me. I'm more worried about choosing NP and regretting it because I feel limited in my scope. Job satisfaction and time to raise a family are definitely the most important to me.

[Jules A, MSN]

but if NPs in general regret their decision or aren't very happy with their role in the medical field, it would surely sway me to medical school.

Money, in the end, isn't the most important to me, however. I realize I can make over 90k a year with both, and that's more than enough for me. I'm more worried about choosing NP and regretting it because I feel limited in my scope. Job satisfaction and time to raise a family are definitely the most important to me.

I would guess that most NPs are very happy and do not regret their decision. If you are not motivated by money or prestige and want the time to raise a family NP would likely be a better bet for you.