I know, I know -- it's my decision and my life but I'd still love your opinion, good or bad (maybe you or a friend has gone through this).
I'm questioning if I should really become a nurse or if I maybe should pursue medical school instead. Ever since getting back into school (took a few years off), I have actually made the top grade in each of my classes (except A&P2, where I was top 5 in a class of 400 where the average was 67) without much effort. And today I just got a 94 (99th percantile) after a few hours of studying. People, including family, keep asking why I don't just become a doctor instead. With my grades, do I really have the brainpower to become a doctor (nursing too, I hope)?
Honestly, I believe I would enjoy the flexibility of nursing -- but is nursing still all that flexible nowadays? I had hoped to become a travel nurse (I hear it's rare these days) and then pursue my masters and/or doctorate (whether it be in CRNA or research, I won't know until later).
I hear about nursed being treated badly by doctors (being a confident person that I am, I do not enjoy the thought of this) and being viewed as an expense.
I not only want to help others but I do want to be respected (is this bad) and able to sustain a comfortable lifestyle. Please know that I have always wanted to be in the medical field and throughly enjoy helping others. Being blessed with the brain I have, am I really, to quote others, "limiting" myself to being "just a nurse"?
The only way to resolve your issue is to talk directly to new and senior nurses and doctors. You need to get it from the horses mouth, so to speak.
Nursing is seen as being limited by many, especially in the context of nursing vs medical careers. I myself do get frustrated at our lack of independence in some situations. Nursing can be good depending upon your area of expertise and where you work, but medical school is also seen as scaling the heights of the medical field. Nursing suits some and not others - you could do some volunteer work with a 'real' nurse, but then you wouldn't really get a tast of ALL their duties.
Nurses are responsible for a lot. Remember after hours you may be the only doctor on, you will have to discuss, argue and make decisions alone for many patients when your supervisor/specialist is not around. And nurses are the ones in charge when all the nice, young doctors, social workers, cleaners, speech pathologists, techs, secretaries have gone home on a Friday and we are left to literally trouble shoot every problem & pick up many people's duties - but we don't get paid extra for it! And many of the above people I knew left early just before public holidays - but nurses can't. We run the wards/departments and we run the hospitals on weekdays mostly, and especially after hours - not the doctors - sorry if that shatters your image of doctors!
Just try to talk to as many people as you can and ask for a REAL image of their job - not one that's made up or glorified to make you feel better about choosing it.
carolmaccas66, BSN, RN
2,212 Posts
The only way to resolve your issue is to talk directly to new and senior nurses and doctors. You need to get it from the horses mouth, so to speak.
Nursing is seen as being limited by many, especially in the context of nursing vs medical careers. I myself do get frustrated at our lack of independence in some situations. Nursing can be good depending upon your area of expertise and where you work, but medical school is also seen as scaling the heights of the medical field. Nursing suits some and not others - you could do some volunteer work with a 'real' nurse, but then you wouldn't really get a tast of ALL their duties.
Nurses are responsible for a lot. Remember after hours you may be the only doctor on, you will have to discuss, argue and make decisions alone for many patients when your supervisor/specialist is not around. And nurses are the ones in charge when all the nice, young doctors, social workers, cleaners, speech pathologists, techs, secretaries have gone home on a Friday and we are left to literally trouble shoot every problem & pick up many people's duties - but we don't get paid extra for it! And many of the above people I knew left early just before public holidays - but nurses can't. We run the wards/departments and we run the hospitals on weekdays mostly, and especially after hours - not the doctors - sorry if that shatters your image of doctors!
Just try to talk to as many people as you can and ask for a REAL image of their job - not one that's made up or glorified to make you feel better about choosing it.