As a nurse, would you go on for an MD?

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If you're a nurse and work closely with MD's would you want to go on to further your education and get an MD license? There is more pay and you already pretty much know human anatomy, diseases, medications and clinical skills that you could do well in Medical School. Plus the hospital you work at may have a tuition reimbursement. When you're a doctor you call all the shots and like I've said you make more money as well.:yeah:

Too old, but if I could, I would want to be a radiologist. That would be my calling.

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Specializes in LTC, med/surg, hospice.

I have no desire to be an MD.

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I definitely consider furthering my Nursing Career. I am 29 and will be graduated as RN in 6 weeks. Then i going to be working as RN in ICU while getting my 2 year BSN in nursing. After that I will go to the Med School!

Don't be Afraid to Be Great !

It is never too late!

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I just don't feel that being a doctor is BETTER than being a nurse. It's a different field altogether; becoming an MD is changing careers, not advancing one. Becoming an NP (or any kind of advanced practice nurse) on the other hand, is advancing your nursing education -- it moves in the direction of practicing medicine, but never loses the nursing focus on wellness and the whole person. MDs are absolutely vital to healthcare, but they often have tunnel-vision on a disease process (a fellow student was watching a surgery the other day; afterwards, she asked the surgeon why the patient had NO hair -eyebrows, pubic., etc. -- the surgeon said, "He didn't have any hair?"! For better or for worse, nurses do spend more time with patients and much more focused on the whole person as opposed to the disease process).

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I just don't feel that being a doctor is BETTER than being a nurse. It's a different field altogether; becoming an MD is changing careers, not advancing one. Becoming an NP (or any kind of advanced practice nurse) on the other hand, is advancing your nursing education -- it moves in the direction of practicing medicine, but never loses the nursing focus on wellness and the whole person. MDs are absolutely vital to healthcare, but they often have tunnel-vision on a disease process (a fellow student was watching a surgery the other day; afterwards, she asked the surgeon why the patient had NO hair -eyebrows, pubic., etc. -- the surgeon said, "He didn't have any hair?"! For better or for worse, nurses do spend more time with patients and much more focused on the whole person as opposed to the disease process).

Thank you for presenting your point of view. But I think that it would still be great if nurses were becoming MD eventually and therefore eliminating those tunnel-vision doctors. MD have more influence on the managing the treatment process, affecting the status of the patient...

As a nurse we are often limited to following what MDs allow us to do...

And very often it is not on the benefit of the patient. How many times, as a nurse you would consider to implement something but due to the legal issues you could not implement it. As an MD you will have full responsibility and control of the situation.

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One of the best things about nursing is the time I get to spend with the patients and the teaching. Haven't seen many MDs doing that - haven't the time or the inclination. So although parts of the jobs are similar, it's a different mindset towards patient care and I'd miss it if I were to become a doctor.

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Specializes in OB, HH, ADMIN, IC, ED, QI.
If you're a nurse and work closely with MD's would you want to go on to further your education and get an MD license? There is more pay and you already pretty much know human anatomy, diseases, medications and clinical skills that you could do well in Medical School. Plus the hospital you work at may have a tuition reimbursement. When you're a doctor you call all the shots and like I've said you make more money as well.:yeah:

Just as people in many types of work decide after being at it a while, to be something else, nurses have gone on to become what I think of as "junior docs" (PAs, NPs, etc.), lawyers and doctors. They like the one-one of it, increased pay, and ability to prescribe.

Personally I like being a nurse, although I didn't stick to one aspect of it in my 48 years of practise, except teaching prenatal classes for 35 years when I wasn't on a shift. Since my original specialty education is Public Health, I tend to think of the effectiveness of attaining goals for many in one (or more) presentation(s).

The worst aspect of patient education I've ever done, was that absurd checklist thrust upon us upon discharging a post partum woman and her baby. The nurses' goal is to check everything the patient needs to know, off as covered and understood (impossible). The patient and her family's goal is to get home, so retention of information is extremely low, due to diverse goals.:down:

Since discharge planning begins with admission (HAHAHHA), there needs to be a moment or 60 of them to explain those items to a group. That can be done as babies feed (even in the wee hours, given enough staff that hasn't been transferred elsewhere when admissions to L&D calm down), and gives the nurse an opportunity to observe the behavior of babies and moms &/or dads at that time. You really get input as to how they'll perform at home when sleep deprived asnd anxious...... Then you can urge home care visits for the ones who need furthyer attention, putting that on the order sheet for the doctor to sign along with "discharge home". :bowingpur

For me, that would satisfy my needs to take greater reponsibility for patient care. I get hostile when I've been told how "bright" someone thinks I am, followed by, "why haven't you become a doctor?" As if that was the be-all of fulfilling patient needs.

I hope to make the above notions known in the new world of health care. We need more nurses performing more, better, in the coming change - certainly not more doctors chafing about their reduced pay. :nono:

Lois

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I am 28 years old and only two months into my LPN education. Today was my first day at clinicals and it is clear to me that the medical field is where I belong. I am happy where I am right now, but I plan to continue my education. If my path leads to med school, then that will be great. If I can be more useful in nursing then I'll continue my nursing education. I don't believe in retirement, so I have to do something!

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Specializes in OB, HH, ADMIN, IC, ED, QI.
I am 28 years old and only two months into my LPN education. Today was my first day at clinicals and it is clear to me that the medical field is where I belong. I am happy where I am right now, but I plan to continue my education. If my path leads to med school, then that will be great. If I can be more useful in nursing then I'll continue my nursing education. I don't believe in retirement, so I have to do something!

There are so many roles nurses can play, that you'll probably find enough work for several lifetimes. Please avail yourself of advanced educational programs in nursing. We need people who feel they belong. :nurse: Medicine is a whole other type of thing which can appear more attractive due to increased compensation and respect.

However there aren't many physicians I know who feel they belong where they are, due to their lowered income, high malpractise premiums and disappointment generally in the way they have to practise (seeing more patients in an unrealistic time frame), just like many of us do when staffing is inadequate and needed equipment scarce.

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Specializes in NICU, Pediatrics, Postpartum, M/B.

Thank you for sharing your story! You will make a fantastic nurse! I like how you shared that in India, you as an MD did a lot of the "hands on" with patients, as RNs do here! That is what I wish our healthcare system was more like. It will never be, and I know too many MDs that wouldn't want it that way, but as someone that has been a patient too many times, many of my docs in the past had horrible bedside manner and made me feel like I was wasting their time. Not a good feeling!

Again, congrats and just know, you will go far in nursing, especially with your positive outlook! We need more nurses like you!

Kristenwrn

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Sorry if my first response came across as a little harsh, it's just that it's a common misconception that nursing is a stepping stone to medicine. They're completely different fields, and it always irritates the crap out of me when people ask why I didn't go to med school, or when I'm "going back" to become a physician...

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Specializes in NICU, Pediatrics, Postpartum, M/B.

I agree with you, I've been asked that same question SINCE becoming a nurse almost 9 years ago! It is very irritating. It also bugs the crap outta me when asked WHY I didn't just become a doctor? UH, cause I didn't want to? The general public has a HUGE misconception about what nurses do sometimes....

Kristenwrn

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