Becoming a Nurse after becoming a Doctor

JStyles1 · Nov 11, 2008

i dont think you really could go from a doctor to a nurse. i mean you could but there would really be no point in it since you'd be way over qualified/educated

RiderRN · Nov 14, 2008

I considered medical school when I was considering nursing school and the cost kept me from pursuing it. Also, now that I am a nurse, I would never want to be a doctor because of the amount of responsibility they have. It's so much stress! I work in an ED and feel I have enough autonomy, and respect from the practitioners that I work with to collaborate on care plans, and they listen to my assessments and suggestions for diagnositic imaging, lab tests or meds. I always question them when I don't fully understand their reasoning, and I always suggest or ask their opinions about stuff I would expect to happen when it doesn't. This I believe gives me the best of both worlds. Good luck in making your decision. You could be working as a CRNA by the time you are 25 or 26, but as an independant MD, you would be 31-32.

rockstarn · Nov 14, 2008

I agree with Pineapple Devil (interesting name!).

My personal story is that I wanted to go to med school and I entered nursing school knowing that I would work as a nurse, get some experience, and go on to med school (while able to earn some good money). That was the plan, and I had all the med school qualifications down to do it. However, once I got into the nursing profession, I really did like it. I was able to see the difference in the scopes of practice b/w nurses and physicians.

For me, it wasn't the stress or responsibility that deterred me from nursing school - it was the bedside care that sucked me in. It sounds odd, but it's true. Yes, the doctors make patient decisions every day, but so do nurses. We are at the bedside 24/7, and we are the advocates for patients.

It sounds like you are certain you want to be in the O.R., but I'd encourage you to feel that out some more. Nursing has so many possibilities, which is rockin'. I'm so glad I made the decision to stay in the profession...it's an awesome one.

VU RN BSN · Nov 14, 2008

When I was in nursing school, we had a professor who was both a nurse and a doctor.

If I remember her story correctly, she began her career as a Registered Nurse with her BSN from college, worked as a staff nurse for awhile, then decided to become a physician, went to medical school to study Osteopathic Medicine, became a D.O., worked as a doctor in family practice for some time, decided she missed the world of nursing and felt her heart leading her back to nursing care. She went to graduate school and got her advanced practice nursing training, received a Master's in Nursing Education and became a Nurse Practitioner. Decided she wanted to teach and train future nurses and nurse practitioners.

I remember her as being one of my all time favorite college professors and one of the most inspiring people I have ever met. I loved attending her classes. She had so much insight into both the world of nursing and the world of medicine/physicians. I think she also writes articles for a medical-surgical nursing journal and she participates in nursing research. She is truly a remarkable person.

If you don't believe me, here she is:

http://nurseweb.villanova.edu/archivenursing.villanova.edu/nursnews/Spotlight/DrCapriotti.htm