BSN vs MD?

SierraBravo · Oct 6, 2015

I'm also not a great people-person, and due to my disability I can get fatigued and overwhelmed fairly easily. I know that both jobs are stressful, as well as both school experiences. Is this a deal breaker? Medicine is my passion, I just don't know what path to take. If it makes any difference, I live in BC, Canada.

A career in healthcare might not be your best option unless you can manage your disability and become somewhat of a "people person" as being a nurse or physician requires daily interaction with not only patients and families, but also various other members of the health care team.

NICU_Nightingale, BSN, RN · Oct 6, 2015

NICU in general (along with healthcare) may not be the best route. I'm a NICU nurse and I'm constantly going for 12 hours straight with lots of stimulation whether it be the baby, the alarms, orders, MD, lab, OT/PT/Speech I mean it's endless...

Then our physicians work from 8-6p 7 days a week and sometimes they do 24hr shifts... If you get overwhelmed and exhausted easily I'd seriously consider your options... If nursing/medicine is absolutely it- I'd highly recommend a different specialty.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Oct 6, 2015

I have no problem with the fact that you might gravitate more towards medicine vs. nursing. But I do have a problem with you saying on the one hand you want to work with infants, but you aren't a people person. In NICU, you would have to work daily with PEOPLE who are incredibly stressed out because the little person who is the most important human being in their life is very sick. If you aren't a people person, I would strongly discourage you from working with NICU and their parents. They really don't need that. They are in crisis and need someone who can relate to them and deal with them at their most frightened.

FlyingScot, RN · Oct 6, 2015

Let me get this straight. You aren't a "people person", you fatigue easily and are prone to being overwhelmed. Honestly, I'm not sure healthcare would be a good choice for you. I'm not even sure you would physically make it through nursing school much less med school and residency. Not trying to be mean or crush your dreams it's just everything you say leads me to believe that maybe another career path would more suitable given your issues.

nicuhopeful97 · Oct 6, 2015

Hm, okay. I probably worded that poorly. I suppose "not a people-person" has become internet slang for "total ******* who hates everyone". I meant it more in the way that sometimes my social skills need a bit of work, and it can sometimes be challenging for me to express how I feel. But I care very deeply, and part of the reason this field is attractive to me is because I have an innate desire to help others. Sometimes it's just getting that desire across that can be a challenge, which I'm constantly trying to improve upon.

As for the fatigue part, I'd likely only be working part time anyway, and hopefully be able to manage that and the mental health issues more as I figure out what works best for me and how to help myself be the best nurse/doctor/person/whatever I can be.

I probably added more information than was needed to my original post, sorry for that. I'd love to get a nurse's (or doctor's, if they're on here too) perspective on the differences between the two, other than the obvious things like schooling and money, and if certain people are more suited towards one or the other. Is burnout and/or satisfaction seemingly higher in one profession? Is there more flexibility with one? Things like that. Thank you for all of your comments though, it's very insightful towards what I should work on.

Coffee Nurse, BSN, RN · Oct 6, 2015

As for the fatigue part, I'd likely only be working part time anyway, and hopefully be able to manage that and the mental health issues more as I figure out what works best for me and how to help myself be the best nurse/doctor/person/whatever I can be.

I think this is going to be your main problem. I don't consider myself a great "people person" either; I care, absolutely, but I'm quite an introvert, and after a 12-hour shift (especially with very stressed or demanding parents) I am exhausted. Still, it's doable. If you're going to require a part-time job, though, you'll definitely have to get into nursing. I've never heard of a part-time MD in a specialty field, and even to get to a point where that's maybe possible you'll have 10+ years of full-time education.

Have you looked into NNPs at all? If you can manage your fatigue/MH issues, this might be the balance between care planning and implementation that you're looking for.

FlyingScot, RN · Oct 6, 2015

Hm, okay. I probably worded that poorly. I suppose "not a people-person" has become internet slang for "total ******* who hates everyone". I meant it more in the way that sometimes my social skills need a bit of work, and it can sometimes be challenging for me to express how I feel. But I care very deeply, and part of the reason this field is attractive to me is because I have an innate desire to help others. Sometimes it's just getting that desire across that can be a challenge, which I'm constantly trying to improve upon.
As for the fatigue part, I'd likely only be working part time anyway, and hopefully be able to manage that and the mental health issues more as I figure out what works best for me and how to help myself be the best nurse/doctor/person/whatever I can be.
I probably added more information than was needed to my original post, sorry for that. I'd love to get a nurse's (or doctor's, if they're on here too) perspective on the differences between the two, other than the obvious things like schooling and money, and if certain people are more suited towards one or the other. Is burnout and/or satisfaction seemingly higher in one profession? Is there more flexibility with one? Things like that. Thank you for all of your comments though, it's very insightful towards what I should work on.

No, I pretty much understood what you meant by not being a people person. It's just that combined with your fatigue and mental health issues I just don't see this being a good thing for you. Adding to that it is very unlikely you'll find a decent part time position right off the bat.

None of us here can tell you what kind of person is more suited to nursing vs medicine. There are all kinds of people in both. Only you know what you can handle but I can tell you that nursing school and working as a nurse is a whole other animal compared to some other professions. It's just there's really no way to describe it to someone who hasn't experienced it.

klone, MSN, RN · Oct 6, 2015

As an MD, how would you expect to pay off hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans only working part-time? You realize that there is no such thing as a part-time residency, and you will be working 80+ hours a week for the first 4-8 years AFTER graduating from medical school, right? I have also never heard of any post-fellowship job offers for fledgling physicians that are part-time.

RNperdiem, RN · Oct 6, 2015

Both fields take large quantities of energy to meet the demands of the job, especially in the beginning.

Klone isn't exaggerating about those 80 hour workweeks for new doctors. The residents I work with work all through the day and the night and their workload and responsibility can be crushing at times. Getting overwhelmed too easily is not tolerated. Any fatigue or mental health issues will have a hard time withstanding that kind of stress.

My brother pays $3000 per month on his medical school student loans. There is not a part-time option for him.

dirtyhippiegirl, BSN, RN · Oct 6, 2015

Pragmatically in managing your MH/fatigue issue, nursing school is only 2 or 3 years of time-crazy schooling but you are unlikely to find a part time job in the NICU as a new grad. Medical school is 4 years of crazy schooling, 4 years of even crazier residency hours, and then whatever however many years of fellowship. You aren't interested in hearing about schooling but medical school is going to take up a decade of your life. You are going to have months where you are on your feet 12 to 16 hours a day, taking call, and than rounding first thing the next morning. And this lasts for years and you can't opt to do it part time.

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Oct 6, 2015

As for the fatigue part, I'd likely only be working part time anyway,

Not as a medical resident, you wouldn't.

The vast majority of new grad RNs are hired full-time, or at minimum 32 hours a week if working 8 hour shifts. New grads are still learning, and need to be working regularly.

As for NICU, from what I hear from former NICU staff, it can be extremely stressful. Parents who question their every move, stare with a very critical eye as they are trying to care for the baby...these parents are stressed out beyond your worst nightmare. This can be a very pressure cooker type environment, and I highly recommend getting yourself well before putting yourself in a specialty like NICU.

I have no dog in the RN vs. MD decision (although I should clarify your "following orders" comment. Sometimes MDs--usually new ones--prescribe things that are not appropriate for the pt. You as a RN would be expected to protect that pt. "Just following orders" is definitely not a viable defense if the pt has a poor outcome. Examples I've seen at work: 500 ml of 25% albumin--way too much volume for that concentration; D5W as the IV fluid for a new critical TBI; and a 25x normal dose of an anti-arrhythmic drug.) But health care needs both RNs and MDs...and LPNs, RRTs, SLPs, OTRs, PharmDs..... etc.

You do make comments that give us practicing nurses pause, however. You owe it to your pts, and you owe it to yourself to seriously consider the advice given.