DNP vs MD

Specialties Doctoral

Published

What is the difference between DNP and MD? How long does it take to become a DNP if you already have BSN degree? I thought nurses had problems with docs, but one day I visited the student doctor website and I was surprised to see how many student docs, docs, pharmacists were against the DNP program/degree and some did not have any respect for nurses. Many had horrible things to say about nursing and nurses, they said it's easy to become a nurse and not a lot of training is required. One person said, "lets face it, doctors can survive without nurses and they can have a resident do what nurses do, but if the hospital takes the doctors out the nurses will struggle and the hospital will die."

Do doctors forget that nurses are the largest group of healthcare? Doctors are never there to see the condition of their patients, they don't know if the meds are doing what they are supposed to do. Nurses are the ones that know the patients better and they let the docs know what is going on.

Some said," if nurses want to be called doctors they should go to medical school and not attending a new program DNP. To be a doctor they need more years of school." I swear some people think that years of school predict intelligence, years of school make you a better nurse, doctor, etc. Really, what's the difference in school years between DNP and MD ?

It's becoming a big war b/w nurses and doctors. Let's face it, one can't work without the other. They both need each others help.

The title "Doctor" is not exclusive for physicians. It is an educational level/degree. It is used by various professions.

That's true, at this point I have decided that after my post masters I'm done. if I'm doing a doctorates it would be MD/DO :)

Specializes in CTICU.

It's not a competition.. SDN is arrogant little baby doctors. They will learn. Healthcare needs both, and needs mutual respect between both professions. We do different things, not better/worse things. Just smile and say okay. Don't even engage.

Bottom line - NP school does not even approach the scientific rigor of medical school. I don't think any intelligent person can argue that, nor do they need to. The best NPs are the ones that know what they don't know, and learn it on the job.

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
It's not a competition.. SDN is arrogant little baby doctors. They will learn. .

Its unfortunate that you feel this way and felt appropriate to add on a public forum.

I've actually learned a lot from the residents and fellows I've worked with over the years and found most to be both knowledgeable and pleasant. My relationship with the physicians I've worked with has had a huge impact on my knowledge, has elevated the respect I receive at the hospitals where we work and has positively influenced my exceptional NP salary so I'm not biting the hand that has fed me.

Specializes in Anesthesia.
Its unfortunate that you feel this way and felt appropriate to add on a public forum.

I've actually learned a lot from the residents and fellows I've worked with over the years and found most to be both knowledgeable and pleasant. My relationship with the physicians I've worked with has had a huge impact on my knowledge, has elevated the respect I receive at the hospitals where we work and has positively influenced my exceptional NP salary so I'm not biting the hand that has fed me.

And what does that have to do with the forum SDN which the poster was talking about.

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
And what does that have to do with the forum SDN which the poster was talking about.

Interesting usually I'm fairly clear but I can explain:

First it was just rude and I'm actually surprised moderators allowed it to stand.

Second my real point was that alienating ourselves from physicians is a bad move. Calling names to a large group of med students, residents, practicing physicians and making snarky threatening statements like "they will learn" is just not a good strategy.

Specializes in Anesthesia.
Interesting usually I'm fairly clear but I can explain:

First it was just rude and I'm actually surprised moderators allowed it to stand.

Second my real point was that alienating ourselves from physicians is a bad move. Calling names to a large group of med students, residents, practicing physicians and making snarky threatening statements like "they will learn" is just not a good strategy.

Hav you looked at the statements made on SDN about APRNs? This isn't the cubscouts where someone needs to intervene every time someone doesn't like a statement.

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
Hav you looked at the statements made on SDN about APRNs? This isn't the cubscouts where someone needs to intervene every time someone doesn't like a statement.

Ok so this was your original point. I'll stand by my assertion that name calling our colleagues, especially an entire group, is out of line.

Specializes in Anesthesia.
Ok so this was your original point. I'll stand by my assertion that name calling our colleagues, especially an entire group, is out of line.

They were referring to SDN and in that particular case I say that particular group are not colleagues and that is not disparaging physicians or medical students just the ones on SDN that as a whole forum, in general, are hateful and demeaning to nurses and especially to APRNs.

Interesting usually I'm fairly clear but I can explain:

First it was just rude and I'm actually surprised moderators allowed it to stand.

Second my real point was that alienating ourselves from physicians is a bad move. Calling names to a large group of med students, residents, practicing physicians and making snarky threatening statements like "they will learn" is just not a good strategy.

I didn't read "They will learn" as a threat in any way, just a recognition that many of the posters on SDN are inexperienced and uninformed about the general healthcare milieu (as are so many of the students who post here and say something inflammatory because they think they already know it all), but will modify their attitudes as they get more experience and education.

Specializes in CTICU.
Its unfortunate that you feel this way and felt appropriate to add on a public forum. I've actually learned a lot from the residents and fellows I've worked with over the years and found most to be both knowledgeable and pleasant. My relationship with the physicians I've worked with has had a huge impact on my knowledge, has elevated the respect I receive at the hospitals where we work and has positively influenced my exceptional NP salary so I'm not biting the hand that has fed me.

LOL I missed these last few posts until now for some reason.

I made no threatening statements and find that statement pretty laughable.

I think I was very clear that I feel you cannot possibly compare medical school to NP school. I have great respect for my physician colleagues. My comment was very clearly directed to the medical students and/or inexperienced residents on SDN who feel the need to make every mention of an NP into some kind of adversarial mission. "They will learn" refers to the fact that generally physicians gain more, rather than less, respect for their APP colleagues over time and with experience. ie. literally, they will learn better.

Sorry you felt so offended for your SDN pals.

While there are a lot of bs online classes, those degrees don't allow the same rights as valid, accredited, esteemed DNP programs. The DNP programs I'm looking at are 5 years with the last two as a residency, which is pretty comparable to an MD education, especially permitted that the majority of DNP students are working as RNs while the majority of med students have never experienced hospital life outside of educational settings and enter their intern years as deer in the headlights.

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
While there are a lot of bs online classes, those degrees don't allow the same rights as valid, accredited, esteemed DNP programs. The DNP programs I'm looking at are 5 years with the last two as a residency, which is pretty comparable to an MD education, especially permitted that the majority of DNP students are working as RNs while the majority of med students have never experienced hospital life outside of educational settings and enter their intern years as deer in the headlights.

Before you accept that any DNP program is comparable to a MD program please do a side:side of the courses. I also don't believe a majority of DNP students have ever practiced as a RN any longer.

Would you post the schools you have researched? If in fact they are offering a 2 year residency that would be an exceptional set up. There are many nurses here looking for a comprehensive education although I suspect the "residency" is actually "clinical hours" which is code word for working on a term paper as in 100% of the schools I investigated for my DNP.

+ Add a Comment