To nurses, do you wonder what might have been if you became a doctor?

Nurses General Nursing

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I am aware that being a doctor and being a nurse are totally different...the thing is, my aunt who's been a nurse for 25 years or so, told me to consider being a doctor. she said that sometimes she wished she entered med school....i am a nurse and do sometimes wonder about med school...but....i hope not to continue wondering 20 years down the line......

has anyone been in the same situation and eventually stuck to one without regrets or thoughts of what might have been?

i enjoy nursing right now, but there's that nagging curiosity that would probably disappear once i get enough info and..experience.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

No, I don't spend any time wondering.

A, I like having a life, and B, I like providing nursing care to my patients. If I were a physician, I would likely drive myself (and the nurses) crazy, trying to provide the care that they deserve.

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I like how most nurses only work 3 12 hour shifts a week, doctors work 60 - 100 hours a week, I plan to become a CRNA one day, I am still wondering reather or not to go for the MD so I could become a MDA but I really like the idea of working 3 days a week with no call and if I want to work more then I can. (I am only 18, I am not a nurse yet) it's never too late to go back to school to become what you want.

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I thought about it but I'm glad I'm not pursuing that route. I like that I will be making money much younger, providing patient care much younger, have a very flexible schedule, don't have to work more than 40 hours a week, and can change specialties any time. The only thing that will probably bother me so that I will always have a lack of knowledge... I like knowing things and I'm very curious so I'll probably do a lot of self-study.

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Specializes in Professional Development Specialist.

Nope. I have wanted to be a nurse since I was 7. Never once have I wanted to be a doctor. The roles of both are so different. I know my patients very well. Much better than a doctor is ever likely to in the 10-30 mins a week they spend with their pts. I know what is happening and the doctors listen to me, then they make the appropriate decisions based on their knowledge and my assessment. I wanted to take care of people on a day to day basis, and as a Dr there is no way I could do that.

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Both have their advantages. However, if you want a career where you are more respected and autonomous, I'd pick the MD route. I would have if I had been younger when I figured out that I wanted to do something medical. But they do work A LOT more hours than most nurses do. I say if you're young and inclined to it, go for the MD.

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Nope. I have wanted to be a nurse since I was 7. Never once have I wanted to be a doctor. The roles of both are so different. I know my patients very well. Much better than a doctor is ever likely to in the 10-30 mins a week they spend with their pts. I know what is happening and the doctors listen to me, then they make the appropriate decisions based on their knowledge and my assessment. I wanted to take care of people on a day to day basis, and as a Dr there is no way I could do that.

In the hospital that is probably true as the nurses are with the patient 24/7, but outside it is not always true. Pediatricians and family doctors tend to form excellent patient relationships and I know I still have a great relationship with my pediatrician even though he is now retired and I've moved on as well.

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Specializes in Professional Development Specialist.
In the hospital that is probably true as the nurses are with the patient 24/7, but outside it is not always true. Pediatricians and family doctors tend to form excellent patient relationships and I know I still have a great relationship with my pediatrician even though he is now retired and I've moved on as well.

I was thinking about that while writing my post. The doctor who touched my life the most and changed the course of my life in a dramatic way did spend a lot of time with my family and myself. He was ahead of his time and truly saved and changed my life from one lived mostly in hospitals to a totally normal life. But my kids ped sees them 1-4 times a year since they are generally healthy. He remembers my oldest when reminded because his birthmark stands out and takes up 50% of his left leg. The other 2 he doesn't remember from one appointment to the next. I am happy to make a difference at that one moment in time when a patient is sick and noticing the subtle changes makes a difference. My contribution will almost never be remembered like my Dr.s was, but to me that is just fine. I know the times that I make a difference, even if the pt and family don't remember or understand.

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Specializes in LTC.

I'd possibly be flipping burgers at Burger King because honestly I'm really bad at being a traditional student and loved the flexibility community college gave me.

or

I'd be stuck in one of the State Psychiatric Hospitals because I was burned out and overworked.

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Specializes in Freelance Writer, 'the nurse who knows content'.

As a second career nurse currently working for a plastic surgeon in his clinic and OR, I can add these thoughts.

All of my life, my family has come first and my career second. In medicine, that concept is reversed. My doctor's LIFE is serving his patients; family comes second. I couldn't do that.

If you decide to go the MD route, be prepared to make medicine the primary force in your life forever. That is simply a fact. As a nurse, you have "a job" and can go home after a 12 hour shift and tend to family matters. Such is not the case as an MD.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

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Specializes in Adult Oncology.

Not a bit. Both my parents are doctors and I've seen first hand the sacrifices they made and the limitations of their work. One withdrew from patient care entirely because she was unable to keep herself from taking her patients' conditions and care personally, the other went the total opposite way and threw himself into his patients' conditions and care to the detriment of his homelife. I think that it can be rewarding, but those rewards come at a huge emotional cost. My father often tells me that he hates his job. One of his partners recently told me the same thing when I ran into her on the unit (that she hated being a doctor).

YMMV.

I don't think you can chose a career based on anyones else's opinion or choices. Everyone's experiences and attitudes are different. I would say that if pressed none of these doctors would say they are sorry they went into medicine. I'm sure they went into it with the best intentions and are caught up in the "machine" that is healthcare today. Mostly it's just expressing the frustration with the system.

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Yes, I probably will always wonder from time to time.

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