Why did you become a nurse instead of a doctor?

Gompers, BSN, RN · Mar 4, 2005

I never wanted to be a doctor, for many many reasons. Mainly, I never wanted the kind of stress and responisibility they have. Their hours suck. And they see so many patients a day, regardless of their specialty, that it's all kind of a blur, in my opinion. I don't want to be a nurse practitioner for the same reasons. I never intended to be the one calling the shots.

I always wanted to be the one at the bedside, caring for patients one-on-one, being there for families, and doing everything I could to help them.

Being a doctor or an NP, to me, is about power. It's about being the one in charge, the one who makes the life or death decisions, the one who gets all the glory. And I've never wanted that.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Mar 4, 2005

Becoming a doctor takes too much time, too much energery and too much money. If I'm honest, I would have at one time wanted to be a doctor. However, in no way did I "settle" for nursing. I become a nurse for the patient contact, to help people, etc. and have no regrets. If I had time and money, I still probably would become a nurse.

Rollins · Mar 4, 2005

3rdShiftGuy said:
Becoming a doctor takes too much time, too much energery and too much money. If I'm honest, I would have at one time wanted to be a doctor. However, in no way did I "settle" for nursing. I become a nurse for the patient contact, to help people, etc. and have no regrets. If I had time and money, I still probably would become a nurse.

I want to have time with my family, that's the #1 thing for me. To be able to come home everynight, go to my son's T-Ball games, movies with my wife, ect. I wouldn't want to take the time for that much school, despite the money or privledge of being "Doctor". Some things are just too important to me.

Lee RN EMT-P · Mar 4, 2005

Did not want the head ache. My brother is the MD. My mother was a nurse. Maybe I wanted to follow in her foot setps. I was a pilot for many years, and worked as a medic in a large FL hospital ED. loved the patient care and went back to school to be a nurse. I love my job and would not change it. As for why a nurse VS doctor. who cares I take care of sick and needy people who need me.

Thats why we all do it ???

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Mar 4, 2005

I never wanted to be a doctor. Nursing is an art as much as a science, and practiced with skill, it's a fascinating career. Nursing is different from doctoring, and is definitely (dare I say this?) the more intuitive specialty. I'm always amazed at how well using the nursing process works for a patient. But there is truly a relationship between nurse and patient that actually does encourage health in the patient.

Doctors do not usually participate in this process. Their contribution is more of a scientific nature: "Lab X says this, so we'll treat it thusly."

Nurses treat the whole patient. Nurses think beyond the math. Not that we don't include it, we do. But we also realize the healing properties of a cup of hot tea and a graham cracker after a stressful 9 hours in the ER along with that IVP of Morphine.

I've had postop hip patients who c/o pain and were completely miserable until I repositioned them and straightened their bedding. Then--no need for a pain medication. A doc, on the other hand, would've prescribed a painkiller and ignored the warnings coming from the patient's skin!

HappyNurse2005, RN · Mar 4, 2005

Because I wanted to take care of hte patient, not solely the disease.

KrisRNwannabe · Mar 4, 2005

Never wanted to be a doc. the money it costs to go, the hours the residents work, the little money they make for the first few years, the high cost of malpractice insurance. thought just never crossed my mind. I have a friend who is just finishing residence. I think she has so many student loans they come in multiple envelops. i thought it was over a hundred thousand but now she tells me they are closer to 200 thousand. I feel bad for her. for me I am happy JUST BEING A NURSE. I think nurses get more respect than doctors do. my pts complain all day that there doctor is never around. especially on discharge day. they want to go at the butt crack of dawn and then the doctors show up late in the afternoon. i am still a student, but every day when I leave clinical, i usually go and say good bye to all my patients and I here "you were so good to me today" or "you are going to be such a good nurse" or "I wish you all the luck, you are so good at this". After my first ever clinical day, I went to say goodbye to my little old lady, she took my hand and told me no one has ever taken such good care of her and that i was an excellant nurse. I had tears in my eyes when i told her how much that meant to me. That is what it is all about. how many docs get that?

kris

energizerbunny05 · Mar 4, 2005

I do believe there is a sense of compassion that "some" nurses not all possess. But i have to say that i have encountered many nasty need an attitude adjusted nurses.The same thing occurs with docs some are such sweethearts and others are detached lacking human emotion. for the op i think that u should really do some soul searching and decide whether nursing is something that would fulfill you on a personal level because remember this a career u r choosing. Personally , i am graduating in december with my bsn and i start med school in august. My mother really wants me to be a nurse but i am thirsty for so much more knowledge therefore i am continuing on to med school. I feel like medicine is more for me than nursing for multiple reasons. I want autonomy most of all i have a desire to learn. the fact is yes it takes sacrifice but who said that anything comes easy. Go with what is in your heart.

Antikigirl, ASN, RN · Mar 4, 2005

Wowie, guess I am the minority! I really wanted to go MD...but I got a grant to become a nurse, and well...actually since I was 28, I thought I maybe if I wanted to become an MD I should have started a bit eariler (6-8 years of school didn't sound all that appealing at that point..LOL! I mean residencies at what..my early 30's...just wasn't floating well with me, didn't think I would have the time because I hoped by then I would be starting a family and not stuck in hospital all day and night).

Then I got to know Docs better, and what they go through...I think I made a great choice for me. Plus, I felt that if I really wanted more of that kind of role, I could go for NP! And I must say the NP's that I have met and worked with are GREAT, and great role models :).

LOL, but truth be told...I didn't want to work with humans..LOL! I wanted to be a vet since I was 5! Still do :)...

eltrip · Mar 4, 2005

I chose to not attend medical school (despite the suggestion by a doc I once worked with) because I wanted to have a life. That was 13 years ago and I have yet to regret my decision. However, I think I understand this perspective:

energizerbunny05 said:
i am thirsty for so much more knowledge

This is why I want to become an FNP. My higher education, though, may have to wait until my family needs me a little less. This is also why I'm studying other subjects on my own in the meantime (music theory, piano, taekwondo, among other things). My thirst for knowledge is not limited to that related to my career.

The more I learn, the more I realize that I don't know!

energizerbunny05 · Mar 4, 2005

eltrip said:
I chose to not attend medical school (despite the suggestion by a doc I once worked with) because I wanted to have a life. That was 13 years ago and I have yet to regret my decision. However, I think I understand this perspective:
This is why I want to become an FNP. My higher education, though, may have to wait until my family needs me a little less. This is also why I'm studying other subjects on my own in the meantime (music theory, piano, taekwondo, among other things). My thirst for knowledge is not limited to that related to my career.
The more I learn, the more I realize that I don't know!

I am sure many of us are thirsty for knowledge but time constraints or responsibilty with other things prevent us from acquiring it. I just think things can be done all it takes is motivation and preserverance. The fact is that being a doc is something i have always dreamed of. I am married with two kids and I believe i can fulfill my dreams.I will sacrifice some of my time and money but, the reward is more than worth it at least for me personally.