why should doctors be paid higher

[etinosa]

nurses work harder than the doctor but in my country they are not well paid d, do any body have a reason for that

[gofigure]

Two words for this thread: more education.:studyowl:

[CT Pixie, BSN, RN]

I hope my post didn't imply that I don't think nurses are also accountable or that they aren't a very important part of the health care delivery.

When I said the docs are responsible ultimately for the patient I meant that if the miss adx, they are the ones the lawyer will go after for misdiagnosis, they won't go right to the nurse if the doc made the mistake.

I guess exactly what I am trying to say isn't coming out correctly when written.

Yes, nurses also hold lives in their hands and are accountable for their actions.

In a nutshell it all comes down to education..the docs have a lot more than the average nurse..that's why they are paid so much.

[omni123]

People say nurses should be paid more for their work. My question is, what does everyone think fair pay would be?

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

I would like to point out that more education in the US does not necessarily equate to more money!!! I have always had more education then the LPNs and Registered Nurses (the ones with less then a Master degree) yet, I have never made close to what a Staff RN makes while working only one job!

However, I do not disagree that physicians should make more money then nurses. I disagree that the number of years in school is a reason.

Physicians are fortunate that the average citizen equates his/her pay with education. This is not true in other fields. Seven to Ten years of education in the US is not uncommon in other fields of study yet, pay is not equal to that of a physician.

A physician's pay is based upon our societies value of the job. There was a time when physician's were paid poorly despite saving lives, long work hours, being on-call, education level, etc. so this debate is pretty silly. If as a society we stopped valuing physicians and devalued them the way we devalue nurses, then we would see a CUT in their pay. A rise in their pay would follow only if the demand for them rose because their supply dropped, just as it has done for nurses.

[cnkis]

Nurses or fellow nursing students that make those kinds of comments embarrass me :icon_roll Just promise not to make it out in public or in hospitals and we'll be fine

[colorado ER RN]

The docs get paid more because they go to school forever and then residency, their school costs a lot more and their responsibility is so much greater, I am the wife of an MD resident and believe me they deserve it!!

[Tiwi]

I think doctors here earn minimally more than first year RNs but don't quote me on that.

The nurse makes decisions based on what they see at the time, they are the first ones there.

The doctor makes the ultimate decision, based also on what they see.

As such they both have an important role, but I think the doctor has more responsibilty. That is not to say that legally the nurse is not more likely to cop it! Because we are the ones who are first there.

So as much as I hate to admit it, doctors do deserve more. But if we are unhappy with their decisions, my God, don't we have to cover our butts with heaps of documentation!

[angel337, MSN, RN]

i know a few nurses that make more than docs only because they work so much. yes, a doc should get paid more. if i went to school for 12 years i would hope my salary is more than the nurse. it is also true that society values docs more and historically being a physician is a male dominated profession so there are many reasons why a docs salary is high.

[zenman]

Physicians "make" money: nurses are a cost.

[ZootRN]

Doctors are paid more because they bill insurance companies for their services. If it would a fee-for-service business and people would be paying out of pocket (as they always have throughout the history of civilization), their salaries would deflate quickly. In Europe of 19 century, doctor was not recognized as "gentleman", did not belong to upper class and was not allowed to attend aristocratic parties and share the meal with a person of title. Medical education consisted of 2 years of school back them. And back then, every woman was a nurse by definition of Florence Nightingale.

[sunnyjohn]

Physicians "make" money: nurses are a cost.

Someone finally said it!

Doctor costs aren't bundled in the patient's room and board costs.

[ann945n, RN]

I think doctors earn the pay they are receiving but thats not to say that nurses are grossly underpaid. A better question might be why arent nurses making more compaired to a MD salary? Length of education to me doesnt always mean a warrent in increased pay.