i'm a doctor. we get all the glory. and credit. and guess what? we only deserve part of it.
i started out in medicine in the mid-80′s, volunteering at an er. and the biggest shock to me was learning how much of what happens in a hospital is nurse territory. doctors will see you anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes a day, depending on how sick you are. and the rest is the nurses.
they're the ones making sure you get your pills and checking that your vital signs aren't dropping. they make sure you don't fall down and break something. if you start vomiting, doctors will run out of the room and the nurses will rush in. they change your wound dressings and start your iv line. they'll bring you a warm blanket. and clean disgusting things off you. even if you're drunk. or delirious. or mean. and through all of this they try be friendly and positive. even though you aren't their only sick patient.
i respect nurses. i learned early on that they're key to being a good doctor. you p*ss off the nursing staff, and you'll have a miserable career at that hospital. respect and treat them well, and you'll never regret it. they're as important to being a good doctor as your medical degree. maybe more.
if you come out of medical school with a chip on your shoulder against nurses, you better lose it fast. because they will make or break your training, and often know more than you do. be nice and they'll teach you. a good neurology nurse is often a better inpatient neurologist than some doctors i've met.
