Medical school vs Nursing School

GaMBA · Jun 4, 2009

I don't understand the comments about doctors not spending as much time with patients as nurses. In terms of medical care I see my doctors a whole lot more than I have ever seen any nurses in my life. My obgyn has been checking me out (hehe) since I was 15. I'm now 28. He delivered 2 of my mom's babies as well as my kid. This man saw me all throughout my pregnancy, checked on me every day while I was at the hospital with my C-section, and saw me afterward for all of my checkups, not to mention my annual exams. My son's pediatrician and nurse practitioner (it's a group practice) see him every time he gets sick enough to go to the doctor's office or needs a periodic checkup. He's been going there for 2 yrs now. They are watching this boy grow, get taller and talk! And my late grandmother, before she died, had been going to the same doctor's office since the doctor's office had a segregated entrance, one for blacks and one for whites! My grandmother was 89 when she passed a few years ago.

I'm not trying to disrespect nurses at all (I'm studying to be one!), I'm just trying to understand why I hear so often on this board that doctors don't have much pt interaction. Many doctors spend years, even decades, with a lot of their pts.

bluesnurse · Jun 4, 2009

So many great posts here.

I'm 41 and grew up wanting to be a doctor because I love science and wanted to help people. Finished all but a couple of pre-med courses in college. But a funny thing was happening -- nearly every time I'd take an "intro" course, I'd get fascinated by it and want to try something else in the department. I changed my major seven times and somehow emerged in four years with a BA in economics.

My flaming ADD was not diagnosed until many years later :bugeyes:

Looooong story short, I never lost my passion for health care and after experimenting with a variety of jobs, I decided in my early 30's that if I was ever going to grow professionally I would have to pick a career and commit to it.

Nursing was kind of a no-brainer for me. My attention span is simply not long enough to endure the long haul of med school. I needed something flexible, and nursing was it. I only needed a couple of prereqs (all that major-changing came in handy!) and was fortunate to have a BSN program nearby.

On a more practical side, debt was a consideration. Med school is a LOT more expensive, and even though you end up with a healthy income, a six-figure student loan statement is not something I want to find in the mail with my AARP card :barf02:

That said -- there is no shortage of success stories from people who have moved mountains to fulfill their dream of going to med school in their 40's and 50's. Google "med student forums," and go to the "Nontraditional Students" forum. There's a ton of information there, and I know there are some RNs who are preparing for, or are already in, med school.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

shocker29 · Jun 5, 2009

Doctors spend a very small amount of time with each patient every day. They come, write orders and go. The way I look at it, we are the ones making sure that all day/night long they stay alive to make it to another day. We are their guardians... on the front lines, in the thick of it... and that, I think, is pretty cool.

shocker29 · Jun 5, 2009

GaMBA... you gotta think hospital nursing! (which is where the majority of nurses are based...) The doctor takes about 10 minutes to an hour to admit the person on their first day, depending on how stable they are, and then, omitting crises, about 10-15 minutes per day with each patient. Nurses are there and responsible for those patients 24 hours per day. It isn't a slam on docs, its just the nature of the job!

GaMBA · Jun 5, 2009

shocker, I look at the bigger picture. Most nurses may work in a hospital, but a lot of doctors work in the hospital and/or have their own practice. I read comments on here all the time about how much time nurses spend with their pts. That may be true in some areas of the hospital, but I don't think that's a given for all nursing specialties and I don't think it's fair to say doctors have "little pt interaction" and "aren't on the frontlines." Those comments sound misleading to me. There are docs who have lots of pt interaction and doctors by the very nature of their job are on the "frontlines" of providing care to a pt. Also, while nursing is a 24-hr job, the nurses working those hours change and the "pt interaction" during that time may not necessarily be life-changing earth-shattering interaction. I have worked many a 12-hr shift where the nurse barely looked at the pt much less interacted with them. Maybe sometimes the job just doesn't require all of that. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, I'm simply pointing out that not all nursing specialties allow for intensive pt interaction every day, so that is something to be mindful of in evaluating nursing as a career.

I agree with those that say nursing offers a different approach to healthcare than being a doctor. There are exciting, hands-on aspects of both. People in both professions have the ability to make positive impacts on pts and save lives. Both spend time getting to know what's going on with a pt. They just approach it differently and serve different purposes in helping a pt get better.

I'm not trying to hijack the thread, I just want the OP to look at the med school vs nursing school decision with accurate information. OP, I'd suggest talking to nurses and talking to doctors who do what you're interested in and maybe spend some time shadowing each. See which one you like better, or maybe you'll find an entirely different healthcare career you haven't thought about that will be a good fit for you.

PeachPie · Jun 5, 2009

Nursing is a career, becoming a doctor is a lifestyle. I work to live, not live to work. I am dedicated to my job, but I almost completely dissociate my two lives in order to maintain my sanity with such a stressful job. That, and 10 years to finally be on the career and earning money? Becoming a doctor isn't just about brains, it's about being able to endure all that.

JomoNurse · Jun 5, 2009

i am not smart enough to get into/get through medical school, so I chose nursing school instead. it's hard for me to admit that. people that go into medicine are very hard working and intelligent people. nursing school is tough too, but i can't even begin to put them next to each other; they're on two totally different levels.

shocker29 · Jun 5, 2009

GaMBA,

If a nurse is working a 12-hour shift in a hospital and hardly catches a glimpse of her patient, then it sounds to me like a nurse problem...

I hope you get that I am not slamming doctors in any way! Nurses really do spend a lot more time with patients in the hospital than doctors. (I am saying patient A may see physician for 10minutes, but sees you on and off for the entire shift.) That is simply the nature of the profession. Doctors see so many patients in one day that it is impossible for them to spend more time with each patient.

We'll have to respectfully agree to disagree

t2000JC · Jun 26, 2009

i am not smart enough to get into/get through medical school, so I chose nursing school instead. it's hard for me to admit that. people that go into medicine are very hard working and intelligent people. nursing school is tough too, but i can't even begin to put them next to each other; they're on two totally different levels.

I can respect if that's how you feel, but I know nurses who could definitely have gone to med school, but chose nursing since it is a different type of discipline.

ChristyRN2009 · Jun 26, 2009

I'm still debating whether or not to continue with nursing or go on to med school, although its a very quiet debate in the back of my mind. I don't have a doubt that I have the intelligence to get through it. I just don't know if I could stand the commitment for a while. I have two little ones. Generally its med school then residency, then private practice and that is a lot of long years before you are making any kind of money. And even then, if you take into consideration that if a doctor has a patient in the hospital, they can be called any time day or night. They are essentially always on the job. I, on the other hand, go home and don't think about work til I get on here

Don't know what to tell you except that I would think very hard about what you want out of life, what your work ethic is, and what kind of program is available to you (keeping in mind entrance to most med schools are competitive and the rest are very competitive) and if you can, do the hospital volunteer thing. You never know, you might just walk down a c-diff hallway and decide you never want to be in a healthcare building voluntarily again :wink2:

ohgreat · Nov 17, 2009

sometimes i really wonder if i made the right choice. we really go through a lot in nursing school and most of us truly are smart enough to get into med school. heck, i see pre-med students all day who are no smarter than the rest of us nursing students. it's so weird knowing that in just a few years people will respect them way more than they will respect me.

FeeFiFoFum · Nov 17, 2009

I'm not sure if someone has already mention this or not, but I will go ahead and state it. I'm sorry if this offends you, but this is my opinion.

Most people that are going to or have gone to nursing school aren't capable of getting into and/or getting through medical school. By in large, most people would be going to medical school if they had the option. This is a blow to our egos (I'm an RN), and it's hard to admit, but it's true. The level of difficulty between the two aren't even comparable. Of course there are some really smart nurses out there, but most aren't really physician material.

I'm really, really, really sorry if this offends you, but it's just my opinion and I am answering the original question. I'm a nurse and there's no way I could ever get the top grades in the classes that a medical school requires from its' students.

A lot of this "well, I chose nursing because I like people interaction....or.... i like the hours better.... or.... i like to treat the person and not the disease" is a lot of what we have all convinced ourselves of. Of course there are exceptions but generally i don't think that's the honest case at all....

There are "ditzy" medical school students but under that they have the genetic makeup to absorb and regurgitate complex material, which is difficult for most people to do.

also wanted to add, *thinking* you could get through medical school is vastly different than *actually* getting through medical school.