More frustration as an MD or an NP?

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Specializes in ICU.

I am on the fence right now as to whether I am going to pursue medical school or going for my masters (acute care NP) in nursing. I have always been an over-acheiver: graduated 4th in my high school class, started college pre-med; my sister was her HS validictorian, and much more but that's not the point.

I don't want anybody to have the opportunity to disrespect me. Should I suck it up and do med school pre-reqs and apply there as an older student (currently 26 and female), or go on to be an acute care nurse practitioner as I've been planning on as of late.

Anyone else been on the fence like this?? Right now I don't have a husband or kids so that won't hold me back...I LOVE being at the hospital and want to always be involved in the most interesting cases. Any thoughts?

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Specializes in Community Health.

Can you elaborate on what you mean by "disrespect you"?

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Seems like there's a shift from the masters NP program to DNP. So would you want a DNP or MD? MD route will have further education/training by way of residency programs. DNP has fellowships/residencies, but very few if you want to further your education/training in a specialty. I'm also not sure what you mean regarding "disrespect you"... No matter what position you're in or degree you get, there will always be someone who would disrespect anyone if they had the chance (but they're probably really sad, rude people...).

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Specializes in ICU.

Ehh, I knew this would be the point that had to be elaborated on in my post. I have been on a student doctor forum recently and have seen how they view nurses, NPs, and CRNAs. And it's not in a good light. I'd rather not have to deal with that adversity for my whole career. That's all.

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Specializes in ICU.

I've always been of the opinion that I want to avoid the DNP route. Simply because, while I have been viewed as a gifted writer in school, I hate it. I don't want to do a thesis. That's it. If that's lazy, so be it. I love the clinical, hands-on stuff that MDs get in residency.

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26 is pretty young. Suck it up and go the MD route -- it offers the highest level of training in whatever field you end up in, hands down. The average age of matriculation in med school is a little over 24, so you won't really be that much older than your classmates and chances are that they'll be quite a few people older than you (we had many > 30 years old in my class).

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

I can answer to the disrespect from the student doctors forum - please understand they are STUDENTS: young, impressionable STUDENTS! I've been a nurse 20 years and an APN for 6 years and in the real world, STUDENTS are the ones the disrespectful folks. If you go the NP route, you will find, just as you do as an RN, there are good and bad docs and APNs. However, its been my experience (and I'm not a pushover by any means) that the docs are very respectful - we might disagree, we might debate, but there is respect on both sides of the fence. I would take whatever you read on the STUDENT doctor forum as just that: inexperienced, very young, no life experience STUDENTS!

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Specializes in PICU.

I agree with traumaRUs. Student forums is not a place to learn about how things are in the real world. One of the docs I work with said he used to have an ego that he was the Doctor, until he started working in the ICU and realized how many times the nurses saved his ass. The amount of respect or disrespect you receive in your job is entirely dependent on you. If you know your stuff, always present a professional caring attitude and support all of the people you work with you will earn the respect of your coworkers. If you are a "know-it-all" that doesn't listen to others and doesn't understand how to work in as a team or if you don't bother to know your job no one will respect you. Respect is based on you, not your job. There are MDs that I have no respect for and there are housekeepers that I have a lot of respect for.

Which means you should pursue whichever degree you are most passionate about. If you don't value the perspective of nursing then maybe it isn't a good fit for you.

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One aspect to think about is $$$. Do you want to spend more now and make more later? Or, do you want to spend less now and make not quite as much sooner. You can do an online ACNP in 2-3 years and still work part time, probably not have any student loan debt and make 80,000 - 100,000 per year maybe a little bit more over your career. Or, you can end up with 500,000 in student loans, work for 40,000 - 50,000 per year (maybe less I'm not sure) during your residency BUT make 300,000 per year or more during your career.

I've never excelled at math and those figures are very rough estimates but you can analyze it for what its worth.

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Specializes in ICU.

Well, the nursing aspect of care- knowing and treating the patient as a whole- was actually a factor in the favor of nursing over medicine in the first place. The money aspect, eh I could go either way, I'd rather be happy with my work than be richer, so that's never really been a factor for me.

I do hear everyone about not taking the student forum thing to heart...it just seems people are able to be more honest on these things since they're anonymous, so this is all confusing to me. You are all right though..when I think about it, I don't generalize doctors, techs, secretaries, RTs, whoever, based on their job, I go on an individual basis- so it makes sense to just keep being myself and I'll get by just fine.

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Ehh, I knew this would be the point that had to be elaborated on in my post. I have been on that student doctors forum recently and have seen how they view nurses, NPs, and CRNAs. And it's not in a good light. I'd rather not have to deal with that adversity for my whole career. That's all.

Please do NOT base your opinions on the relationships between healthcare providers from the ridiculous talk on SDN! That website is nothing like reality. I have clinical on a floor with lots of RNs, doctors, and NPs who work together. There have been no issues. Seriously, the talk on SDN is pretty much hysteria with little basis in reality.

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26 is pretty young. Suck it up and go the MD route -- it offers the highest level of training in whatever field you end up in, hands down. The average age of matriculation in med school is a little over 24, so you won't really be that much older than your classmates and chances are that they'll be quite a few people older than you (we had many > 30 years old in my class).

meh. I decided at 23 to become a NP instead of pursuing MD. There are reasons to pursue advanced practice nursing (as opposed to medicine) other than age. Some people want to become healthcare providers and don't want to do the physician path - and that's okay. It's not for everyone. Just like being a NP is not for everyone.

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