Nurse to Doctor

flashgoddess · Sep 9, 2007

You need a "MD" to be an obstretrician not a "PhD" .

TazziRN, RN · Sep 9, 2007

Yes. Do not compare being a doctor to being a nurse. They work together but are not the same. If you want to be a doctor, do not "settle" for being a nurse just because it's easier financially to obtain.

And doctors do not have PhDs, they have MDs.

woody62, RN · Sep 9, 2007

I am not a midwife or a doctor. It depends on what you want to deliver. If you don't want to do high risk pregnancies and deliveries, a midwife is the best option for you. But there are a few things you have to do first. You have to get a BSN first. And you have to have a few years experience in labor and delivery, or so I understand. Then you have to go into a midwifery program and graduate. And you have to do a set number of prenatal and labor and deliveries, again so I understand.

To be a doctor or a nurse midwife takes time, education and experience. One of the few good things, thus far, as a midwife you are less likely to be sued.

Woody:balloons:

CaLLaCoDe, BSN, RN · Sep 9, 2007

this post brings up a memory of mine. after completing nursing school and i think i'd already gotten my license, my step-mom says, "are you going to go to md school now and become a doctor?" :uhoh3: :uhoh3: :uhoh3: now, i know she has no idea how hard nursing school is or that i'd be ok with nurseyhood...but, wow! and i was 43 at the time. that would've meant me finishing up md stuff when i was 54...some mds consider retirement at 54 lol lol lol lol

Dolce, RN · Sep 9, 2007

Nursing has a totally different educational path than medicine. If you want to go into medicine than you need to focus on courses that medical schools require--organic chem, biology, physics, etc. There is a little bit of crossover between the professions but not much. I think it might be a big timer-waster for you if you want to get your MD because you will have to take a lot of additional classes beyond your nursing courses just to prepare for medical school. I considered medical school before entering nursing and am soooo glad that I chose nursing instead! I have a lot of flexibility with my schedule and I don't take call. I am satisfied with the salary that I make and I finished in a relatively short amount of time. I graduated at age 20 with my RN. If I would have gone the medical school route I would still be in med school and not even in my residency yet. Residency after completion of 4 years of medical school is a minimum of 3 years and includes 80-hour-work weeks. If being a OB is really what you want to do then maybe you could job-shadow one and ask them how they enjoy it. Best wishes in whatever decision you make.:)

RNperdiem, RN · Sep 9, 2007

Only the most determined, achieving and comitted people will even be accepted into medical school and survive to graduate. The competition to be accepted is intense, and the intensity only increases once classes start. My brother came home from Med school looking thin this summer because he didn't have time to feed himself properly because of the demands of studying.

Anyone half-hearted about med school needs to consider their other alternatives. Anyone half-hearted about nursing needs to make it a project to meet and shadow some nurses and decide if nursing is what they want.

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Sep 9, 2007

I can become a midwife in about 6-8 years. Doctor in 8-12.

Do you already have a BS degree geared towards pre-med? If not, it's going to take you a lot longer to get the MD.