Nurses working harder than doctors?

April, RN, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2009

I'm suprised you guys defend doctors,while majority of them look down on nurses...

Why do you think the majority of doctors look down on nurses? You don't have any experience working with doctors since you are still a student, so I'm just curious as to how you came to this conclusion? For the most part, I feel very respected by the doctors I work with and feel as though we work as a team. Of course there are a few who don't treat the nurses (or anyone else) respectfully. Perhaps I'm just lucky and don't work with the majority of doctors that you are referring to.

Nurse vs. MD are very different roles with very different responsibilities. Trying to determine who works harder seems like trying to compare apples to oranges.

Maybe you think doctors don't work as hard because you don't see them on the floor very often when you are at clinical?

nursejohio, ASN, RN · Mar 21, 2009

The one that respect nurses are maybe 20-years into the medicine.

Um, actually i've heard that "trained monkeys could do their job" from one of the old school attendings. Really, you want a monkey responsbile for interpreting the monitor and calling you for decels? I've also heard "you're just like a little kid, running to daddy after mommy says no" from an intern. Oh? Because I thought we were both educated professionals working together for the good of the patient and that's exactly why there was an intern-2nd-3rd-chief-attending chain of command.

There are horses rear ends in every profession, from waiters to neurosurgeons. I can't say all waitresses are *insert adjective of choice* because I had a bad experience with a couple. Nor can anyone say that about doctors, based on one who may have gotten snippy trying to finish rounds so he can go home to see his kids , nurses, because one snapped at an aide because vitals still hadn't been done, or students, etc for making generalizations/trying to start drama when they don't have a broad base of experience from which to draw their conclusions

April, RN, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2009

The one that respect nurses are maybe 20-years into the medicine.

Why do you believe it takes doctors 20 years to learn to respect nurses? Where I work, we are on a first name basis with most residents and attendings regardless of how many years experience they have. Once again, if you are going to make "statements" like this, please back them up.

Just a word of advice: Don't display this attitude when you begin working as a nurse. No doctor or any other coworker will respect you if you make it known that you think they don't work hard and that they all think they are better than nurses.

Music in My Heart · Mar 21, 2009

These "us vs. them" comparative posts are asinine.

Physicians have difficult jobs, just as do nurses... and many other professions as well.

What point do you think is served by spending energy on such things?

Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2009

I have never had a doctor "look down on me". Maybe its just the atmosphere of our hosptial - which is much different than a lot of hospitals. I find most doctors respect what I say - they may not always agree, but they do listen.

Case in point - recently we had pt with long-term alcohol abuse. Her behaviour was erratic and getting worse. I told him - I know she's been in hospital for over 2 weeks now, but I really think she is going into some form of DTs. He just looked at me and said "I doubt that". Later that same day, I had to call him and inform him that this pt was now parnoid and said she was seeing ghosts. He said "I think you may be right - she's going into alcohol withdrawal". See - he respected me.

As for who works harded, well, I've never been woken up at 3:00 am after working all day because a pt is going sour. And then still had to get up and work the next day!

azhiker96, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2009

You couldn't pay me enough to make me work doctor's hours.

Regarding the respect issue, most doctors and nurses that I know respect competent professionals, not the titles.

flightnurse2b, LPN · Mar 21, 2009

I'm suprised you guys defend doctors,while majority of them look down on nurses...

i don't think that is necessarily true.

there are doctors who treat nurses poorly, i don't condone bad doctor behavior and we shouldn't have to put up with it. there are many, many doctors who do recognize they cannot do their job without us and some will even say "thank you"... and there are those that do go above and beyond to help you.

you really have to work together with the doctors, regardless of what you think of them... and a good doctor knows that they can't do it alone.... and they will treat you at the least, courteously and with respect.

with any profession, respect is earned and should be mutual...

they wouldn't want to do our job just as much as we wouldn't want to do theirs.

but we can't survive without each other.

Valerie Salva, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2009

I'm suprised you guys defend doctors,while majority of them look down on nurses...

It's true that a lot of docs act like jerks, and should respect nurses more- but that's not related to how hard they work.

rph3664 · Mar 22, 2009

I think you have to walk a mile in another man's moccasins before making that judgment. From my observations, doctors work very long, hard hours.

More than once, we have had nurses working in the pharmacy because they were on light duty and nothing suitable was available (for example, nobody in the facility needed a sitter) and all of them have said, "We thought you had a cushy job! You people work really hard."

It's all relative.

rph3664 · Mar 22, 2009

But that is his choice isnt? I'm sure he doesnt have to work in ER nor in hospital since he has his own private practice.

A lot of doctors don't make the kind of money the general public thinks they do. Maybe he's just setting up practice, is having difficulty getting reimbursed (Medicaid is especially challenging in my state), and has $200,000 in student loans that he wants to pay off before he even thinks about buying a house?

OTOH, if he really is working that many hours, I sure hope he doesn't have a family. If he does, he won't for long.

rph3664 · Mar 22, 2009

You can't make a decision about anything based on a few anectdotal bits. When Hurrican Ike blew through Ohio and half the houses on my street were damaged, roofing sounded like an awesome career switch. They were booking 2 months out for 2k and up repair jobs that would take them a day or so to do. $2,000 and up for a days work? Sounds pretty sweet right?. But really, walking on a 45 degree incline on a 90 degree day with the sun beating down on you for 8 hours? Probably not as much fun as it sounded at first impression.
Gotta get a bigger picture before spouting off with a generalization like that.

The CREW got paid $2,000 for the day's work. That $2,000 included the price of the shingles themselves. And there's a reason why so many roofers look like ex-convicts. It's because they are. Nobody else is going to do that kind of work for minimum wage or not much more.

lpnflorida · Mar 22, 2009

I came to conlusion that although I respect (the doctor's knowledge and ultimate decision making) that nurses work harder in physical and mental way.Sure the doctors are on the call 24 (not talking about surgeons cause they sure work hard) but we nurses coordinate everything,watch patients 24,have to recognize changes in health status,as well as know pathophysiology/diseases,deal with ongoing issues.

So your conclusion is based on the fact that what You have 24 patients, or that nurses take care of patient's in 24 hours? Okay you spend a few hours in clinicals. The comment nurses have to recognize health status and know pathphysiology and disease. What the heck are you learning in school to even begin to compare yourself ( a student) to any doctor at this point of your not yet started career. Come back when you are dry behind the ears and know alittle more about what you are talking about.

Doctors and nurses are two different perspectives of the health care field. I could not imagine worrying about this as a student. Personally I was much to busy worrying about my own patient's, worrying about studying and learning. You try to and believe you know the ins and outs of other medical personel around yourself. I say bunk.