why do people think doctors are so superior?

[MagicalThinking]

in the last 6 months i decided not to go to med. school and to be a clinical nurse specialist in oncology instead. i also intend on getting my PhD so i can do research as well. SOOOOO when i told my friends/ family that i switched paths to nursing they all looked at me like "ooh??" like it's not as GOOD as being a doctor..like "oooh so you're JUST going to be a nurse" w/ their noses in the air. it makes me so MAD :angryfire ...it seems like some people look at nurses like they're inferior to doctors...that just gets me. sorry...had to vent :)

[epiphany]

KCIN, thank you for your insightful original post regarding the development of nursing. I would like to comment on your second post, and this "most trusted profession" tagline that's so often used for us.

2.nurses have had the highest ranking in terms of public opinion in the united states. Nurses again topped Gallup's annual survey on the honesty and ethics of various professions. Nurses beat doctors, veterinarians, pharmacists, and dentists.dont just take my word for it, click the link. http://nsweb.nursingspectrum.com/NurseNewsEzine/item.cfm?ID=1330

We are the most trusted people and yet, we are not the happiest people. The job satisfaction that we experience when we are allowed to do what we do best, is frequently offset by many obstacles, including the one that's being discussed in this thread.

In a recent AJN article, polls also show that if given the choice, people will choose a physician over a nurse practitioner even though these same pts felt that they had much better satisfaction in their previous experience with NP's. I know NP's don't represent the majority of nurses, but this study does compare these two services on a level field for the sake of observing people's attitudes. In the end, patients will go to someone they feel have the authority over their health, and they don't necessarily really feel that way about nurses.

So what is the good of being trusted if you don't feel the appreciation, enough to make you want to stay around? How long can you continue to put up with being used as a disposable pawn in the profit games of the hospitals, because they just don't respect you? For trust doesn't always mean appreciation and respect. And being trusted doesn't mean that we don't get abused. That's why, for all the wonderful things we claim that come with nursing, you only need to look at this forum, and look at attrition rates of nurses, to see that we cannot live on public opinion alone. Being trusted is a nice bonus, but at the end of the day, I want to be treated well.

[lee22]

Nursing is truly a caring profession-after years of experience I am not so sure doctors fit in this category. So good for you. I have witnessed some extremely abhorent behaviour by doctors. Yes they perform tremendous strategical feats with their knowledge and skill, but when it comes to caring and compassion, nursing is usually miles ahead. Good luck