contentment

Thank you all SO much! I really appreciate it. I know it's ultimately a decision I need to make, but your advice has been very helpful. I never thought of ICU nursing--I'm looking forward to that clinical experience in my last semester, and I'll definitely try to shadow an ICU nurse before that. Any tips on how to shadow the different professions and fields? I've been trying all summer to shadow an RN but it seems no one will allow a student to unless it's a part of the school curriculum/set up by my nursing program.

Sorry, I keep hitting "reply" instead of "quote."

This helps tremendously--thank you.

First, I'm really sorry if I offended you. I didn't mean for my post to sound as if nursing is inferior to medicine, or a stepping stone to becoming a physician. I was trying to say that I hate when TV shows portray that an MD is the next step for an RN -- I realize how many amazing routes a nurse can go in the nursing field, and how uncommon it is for an RN to go to med school because they're different fields. I understand that outsiders don't know what a nurse really does, and I am trying to take that into consideration. When I first started nursing school, I had no idea how much an RN did. Now I have an even larger respect for the profession than I did before. I'm amazed with how many roles a nurse has to play, and how vital each role is. I never see it as inferior to medicine, just different. I'm not set on going to medical school. I figured I would get my BSN because, if I were to go to med school, I would need a bachelor's degree anyway. I'm halfway done with my ADN and I'm not stopping. I know most hospitals require a BSN degree now (or proof that you're working on it), so if I wanted to work as an RN while taking pre-requisites for med school OR going to get my MSN to become an NP, a BSN is the next step. Again, I'm really sorry if I offended you. I didn't mean to; I'm really not that good at explaining what I'm trying to say. Thank you very much for taking the time to reply!

3. Yeah, that's exactly why I'm seeking out a nurse's opinion. 4. That's really what I want to do, but all summer I've been trying to shadow an RN and I can't even find a place that'll let me do that. Maybe I'll ask my nursing instructors if they know a way to shadow an NP or MD. Thanks very, very much for replying! As an FNP, how different is it from having an MD or DO? Do you ever regret not going the physician route?

We've all seen it and hate it. TV nurses wanting to "move up," so they go to med school. And now I'm considering that, too, but I would really like a nurse's perspective on the situation. I'm about 20 years old, and I'll be starting my second year in nursing school (ADN) in the fall. I'm top of my class (and 1 of 2 people in my class of about 80 to still have a 4.0 GPA), which I know nursing school doesn't seem to care about ("'C's get degrees!" is all I hear). I spent a year before nursing school doing some pre-reqs. I like nursing. I adore nursing school itself--I love gaining knowledge about the human body, medications, diseases, etc. I don't love being a student nurse in the hospital--most of it is bed baths, and 98% of the time, I have a complete care patient who's unable to speak. Granted, I always feel good after a day of clinical. I love helping people. (Also, giving injections is my new favorite thing to do.) But what I had the best time doing, though tedious, was the care plan research. I like solving mysteries ("explain abnormal lab values"). My original plan was to graduate with my ADN, get my RN, start an RN-BSN program, then hopefully go on for my MSN to become an NP. Then suddenly two of my biology professors told me they thought I was in the wrong field, and should go to med school. I should say that both of these professors always emphasized the importance of nursing, how we're the ones with the patient 24/7. I never sensed an ounce of disrespect for nurses from them, so I knew it wasn't that. But they told me that they think I'm more of a problem solver than a caretaker; I kind of agree with them. So now I'm thinking--should I just go to med school after I finish my BSN? I know I'll have to take chemistry, physics, and etc. But if that's a better route for me, I'll suffer through a couple of prerequisite courses. Or would I be better off just getting my MSN (though I hear it's changing to DNP in 2015, which is the year when I'll graduate with my BSN)? Any advice is very appreciated!