"You're too smart to be a nurse. Be a doctor"

Sciencegirl08 · Jul 5, 2016

Sometimes you have to pick your battles. People will always have something negative to say. Some say negative things just to see if they can get a rise out of you. So, while you can't change them change yourself-by that I mean how you respond to them. Some times a shocked looked or a death glare followed by awkward silence can do wonders. Don't let them get to you. Good luck!!!

Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN · Jul 5, 2016

Assure them that you're not very smart, at all. Tell them you have trouble counting all of your fingers and toes, then ask them about the weather.

Don't take these things so seriously, in other words. People "make conversation" without putting a lot of thought into their words.

Nonyvole, BSN, RN · Jul 5, 2016

"Nah. I like the challenge of nursing." "Why? Because 80-hour work weeks aren't really my thing." "...do I look psychotic to you?"

I've a bunch of one liners, depending on the recipient.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Jul 5, 2016

Instead of working on a sassy comeback, deeply consider their advice. You are in high school and advice and guidance is what you need.

If you are THAT bright.. you have many options available. Nursing is NOT a calling or a romantic vision of soothing the fervored brow.

Review the MANY threads here written by nurses that are sorry they became a nurse. I am 34 years in...and still sorry. I was smart, talented, and ambitious. I could have been a doctor, a lawyer, or an administrator. Instead.. I cleaned a lot of butts and took a load of crap.

Mhays · Jul 5, 2016

Thank you for being brave and for speaking what is on your heart and mind. I greatly appreciate it. Sometimes, it is hard for me to speak my mind; however it is not hard for me to speak my mind when I write it into my diary in a colorful book. Yes, nursing is what I want to do in my life as well; however I prefer school nursing for myself as a career or geriatric nursing as a career in nursing as well because I find that I have a heart for both of these populations and lifespans. Thank you again for discussing such a great profession and I am so happy that you want to be a nurse and want to continue the nursing profession. If people want to learn more about nursing, they can look up the word "nursing" on the search engine and information will come up for them to look at. Thank you and I wish you the best in your future endeavors.

KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN · Jul 5, 2016

"Let me put it straight. You wanna someone STUPID taking care of your mother?"

Usually this ends the discussion. And I'd heard that more times than I care to count.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jul 5, 2016

I'm sure it's something every nurse has experienced.

I have not experienced this. However, I would not be terribly offended if someone said it to me since my self-esteem does not rest on the opinions of random people.

Your parents must really believe in your academic horsepower and intelligence if they feel you are too smart to become a nurse, so look at that as a positive attribute. My parents, who were and still are very disconnected from the world of higher education, had much lower aspirations for me. They would have been fine with me being a cashier or factory worker, so to them a nurse is role that carries some prestige.

Sometimes the witty comebacks and verbal quips are not worth your time or energy.

KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN · Jul 5, 2016

Instead of working on a sassy comeback, deeply consider their advice. You are in high school and advice and guidance is what you need.
If you are THAT bright.. you have many options available. Nursing is NOT a calling or a romantic vision of soothing the fervored brow.
Review the MANY threads here written by nurses that are sorry they became a nurse. I am 34 years in...and still sorry. I was smart, talented, and ambitious. I could have been a doctor, a lawyer, or an administrator. Instead.. I cleaned a lot of butts and took a load of crap.

I am THAT bright and then some more than THAT, and I am not sorry.

While nursing as a profession definitely has its own quirks, and plenty of them, it is the same about any other field of human occupation. The difference is, in nursing, after a while, one can choose the way to go, although it may require a whole lots of effort. It is not so for many others, including doctors.

I do not know how old you are, but I assure you that at least administration even doesn't require additional schooling. There are plenty of nurses here who move to cozy offices doing IC or QA or something which doesn't involve wiping butts. It is only up to you to step out of the assembling line. Regarding being provider or JD RN, well, it will cost some money and A LOT of efforts, but it is far from impossible.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jul 5, 2016

I do not know how old you are, but I assure you that at least administration even doesn't require additional schooling.

Since she's been a nurse for 34+ years, I can safely conjecture that she's at least upper middle-aged (mid 50s or older) and has been around the block more than enough times to form an informed opinion about the profession.

llg, PhD, RN · Jul 5, 2016

I got that a lot when I was young. I told people that my father was a physician as were many of his friends. I grew up in that social circle and knew that I did not want to be a physician. I did not to spend all those years competing in college, med school, residency, and fellowship to be burdened the rest of my life with huge student loans and the financial obligations with owning a practice, employing office staff, etc.

I pointed out that as a nurse with a graduate degree, I make a decent living -- but have the freedom to move around, change jobs, etc. much easier than physicians do. I never had much student loan debt because I got scholarships, graduate fellowships, etc.

As I remember saying back then ... "I would rather be at the top of nursing profession than just another physician." I still feel that way.

llg, PhD, RN-BC

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Jul 5, 2016

I am THAT bright and then some more than THAT, and I am not sorry.
While nursing as a profession definitely has its own quirks, and plenty of them, it is the same about any other field of human occupation. The difference is, in nursing, after a while, one can choose the way to go, although it may require a whole lots of effort. It is not so for many others, including doctors.
I do not know how old you are, but I assure you that at least administration even doesn't require additional schooling. There are plenty of nurses here who move to cozy offices doing IC or QA or something which doesn't involve wiping butts. It is only up to you to step out of the assembling line. Regarding being provider or JD RN, well, it will cost some money and A LOT of efforts, but it is far from impossible.

I am old enough to not need assurances.I am one of those nurses that moved to the cushiest office of all... home .. making 6 figures. I was attempting to get the point across to the ORIGINAL POSTER that nursing will involve backbreaking labor, ridiculous hours, and no respect from doctors and administration.