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Every time someone asks me what I want to do with my life and I say nursing, this is what they say, even my parents! I'm sure it's something every nurse has experienced. When people ask you this question, how do you reply? Do you have a good sassy comeback?
It's a vigorous curriculum to be sure, but it's certainly not the hardest.Engineering typically is considered the hardest major.
I would put other STEM majors up there as well.
Accounting is no piece of cake.
Other people might come up with additional majors that could arguably be considered more difficult than nursing.
My DH has an MBA with accounting emphasis, and thinking about getting either a 2nd master's or a PhD. My dad once found one of his books (I want to say about hedge funds) and started thumbing through it. He's said several times, "open any other introductory textbook, read the intro, and you can kind of get the gist of it. I have no idea what that book's intro says!"
What I found hard about nursing school is the amount of weight on science and art. It's bilateral brain activity. :)
I find that nursing and doctors work well together and they are both into the healthcare system. Whatever a person wants to do in life is what they should be doing. If a person has a desire to do either bedside care or research, then they should go into nursing. If a person wants to help diagnose and do further research, then they should be a doctor. If a person wants to be a nurse and then change to become a doctor, then that is totally fine. Whatever a person wants to do is what a person should do. Nurses can become doctors and be OK with that and vice versa. Here is a web link that describes about medical internships because in order to understand how to become a nurse or a doctor, doing an internship would help:
I had a friend who went to nursing school and afterwards she wanted to work as a staff nurse for a few years and then transfer into mid-wife school in the OBGYN. I asked her why she wanted to be a nurse and she said that she wanted to help people and she also felt that nurses have more time with the patient. That is why she stayed into the nursing profession. I stayed in the nursing profession because I wanted to be a nurse and I was finished with school and did not want to do another four years in order to be a doctor. My advice to everyone is do what you want to do and make sure that it makes you happy doing it whether you are a nurse or a doctor. This is a link that has information about what you would be studying if you are in nursing school or the school for being a doctor:
I always say that you have to be called to do something in order to do it. That goes for your jobs too. I would love to be a doctor, but I was called to be a nurse and that is what I became. I struggled with this idea and came to the realization that nurses do a lot of good work in the medical field and if I was called to be one, then I should pursue that dream.
When I was thinking about my career plans, I was thinking in terms of what courses that I would do well in. In terms of being a doctor, I knew that I possibly might be interested in that type and line of work, but it did not fit with my personality like nursing does for me. I like to take care of people and I really like how the nursing process affects patient care. Also, I found out in nursing school that nurses do help in diagnosing conditions and also can do treatment plans. So, I a happy with my decision in becoming a nurse.
A lot of people have said that to me in that you should be a doctor instead of a nurse or why don't you be a doctor. I have said this many times in that there is a place and a time for everything and my time was to be a nurse. I love being a nurse for these specific reasons:
1. A nurse looks at the whole picture of health of a person.
2. A nurse goes into detail about the treatment and why it is working and why it is not working.
3. A nurse does care plans that help the doctor plan and make treatments for the care that is given.
I enjoy being a nurse because nursing is a rewarding career.
Being a doctor is a great profession, but when someone is called to become a nurse, then they have to do that profession. Nursing is such a diverse profession that nurses can be nurse practitioners or physician assistants, but that is only if they want to go further into their healthcare field. Being a nurse is such a wonderful career and I enjoy it everyday.
Don't want to get into that whole "calling" thing again...
I always tell them that after working a few summers in ER/OR/PACU I came to realize that I liked what nurses did with people a whole lot more than what physicians did with people. "And besides, people need smart nurses too." Still true.
freesia29, ASN, RN
281 Posts
I used to want to become a doctor, when I was young, but didn't have a good support system at home and was talked out of it. Worked In travel and IT. After being a stay at home mom for a decade, I decided to go back to school. Luckily I have a wonderful supportive husband now. I choice nursing because it did not take as long, or cost as much money. I was 40 years old going back to school. A part of me still thinks about the what ifs, if I went to medical school when I was younger, etc. but now I have worked with enough doctors who told me they regretted it and are envious of nurses. No on call, not the same level of responsibility, we clock in, take care of our patients and clock out. I am continuing school to work on BSN, and even possibly ARNP. If you want to be like a doctor, become an NP. But whatever you decide, do it before you get married and have kids. Definitely my biggest regret.