Some people are too smart for nursing

[Careerchange88]

I hate this comment.

I have a degree in biomedical engineering but my passion is in nursing so I'm going back to school for that.

Lots of people say I'm too smart to waste it on nursing.

Have people said this about nursing? I'd think you'd have to be pretty smart to take care of sick people.

[AuDDoc]

A lot of the beginning courses in medical school are memorization. Then you build upon the knowledge and have to apply it. Plenty of friends in white coats and trust me when I say their tests when you get further along are very much applied knowledge.

The first year of most programs is like a re-drill of all the pre med courses. Think biochem, bio, physiology, anatomy and histology on steroids and pumped through a large gauge needle. Then the second year it's all applied.

To me coming from both worlds I see it as

Nursing - this is what we do when this happens

Medical programs - this what we do when this happens, this is why this happens, this is what we can do from preventing it from happening

It doesn't mean either group is smarter than the other, just different philosophies on patient care.

I still prefer the nursing philosophy of care which was why I chose the RN program over the PA program when I was in school.