The failed doctor stereotype

[mofomeat]

I'm sure we've all heard the negative stereotype of "male nurses are just failed doctors", or something similar. It's pretty inaccurate as a blanket statement, of course - most male nurses I've ever talked to say they never wanted to be a doctor, they wanted to be a nurse. But is there any actual incidence of just that?

I.e., have any of you, or someone you know made an honest run at med school but then decided that it just wasn't for you?

Conversely, have any of you (while training to be a nurse or sometime after graduation) decided that maybe instead of a nurse, you may want to be a PA or MD?

Just curious.

-J

[MPKH, BSN, RN]

I don't think that only apply to male nurses. I'm a female nurse, and when I was applying to nursing school, I've had people ask me why stop at Nursing School when I can get into Medical School. There is a stereotype that nurses are just "too stupid" to become doctors...I believe the best way to combat this is to state why you're interested in being a nurse, emphasize the nurse's role in the healthcare team (some people still think nurses do nothing more than blindly follow the doctors' orders!), and genearlly, advocate for nurses as a profession.