Torn between Nursing and Medicine

johndz · Feb 3, 2011

:mad:You know, I'm not going to read this all, mainly because so much I see on AllNurses is negative towards nursing.......but for the people saying "don't bother with nursing"......get the F@#$K off this website and these boards, you aren't a nurse and you don't care about nursing. This profession has a hard enough time gaining understanding, don't add to it by being a "self-hating nurse", seriously, leave, stop commenting. Nursing is a profession by itself, it is a model of care giving, by itself. The ARNP was created to deliver higher level care within the nursing model, not to be a "junior doctor". Nursing is not a stop on the way to medicine, it is a destination of it's own right. So, LOUX, figure it out on your own, if you want to be a nurse, this community will welcome you (by and large) with open arms; otherwise, take your talents else where, and good luck. And for those of you telling LOUX that nursing is a waste of time, then take your own advice, and leave this website, and the nursing profession, you are not needed. With so many people going back to college to get nursing degrees, there will be plenty of people that really want to be a part of this profession waiting to take your place.

P.S. To everyone else, stop posting things like "it's just my opinion", or other "polite" rebuttals to the nurse haters.......their opinions suck, and you know it.

cwhitebn · Feb 3, 2011

I've always believe that if you "care" about your patients...follow nursing.

If you care about the science...medicine. lol.

kaitlynrs91 · Feb 3, 2011

ive been struggling with this as well OP, im 19 and have applied for nursing school in the fall, however as i am taking all these chemistry/biology/math prenursing/med reqs. i realize i dont handle stress too well nor am i big on problem solving, which are more necessary for medicine because they are science oriented people. I honestly prefer to work with the people and try to help them by giving them myself and my time, unfortunatly doctors don't do much patient interaction.

the second reason is that Medical school is way too much time and money for someone like myself. I want to have a life before im 40! also many of my friends are putting in all this work for Med school in majors like biology and chemistry, but what would they do if they dont get into med school? 1. Teacher 2. Research. and i would hate those options. I know many people who use nursing as a "backup option" and I did not want to become one of those people.

To all those who think nursing is underrated or whatever, i find that the people we work for and with make all the difference between a good job experience and a bad one. my advice is to switch job locations before hating the nursing career.

CharmedJ7 · Feb 3, 2011

My gripe about nursing is that they seem to be responsible for everybody's mistakes. Pharmacy made a mistake? Well the nurse should have noticed that med. was supposed to be this med. Patient upset? They yell at the nurse because the MD. is god. [/quote']
Haha, so true! Someone once asked me what hospital nurses do, and I said "Well, must be everything, because everything is our fault!" Labs not drawn? Nurse should've called phlebotomy until they came. Wrong diet or food not good? Nurse should've bugged dietary. Order wrong? Nurse shouldn't have trusted the MD. etc etc
That aside, that's only a minor gripe I have with nursing most days. I will say, I was in a similar position as you and I'm not sure now if I went the right route. I was a biochem major in undergrad, and I LOVE science, but the work-life balance of nurse vs. MD struck a cord with me so I ended up doing the second degree nurse thing. I can say I think being a nurse is excellent experience and I wish all the residents would shadow nurses for at least a day to see what it's really like and what we see when we see their (sometimes silly) orders (ie, "Straight cath pt, if more than 300 comes out, put in foley" - really?). That said, I am not entirely satisfied with nursing education or the role, I felt like everything was gone into at a very shallow level and there's a lot of disinterest and/or hostility from other nurses if you want a deeper understanding of a particular topic. Also, it's very very hard to follow orders that you know are bad (ie, do wet-to-dry dressing on well, anything, or sliding scale insulin only for a pt whose blood sugar has been above 200 for days) and it's not always possible/it's exhausting to chase them every time. It is also very task-oriented, which I don't ostensibly have a problem with because I like working with my hands, but it leaves very little time to think and if that's something that will bug you, it's something to consider.
I can't even tell you how many people at work have said "You should(ve) be(en) a doctor if you want to know all this stuff" and maybe they're right... I love with nursing how well I know my patients and the relationships you build and providing them that individualized, thorough care on the days you're actually not busy enough and can actually do it - trading that for the breezing in and outs MDs do, no thanks. Right now I'm thinking seriously about being a PA, I went to direct entry NP but after taking the only patho class they get, I'm really concerned that I would get that degree in still feel I don't really know enough.
I do think that if you are really driven and intellectually curious you will get frustrated as an RN.

johndz · Feb 4, 2011

i realize i don't handle stress too well nor am i big on problem solving, which are more necessary for medicine because they are science oriented people.
Kaitlyn, a nursing degree is a science degree, as an RN I have to problem solve and deal with stress daily. I think you should shadow a nurse for a few days, because if you think that nursing isn't science related, then I'm not sure that you understand what nursing really is. And if you can't problem solve, then you won't be able to pass the NCLEX. Good luck to you.

PatMac10,RN, RN · Feb 4, 2011

I am not understanding what people define "real" Bio and Chemistry as. I have never seen a college that offered a different chemistry or bio for pre-med and pre-nursing students, that would be kind of dumb. Many nures that have, in recent, switched into the nursing profession had previous Bachelor of Science degrees in various areas such as Biology, Chemistry, marine science, etc..... Shoot, you can even major english and graduate with a BS in English if you take a Science oriented courses. Plenty of nurses have the same BS degrees a lot of pre-med students have when they take the MCAT and apply for entrance into Med School.

10524246 · Feb 4, 2011

I am not understanding what people define "real" Bio and Chemistry as. I have never seen a college that offered a different chemistry or bio for pre-med and pre-nursing students, that would be kind of dumb. Many nures that have, in recent, switched into the nursing profession had previous Bachelor of Science degrees in various areas such as Biology, Chemistry, marine science, etc..... Shoot, you can even major english and graduate with a BS in English if you take a Science oriented courses. Plenty of nurses have the same BS degrees a lot of pre-med students have when they take the MCAT and apply for entrance into Med School.

Most colleges and universities offer two levels of Chemistry, Biology, and Physics. One will be called a Survey of ____ and the other will be called Principles of ____. The survey class is the one required by pre-nursing students. It is essentially a watered down version of the more in depth Principles class. I've taken both Survey of Chemistry and Principles of Chemistry, and while Principles was a lot more in depth and required a lot more time studying, I still had to work really hard to get a good grade in the Survey class.

PatMac10,RN, RN · Feb 4, 2011

:mad:You know, I'm not going to read this all, mainly because so much I see on AllNurses is negative towards nursing.......but for the people saying "don't bother with nursing"......get the F@#$K off this website and these boards, you aren't a nurse and you don't care about nursing. This profession has a hard enough time gaining understanding, don't add to it by being a "self-hating nurse", seriously, leave, stop commenting. Nursing is a profession by itself, it is a model of care giving, by itself. The ARNP was created to deliver higher level care within the nursing model, not to be a "junior doctor". Nursing is not a stop on the way to medicine, it is a destination of it's own right. So, LOUX, figure it out on your own, if you want to be a nurse, this community will welcome you (by and large) with open arms; otherwise, take your talents else where, and good luck. And for those of you telling LOUX that nursing is a waste of time, then take your own advice, and leave this website, and the nursing profession, you are not needed. With so many people going back to college to get nursing degrees, there will be plenty of people that really want to be a part of this profession waiting to take your place.
P.S. To everyone else, stop posting things like "it's just my opinion", or other "polite" rebuttals to the nurse haters.......their opinions suck, and you know it.

YOu were very blount with what you said. Lolz! But, in the end I see your point and I agree with it! Why did you come into a porfession that you underlyingly hated or didn't desire to be in from the beggining? Anyway, I know some come into nursing not really wanting to be nurses, but they learned to like it or even love it. I might not have said it the way you did, but the point is the same. To the OP, Don't let the sourness or burnt out unhappy nurses or potential nurses turn your cheek completetly. YOu ned to hear a positive side from both sides. Trust me I'm just one year older than you and have many people trying to pull me a way that they wish they would have went, not me. You'll find that many people, whether they realize it or not, will try to live their life through. Try your best to live without regrets, whichever route you choose.

highlandlass1592, BSN, RN · Feb 4, 2011

Most colleges and universities offer two levels of Chemistry, Biology, and Physics. One will be called a Survey of ____ and the other will be called Principles of ____. The survey class is the one required by pre-nursing students. It is essentially a watered down version of the more in depth Principles class. I've taken both Survey of Chemistry and Principles of Chemistry, and while Principles was a lot more in depth and required a lot more time studying, I still had to work really hard to get a good grade in the Survey class.

Uh, no difference in the programs I went to. No "survey" stuff, it was the real deal. And it's the real deal when you go back for advanced practice nursing. May be that way near you but not me.

Queen Tiye, CNA · Feb 4, 2011

i didn't read all the posts, but an internship might be a great experience for you, with a doctor or working with nurses. it will be a invaluable learning experience and great fun.

if you love medicine and caring for the whole person, you could do both of those as a doctor, especially having your own practice, making your own schedule, spending as much time with your patients as you see fit.

the good news is you have so many wonderful possibilities! :nurse:

BluegrassRN · Feb 4, 2011

Consider your finances as well.

One of the docs I work with has close to 300K in student loan debt. She lives in a one bedroom, student apartment, showers in our locker room, and eats all the free food she can get. She's not married and she came from a poor background, and didn't get a lot of scholarship awards despite being a very bright gal. She's a hospitalist in part because she absolutely could not afford to buy into a practice; she didn't even consider it.

One of my closest friends is a doc in a small town. She only has 150K in student loans for med school...but she just bought a practice for about 300K. Now she owes 450K.

I don't make nearly as much as she does as a nurse...but I have more income after debt than she does. I paid for college with a few scholarships and cash. I have no student loan debt. She and her husband are paying more in her loan debt and for her malpractice insurance each month than my husband and I make each month combined. We live much better than they do. In 20 years? She might have a better lifestyle. Right now, she's working herself to the bone, trying to make ends meet. I work three days a week, take violin lessons, am training for a half marathon, and in general enjoy life.

PatMac10,RN, RN · Feb 5, 2011

Most colleges and universities offer two levels of Chemistry, Biology, and Physics. One will be called a Survey of ____ and the other will be called Principles of ____. The survey class is the one required by pre-nursing students. It is essentially a watered down version of the more in depth Principles class. I've taken both Survey of Chemistry and Principles of Chemistry, and while Principles was a lot more in depth and required a lot more time studying, I still had to work really hard to get a good grade in the Survey class.

I understand what you are saying, but various levels of a course and two different sets of courses are totally different things. I've Taken ENG 111 (the first college English you must take in order to move on) via an AP course/ test in high school. SO the summer after I graduated (June 2010) I took ENG 112 (the second english you must take in order to move up in Englishes) Now I am in ENG 114 (our school doesn't have an ENG 113 the next leve lup is straight to ENG 115.) This is just an example.Whether a med student, nursing student, or BIo Chem Student all will take the same A&P1, A&P 2, General Chem I & II, ENG 111, 112, 114, 115 etc./............... Many, nursing programs, especially BSN programs, require general chem I & II, bio chem, and Statistics and College Algebra. What I'm saying is, just because many nursing schools don't require their students to have 3 to 5 levels of each subject in science, it doesn't mean that medical students didn't have to take the same A&P 1 & 2, or General Chem and Bio Chem that nursing students or biology students had too. Even Pre-med students have to start at general chem and work up to the advanced chem and bio classes. Don't get it twisted.

Somebody should count the number of science courses (both basic and advanced) that Pre- medical students and nursing students have to take and then see how much the difference is. How many more science/ math courses do pre-med students take than nursing students (BSN prepared Nursing students of course) ?