Published Mar 7, 2008
CC999
7 Posts
What are the benefits of becoming a nurse rather than a doctor?
SteveNNP, MSN, NP
1 Article; 2,512 Posts
More one on one time with patients, ability to care for whole patient, both physically and emotionally
Forming close relationships with patients and their families
Much more flexible hours, no call, more family time, get to leave work at work.
You work on one unit, instead of all over the hospital
2-4 years of school as opposed to 12-14.
CABG patch kid, BSN, RN
546 Posts
Steve pretty much summed it up, another thing to add is that there is a LOT of flexibility in nursing. You can do med/surg and move on to emergency, decide you hate that and go to post-partum, get bored there and go to L&D, get some experience scrubbing in and circulating then decide to move to the OR permanently. Or whatever else you can dream of if you get the picture. Doctors on the other hand tend to specialize in just one area of medicine because they have to be experts in their field. It takes a lot of time just to specialize in one area, where as nursing school gives you a general overview of many fields that you can specialize in on the job, in a much shorter amount of time than a doctor can.
That's not to say that nurses aren't experts in their field of specialty though, its just that we have a lot more choices if we change our minds down the road.
RNperdiem, RN
4,592 Posts
Let's add:
Freedom from years of indentured servitude called "residency".
Freedom from starting a career hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.
Nursing can combine career and family more easily.
Nursing jobs are plentiful and varied.
Nursing may not pay as well as medicine, but the pay is quite good especially if you went to community college and graduated debt free.
Less investment in time and money in a nursing education.
TazziRN, RN
6,487 Posts
They're two different things!
YellowFinchFan
228 Posts
Sadly, I wouldn't recommend either as a career choice for my kids. One is going to law school, one is going to college for business.
:oThe pay is not worth the stress of healthcare.
:dthank you stevern21, carebearrn08, rnperdiem,
yellowfinchfan,:bowingpur etc, very heplfull replies.
Ouch...........
leslie :-D
11,191 Posts
oh, honey...
don't fret.
your name's, "etc".
leslie
oh, honey...don't fret.your name's, "etc".leslie
DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN
3,932 Posts
i think that's like trying to compare a dog and a cat. both wonderful in their own unique ways but totally too different to compare realistically.
Maybe you said it nicer than I did.......