Published Sep 27, 2010
grandmawrinkle
272 Posts
So...I've been peeking around the web, and I found this lovely site called the Student Doctors Network (apparently fondly known as SDN.) I went on there and created an account and actually made a few posts (nothing inflammatory, and all related to nursing.)
Can I just say.....holy moly .....it was very eye opening. I went on there to get a perspective on the "other side", being that I am of the opinion that nurses and physicians really don't understand each other very well.
The two things that hit me the most were:
1. Good Lord, these people have got to be the most competitive, argumentative, full of themselves people I've ever seen. It's all about who made the highest MCAT and why their degree is so much better than your degree (and that refers to everybody...PAs, NPs, other Doctorate prepared medical professionals e.g. PharmDs, DPTs, etc...even DOs get thrown in there sometimes.) It's a big huge "my weenie is bigger than your weenie" contest.
2. There are almost no threads where patients are mentioned. Yes, I know this is site largely focused on the educational preparation of physicians, but seriously, when physicians go to medical school, does it even occur to them that at the end point, they are going to be taking care of the patient in that bed? And Lord, if they are that condescending to other medical professionals with college degrees and beyond, what can they possibly think of poor Bubba that just got diagnosed with colon cancer that never finished high school and works in a factory, that they now have to treat? If nurses are no better than the dirt under their shoe, what can they possibly think of their patients?
Whoooooo, man. I came back here and got warm fuzzies. I love you all (even the old, cranky, mean ones...and you know who you are) and am so happy that I am one of you. :redpinkhe
himilayaneyes
493 Posts
I must agree with you that I love this site. We have our tiffs on here..but at the end of the day we nurses (RNs and LPNs) are all a big family since at the end of the day we're here to take care of our patients. It's hilarious that there's no mention of a patient on your doctor's website...I don't know if they know there's going to be a patient with a wife, kids, and grandkids in that bed one day...or just a kidney and a set of lungs lying in the bed....man, I love nursing.
Tarabara
270 Posts
I am a member of SDN too, mainly out of curiosity and I was floored at how rude they are! They dont even think their own classmates/colleagues are worth a darn, much less than nurses or anyone else "below" them. It really made me so upset because I dont want to work this hard in nursing school only to be so blatantly disrespected by the doctors I will work with. I can only hope that since most of them are med students and not actual doctors yet they will wisen up by the time they are practicing doctors! I am grateful that at this site we (for the most part) respect and value each other.
coast2coast
379 Posts
SDN is 90% pre-meds. They are stuck in a hypercompetitive environment and they let it alllll hang out on the web.
Sometimes, when nursing school is hard, I go on SDN. I read their bitter bitter posts until I feel better about my own life choices
GreyGull
517 Posts
SDN is 90% pre-meds.
Actually many of them are pre-meds in that they finished an EMT-Basic course. If you venture over to some of the EMS forums, you will find they are there. Most is all talk and if you look at their membership to the forum date, many should have finished several degrees by now or advanced to where they should be able to talk intelligently about patient care. But, most are still at the same level they were initially many years ago and are just dreaming about becoming a "student doctor". Nothing wrong with dreaming but when it involves delusions of grandeur derived from a lack of education and work experience, it does little for the credibility of that site. Most real student doctors are on intranet or secured membership only forums sponsored by their colleges and medical programs.
LuckyinKY
229 Posts
That forum is so obnoxious. It made me realize why I want to be a nurse and not a doctor. I used to have my lab near where the med students attended lecture, they were mostly a but of conceited snobby brats. I also had a neighbor who was finishing up her surgical residency, our kids lived at each others houses and I was good friends with her husband (she was rarely home). She had the same attitude as most doctors that nurses/NPs/PAs were incompetent. It kind of bugged me that she would say that knowing I was going to nursing school.
I know that I am smart enough to be a doctor, but I want to actually have a relationship with my patients and have time to spend with my family. My neighbor missed most of children's life because she was in med school followed by a surgical residency. Not to mention the high costs associated with med school. I can get the bulk of my nursing education paid for by my current employer.
nohika
506 Posts
I only browse the Allo/Osteo forums when I'm bored and looking for some entertainment. Those guys are bitter. There are a few nice ones in the bunch, but...well...there's not many.
From what I've seen, the other forums tend to be nicer - I browse the pre-veterinary forums a lot, and have posted there a bit. I've also looked a bit at the Psychology forums in the past.
bewitched
132 Posts
Wooow, just read this gem on there--"The good thing about PAs is that they embrace the practice of medicine, unlike nurses, who degrade medicine, claim to be practicing nursing, and yet desperately wish they were part of medicine."
I just went on to see what kind of thing you're talking about, and found more than enough examples.
So much love for AllNurses! We get snarky sometimes, but at least we don't descend to the level of condescension and idiocy I just saw on SDN.
Spikey9001, BSN, RN
337 Posts
I browsed there and couldn't find anything bashing nurses or the nursing profession. In fact, I couldn't find any mention of nursing at all... just how much school sucked or was awesome.
PatMac10,RN, RN
1 Article; 1,164 Posts
i know what you mean. i found sdn a month before finally coming upon allnurses and joining. it is just like you said. stupidly i tried to defend nurses on a physician based site, me being minority because i am an aspiring nurse and a male at that. they flamed nurses especially apn, calling them doctor wannabes. they insultingly said "you can get a phd in nursing" "what do you have to do, be an expert butt (they said the other word) wiper".
i love allnurses as well. i mean, don't get me wrong it can get heated here sometimes, but it's nothing like it is on sdn. it is a frequent practice for everyone posting to try and see it from the others standpoint even it is hard. also everyone hear is so encouraging and positive when it comes to personal achievements. we don't so much care about my degree is bigger and better than yours, even though we sometimes have debates on adn vs. bsn, it is so much more humane and innocent that those on sdn. there are some fair and honest posters on sdn, but i quit posting there after my first 3 days of being a member, and i've been hooked to allnurses ever since.
:) nurses rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!
gymnut
246 Posts
I have a feeling that a lot of posters on that forum think that HOUSE is an accurate portrayal of being a doctor.
SwimRN10
30 Posts
I appreciate this site as well, thanks to all the wonderful nurses!!!