Why are people encouraging me to become an M.D. rather than an RN?

ChristineN, BSN, RN · Feb 18, 2011

I think it's great that you have looked at both routes. Have you also looked into the options open to nurses with advanced degrees such as a nurse practitioner, management, etc? The reason I ask is in some states (such as DC where I live), NP's can function 100% independent of a md to the point they have their own practice with no physician insight.

jqfish · Feb 18, 2011

Having just completed applications to accelerated nusring programs, I agree with ChristineN. Look into Nurse Practitioner programs and the BSN/MSN accelerated tracks. My family and friends also gave me a bit of grief about going into nursing instead of med school- I knew I would burn out in 8+ years of education and that an accelerated nursing program can get me to an NP in 3 years max. I'm a people person and I don't think the MD track would give me the patient interaction I was looking for.

In case you need to google any of this: ABSN = accelerated bacc of science in nursing, usually a 13-16month program after which you can site for your RN exam. MSN = masters in nursing, another 2years-ish in which you specialize into your chosen field after which you do some more paper shuffling and BAM you're an NP. Specialties would be peds, women's health, family health (which makes you like a PCP- writing Rxs, seeing pt's etc), acute care (working in hospitals, ICU's etc), anestesia (oh man, my spelling stinks), psych, some others too that I can't recall- administration?

Some top notch, pricey programs that have decent websites full of info: Upenn, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, Yale, UCSF, OHSU, BC. Depending on where you're located geographically, you can also find accelerated programs locally I bet.

I wish I had had more info going into the decision for nursing vs. MD- in the end my stubborness probably won out over my mother's good advice. I'm pretty happy with where I'm at though- psyched to be starting a BSN/MSN program this June!

Right, hope that's some good info for you. Best of luck in your endeavors!!

ItsTheDude · Feb 18, 2011

if i was young again (20's) and had no issues (kids, etc), i'd give medical school a shot. if medical school doesn't work out, then there's aways nursing school, but once you get up in age and have other commitments medical school becomes out of reach for most.

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Feb 18, 2011

I wonder, too, about you having already 2 different, unrelated degrees.

Please search yourself on this. Why Accounting and Chemical Engineering? Why now Nursing or Medicine? Why not either be an accountant or a Chemical Engineer?

Or have you done this already?

neatnurse30 · Feb 18, 2011

I wonder, too, about you having already 2 different, unrelated degrees.
Please search yourself on this. Why Accounting and Chemical Engineering? Why now Nursing or Medicine? Why not either be an accountant or a Chemical Engineer?
Or have you done this already?

I wonder about the same. Having such good degrees, why would you bother with medicine?

shiccy · Feb 18, 2011

I was in pre-med prior to changing degrees. I realized how little time MD's get to spend with patients and how long their days are. I was in it to help others, not to pad my wallet, but also wanted something that I'd not be a 'starving artist' type individual. RN is enough to keep you happy and working, but definitely isn't something to make you exceptionally rich.

Not ALL MD's are like this, however many are - You're very overworked, way more than a nurse is time-wise. Us nurses get the luxury of doing our three 12-hour shifts (or 8hrs shifts if you do nursing at a doc office) and then get to go home. We don't have call (unless you sign up for a position that has this), and they can never MAKE us work when we're not scheduled. Emergency Room MD's are never on call, and only work when they're in the hospital. Also, they NEVER see out patients ... they're strictly ER docs.

Physicians are on call for their practice on a set schedule, obviously, but when you're on call you will get the people that will call for the most mundane and ridiculous things. You will also will get calls throughout the night from floor staff when patients aren't doing well. When you're on call this type of communication happens ALL NIGHT LONG. I've seen docs leave at 11pm (I work nights) and the same doc is back into the same unit at 5:30am. And they do that routinely.

I guess if you're looking at money, this is totally the way to go. If you're kind of an anti-social person, and don't really care about things like being with your significant other hardly at all (except the one or two vacations you SOMETIMES allow for yourself), then MD is the way for you to go. If you are one of those people that money isn't really the most important thing in life to you, and you'd rather be happy, I'd suggest the RN route. I know I'd never be able to be happy working like a dog like most MD's do.

ticklemenita · Feb 18, 2011

both sides have their benefits and downfalls. if you were an md of course you would be at the top of the "food chain". i just graduated nursing school so i say if you want to be nurses go for it. ask yourself how much time you have available to you before you have to be responsible and pay bills. the family members who say be a doctor, are they going to feed, clothe, and house you during that time?

i like nursing because it is whole patient care. we look at the response a pt has to health and/or an illness. this includes mental, physical, and emotional. we do a lot of teaching, personal care including hygiene; we give the patient the medications while teaching them about it and making sure it is safe for them.

doctors get to look at the patient and the symptoms and come up with a reason for it (diagnose) and prescribe a treatment. doctors have less concern about the small details like how does a patient feel, or if they have spiritual support. they write the orders and we as nurses carry them out.

so i would consider how many years do you want to go to school? how much financial/emotional support do you have? do you want to be up close and personal with the patients and spend a lot of time taking care of them (nurse) or do you prefer to be just in and out (doctor)?

good luck and keep us posted!

i hold a bachelor's degree in accounting and another degree in chemical engineering. just last year, i applied to various accerelerated nursing programs and medical schools across the nation. i have completed the pre-requisites for medical (year of...biology, english, physics, calculus, general chem, and o chem) and nursing school (chem, micro, physio, and anatomy). in addition, i have taken the tea's and mcat. as i grew up, i have garnered a significant interest in the sciences, particularly involving and dealing with the human body itself. it fascinates me to extreme levels and makes me closer to life than itself. i don't know much about the medical field, but i'm prepared to learn and give it all i got. with this being said...
i have been volunteering at my local hospital and the staff was curious to discover where i was headed in life. i informed them that i was deciding between nursing or medical school. however, something really attracted my attention. the majority of the staff ranging from physicians, nurses, pharmacists, security guards, receptionists, and resources department have all encouraged and strongly advised me to become a physician instead of an rn. i wanted to know why, but most of them were very busy with work. until i stopped by the labor and delivery, an rn who had experience in the field of nursing for 45 years (20 in the military and 25 in the civilian sector). she stated to me that "if your ever going to get any job in the hospital, you go into medicine." as she proceeded to speak, she began speaking of how nobody takes nurses seriously, politics behind the field, and that they are overworked. that's all she said because she was becoming very busy. another rn told me "become a leader, not a follower" other than that, my parents, professors, mentors, peers, friends, and others have advised me to take the medical route and they bat another eye when it comes to nursing. why is this? i come to notice that many of the respondents or repliers here are nurses and i welcome any biased/nonbiased judgments, criticism, advocates, or any other comments.
anybody have any ideas/suggestions/notes?

Popwhizbangz, LPN · Feb 18, 2011

Been there - I actually left med school, later went into nursing. Everyone was into me being a doctor, except folks that really knew me & asked why I was punishing myself so. Went pre-med after I left engineering, another path obviously for me to everyone except me. You'll be the one living it, no else. I can also note that the strongest opinions against going into medicine over the years all came from physicians. Of course nursing has it's problems too, and much less prestige, power, money. Although in psych, it's a much more level playing field. Email me if you're interested, I'm one the few that has lived in both camps, so to speak... Good luck.

klone, MSN, RN · Feb 18, 2011

I agree with those who said it's about the prestige associated with being a physician, rather than "just" a nurse.

I wouldn't mind being a physician, but there is no way I'd want to go through the residency and fellowship process in order to do it. It's BRUTAL.

GHGoonette, BSN, RN · Feb 18, 2011

I wonder, too, about you having already 2 different, unrelated degrees.
Please search yourself on this. Why Accounting and Chemical Engineering? Why now Nursing or Medicine? Why not either be an accountant or a Chemical Engineer?
Or have you done this already?

I wonder about the same. Having such good degrees, why would you bother with medicine?

I cannot understand why anyone would choose to pursue yet another degree in either (totally unrelated) field, unless, as I asked in my first post, the OP indeed feels called to serve others.

Accountancy may be going through a "dip" in the job market due to company cutbacks, so I could understand someone wanting to explore other options if they found themselves battling to find work. However, Chemical Engineering is an excellent field, especially since it is so huge. Chemical Engineers are employed by mining companies, food producers, agricultural suppliers, pharmaceutical companies, environmental and ecological research and development...heck, you name it! And the money's good! My DD is a chemical engineer with a large international company here in South Africa, and she's earning 3 times my salary!

So I must admit to being somewhat baffled, and the only explanation I can find is that the OP wants to devote his/her talents to helping others.

From the point of view solely of employment prospects, I would suggest the OP consider Medicine. A word of warning though; Op, do not enter either highly demanding field if you just have a "warm fuzzy" about taking care of sick people. Be very sure that it is a true calling and not a passing yen. Also, do not pursue degrees simply to add to your already impressive collection, or you will be in danger of becoming a professional student.

klone, MSN, RN · Feb 18, 2011

So I must admit to being somewhat baffled, and the only explanation I can find is that the OP wants to devote his/her talents to helping others.

I know people who are "career students" and once they have a degree, they go on to get a different degree. I think it stems from fear of being out there in the "real world" and the workforce.

Not saying that's necessarily the case for the OP, but that definitely could be one explanation. I know several people IRL who are like that.

ok2bme · Feb 19, 2011

Well...

Do you want to live to work?

Or work to live?