Would you ever be a doctor?

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm sure we've all gotten the question, some time or another from friends and family, "Why didn't you just become a doctor?" As if a nurse is just someone who helps the doctor, who wants to be in the medical field but wasn't quite smart enough to become an MD.

So I've thought about it. Honestly, if I had to do it over, there's no way I would ever become a doctor. Sure, you make more money, but the hours are horrible and the schooling takes a million years and costs an arm and a leg. I would much rather have a career where I can pick my shifts, schedule my days so that I have seven or eight days off in a row, and be able to go home at the end of the day and not have to be on call. Plus, I know I can get a job anywhere at the drop of a hat, and I can just as easily work part-time as full-time or overtime. And I can call in sick, at least a few times a year, without a huge hassle of trying to find another doctor to cover for me or having to cancel and reschedule all my appointments/surgeries for the day. And the pay, while nowhere near as much as what a doctor makes, is definitely enough to live comfortably on. Plus, I have a life outside of my job.

So what am I missing? Why does anybody become a doctor? Let's say you had a full scholarship to medical school - would you take it?

Nope.

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Specializes in Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy.

I agree with those who said that nurses are not simply those who were too dumb to be doctors. I took some of my pre-reqs with pre-med students and did as well or better than them, so I certainly don't feel that I'm choosing nursing because of my intellectual inferiority. It has to do with the factors that other posters mentioned--wanting to do real patient care, not wanting to spend years of my life in school, wanting a life outside of work among other things.

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I'm in NP school now. My husband occasionally asks me if I'm going to want to go to med school. I admit its tempting, but I just don't want to invest the time. That's the main thing. If I could get some kind of advanced placement b/c of nursing and didn't have to spend 4 years of med school plus 4 years of residency, then I would do it.

But, as other posters have mentioned, I want time to enjoy my life. And to me that means working 3 days a week.

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

No. I'm either not smart enough or not stupid enough, depending on how you look at it.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.

A full paid scholarship would be tempting...

But all the TIME I would have to give up, for school and after, just is not appealing to me. I don't want my profession to be my life. I want my family to be my life.

Yes, it would be great to have the respect, the knowledge, the independence, and the large pocketbuck that the medical profession boasts...but at what expense? It just doesn't fit my lifestyle. I am already very smart. I have great hours. I make a decent wage. And I have plenty of time with my family.

I'm happy where I am at. I have made enough sacrifices, now it is time to sit back and enjoy life.

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Specializes in Emergency Room.

the only doctor i would consider being is a ED physician because they do have a life, do not take call and get paid pretty darn well. family practice physicians make about the same as a nurse that does 15hrs OT a week.

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Angel337 is right. I talked to my family doc. about both... pursuing medicine and pursing nursing. He told me that a family practice doc. makes about the same as an RN. Go figure. He said it was not worth all the money, time and schooling to go. He said it was easier to go to RN school... less time, less money to go, and a life AND.. you make about the same when you get out. How do ya like that! :idea: He shook his head and frowned and said nah... just not worth it. I was pretty surprised.

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I don't really want to be doc and never have. I toy w/ maybe being a CNM, one day, maybe. If it's your dream, I say go for it. I think it is a very different approach to patient care than we have as nurses. Our one hospitalist was an ICU RN for about 10 years before pursuing her MD. We also have an FP doc was once an LPN. One of the ob docs I know considered being a nurse, but was turned off by all of the personal care that nurses do for patients.

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Yes! Seriously, yes, I regret not being in a line of work that pays better and is more prestigious and more powerful.

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Angel337 is right. I talked to my family doc. about both... pursuing medicine and pursing nursing. He told me that a family practice doc. makes about the same as an RN. Go figure. He said it was not worth all the money, time and schooling to go. He said it was easier to go to RN school... less time, less money to go, and a life AND.. you make about the same when you get out. How do ya like that! :idea: He shook his head and frowned and said nah... just not worth it. I was pretty surprised.

He might be wrong about the salary.

If you want to be a doc, by all means, go for it.

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i think my calling is nurseing because my family says im compassionate and careing. after i get my medical assistant degree i want to go and get my RN then I want to go on one of those mecery medical ships and do some voilnteer work. i would have a hard time beging in school for many years to become a doctor and then you have to go through resdency then once you go through that then your a full fledge doctor.

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One professor of mine says when people ask her why she didn't just become a doctor, she said "Because I'm too smart!"

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