You’re smart — why don’t you just become a doctor?

First of all, a little word to the wise: if you ask this question of a practicing nurse, don’t be surprised if his or her jaw drops to the floor and s/he walks out of the room, not to be heard from again for a few weeks. You have just lost some serious friend-points and will  need to regain the nurse’s love over time, maybe a long time.

You’re more likely to get a good answer out of a nursing student — we bright-eyed, bushy-tailed newbies are happy to tell you why we choose nursing over other professions, because the choice was pretty recent.  And we haven’t heard this question a hundred times before.  Yet.

So here’s my answer.

First, a little background.  In fact, I am becoming a doctor: a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP).  After I complete the NCLEX this summer, I start my DNP in pediatrics program in the fall.  (Now don’t get your panties all in a twist over the use of the title “doctor” by doctorally-prepared advanced practice nurses, if you’re one of those types.  Acceptable forms of address in the clinical setting are all in flux right now, and will work themselves out.  Besides, that’s a whole ‘nother post.)  So anyway, this tends to confuse people even more – if you’re going through all the trouble of getting a doctorate, why not get a doctorate in medicine?  You know, like a “real” doctor?

First of all, one underlying assumption here is that one reason people become nurses is because it’s “easy.”  HO, no, no, NO.  Nursing at any level is an incredibly challenging profession that requires a huge skill set, subtle interpersonal abilities, hawk-eyed observational skills, an open mind, critical thinking, extensive knowledge of illnesses, drugs, and procedures, and an ability to both plan ahead and make quick, on-the-spot decisions when necessary — and all this is often performed while on your feet for 12 hours at a time.  It isn’t easy.  You gotta love it.

The second big assumption here is that MDs are the first-choice professionals in all health care settings and scenarios, whether it’s your family care provider, the hospitalists at the local medical center, a specialty clinic, or what-have-you.  They have the most training, so they must be the best, right?  In some situations, yes (for example, no nurse practitioners do major surgery — you gotta have a specially trained MD for that), but in other situations, NPs provide a level of care that is equal to that of their MD colleagues, and has the added bonus (in my opinion) of being grounded in a unique nursing philosophy.  From day one, advanced practice nurses are trained to provide individualized, holistic, and patient-centered care that works with patients  within the context of their families, communities, and individual lives.  There is a strong focus on working with the patient in a partnership, not an authority-based relationship, and the nurse emphasizes patient education, empowerment, and prevention throughout the relationship.  Are there MDs out there who do these things?  Sure!  Are there NPs out there who try their best to do these things but miss the mark sometimes?  I’m sure there are.  But overall, I find that this nursing philosophy comes through in NPs’ approach to care, and that is why I choose NPs as my personal providers, and it’s also the kind of care I want to provide as a professional.

So, you nurses and nursing students our there, how or why did you choose your profession?  What do you love about it?  What do you want to tell the world about it?  Please post in the comments section!

P.S.  It’s worth noting that if you ask an older female nurse why she didn’t “just become a doctor,” it might well be she in fact DID want to be a doctor, but didn’t want to be the ONLY female in her class, or didn’t want to face the unending gender discrimination she knew she would face in schooling and in the profession.  Of course, by now, many of those women have gone back to school to become NPs and are very happy!