All the nurses out there

[zebalong]

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Hey fellow RN's,

I was asked to write an opinion piece/blog entry about going to medical school after you've been an RN. I wanted to get opinions from both newer and older RNs about whether they always considered going to medical school as a viable option for their careers (why or why not), as well as do you think there is resistance from either the physician or nursing professions to allowing people make the career transition. Please private message me or leave a comment, please include whether or not it would be ok to quote you in the article or whether you'd like to be anonymous (if its ok to quote you and you want to give me your first and/or last name then send me a pm). This piece is for The Doctor's Tablet.

 

[Indianarn]

Hey fellow RN's,

I was asked to write an opinion piece/blog entry about going to medical school after you've been an RN. I wanted to get opinions from both newer and older RNs about whether they always considered going to medical school as a viable option for their careers (why or why not), as well as do you think there is resistance from either the physician or nursing professions to allowing people make the career transition. Please private message me or leave a comment, please include whether or not it would be ok to quote you in the article or whether you'd like to be anonymous (if its ok to quote you and you want to give me your first and/or last name then send me a pm). This piece is for The Doctor's Tablet.

I am an RN and will be starting Osteopathic Medical School this year. I have always wanted to be a physician, couldn't do it earlier so many personal reasons. My experience has been always wonderful with the other nurses and physician. They were always supportive and helped me in any and every way they could. All the docs I shadowed were really warm and welcoming. They all gave me the letters of recommendations. I felt only but warmth from all the fellow nurses and physicians.

 

[zebalong]

I am an RN and will be starting Osteopathic Medical School this year. I have always wanted to be a physician, couldn't do it earlier so many personal reasons. My experience has been always wonderful with the other nurses and physician. They were always supportive and helped me in any and every way they could. All the docs I shadowed were really warm and welcoming. They all gave me the letters of recommendations. I felt only but warmth from all the fellow nurses and physicians.

Great response, thank you!

 

[allojay]

Hey fellow RN's,

I was asked to write an opinion piece/blog entry about going to medical school after you've been an RN. I wanted to get opinions from both newer and older RNs about whether they always considered going to medical school as a viable option for their careers (why or why not), as well as do you think there is resistance from either the physician or nursing professions to allowing people make the career transition. Please private message me or leave a comment, please include whether or not it would be ok to quote you in the article or whether you'd like to be anonymous (if its ok to quote you and you want to give me your first and/or last name then send me a pm). This piece is for The Doctor's Tablet.

Like indianrn, I too am a current RN (2 years experience) and I'll be starting an allopathic program in the fall. For me, medical school was always the goal, but personal reasons led me to nursing first. In my experience so far, I've been humbled to work with such great docs and nurses and also get to be involved in a lot of cases. Being a nurse definitely made me realize the real world of healthcare and understand that it's not always about taking care of patients in this perfect world. we talk of paramount patient care but time and time again, it seems like it's all about the money in the end. For example, a specialist not consulting with a patient bc she didn't have good insurance, an attending ordering an unnecessary tele bed for a typical med surg patient I've seen a lot of good and bad, and going to med school will help me connect the pieces from nursing school and my early experience so far. To be honest, I couldn't be a bedside nurse for long bc there's so much bs that they have to deal with. It's frustrating when the nurse has to play messenger between the attending, cardiologist, GI, and Renal and then relay bad news to the family. Also, a lot of docs disregard what nurses have to say, and sometimes you have to exhaust all options before you can get an order to do something. For example, a patient has ascending crackles, history of CHF, low EF, elevated BNP, and declining pulse Ox. I call the doc, tell him my assessment and vitals after putting him on 3L. The doc says just keep his pulse Ox over 90 and I say, how about we give 40mg Lasix, do a stat cxr to rule out flash pulmonary edema, and do an abg. He says no and 10 minutes later, we call a Rapid response, and the patient ends up getting Lasix, a stat cxr, and an abg. The patient was in flash pulmonary edema. I won't lie, these scenarios made a better clinician but the scope of practice just sucks IMO, especially when you have to deal with these kind of things constantly.

I hate to be negative, but the fact is that nursing is tough and isn't what the media portrays it to be. .

 

[Tradewinds]

I wanted to be a physician in high school, and even freshman year of college...then over the summer between freshman and sophomore year, I decided I wanted a less consuming profession and that nursing and AP nursing would be a better option for me. Now, 3.5 years out of school, I am a specialty critical care RN and I love my job, but I can't deny my desire for a solid education that takes learning to a new level (plus I realized I am so passionate about the care of my patients that I will be consumed either way so my original argument is null and void 😉) I am applying this cycle MD and DO and I couldn't be more excited.

I do want to draw attention to the fact that most all the nurses that I work with do not, nor ever did, have a desire to be physicians. They did NOT choose nursing as a second option. They are passionate about what they do. I am always leery of sweeping generalizations that suggest nursing is made up of those who 'couldn't make it' in medicine. This is not to say that your article will or will not make such a statement, but I would be disappointed for it to give that impression to others in the healthcare field.

That being said, I do hope you post a link when it's finished, I look forward to reading it! Happy writing!

 

[zebalong]

Thank you so much to both of you for sharing your stories - i realize mine was left out of my whole intro but I had 5 years of ED/ICU RN experience before med school - i am a 4th year now about to start internship in a month (doing a combo IM/Anesth program). I have always felt that my nursing years were the most formative but also trying years in my adult life (in a lot of ways more so then med school) but also that med school was the most amazing 4 years and I hope all of you enjoy it as much as i have.

One thing i do remember when I was applying to med school about 5 years ago, and is a little bit about what im writing about was that I always felt my nursing instructors in nursing school were always very pro-nursing and when I brought up the idea of going to med school to some of my mentors they were always resistant/hesitant. After completing med school I now realize that the unique experience we have prior to med school can really contribute to not only our own learning but also that of my/your classmates- and i hope more nurses are encouraged instead of dissuaded by academic nurses to pursue this option if it is right for them. Did any of you feel the same or have a similar experience?

 

[ICU nurse]

Hello, as my name implies, I am a current ICU nurse and am taking course work to apply to medical school. I feel the same as Tradewinds earlier statement regarding the education. I am constantly looking for learning opportunities at where I work and wish to take my learning to a new level and that is one of the reasons I really wish to attend medical school. I assume I am not the only nurse who is constantly wondering why this course of action for this patient? I had always considered going to medical school because I do not believe in closing off any opportunities and through hard work, people can be successful. I also feel that my experiences as a nurse really give a thorough insight to the medical profession and how the system works. Nursing has been extremely important to me and I very much enjoy my job, so much so that I do not really consider going to work as work. Nursing has taught me things that individuals who go straight into medical school can not understand. Being there for patient's through the tough times really makes a person mature and grow. I will say that I get frustrated sometimes because many doctors will not take a recommendation from nurse because they view them as inferior. One example I can think of is my suggesting to physician that a patient be put on a cardizem gtt for their rhythm issues. This particular doctor said no and walked away. Two hours later, he came back and looked at the patient's monitor and said he was going to start a cardizem gtt. The patient soon converted out of his irregular rhythm and I transferred him out of the ICU. If only that particular doctor has just taken a suggestion we could have moved things along sooner. I definitely agree with many doctors disregarding what nurses have to say. I have many more examples but I do not feel like writing book. As a nurse I have also seen way to many physicians who seem to act like it is such an inconvenience for me to call or bother them. This just sickens me. I am a firm believer that as my patients nurse, I am an advocate for that patient and I will do what it takes to make sure my patient is getting the proper treatment needed. As a hopeful future physician, I feel that because of my background in nursing, I can be more open minded to the requests and opinions of healthcare professionals , have better more meaningful interactions with my patients and truly get to know them, and be able to again provide the best care for each individual.

 

[worfndata]

There might have been something else he was waiting for before going that route. I wouldnt judge.

 

[allojay]

There might have been something else he was waiting for before going that route. I wouldnt judge.

If you're referring to ICU nurse's story, then I'd have to disagree. If the patient was in rapid A-Fibb and is uncontrolled with oral meds and is sustaining, it's usually a sign that some type of drip needs to be used...such as a cardizem drip. The few things that may have stopped the doc initially is either a hypersensitivity to the drug which it wasn't or a patient that presented as being very hypotensive that couldn't be be fluid bolused bc of CHF or any type of fluid overload.

Please inform me if I'm wrong, but I too have seen something like this happen way too many times. The nurse knows what's happening and relays it to the doctor. The doctor initially defers and brushes off the issue. After the patient becomes worse, and is on that verge of crashing, then swoops that same doc to start the treatment that should have been started a while ago.

I think a lot of the good docs listen to the nurses bc they understand that they're there at the bedside 24/7. The doc gets to see their patient for a fraction of that 24 hours due to their patient volume and that's okay. Those docs understand that listening to the nurses that are there all day and night will make the whole inpatient process more efficient and allow their lives to be a bit easier.

 

[Straw Hat]

Good docs should also listen to nurses because often times it's not just a single nurse making a suggestion. We bounce ideas back and forth with each other about what to ask for from the doc when a patient is declining. So usually it's the suggestion of 2-3 nurses who are 10-20 years deep in this profession and pretty much seen it all. But don't get me wrong. There are always good and bad nurses/physicians, good and bad ideas. We don't know it all but we have seen quite a lot and are capable of making useful suggestions.

 

[Indianarn]

Like indianrn, I too am a current RN (2 years experience) and I'll be starting an allopathic program in the fall. For me, medical school was always the goal, but personal reasons led me to nursing first. In my experience so far, I've been humbled to work with such great docs and nurses and also get to be involved in a lot of cases. Being a nurse definitely made me realize the real world of healthcare and understand that it's not always about taking care of patients in this perfect world. we talk of paramount patient care but time and time again, it seems like it's all about the money in the end. For example, a specialist not consulting with a patient bc she didn't have good insurance, an attending ordering an unnecessary tele bed for a typical med surg patient I've seen a lot of good and bad, and going to med school will help me connect the pieces from nursing school and my early experience so far. To be honest, I couldn't be a bedside nurse for long bc there's so much bs that they have to deal with. It's frustrating when the nurse has to play messenger between the attending, cardiologist, GI, and Renal and then relay bad news to the family. Also, a lot of docs disregard what nurses have to say, and sometimes you have to exhaust all options before you can get an order to do something. For example, a patient has ascending crackles, history of CHF, low EF, elevated BNP, and declining pulse Ox. I call the doc, tell him my assessment and vitals after putting him on 3L. The doc says just keep his pulse Ox over 90 and I say, how about we give 40mg Lasix, do a stat cxr to rule out flash pulmonary edema, and do an abg. He says no and 10 minutes later, we call a Rapid response, and the patient ends up getting Lasix, a stat cxr, and an abg. The patient was in flash pulmonary edema. I won't lie, these scenarios made a better clinician but the scope of practice just sucks IMO, especially when you have to deal with these kind of things constantly.

I hate to be negative, but the fact is that nursing is tough and isn't what the media portrays it to be. .

Love your response. I couldn't have said better. On the other hand I understand how you feel, however, I know how sometimes doc's hands are tied too (Not in the situation you were talking about). As you said its all about money, protocols, and what the hospitals administrators have to say about a particular situation. That said, I felt the same helplessness taking care of my patients. Fortunately, the docs I worked with always respected the nurse assessment and views. However, the money part of the patient care does play what is done for the patients.

 

[zebalong]

I found in my career that the younger the docs were (in general) the more they tended to really respect, even sometimes look for the nurses view.

Sorry I haven't seen anyone answer this so I'll ask one last time: do you think that the faculty members at your nursing school would ever encourage you to go to medical school if you brought up the idea (or already did)? Or were they hesitant? And if so, why do you think that is so?

 

[allojay]

I found in my career that the younger the docs were (in general) the more they tended to really respect, even sometimes look for the nurses view.

Sorry I haven't seen anyone answer this so I'll ask one last time: do you think that the faculty members at your nursing school would ever encourage you to go to medical school if you brought up the idea (or already did)? Or were they hesitant? And if so, why do you think that is so?

When I was in nursing school, my professors had an idea that I wanted to eventually pursue medical school and they appeared to be very open to it and encouraging. They never talked down on medicine, even though I think they'd view medicine differently now. With the whole NP vs. MD debate and the whole bashing of the two back and forth, I feel that most of my professors may view pursuing medical school negatively. Why? Because all my professors were with either NP's or DNP's and feel that they deserve the autonomy that an MD has. And for some reason, there is some consensus that nurses take a more holistic approach to patient care compared to docs. Though I've seen a lot of attendings be very thorough and comprehensive in their patient management. But to answer your question, I don't think most nursing professors would encourage their students to pursue medicine bc there's still that 'us vs. them' mentality. The professors or nurses may not overtly say it but you can definitely feel it. A lot of my nursing peers were quite discouraging in my attempt to pursue medicine. They would say something along the lines of 'you won't make much, you'll have no life, you'll treat nurses bad, you'll be a jerk' or something like 'why not just go to NP school or become a CRNA'. So I think nursing professors are PC when they are positive with their students wishes but I honestly think they wouldn't be encouraging their students to become docs.


For example, I used to teach LPN students and they'd say they wanted to become RN's then NP's. I would encourage them to pursue their goals but my thinking is why get an LPN degree when you'll be making what a nursing assistant makes without a degree? And the only places who typically hire LPN's are nursing
homes. I'll stop here before it becomes a novel. I hope that helped.

 

[zebalong]

When I was in nursing school, my professors had an idea that I wanted to eventually pursue medical school and they appeared to be very open to it and encouraging. They never talked down on medicine, even though I think they'd view medicine differently now. With the whole NP vs. MD debate and the whole bashing of the two back and forth, I feel that most of my professors may view pursuing medical school negatively. Why? Because all my professors were with either NP's or DNP's and feel that they deserve the autonomy that an MD has. And for some reason, there is some consensus that nurses take a more holistic approach to patient care compared to docs. Though I've seen a lot of attendings be very thorough and comprehensive in their patient management. But to answer your question, I don't think most nursing professors would encourage their students to pursue medicine bc there's still that 'us vs. them' mentality. The professors or nurses may not overtly say it but you can definitely feel it. A lot of my nursing peers were quite discouraging in my attempt to pursue medicine. They would say something along the lines of 'you won't make much, you'll have no life, you'll treat nurses bad, you'll be a jerk' or something like 'why not just go to NP school or become a CRNA'. So I think nursing professors are PC when they are positive with their students wishes but I honestly think they wouldn't be encouraging their students to become docs.


For example, I used to teach LPN students and they'd say they wanted to become RN's then NP's. I would encourage them to pursue their goals but my thinking is why get an LPN degree when you'll be making what a nursing assistant makes without a degree? And the only places who typically hire LPN's are nursing
homes. I'll stop here before it becomes a novel. I hope that helped.

Thanks for sharing your opinion and experience. Mine and that of other RN's i know were similar as well. I think it is quite a shame though, as I feel a lot of us RN's actualized the motivation and desire to go to medical school because of formative experiences we had as nurses. And I would hope nursing mentors and colleagues, who mean a lot to us, could at least give us support for pursuing a path that is quite rigorous and involves a lot of sacrifice - even if they don't full agree with it.

If anyone has had similar or the opposite reaction by their nursing program i'd love to hear it as well. Thanks you guys all of this has really helped.

 

[Jewels86]

My nursing program led the students to believe that the world of a physician would not turn unless the nurse ran the show. When I see other nurses behave in this manner, it really bothers me because the relationship between doctor and nurse is symbiotic. No matter how many years of nursing I have under my belt, I still can not go to the pyxis and grab dilaudid or morphine or anything without a physician ordering it. ACLS meds during a code, yes...but other stuff, no.

When I asked a nursing instructor very early on in my nursing school what exactly is the difference between a nurse and physician (I was young and naïve), she couldn't believe I'd ever ask such a question and hence, chewed me out saying I'd never be a good nurse, etc, (after that, I blocked her screeching voice)...guess she excelled in that "How to be an effective bi$%hy nurse course".

So, unless rural family medicine reimbursements go down to zero, that's where I'd like to be. A rural doc and a house with a lot of acreage where cowboy boots are the norm.

 

[Indianarn]

My nursing program led the students to believe that the world of a physician would not turn unless the nurse ran the show. When I see other nurses behave in this manner, it really bothers me because the relationship between doctor and nurse is symbiotic. No matter how many years of nursing I have under my belt, I still can not go to the pyxis and grab dilaudid or morphine or anything without a physician ordering it. ACLS meds during a code, yes...but other stuff, no.

When I asked a nursing instructor very early on in my nursing school what exactly is the difference between a nurse and physician (I was young and naïve), she couldn't believe I'd ever ask such a question and hence, chewed me out saying I'd never be a good nurse, etc, (after that, I blocked her screeching voice)...guess she excelled in that "How to be an effective bi$%hy nurse course".

So, unless rural family medicine reimbursements go down to zero, that's where I'd like to be. A rural doc and a house with a lot of acreage where cowboy boots are the norm.

Wow loved the response and love what you wanna do. I can totally agree with the response. I has some great experiences with nurses, however some of my few bad experience were actually with the nurses. Being a male, I had to overcome some stigmas and grow through it. I love Ob/Gyn and never actually got a got in that unit just for being a male.

 

[pre-medRN]

When I was in nursing school, my professors had an idea that I wanted to eventually pursue medical school and they appeared to be very open to it and encouraging. They never talked down on medicine, even though I think they'd view medicine differently now. With the whole NP vs. MD debate and the whole bashing of the two back and forth, I feel that most of my professors may view pursuing medical school negatively. Why? Because all my professors were with either NP's or DNP's and feel that they deserve the autonomy that an MD has. And for some reason, there is some consensus that nurses take a more holistic approach to patient care compared to docs. Though I've seen a lot of attendings be very thorough and comprehensive in their patient management. But to answer your question, I don't think most nursing professors would encourage their students to pursue medicine bc there's still that 'us vs. them' mentality. The professors or nurses may not overtly say it but you can definitely feel it. A lot of my nursing peers were quite discouraging in my attempt to pursue medicine. They would say something along the lines of 'you won't make much, you'll have no life, you'll treat nurses bad, you'll be a jerk' or something like 'why not just go to NP school or become a CRNA'. So I think nursing professors are PC when they are positive with their students wishes but I honestly think they wouldn't be encouraging their students to become docs.


For example, I used to teach LPN students and they'd say they wanted to become RN's then NP's. I would encourage them to pursue their goals but my thinking is why get an LPN degree when you'll be making what a nursing assistant makes without a degree? And the only places who typically hire LPN's are nursing
homes. I'll stop here before it becomes a novel. I hope that helped.

I agree with this. At my nursing school I, along with two other males, were pre-med. The students did not mind that much that we were pre-med, but you could tell that they thought we were trying to act like we were better than everyone else in the class. Everyone always asked why I didn't become a mid-level practitioner or just do CRNA and never understood why I would put myself through medical school. The professors at my school were not fond of students being in nursing school and pre-med concurrently. One of our students was even held back his last semester of school because his instructor knew he was pre-med and was exponentially harder on him than anyone else. My advice for anyone who is still in nursing school and pre-med is keep it to yourself. There is a bias in the education system and many professors won't't like the fact that they are training you to be a great nurse just so you can turn around and go into medicine.

 

[allojay]

I agree with this. At my nursing school I, along with two other males, were pre-med. The students did not mind that much that we were pre-med, but you could tell that they thought we were trying to act like we were better than everyone else in the class. Everyone always asked why I didn't become a mid-level practitioner or just do CRNA and never understood why I would put myself through medical school. The professors at my school were not fond of students being in nursing school and pre-med concurrently. One of our students was even held back his last semester of school because his instructor knew he was pre-med and was exponentially harder on him than anyone else. My advice for anyone who is still in nursing school and pre-med is keep it to yourself. There is a bias in the education system and many professors won't't like the fact that they are training you to be a great nurse just so you can turn around and go into medicine.

I completely Agree 100% with your response (verbatim). I think that instructor is a tool for messing up that student like that. It's one thing to not like a student for doing pre-med, but to make his life a living hell and then fail him, is just unprofessional. I'm glad my professors weren't like that. I don't mean to single out anyone or whine, but I think male nurses have a tough time in nursing school and also when they start on the floors (especially from some of the older, more vetted RN's). My first year was rough to say the least. It's a COLD world out there for male nurses, especially new grads. But in retrospect, the tough love/lack of help that I received, actually made damn good at my job and I'm thankful for the experiences i've had.

 

[tmn]

Starting allo in August. It wasn't my initial plan to become a doctor. In fact, when starting college I was confident that it wasn't what I wanted. I began getting burnt out and started exploring advancing my career. I originally thought I may want to do some sort of advance practice nursing. The more I looked into it, I realized that if I was going to make a change then I would be happier if I went all out, so to speak. I ultimately chose physician over APRN for all the pros that are well documented. Doctors have been universally supportive. However, with nurses I do sometimes sense some latent resentment. It's never been anything overt though, so it could just be all in my head.

 

[acceptmeplease]

Interesting thread.

I graduated nursing school exactly a year ago, and will be starting at an allopathic medical school august 1st. I was rejected from medical school and needed to get a job with a biology degree. After waiting tables, I went back to school. I found the atmosphere of nursing school to be catty. I am a male in a female-dominated field which seems to vilify the profession I am pursuing.

The younger nursing instructors were very supportive of me reapplying to medical school, but the older instructors were very negative about it. They made the entire nursing school process seem petty.

I have 32 shifts left as an RN and cannot wait until this season is over.

The medical school faculty who interviewed me were more positive about me being a nurse transitioning to medicine than any nursing faculty ever was.

 

[Jewels86]

Interesting thread.

I found the atmosphere of nursing school to be catty. ..I have 32 shifts left as an RN and cannot wait until this season is over.

The medical school faculty who interviewed me were more positive about me being a nurse transitioning to medicine than any nursing faculty ever was.

I don't know what I'd do if I had only 32 shifts left as an RN...rejoice, celebrate, breathe a sign of relief.

Yes, the nursing profession is so catty (grow the h*&l up!!). The faculty will never ever understand why anyone wouldn't want to be a nurse. I have experienced nothing but h$ll in nursing. I cannot wait until I have one shift left.

Congrats acceptmeplease!!!

 

[acceptmeplease]

I don't know what I'd do if I had only 32 shifts left as an RN...rejoice, celebrate, breathe a sign of relief.

Yes, the nursing profession is so catty (grow the h*&l up!!). The faculty will never ever understand why anyone wouldn't want to be a nurse. I have experienced nothing but h$ll in nursing. I cannot wait until I have one shift left.

Congrats acceptmeplease!!!

Thanks!

32 still feels like forever.

 

[FCMike11]

Wow this thread is good....when I have an opportunity and I will sit down and make my contribution.

 

[AlexMack12]

Nursing is a very critical, crucial, and highly respectable health profession, and nurses represent a very important part of the healthcare team.

That being said, nursing has the highest rate of lateral violence (also known as intraprofessional harassment/bullying). It is antiquated and unfortunate but nonetheless entrenched in nursing culture.

As a nurse who will be starting medical school this summer, I have nothing but the highest respect for the duties and function of nurses. Nursing and medicine are two very different, yet complimentary professions, and both are integral part of caring for patients. I've worked with some truly tremendous nurses-caring, highly intelligent, compassionate individuals. I've also worked with some of the nastiest, catty, and vindictive people I've ever met, and it makes me sorry these people are allowed to represent the same profession as the great nurses are. The great nurses entered the field because they had a passion for nursing. The mean ones entered the field for any of a variety of wrong reasons.

For any nurse contemplating medical school, I would suggest not announcing your plans to your colleagues with the exception of those you really consider close friends and whom you can be assured entered the field for the right reasons. They will be happy to see you achieve your dreams as they achieved theirs through nursing. Others will (erroneously) believe you picked medicine because it's "superior" to nursing, you look down on nurses, or some other such negative belief, and that's something you certainly don't need as you embark on the difficult journey that is applying to medical school. Good luck to all of you- it's certainly possible!

 

[zebalong]

Here goes my anonymity but thank you for everyone who contributed:

http://blogs.einstein.yu.edu/from-nurse-to-doctor-the-career-path-less-encouraged/

 

[Allan Chandy]

Good day everyone

I'm a current junior undergraduate attending the university of Delaware majoring in something called Health Behavior Science (falls under health promotion/health education), and since late 2014, I've become interested in public health. During my winter, I took the time to research what kinds of jobs I can get with a bachelors in health behavior science, with a minor in public health, I'm also waiting to minor in business administration because I'm raising my GPA to enter the program. Anyway, I have read up on what the profession of infection prevention is all about, and I'm writing to ask you if it would be possible for someone like me to get involved in this field, without having a nursing degree...I was given the opportunity to shadow an infection preventionist at a hospital. I have yet to fulfill that opportunity, but first I want to understand if I will he able to get a job out of this in the end. Could I end up getting an internship, and research experience? I know I would really need to get a certification, but even then...would I be able to work as an infection preventionist? I am looking to work as one even if it is a temp job for a couple or few years that's if they allow me, before going for my masters in hospital epidemiology. Thank you!

 

[jl lin]

I am an RN and will be starting Osteopathic Medical School this year. I have always wanted to be a physician, couldn't do it earlier so many personal reasons. My experience has been always wonderful with the other nurses and physician. They were always supportive and helped me in any and every way they could. All the docs I shadowed were really warm and welcoming. They all gave me the letters of recommendations. I felt only but warmth from all the fellow nurses and physicians.

^Similar to Indianarn, except I tended to get along better with docs, although I worked well with most nurses. It's just that nurses can be a tough crowd to work with at times--not always--thank God. Not sure why and I am tired of trying to figure it out. Patients and families are/were good with me as well. After 20 years of nursing, I do have to admit that there is this % of nurses that for whatever reason/s can be a pain to work with--both for other nurses and docs and for other allied health professionals like RRT or radiology tech people, MT people. Wish it weren't so; but it is what it is. Personally, I think some percentage of the somewhat problematic nurses are those that went into nursing b/c it paid/pays better than the local grocery store. Meaning this: Their hearts/souls/minds were not really into it; but they needed/wanted jobs that paid better than average wages. Like medicine, you won't be happy in nursing if your heart really isn't into it. This is my personal take. Others may differ somewhat. Of course there is also a certain percentage that did/do actually care about it, but then got burned out. So that is a factor as well. I think I've done so well in it b/c I went into critical care, which was always more interesting to me--and I've worked at some great centers--where there were always ample opportunities for learning. It's always a HUGE plus when you work in units where teamwork, support, unity, and respect are highly valued. Of course this would be true for any profession/occupation.

Some nurses seem 'good' with other nurses pursuing medicine, others don't care, and finally, some are, for whatever reason, against it. But this is like all decisions in life, where some people will be happy about one's choice, some won't care, and some will be unhappy. Luckily, this has never deterred me one way or the other.