DO vs DNP/CRNA

[rdubz]

Hi guys. I was hoping someone could offer me some advice. I am a rising senior at Brandeis (a VERY hard pre-med school). I have a 3.4 cum. GPA and 3.1 science--I went through a lot of family stuff my first 2 years of college and learned how to learn science, if that makes sense. I struggled a lot through some pre-reqs but now I have excelled at advanced classes and am feeling more confident. However, I am unsure of which career path to choose.

I always wanted to go into medicine, but every doctor I know is now miserable. My own father is an internist and comes home at midnight every night with all the life sucked out of him. I know for sure clinical medicine is what I want to do, but as a DO or NP/CRNA is the question. My first concern about med school is that it will be so hard I will literally not do anything but study and not be able to socialize at all or have any semblance of a life. I am fully prepared to study hard, as I have been doing my last 3 years, but it is important to me to be able to have time to chill and have a little time in the day to NOT study. I am worried that it will be too hard for me even though I have been able to do well at a top-tier university (more of a self-confidence thing I guess). I am also worried that I will kind of throw away my life for the next several years--between med school and residency, I am scared I will never meet anyone, sleep, or be able to be sane.

NP/CRNA appeals to me for the reasons that med school doesn't. However, I'm scared I won't know quite as much as doctors (although I've met brilliant NPs who are better than physicians). Also, the salary is a bit less and I'm concerned there might be less respect associated with the position. On one hand, the masochistic level of difficulty in med school is appealing because somehow in my mind, if you made it through, you're a genius. It requires so much intelligence and grit, and I guess just seems elite (which is not why I'm drawn to it, but that's still there in the back of my mind). Sometimes I can't help but feel if I don't pursue med school, my career and role won't be quite as elite or meaningful.

I like how holistic DOs and NPs are in that they try to consider the whole patient rather than just an isolated organ system, and that's how I endeavor to be in any field I enter. I just need help deciding....if anyone could offer some advice that would be great. Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[67552931811]

Hi guys. I was hoping someone could offer me some advice. I am a rising senior at Brandeis (a VERY hard pre-med school). I have a 3.4 cum. GPA and 3.1 science--I went through a lot of family stuff my first 2 years of college and learned how to learn science, if that makes sense. I struggled a lot through some pre-reqs but now I have excelled at advanced classes and am feeling more confident. However, I am unsure of which career path to choose.

I always wanted to go into medicine, but every doctor I know is now miserable. My own father is an internist and comes home at midnight every night with all the life sucked out of him. I know for sure clinical medicine is what I want to do, but as a DO or NP/CRNA is the question. My first concern about med school is that it will be so hard I will literally not do anything but study and not be able to socialize at all or have any semblance of a life. I am fully prepared to study hard, as I have been doing my last 3 years, but it is important to me to be able to have time to chill and have a little time in the day to NOT study. I am worried that it will be too hard for me even though I have been able to do well at a top-tier university (more of a self-confidence thing I guess). I am also worried that I will kind of throw away my life for the next several years--between med school and residency, I am scared I will never meet anyone, sleep, or be able to be sane.

NP/CRNA appeals to me for the reasons that med school doesn't. However, I'm scared I won't know quite as much as doctors (although I've met brilliant NPs who are better than physicians). Also, the salary is a bit less and I'm concerned there might be less respect associated with the position. On one hand, the masochistic level of difficulty in med school is appealing because somehow in my mind, if you made it through, you're a genius. It requires so much intelligence and grit, and I guess just seems elite (which is not why I'm drawn to it, but that's still there in the back of my mind). Sometimes I can't help but feel if I don't pursue med school, my career and role won't be quite as elite or meaningful.

I like how holistic DOs and NPs are in that they try to consider the whole patient rather than just an isolated organ system, and that's how I endeavor to be in any field I enter. I just need help deciding....if anyone could offer some advice that would be great. Thanks!

Lol. And, I've met flight attendants who are better than pilots.

There is no such thing. It's a smoke screen to prey on the naive.

 

[Espressso]

Sorry to break it to you if you think NP's and DO's are no more holistic than their MD counterparts.... both DO's and MD's have to treat the entire patient, believe it or not.

 

[Pisiform]

Treating patient not the body Is an old age BS since ATs death


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[JowellHollyBuddy33]

I'm not going to lie, it sounds like you really just need to figure out what appeals to you the most. There are a lot of physicians who are not miserable, and there are a lot of NPs/CRNAs who are. That "holistic" approach can be seen in any good MD as well. Bottom line: you need to figure out what you want before you commit.

Take the time to shadow... And I mean shadowing multiple physicians in different areas. It may also be in your best interest to go as far as getting a job as a nurse assistant for awhile, because you will have to become a nurse and obtain some real experience before pursuing the other two pathways.

If you are this hesitant about any of them... It would be a terrible idea to dive in.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[rdubz]

Sorry to break it to you, if you think NP's and DO's are no more holistic than their MD counterparts. Both DO's and MD's have to treat the entire patient, believe it or not.

I understand that, but I've personally experienced MDs who don't treat me as such. But you can look it up, the nursing philosophy is way more holistic.

 

[rdubz]

I'm not going to lie, it sounds like you really just need to figure out what appeals to you the most. There are a lot of physicians who are not miserable, and there are a lot of NPs/CRNAs who are. That "holistic" approach can be seen in any good MD as well. Bottom line: you need to figure out what you want before you commit.

Take the time to shadow... And I mean shadowing multiple physicians in different areas. It may also be in your best interest to go as far as getting a job as a nurse assistant for awhile, because you will have to become a nurse and obtain some real experience before pursuing the other two pathways.

If you are this hesitant about any of them... It would be a terrible idea to dive in.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

No you are definitely right. That's what I'm having a hard time doing. I'm having a hard time shadowing because of HIPPA and people keep saying they could lose their jobs...

 

[cliquesh]

I personally would not really consider the NP route as a primary goal. I'd personally feel under prepared to provide adequate care without a rigorous residency/fellowship, and I would not trust anyone with anything less. If you end up in nursing and then decide you want more autonomy then the NP route makes sense. Otherwise, I sincerely think you are doing a disservice to yourself and your patients by purposefully going the NP route.

I think your question should be md/do vs CRNA/pa, and I think it boils down to how responsible you want to be for another person's care.

 

[67552931811]

I understand that, but I've personally experienced MDs who don't treat me as such. But you can look it up, the nursing philosophy is way more holistic.

The nursing "philosophy" is a lack of science. Online degrees, ftw.

 

[cabinbuilder]

You do know that CRNA is a nurse anesthetist? How do you know you will even like anesthesia? I found it cold, tedious, and boring. Know what they do before jumping into that career.

 

[Ho0v-man]

Go to PA school, if you can get in. There's a PA--->DO bridge at LECOM if you change your mind. NP education is pretty lacking. It's very algorithmic, highly variable between programs, and doesn't really go outside of the protocols at all. I think anyone with a "real" science background would be bored AF getting a DNP. At least that's what I've seen firsthand.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[chibaddie]

Hi guys. I was hoping someone could offer me some advice. I am a rising senior at Brandeis (a VERY hard pre-med school). I have a 3.4 cum. GPA and 3.1 science--I went through a lot of family stuff my first 2 years of college and learned how to learn science, if that makes sense. I struggled a lot through some pre-reqs but now I have excelled at advanced classes and am feeling more confident. However, I am unsure of which career path to choose.

I always wanted to go into medicine, but every doctor I know is now miserable. My own father is an internist and comes home at midnight every night with all the life sucked out of him. I know for sure clinical medicine is what I want to do, but as a DO or NP/CRNA is the question. My first concern about med school is that it will be so hard I will literally not do anything but study and not be able to socialize at all or have any semblance of a life. I am fully prepared to study hard, as I have been doing my last 3 years, but it is important to me to be able to have time to chill and have a little time in the day to NOT study. I am worried that it will be too hard for me even though I have been able to do well at a top-tier university (more of a self-confidence thing I guess). I am also worried that I will kind of throw away my life for the next several years--between med school and residency, I am scared I will never meet anyone, sleep, or be able to be sane.

NP/CRNA appeals to me for the reasons that med school doesn't. However, I'm scared I won't know quite as much as doctors (although I've met brilliant NPs who are better than physicians). Also, the salary is a bit less and I'm concerned there might be less respect associated with the position. On one hand, the masochistic level of difficulty in med school is appealing because somehow in my mind, if you made it through, you're a genius. It requires so much intelligence and grit, and I guess just seems elite (which is not why I'm drawn to it, but that's still there in the back of my mind). Sometimes I can't help but feel if I don't pursue med school, my career and role won't be quite as elite or meaningful.

I like how holistic DOs and NPs are in that they try to consider the whole patient rather than just an isolated organ system, and that's how I endeavor to be in any field I enter. I just need help deciding....if anyone could offer some advice that would be great. Thanks!

Such a terrible reason to go to med school. So you've met brilliant NPs, but of course they're not "elite". Also, since when is a NP better than a physician? It's an entirely separate training and thusly is not interchangeable...

The "holistic" crap is something they just shove down your throat and use to brainwash the less informed, leading to ill-conceived notions such as "an isolated organ system". You honestly think during residency they just tell individuals, who are MDs of course, that are training to become cardiologists to just forget about the kidneys? Cause nah, that won't be affected... We'll let the DOs/NPs take care of that nonsense.

You want to become a physician or not is the question, and it's not contingent on whether or not you like magic pills and/or OMT. To be honest, no one will care what you like. You do what's best for the patient, and that's that.

Yes, medical school is a huge commitment but that doesn't mean you can't have a life. I mean, last time I checked: physicians find partners and even manage to procreate (ask your father), still hit REM, and are fairly sane. At least every miserable physician still has that going for them, huh?

Moral of the story: you need to engage in way more clinical experience, and to ultimately make a decision that will suit your future lifestyle best. And, hopefully, you find a more fulfilling reason to become whatever you choose to become during that process.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

I understand that, but I've personally experienced MDs who don't treat me as such. But you can look it up, the nursing philosophy is way more holistic.

And there are DOs and NPs who are straight up *****s too, it has nothing to do with the degree. My wife is a nurse and nurses are fantastic at being nurses, without them doctors couldn't do crap. Nurses as primary medical providers is stupid because I can tell you that I know more physio and path than they do with my bachelors in physio. The lack of science knowledge is actually pretty scary. The NPs who are really good are the ones who really learn well on the job and learn from the physician, they also understand their role as a mid level and are really efficient in that role.

What you need to decide is if you want to be a doctor or a nurse. They are very different. Don't do NP to try and get around medical school, there is a reason medical school is so hard. You get out what you put in.

 

[dwgrubbs1s]

Working as a nurse many hours on hospital floors, I have personally not seen a difference in an MD or DO's approach to treating a patient. However, I have seen a difference in NP's treating patients. MDsand DOs have far superior knowledge of medicine as opposed to NPs. While there are obvious differences between MD and DO, at the end of the day they are both physicians who are trained in medicine. (Maybe I say that because I am trying to get into DO schools). As "wholistic" as a NPs may be, they do not have the scientific background nor the clinical hours of a physician. Like many others have already replied, MDs treat the whole patient just as much as a DO or NP. In nursing school, we encountered a lot of propaganda and BS about how NPs were just as smart as doctors but cared for patients. Hence the word propaganda. In reality, it is bunch of people screaming for equal rights when they haven't done near the work. So again, weigh your options and decide which route you would want to take. NPs are vital to the healthcare system but to view them as an equal (knowledge wise) to a physician is absurd.

 

[Psai]

Working as a nurse many hours on hospital floors, I have personally not seen a difference in an MD or DO's approach to treating a patient. However, I have seen a difference in NP's treating patients. MDsand DOs have far superior knowledge of medicine as opposed to NPs. While there are obvious differences between MD and DO, at the end of the day they are both physicians who are trained in medicine. (Maybe I say that because I am trying to get into DO schools). As "wholistic" as a NPs may be, they do not have the scientific background nor the clinical hours of a physician. Like many others have already replied, MDs treat the whole patient just as much as a DO or NP. In nursing school, we encountered a lot of propaganda and BS about how NPs were just as smart as doctors but cared for patients. Hence the word propaganda. In reality, it is bunch of people screaming for equal rights when they haven't done near the work. So again, weigh your options and decide which route you would want to take. NPs are vital to the healthcare system but to view them as an equal (knowledge wise) to a physician is absurd.

God I love when nurses admit that nps are just not as good. It's so frustrating to see people posting over and over again about equivalence and endlessly spamming "just as good if not better".

 

[ChelseaPsyche]

No you are definitely right. That's what I'm having a hard time doing. I'm having a hard time shadowing because of HIPPA and people keep saying they could lose their jobs...

 

[Lawpy]

No you are definitely right. That's what I'm having a hard time doing. I'm having a hard time shadowing because of HIPPA and people keep saying they could lose their jobs...

As a small aside, it's HIPAA.

 

[bunchesonothing]

No you are definitely right. That's what I'm having a hard time doing. I'm having a hard time shadowing because of HIPPA and people keep saying they could lose their jobs...

All of the shadowing opportunities I've been presented with have either been organized through my school or an organization I've volunteered through. I would pursue those avenues to land some shadowing time.

 

[NoTownPreMed]

You do know that CRNA is a nurse anesthetist? How do you know you will even like anesthesia? I found it cold, tedious, and boring. Know what they do before jumping into that career.

This is what I find interesting from the vast majority of my nursing peers who've expressed their wishes to purse in CRNA. Not surprising, one of the common response I get from them is "They make as much money as a doctor."

 

[JB50]

.

 

[Psai]

This is what I find interesting from the vast majority of my nursing peers who've expressed their wishes to purse in CRNA. Not surprising, one of the common response I get from them is "They make as much money as a doctor."

Don't blame them at all. It's a sad state of affairs.