In reference to the terminal degree not meaning much argument I offer this-
Next time you need to see a Doctor please go see a Nurse.
Next time you need a surgery, please only have the scrub tech perform the operation.
Next time you need a Rx drug please just have the nurse pick one for you. It really is that easy.
From my opinion Nurses knowledge comes from experience mostly versus what they learned in nursing school. Experience that is gained from working under a Doctor that always orders them to do something and gives away the diagnosis. Over time that Nurse sees the same patterns of symptoms and is able to make a reasonable guess to what the diagnosis is and from experience is able to make a reasonable guess to what the medication is. That method works until a "zebra occurs", a problem arises, or when the picture/presentation doesn't match something the nurse has experienced before, or heaven for bid a different disease presents fairly similarly.
I have seen nurses get worried about poor urine output into a foley and call a doctor, doctor says check the line, it could be kinked or blocked, nurse says oh and checks, line ends up being blocked or kinked. You would be surprised how often this has happened. Best one so far, pt has DKA and is being treated with insulin and normally K, However ICU nurse continues to push insulin and continues to keep checking K because these are standard orders. K goes from the high 4s and starts to fall. Somehow she missed the line that says when K is below 2.5 stop giving insulin. We arrive in the morning to round and morning K is 2.2. Attending talks to nurse and she says "I thought that was weird to because usually orders do say to hold insulin if K goes below 2.5, sorry" Good thing the patient wasn't thrown into an arrhythmia
If someone with a degree below yours is better at something in your field you should know, I recommend you ask for a refund on your education.
The analogy of steve jobs is a completely flawed comparison. Steve didn't build anything, he had steve wozniak for that. Jobs had vision and business savy. In business there never really is a single right or wrong answer or a specific way that is researched with objective results identifying the correct way to run a business like there is in medicine. I also haven't heard of the business boards either. However if I practice with the game of operation or if I cut open the local neighborhood animals or be a coroner than I am probably qualified to do an operation based on the bill gates analogy.
For the scrubs reference- You have probably never spent much time in a hospital ever! I have never seen a doctor do a simple IV. Doctors will all the time place the "more important" lines all the time like an arterial line or a central venous catheter, etc. There are PICC line nurses but I have never seen or heard of a nurse placing much else except in the ER occasionally. I also haven't seen a doctor physically give some one their medication, just right the orders that says the person will get the said needed medication. Who delivers it? The nurse.
When a person finishes a degree and then sits for their respective boards and passes, then they are deemed competent. If a person with a lower degree is more competent than you then again you should get a refund on your education.
Soap box-
Last bit of education for people who think the gap between nurse/PA/Nurse practitioner and a Physician is small
Nurse- 4 year college
PA- 4 yr college and 2 years of PA school (after school free to work fairly independently)
Nurse Practitioner- 4 year RN and 2 years of RN school (after school free to work fairly independently)
Physician- 4 year college, 4 year medical school, (intern year is just first year after medical school in any residency), after med school residency ranging from 3-7 years depending on choice, fellowship ranging from 1-5. During the entire process of medical school thru fellowship you are constantly being supervised and discussing everything while you are actually treating patients in real time. So just focusing on the time after all school the typical doctor could have any where from 3-12 years, average is probably 4-6, of specific training in medicine working in the wards and OR 80hrs per week with 2-3 wks of vacation which is for any one keeping track is longer than all the other routes to the healthcare field. I have never seen a PA or a nurse practitioner work 80hrs a week ever.
If an associate level degree is fairly close to a DPT or could be with experience based on so many posters above, then I do agree that moving the pursuit of physical therapy to a graduate school route is a disservice to applicants and is reaching too hard for that Doctor title. Physical therapy should be bumped backed down to the college level.
