Having changed my major halfway through a Bachelor's in nursing program, I know exactly why I wanted to be in medicine vs. nursing.
As mpp mentioned, nurses are rarely respected or appreciated for their skill. Keep that in mind, future docs... there are a lot of brilliant nurses out there, and a lot of the docs I have seen could learn a thing or two from them (just my $.02
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Working with patients is very rewarding, something that you could find satisfaction in by practicing either medicine or nursing. Having spent a lot of time working in an ICU, I do think that these nurses have a lot more interaction with patients and their families. When you are caring for someone for twelve hours a day, 3-4 days a week (during the weeks or months that critically ill people are hospitalized) you really get to know people and thier families, versus the ICU docs, who have tons of patients to follow, and not an entire shift to spend doting on just one or two patients (this is not to say that the dr.s relationship with the patient is any less significant or "intimate", it is just inherently different... at least in the ICU/Critical Care setting)
Educational differences are tremendous. I was fascinated by what I learned in nursing school, but I did not truly "get" what we were learning until I changed my major to biochem and started taking some more advanced science courses. The level of science courses (intro bio, A&P, chem) are WORLDS apart from the deeper level of understanding demanded by a career in medicine, something that is both challenging and invigorating.
•••quote:•••Originally posted by Medic171:
•to aks why do you want to be a doctor is a valid question. But, to ask why in comparison to another occupation is not really valid and I would not answer it. I would simply tell why i wanted to be a doc.•••••I would disagree.... as the original poster pointed out, there are a lot of health related careers out there that could fulfill one's desire to help others and combine that with scientific interests. Ad coms will want to know that you have considered what these other professions have to offer, and they want to see if you know what medicine is all about. They want to ensure that you have decided that medicine, and no other health or service related career, will satisfy your career/professional/personal aspirations (to determine whether you have a "passion" for medicine, so to speak)