5 Reasons to Be A Nurse Instead of A Physician

With increasing job prospects in the healthcare sector, many students are thinking of stepping into this field. From traditional jobs to administrative roles – the healthcare industry is bustling with opportunities for the upcoming generation. So, are you passionate about helping others? It takes a lot of motivation, stamina, and knowledge to offer care and compassion to the patients. You have to look after their needs, diagnose illnesses, and provide adequate treatments to every patient.

You might be particular about working in healthcare, but what about your job role, position, and designation? Often, people face difficulty deciding between becoming a doctor and nurse since they both work to serve patients. However, the role of nurses is more directed towards patient care. Whether it is pre or post-operation care, monitoring the patients, or maintaining records – nurses are always at the frontline. Likewise, they also supervise staff, manage workloads, and assist patients’ families.

Do you know the best part? As a nurse, you can work anywhere, in hospitals, prisons, social agencies, health centers, and homes. With varying roles and responsibilities, nurses can pick different specializations and excel in their careers. However, if you are having second thoughts over it, let us help you out. Here we are listing five reasons to become a nurse instead of a physician.

Education Demands Less Time

In today’s highly competitive world, not everyone can afford 4-6 years of schooling. With rising financial constraints, the upcoming generation wants to crawl into the professional world as quickly as possible. Luckily, nursing education can help you become a part of the workforce faster since you can choose your education level. You can earn a nursing license and start practicing after completing a 2-year long nursing degree.

Otherwise, if you want more responsibilities and authority within the nursing career, become a nurse practitioner. After bachelor’s, it takes only two years to complete this program. However, before calling the shots, lookup for nurse practitioner vs doctor to understand the similarities in job roles. Nurse practitioners prescribe medications, order medical tests, and diagnose health issues. Likewise, physicians treat a broad spectrum of conditions and diseases. Thus, in less time, you can enjoy similar job responsibilities as a nurse practitioner.

Serve as Frontline Health Workers

Many people fail to understand what nurses bring to the table until they spend time in hospitals. Nurses are frontline workers, serving patients day and night. Similarly, they act as caregivers, patient advocates to ensure optimal delivery of health services. Nurses ensure patients feel comfortable during their stay in the hospital and offer assistance to their loved ones. Also, they have competent interpersonal and communication skills, providing support to patients.

Besides this, nurses also have a keen understanding of acute illnesses and chronic health conditions. Hence, they can provide specialized care within specific patient groups. For instance, they can assist pregnant women after labor or calm down people during seizures. While they do seek help from practitioners, nurses are capable of working independently. After all, they play a versatile role in the healthcare sector.

Numerous Career Opportunities

The healthcare institutes offer a varying range of patient care services, and fortunately, nurses can work across several departments. You can assist doctors in the surgical room or help out the healthcare manager with administrative duties. However, you have to develop in-depth expertise in a specific area to start working. Here we are listing some of the nursing specializations.

Cardiac Nurse: These nurses care for patients with heart disease and during bypass surgeries.
Case Management Nurse: Creates and coordinates long-term care plans for the patients.
Dermatology Nurse: Looks after patients with skin diseases.
Developmental Disability Nurse: Since special children need special attention, development nurses help patients with intellectual abilities.
Critical Care Nurse: These nurses take care of patients in ICU recovering from severe medical conditions.
Greater Flexibility & Better Work Schedules

Although work schedules differ in practice areas, they are flexible than doctor’s ones. Usually, doctors are on call 24 hours a day, all seven days a week, but nurses get to work on shifts. They have fixed 8-12 hours shifts for five days a week. Hence, you can have a fun and relaxing weekend while taking care of things that you can’t make time for during weekdays.

Similarly, nurses can request a replacement and handoff patient to another nurse to take a leave. Despite added flexibility and relaxed work schedules, nurses can enjoy lucrative returns. After all, their salaries are quite competitive if you compare them to other industries.

Nurses are Life Counselors!

Unlike doctors, who leave after diagnosing the patient, nurses stay with patients for the long haul. From the minute patients enter the hospital to their discharge, nurses are always at their bedside. Likewise, they work with patients to relieve pain and handle unexpected reactions to the treatment. Nurses also monitor progress, provide medications, and listen to patient’s concerns. Since many patients have a habit of panicking, nurses take the responsibility of calming their fears.

Therefore, it would be right to say that the nurse’s role goes beyond doctors’ orders. They help patients in their most vulnerable times and develop lasting relationships with them, making an actual difference in their lives.

Final Words

With rising health concerns and an aging population, the healthcare industry continues to grow in complexity. As a result, the role of nurses is becoming more diverse than ever. In addition to working as health coaches, disease managers, and care coordinators, you can become a nurse practitioner. As medical providers realize the value nurses bring, they have more say in inpatient care and treatments.