When you’re ready to pursue a career in medicine, you may find it somewhat challenging to decide on a career path. Should you go to medical school to become a doctor or go to nursing school to become a registered nurse?
Both careers can be highly rewarding and allow you to earn a satisfying salary while delivering high-quality care. However, it helps to know the key differences between physicians and nurses so you can make the right decision when choosing your career path.
Here are several major factors to consider when choosing between medical school and nursing school.
Role Differences
Physicians and nurses both have important roles that complement one another. For example, nurses usually spend more time with patients than doctors do and receive an education that places a strong emphasis on patient care and well-being. Doctors, on the other hand, receive an education that focuses more on science and physiology. They often devote less time to patients and more time to developing treatment plans and assessing patients’ conditions.
Doctors refer to the disease model when treating patients, while nurses may focus more on whole-person health and on making patients feel comfortable. In some cases, nurses may recommend certain treatments or therapies that doctors may overlook and vice versa, based on their respective educational backgrounds.
Patient Interactions
Nurses provide one-on-one patient care that tends to be highly individualized, while physicians may maintain more distance from patients to spend more time on diagnoses and treatments.
As a nurse, you may spend most of your time tending to patients, talking to their loved ones, and educating both parties about health conditions and treatments. As a doctor, you may spend more time behind the scenes analyzing treatments, interpreting diagnostic test results, and formulating and adjusting treatment plans.
When deciding between becoming a doctor or nurse, think about which role is better suited to your personality. If you consider yourself a people person and have the desire to help patients feel more comfortable from a whole-person standpoint physically, emotionally, and mentally, you may want to head to nursing school. On the other hand, if you prefer the scientific aspect of medicine—including studying and analyzing health information—you may want to head to medical school.
Education and Training
The education path to becoming a physician is far lengthier than that of becoming a nurse.
To become a nurse, you must earn an associate or bachelor’s degree in nursing, which typically takes between two and four years. Then, you must pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) to earn and maintain an active license that allows you to practice nursing.
To become a medical doctor, you must earn a bachelor’s degree, which usually takes about three to four years. Then, you must take and pass the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) before you can apply to medical school. After passing the MCAT, you typically go to medical school for four years and then spend at least three years in a residency program to gain hands-on experience.
If you feel overwhelmed about the idea of attending school for years to become a doctor, you can consider earning a two-year degree to become a nurse, which provides a solid foundation in the event you decide to take the MCAT later on. It’s not uncommon for nurses to pursue careers as physicians later on when they feel ready to attend more classes to advance in the medical field. As a nurse, you also have the option to pursue an advanced nursing position, such as a nurse practitioner. This gives you some of the same responsibilities as a physician, including the ability to prescribe medications.
Salary
Physicians and surgeons earn an average wage of $208,000 per year. The top three highest-paid physicians are cardiologists ($353,970), anesthesiologists ($331,190), and emergency medicine physicians ($310,640).
Registered nurses, on the other hand, earn an average wage of $77,600 per year. Nurses who work in government sectors typically earn the highest annual wage ($85,970), followed by nurses who work in state, local, and private hospitals ($78,070) and nurses who work in ambulatory healthcare ($76,700).
If salary is one of the more important factors to you when choosing a career, you may want to pursue medical school over nursing school.
Take time to reflect on your goals, interests, and lifestyle when you’re considering whether you want to go to medical school or nursing school. It may also help to talk to doctors and nurses about their work so you can get a better idea of the pros and cons associated with each type of position. Then, you can begin your education path based on which career makes you feel more passionate about healthcare.
Resource Links
- “Choosing Between Nursing School and Medical School” via NurseJournal
- “Physicians and Surgeons” via U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- “Registered Nurses” via U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics