Many people want to go into the health profession to help people but then get stuck trying to figure out if they should become a Nurse or a Doctor. You might be wondering, what is the difference between a Nurse and a Doctor?

Nursing and Medical practices are distinctly different professions.  They vary at the fundamental level. Nursing can in ways be seen as caring for a patient’s health on the macro level whereas medicine is caring for a patient's disease and illness on a micro-level. 

Nursing practices are taught based on Nursing theories. Nursing theories broadly focus on the health of an individual and how to assist patients back to a healthy, functional life. Many times this involves implementing medicine or maintaining surgical procedures initiated by doctors. Doctors, on the other hand, focus on diagnosing and resolving illness through medical and/or surgical interventions.

Why people have a hard time distinguishing one from another is that oftentimes the nurse relays messages from the doctor. This can confuse the patient as they don’t know who is actually making the decision or where the messages are coming from. There are nursing decisions involving the care of the patient, these decisions are made by the nurse. However diagnostic decisions are made by the doctor.  It’s a team effort. 


So how do you decide which profession is best for you?

Time and Cost

Nurse

• Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN): Undergraduate - Total 4 years
• Associates Degree in Nursing (ADN) - 2 years
• Bachelors: 4 years + Associated Degree in Nursing (ADN): 2 years - Total 6 years
• Masters - Advanced Practice Nurse: 2-4 years

Doctor

• Bachelors - 4 years
• Medical Doctor/Osteopathic Doctor (MD/DO) - Medical School: 4 years
• Fellowship/Residency: 3-4 years

Overall Career

Nurse

• Nursing is a challenging yet rewarding profession. The nurse must be capable of being a caring, compassionate individual while, at the same time, display critical thinking skills to manage complex illnesses and complex relationships between families and the medical team.

Doctor

• Medicine as a doctor is also a challenging profession and highly respected in the modern culture. The doctor must be capable of diagnosing and treating complex illnesses. Many times providers' roles also extend to managing a business within clinic settings.

Opportunities

Nurse

• There are endless opportunities when becoming a nurse. Nurses not only can work in the hospital in floor nursing roles but also in management. Outside of the hospital setting nurses can work in clinics, research, surgery centers, skilled nursing facility, hospice, nursing homes, legal nursing, and more.

Doctor

• The opportunities for medical doctors are also endless as well. Medical doctors can work with an associate with hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, nursing homes, and clinics. Surgeons can work in surgical centers. Doctors can also work with research.

If you in the process of choosing between the two professions, the points above can help point you in the right direction.