5 answers
Madison
Student
1
Question
Asked
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What is it like being a nurse practitioner or a doctor?
I'm in tenth grade and I'm considering medical school. I'm really interested in medicine, chemistry, and math, and I was wondering what it's like to be a doctor or nurse.
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5 answers
Dilawar Hussain
Veterinarian
22
Answers
Tando Jam, Sindh
Updated
Dilawar’s Answer
Try your best to become a Doctor, If not achieved then the second option nurse also good. You may choose the veterinary field as a doctor or nurse.
Wish you the best of luck 🤞
Wish you the best of luck 🤞
Loved reading this, thanks!
Madison
I love being a nurse, I have had a lot of flexibility in what I do and have lots of options to choose from, it feels nice to make a difference in someone’s life.
Sometimes it’s hard, not the blood or guts part, but the work can be physically and emotionally draining.
Always make sure to fill your cup up as well, meaning take care of your emotional and physical health!
Maryanne
Hi Dilawar, thank you for your perspective. Can add more about your path and why you chose it?
Sharyn Grose, Admin
Amy Pate
Physician
1
Answer
Denver, Colorado
Updated
Amy’s Answer
I love being a doctor! My background includes training in general/trauma surgery, surgical critical care, and preventive medicine/public health. Depending on your practice setting, you might be taking care of very sick patients at all hours day and night, or you might have an office-based job.
I will say, if you do decide to become a doctor, you should be aware that our profession has been dealing with significant administrative challenges. The overall trend towards corporate medicine (where doctors are employed by hospital systems or large companies) has worsened the burnout situation. We're constantly being asked to do more and more as resources are stripped, in the interest of profits. Insurance companies frequently deny appropriate medications and treatments ordered by doctors. Sometimes, you're faced with patients who have to choose between paying for their prescriptions or paying for rent, and there's nothing you can do to help. Physician autonomy is continuously being chipped away - doctors are given less time to spend with patients, to "increase efficiency."
The path is long and arduous, and residency is typically brutal (depending on specialty). Given the politicization of the recent pandemic, the very people we're trying to help are often abusive towards us. There's often a pervasive feeling of frustration and helplessness.
Now that I've gotten the doom and gloom out of the way, I'll tell you while I'm still doing this. There's nothing quite as gratifying as being able to diagnose and treat a patient and help them return to their normal lives. I've chosen a procedural specialty because I enjoy seeing tangible results. Using my brain and my hands, I can help a grandmother heal the wound that's been bothering her for years. I can help the dad who has been worrying about losing his leg to diabetes avoid an amputation. I can help the new mom who had an emergency c-section get back to caring for her newborn. I have been able to save the young woman who was shot while walking home from school. I have fixed the hernia that has been causing the college student embarassment.
You should become a doctor only if you can't imagine yourself being anything else. I've had friends at various stages of my career who went to medical school to make their parents happy, to make money, to look successful, etc - those are the doctors who have struggled the most. To do it right, your ultimate desire should simply just be helping people.
Best of luck! I'd suggest approaching a local doctor's office and asking to shadow them for a few days or weeks. You could also look into volunteering at the hospital, preferably a teaching hospital if you have one near you - that way you can talk to medical students and residents, as well as the attending physicians.
I will say, if you do decide to become a doctor, you should be aware that our profession has been dealing with significant administrative challenges. The overall trend towards corporate medicine (where doctors are employed by hospital systems or large companies) has worsened the burnout situation. We're constantly being asked to do more and more as resources are stripped, in the interest of profits. Insurance companies frequently deny appropriate medications and treatments ordered by doctors. Sometimes, you're faced with patients who have to choose between paying for their prescriptions or paying for rent, and there's nothing you can do to help. Physician autonomy is continuously being chipped away - doctors are given less time to spend with patients, to "increase efficiency."
The path is long and arduous, and residency is typically brutal (depending on specialty). Given the politicization of the recent pandemic, the very people we're trying to help are often abusive towards us. There's often a pervasive feeling of frustration and helplessness.
Now that I've gotten the doom and gloom out of the way, I'll tell you while I'm still doing this. There's nothing quite as gratifying as being able to diagnose and treat a patient and help them return to their normal lives. I've chosen a procedural specialty because I enjoy seeing tangible results. Using my brain and my hands, I can help a grandmother heal the wound that's been bothering her for years. I can help the dad who has been worrying about losing his leg to diabetes avoid an amputation. I can help the new mom who had an emergency c-section get back to caring for her newborn. I have been able to save the young woman who was shot while walking home from school. I have fixed the hernia that has been causing the college student embarassment.
You should become a doctor only if you can't imagine yourself being anything else. I've had friends at various stages of my career who went to medical school to make their parents happy, to make money, to look successful, etc - those are the doctors who have struggled the most. To do it right, your ultimate desire should simply just be helping people.
Best of luck! I'd suggest approaching a local doctor's office and asking to shadow them for a few days or weeks. You could also look into volunteering at the hospital, preferably a teaching hospital if you have one near you - that way you can talk to medical students and residents, as well as the attending physicians.
Thank you, Amy!
Madison
Sue Iffrig
Clinic setting
20
Answers
Saint Peters, Missouri
Updated
Sue’s Answer
Hi. Being a nurse practitioner is a wonderful vocation. You are caring for the health needs of those that seek your help. You need a 4 year undergrad in nursing and the 4 more years to obtain a PhD in nursing. I have really enjoyed all I have done as a NP for the past 23 years, but I really feel that my first 20 years as a nurse gave me the experiences that helped me more relate to the clients I care for.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Thanks, can't wait to put this advice into action!
Madison
Gautami patel
Doctor
1
Answer
Middletown, Connecticut
Updated
Gautami’s Answer
Going into the field of medicine takes courage. I'm not here to scare you away but I have to tell you this one this " If you want it bad, go for it"
You'll have to undergo 5 to 7 years of under-graduation and as soon as you get your undergraduate degree on your hand, and you start thinking to yourself that now you are being called doctor, you'll be thrown into a room and a study desk where you have to study for the competitive exams not to end the studying part but to do some more studying under the title of post-graduation. So many hours of studying, so many books, nevertheless, this is all so important because here we are talking about health of a human life, you can't be messing with it with YOUR lack of knowledge.
So, if you have it in you, you wanna give back to the world, to the society, to god, then definitely go for it. It's a huge commitment from your part, requires patients, requires strength, courage and it demands every little bit of you, not lying here. But if your soul gets satisfied when you help someone, when someone gives you blessings just because you were nice to them, then please do medicine, we need more people like you.
If you are only here to make money then there are plenty other fields you can choose where you can make as much as doctors and some more, that too with less studying and investment.
Being a doctor or a nurse is not a job, it's a service.
You'll have to undergo 5 to 7 years of under-graduation and as soon as you get your undergraduate degree on your hand, and you start thinking to yourself that now you are being called doctor, you'll be thrown into a room and a study desk where you have to study for the competitive exams not to end the studying part but to do some more studying under the title of post-graduation. So many hours of studying, so many books, nevertheless, this is all so important because here we are talking about health of a human life, you can't be messing with it with YOUR lack of knowledge.
So, if you have it in you, you wanna give back to the world, to the society, to god, then definitely go for it. It's a huge commitment from your part, requires patients, requires strength, courage and it demands every little bit of you, not lying here. But if your soul gets satisfied when you help someone, when someone gives you blessings just because you were nice to them, then please do medicine, we need more people like you.
If you are only here to make money then there are plenty other fields you can choose where you can make as much as doctors and some more, that too with less studying and investment.
Being a doctor or a nurse is not a job, it's a service.
Thank you so much, Gautami!
Madison
Sunil Patel
Pediatrician
18
Answers
Riverside, California
Updated
Sunil’s Answer
Hi Madison.
Being a doctor is a career with gratification and public work. As a doctor, you get to come across varied conditions, sometimes requiring tremendous amount of work and courage to tackle emergency situation’s, as well as very touching and emotional situations. But the profession teaches you how to stay calm and make right decisions in difficult situations with a broad mind.
It requires extensive years of study and training, approximately minimum of 12 years after high school. This includes 4 year of undergraduate college, four years of medical school, and three years of residency training normally. So as you can see, it requires a lot of dedication and sacrifice as compared to your colleagues in other fields. But it is worth it.
I hope this gives you some insight into doctors career and good luck.
Being a doctor is a career with gratification and public work. As a doctor, you get to come across varied conditions, sometimes requiring tremendous amount of work and courage to tackle emergency situation’s, as well as very touching and emotional situations. But the profession teaches you how to stay calm and make right decisions in difficult situations with a broad mind.
It requires extensive years of study and training, approximately minimum of 12 years after high school. This includes 4 year of undergraduate college, four years of medical school, and three years of residency training normally. So as you can see, it requires a lot of dedication and sacrifice as compared to your colleagues in other fields. But it is worth it.
I hope this gives you some insight into doctors career and good luck.
Thank you for the advice.
Madison