How Do I Convince My Family I Want to Be a Nurse, Not an MD?
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Question:
I want to be a registered nurse. I’ve wanted to be one for a few years now, since I was in the hospital for my appendix. My family is pushing for me to be a doctor, but that isn’t something I want to do. How can I convince them that a nurse can also be university educated and just because I want to be a nurse, doesn’t mean I’m not as smart?
Answer:
You ask a good question – and a very common one. Why do people become nurses instead of doctors? Believe it or not, it’s a simple answer: nurses do a different job from doctors and it’s the nursing work that nurses want to do, not the medical work.
A nursing education is very rigorous. Not every student in nursing school makes it through the program and not every nursing graduate makes it past the licensing exam, the NCLEX.
It could be that your family still holds the older view of nursing that implied nurses were doctors’ handmaidens. It is definitely not the case now, nor has it been for quite some time. But, some images die hard. Or they could be disappointed that you may not attend college. However, this isn’t true either.
Perhaps if you explain to your family the many professional options that a nurse has at his or her fingertips, if desired. Aside from attending college to obtain your RN, you could also go to university to get a:
- Bachelor’s in nursing (BSN): involves learning more about the nursing process, management and other clinical issues
- Master’s in nursing (MSN): goes even farther into nursing theories or management, depending on which track you follow. You may also choose to become a nurse practitioner at this level, which gives you more independence, seeing your own patients, depending on what specialty you have chosen.
- Doctorate in nursing (PhD), nurses with PhDs tend to go into research or become leaders in nursing.
Specialty certificates allow nurses to learn and grow in specific fields of nursing, without going for an actual degree. As you follow these programs, you can apply for certification in a specialty, making you a desirable hire.
Tags: bacherlors in nursing, BSN, doctorate in nursing, master's in nursing, MSN, NCLEX, nursing school, PhD in nursing, RN
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