To think studying something you enjoy is not 'wasting your brains'

[Clothrabbit]

A colleague has a daughter who will be leaving school next Summer. She is extremely bright and is expected to do very well in her A Levels.

She really wants to be a nurse and go on to train as a midwife. Her mother and some colleagues who were chatting about it this morning are tutting about the fact that she would have no problem getting into a good University to study Medicine or Pharmacy or Radiotherapy or Physiotherapy and it's a shame she's 'wasting her brains' doing nursing.

AIBU to think (apart from the fact that nursing is an important job that requires lots of intelligence) that doing something you enjoy and really want to do is not 'wasting your brains'.

But is this girl choosing nursing over medicine - or just choosing nursing, full stop? Did I choose marketing over account management, or just choose the kind of job I wanted?

Yes, it is annoying when people assume that every healthcare professional is only in that profession because they weren't academic enough to be a doctor.

How incredibly ignorant. Also incorrect.

Except that I am speaking from experience of being a nurse myself. I previously went to medical school (I dropped out because I had a baby and couldn't afford to continue). The academic requirements of a medical degree are far higher than a nursing degree. Yes, you can do additional study and take on an enhanced role - I'm doing that. But there's still no real comparison between the two in terms of intellectual challenge.

"So many people who could be doctors opt for nursing because there are more job opportunities?? Errr...yeah...right."

No, people who want to be doctors and are capable of it choose medicine, those who want to be department store managers and are capable of it choose that career, those who want to be sausage manufacturers and are capable of it do that. Nursing is not medicine for thickies. How many times do we have to tell you they are two different jobs. I am absolutely intelligent enough to be a doctor but I have zero interest in it whatsoever because I love nursing.

"I know 2 nurses who have retained and become doctors. I know no doctors who retrained to become nurses. If the 2 jobs are on a par, why would that be?"

It's not about them being on a par. They're not comparable because they are two different jobs. Sigh.

"I'd be proud if any of my kids had become nurses. Unless they could have become doctors, then I'd be supportive, but disappointed in their choice."

Then I'm very glad you're not one of my parents because you sound horrible. Are you a nurse or a doctor? If not, please stop commenting because you don't know what you're talking about.

I’m in my third year of university.

I was always exceptionally bright and went to work from a very large company in London straight from A-Levels.

Going back to uni I chose a creative subject I’ve always had a huge passion for. I loved it. 6 weeks in I was understumulated and bored silly- I was luckily able to swap to a much more academic and challenging subject.

I think that most people need to be challenged and stretched to achieve their potential and be happy - so yes I think this girl is wasting her brain a little. Although there’s nothing to say she won’t excel in her chosen field.

The attitude of her mum sucks though - being a nurse or midwife is a very respectable career choice

How demeaning and depressing to read that so many people see nursing as medicine for thickies

To get into med school you need 3 As at A level, including Biology & Chemistry and even then you may well not get a place.

To do a nursing degree, you need 2 A levels grade E or above, with one of them being a science or health related A level. Or a level 3 vocational diploma.

Those are the inconvenient facts.

I know doctors who would make excellent nurses and nurses who would make fabulous doctors.

Nursing is totally different from medicine and it depends what she's looking for long term

Both jobs are pretty thankless at times but job satisfaction is amazing.

It's not a waste to study nursing or midwifery. Being present and assisting a fellow human being into the world while also supporting the mother is one of the most amazing experiences ever.

Anyone who thinks it's an "easy option" though probably needs to look at the qualifications needed professionally and personally and reflect on that a bit. I have a degree in Public Health which wasn't a walk in the park.

I have never had any desire to study medicine. I've seen what it has done to some of my medic friends.

Yes most earn good money but the job has taken its toll on them too.

Those are the inconvenient facts

Those are irrelevant facts. They are two different jobs.

I’m a doctor. I wish I’d been a midwife!

They are completley different jobs. Ones not ‘better’ then the other. Both have the same starting basic wage (22k), both have opportunities to earn considerably more than this.

Good for her! Nursing/midwifery is a great career

Ah yes craft
You value nurses I see.

Trust me I've seen doctors make mistakes that risk lives except an experienced nurse has stepped in and stopped them.

But yeah....they are a tad thick in comparison.

What an idiot you are.

Craft My point, that you seem to delight in ignoring, is that people who want to work in health don't think to themselves 'I'm clever so I'll be a dr' or 'I'm thick so I'll be a nurse'. People who choose nursing do not do so because they're not clever enough to be a doctor. They choose it because nursing is the profession they want to do. Those nurses who are very academically intelligent have plenty of options to stretch and challenge them if they so wish.

Craft - getting 3 ‘As’ at A level doesn’t mean you are intelligent. At all.

It also doesn’t mean you will be a good doctor (or nurse!), you need a complex set of skills/attributes todo either. The a level requirements are simply to try and sift through the massive amount of applications the med school gets in a cheap and easy way

"So many people who could be doctors opt for nursing because there are more job opportunities?? Errr...yeah...right. "

Eh, no. It is more difficult to get into Medicine because there are fewer jobs available and fewer places available for training.

Hence fewer people train to be doctors than nurses. The ones who don't get into medicine do not then decide to become nurses, because they are totally different types of careers requiring different abilities, skill sets and interests.

Craft My point, that you seem to delight in ignoring, is that people who want to work in health don't think to themselves 'I'm clever so I'll be a dr' or 'I'm thick so I'll be a nurse'. People who choose nursing do not do so because they're not clever enough to be a doctor. They choose it because nursing is the profession they want to do. Those nurses who are very academically intelligent have plenty of options to stretch and challenge them if they so wish.

So why do so many women chose nursing, and men chose to be doctors. Social conditioning (children's nurses toy in the pink box, doctors toy in the blue box), or low expectations, of the young women and their parents.

Most parents would be gutted if their son, who could go to med school, chose nursing. I'm one of those awful parents (according to one poster) who would be just as gutted if it was my daughter making that choice.

Doctor here.
Let her do nursing, it's a much better career path than medicine these days, with better long term prospects. Specialist nurses earn good money with sociable hours when you get to that stage.

Then I'm very glad you're not one of my parents because you sound horrible

That's a pretty appalling comment from a nurse.

Lots of people here making sweeping statements about nursing (And medicine and other clinical professions) without really having a clue. Nursing historically has been a vocation but more recently has become an academic profession requiring top a-levels and degree on entry. Obviously we're still in a transitional phase as things move forward. I could've studied medicine but wouldn't have enjoyed it. I'm now a young but senior highly specialised nurse with a Masters. The profession is highly varied. I wouldn't want a nurse caring for my family who lacked intelligence and I'm sure any such nurses won't get far. I would want someone who knows their field and is dedicated to their profession and caring for patients whether they choose to stay at Staff Nurse level or want to progress further. Sounds like the subject of OP has thought about what she wants to do. Only time will tell if she is cut out for it.

"Most parents would be gutted if their son, who could go to med school, chose nursing."

So would you be gutted if your daughter, who could study accounting, wanted to study Arts? Or would you understand that they are two completely and totally different subjects?

Because it's the same with medicine and nursing. Two totally different careers.

It used to be said that nursing was a vocation.

My DH is a doctor and now wishes he’d done something else as it’s no longer the career it was. A friend of my DD got all A’s at A level and is now in her second year of her nursing degree. Yes she could have done medicine but she wanted to be a nurse.

Most parents would be gutted if their son, who could go to med school, chose nursing.

That's bullshit. Most parents are delighted with whatever career path their children choose so long as they're happy and fulfilled. I would have hated medicine. There is no way my parents would have been disappointed in me for choosing nursing, which I love and find rewarding, challenging and fulfilling, instead of medicine, which I'm fairly certain would not have made me happy.

My friend's son could have studied medicine, but he decided he wanted to be a Social Worker and trained for that instead.
My friend was happy he knew what he wanted to do and got into the relevant course.

My nephew is very very bright and I have no doubt he will get sufficient grades to study Medicine or Law. But he wants to do multi media because that is the area he is interested in and would like to pursue. Is my brother 'gutted'. No, of course he's not.

You have very strange ideas Craft and seem to value careers totally by the University entry requirement to study in the relevant field.

@Craft1905 what do you actually know about nursing? It sounds as though you are reinforcing the stereotype that nurses are hand maidens. I would want any child of mine to chose a profession/lifestyle that made them happy and would be proud if I had a son or daughter who was a nurse or doctor.

I think Craft think nurses potter about all day straightening sheets and emptying bed pans and shivering with fear when they hear Matron is doing her round.

Craft - there’s loads of male nurses. Loads.

The only reason nursing is consider ‘worse’ is because it’s a traditional female job. Same with teaching etc. Anything associated with femaleness is seen as ‘less’ by our patriarchal society. Doesn’t mean it IS less, it’s just as important, valuable and satisfying.

Give your head a shake. You are part of the patriachy.

Craft - there’s loads of male nurses. Loads.

How many of them had the grades and opportunity to go to med school, but chose nursing?