To choose nursing over medicine?

[nurseormedicine]

I'm really conflicted. I have a degree and master's in Biology (first class and distinction). I've been working in pharmaceutical sales but haven't enjoyed it, and want a patient-facing role in the NHS. I've always had medicine at the back of my mind since I was at school, but never seriously considered it as I thought I wasn't clever enough and outgoing enough.

I've applied for a nursing degree and I have some interviews lined up. I like the idea of being a nurse and the routine and consistency of it, being able to specialise in a particular area and having better work-life balance both during training and after qualifying compared with medicine.

However, I'm wondering if I'll regret doing nursing instead of trying for medicine. I think I would find medicine more intellectually-stimulating as I love the problem solving aspect of it, and really enjoyed studying pathology and physiology at university. However, it's so competitive to get into and such a demanding degree, I've already had 4 years at university and I'm not sure if I can sustain the level of motivation and determination needed to study medicine. That said, I do find it very interesting.

I'm also not convinced I'd get a place to study graduate-entry medicine. It's so competitive.

I've considered Physicians Associate but I can't afford the fees as the NHS don't fund it and there's no access to student finance for me as I have already taken out a student loan and master's loan.

I did post about this before and received some really helpful advice, but just wanted to get some more opinions now that I've applied to nursing and got interviews. I feel so stressed out and unsure with what path to go down.

Doctor here. It’s tough at the moment but I hope with strikes we can push for improvements in pay, conditions and morale.

How old are you? What are your circumstances like? I know lots of doctors who did medicine as a graduate. Don’t write it off or assume you’re not smart enough.

Physician associate is an option but if you do that you’ll never have the progression to registrar or consultant. You’ll watch junior doctors progress quickly above you whilst you stay fairly static in terms of pay/responsibility for decades. However you won’t have the stress of rotational training, professional exams etc and less responsibility. No moving across the country for a job, get more flexibility over where you work. Less stress. I expect they’ll be able to prescribe soon but they’ve been saying that for over a decade!

You could also become a nurse and after a few years train as an ACP.

Nurses work less hours than doctors but I think they work far more antisocial hours than doctors do, constant shift work. Physically demanding job, increasing stresses, they have so much paperwork to do on top of patient care. Hopefully some nurses can come advise soon.

Also you don’t need to be outgoing! Doctors come in all shapes and sizes. Plenty of space for the quiet and the loud ones.

I’m a nurse and my BIL is a doctor. I think the training to become a doctor is much more demanding. From experience- junior doctors also work ridiculous hours and are under a lot of pressure. If you have a young family or similar commitments then it would probably be very hard going. Nursing can also be quite stressful- it can be a lot of work when on placement if balancing a part time job or a family. I’m part time now and enjoy the flexibility I have.

I’m a nurse. To me there are big differences between medicine and nursing although some overlap in skills. We’re like 2 sides of the same coin.
definition if nursing is to nurture- which is what we do to get people better(hopefully). As mentioned above there is a lot of paperwork and communication is key. We tend to have closer relationships with patients and relatives.

with what you say though I wonder if you’d be better suited to physio? Regular hours, lots of opportunity to progress and specialise. Quite a few training opportunities at the moment. We are more short of physios than drs or nurses. It definitely seems like it given its so hard to recruit them.

I am in the US and now retired at 73. I was a nurse and built my career on that base. When I started nursing there were almost no APRN - advanced practice registered nurses. I graduated in the mid 70's. In the US having this degree and education means you have the same ability to diagnose and prescribe meds and tests as an licensed physician. That level of nursing did not open up until I had practiced for nearly 20 years. But I advanced my career by using my masters and PhD degrees to educate both the public and in healthcare admin. I retired after being a professor for more years than I care to count. You have more choices than I did. When I left secondary ed - women could be secretaries, nurses, or teachers.

Choose something that will fit the lifestyle you want to live.

I'm a nurse. I qualified in the last five years so the degree is pretty much the same these days my students tell me.

There is no work life balance whilst studying. Ok it's only for three years. But you're on placement full time. Whilst studying.

And if im honest. And I've gone down the specialised route. I still have not work life balance! Im working on it though! I've dropped my hours and trying to get a better shift pattern.

Doctors do work longer hours though!

I'm a paediatric nurse. Qualified 18 years ago. It's the fat job ever and loads of ways to specialise if you want to. It's slightly less pressured than adult nursing. I think my work life balance is pretty good. I much prefer working shifts to regular office hours.

Nurse here. Nursing is a fantastic job with many opportunities. Having said that, I think from reading this and your other thread, you should apply to medical school. I think you will always regret it, if you don’t try. Good luck whatever you decide.

with what you say though I wonder if you’d be better suited to physio? Regular hours, lots of opportunity to progress and specialise. Quite a few training opportunities at the moment. We are more short of physios than drs or nurses. It definitely seems like it given its so hard to recruit them.

I was going to suggest this too. Everything you have said matches closer to a physio role than nursing, and your background seems to suit it too. And if the NHS doesn't work out, lots of opportunities in private practice.

My daughter had wanted to study medicine, but didn't like the workload or studying chemistry, so flipped to physio. She loves it... good work / life balance (her placements are 8 - 4 mon - Fri), she gets to problem solve, diagnose, treat etc. so has autonomy, but in a narrower field than medicine. She has no regrets.

Thank you all, your comments have been really helpful and it's great to hear from both doctors and nurses.

I do think if I became a nurse I'd always want to understand how the doctors reached their decisions, and after my shift I'd probably have my head buried in the scientific literature trying to read up on it all. I'm not sure if that would just make me an engaged and interested nurse, or whether I would grow to feel unfulfilled.

I'm in my late 20s, single with no children so I'm not tied down at all.

Have you considered midwifery? A midwife can practice independently and make all their own decisions on care when the pregnancy/ labour is progressing normally

So lots of scope for using your physiological skills. There are also many ways to progress and specialise if you are academic and ambitious.

From your posts I think you sound more suited to becoming a doctor. You seem much more interested in the medical/ scientific stuff and I agree with PP that say that nursing is as much about nuture and communication as anything else - something you haven't really indicated an interest in.

What about Physiotherapy?

It’s such a varied career and with your existing qualifications you could do an accelerated course and qualify in 2 years.

How about looking at the Master of Nursing programmes? I'm in Scotland, and these are 4 years, but you get the Masters level qualification, in the time it would normally take to do a BSc (Hons). As part of that, you get the Independent Prescribing qualification, and are prepared for routes into leadership roles, and research possibilities. So, a slightly more academic route, but coming out with the ability to prescribe (except controlled drugs.)

Or, there are some Unis which might have the possibility of the registrable award in 2 years, through Graduate Entry.

@nurseormedicine after my shift I'd probably have my head buried in the scientific literature trying to read up on it all

I don't mean to be cheeky, but by the end of your fourth day you probably won't have the energy to read the instructions on a ready meal, never mind Pubmed. Do you have any actual work experience on a hospital ward? There are lots of roles (AHP and others) that exist that you don't seem to have considered. Also if you're a rep are you used to quite a nice workplace or nice things? Working in a hospital is grim.

It's so hard to get a place at med school that it's hardly worth considering but if you'd regret not trying then why not look into it and come back to the nursing route in a year or two. You'll then be more settled knowing you couldn't get the med school place anyway.

Or wait a year or two and see how the new apprenticeships pan out? You could also consider that as a route from nursing across to medicine

Nurse here! I think it's the best job in the world. As a previous poster says, medicine is very different and even some of my favourite medical colleagues have different viewpoints on patient care.
Becoming a nurse would enable you to go onto be an ACP which would combine the two specialities (but would probably take longer)
I definitely wouldn't recommend becoming a Physician Associate - you're just an underpaid Doctor that can't prescribe and there's no guarantee that there will ever be any career progression.

Academically I think you’d be fine with graduate entry medicine. I have a similar background to you and the degree was challenging albeit completely doable. It’s obviously extremely competitive to get in - id say that’s the worst bit of the degree process overall.

However, medicine is a complete and utter slog and it only gets worse after the degree has finished. I know you are single without kids now, but is that likely to change/do you want that to change? Because I can tell you that being a new med reg with years of training still ahead of me, pushing the wrong side of 35 is absolutely exhausting, let alone without the addition of my DC. You would be even older than me by the time you qualify if you are late 20s now. I’m not saying don’t go for it, but if I had really, really grasped how the degree was actually the easy bit and everything that comes after is so much harder, I’m not sure I would have gone for it.

Could try Trainee Anaesthesia Associate?
Funded training places through trusts. Can apply straight from science background, although highly competitve. Anaesthetising adults under consultant supervision.
There are loads of alternative routes into healthcare.

I do think if I became a nurse I'd always want to understand how the doctors reached their decisions, and after my shift I'd probably have my head buried in the scientific literature trying to read up on it all. I'm not sure if that would just make me an engaged and interested nurse, or whether I would grow to feel unfulfilled.

@nurseormedicine a good nurse SHOULD understand why doctors made their decisions and be prepared to question/challenge if necessary.
OP I feel that you think nursing is very passive and almost subordinate to doctors, that we only do what the doctors want us to do.

There are lots of higher level nursing and other professional roles that you might be suited to.

I honestly think that the best course of action is for you to spend a year working as an HCA and get a really good feel for the environment. Make a decision then.

I also think you need to work in a hospital before you make any decisions.

But if you want a good work life balance, my ds is radiographer in radiotherapy - you specialise right from the beginning of the training. He has a great balance, and loves the job. And it may be coincidence but his department is pretty much the only one in the hospital that is adequately staffed. And the team are all happy - which is a rarity in the NHS these days!

I think you really want to be a doctor, hence you are second guessing the nursing courses instead of feeling excited.

I think you need to ask yourself if you would still want to be a doctor if the money and prestige were equal to nursing.

You need to be sure that the job itself is right for you, as it’s a job that will become a lifestyle and demand everything of you and more besides, so you really have to be passionate about it, I think, if you’re going to be in it for the long haul and not one of the ones that burn out and leave.

It doesn't sound as though nursing would fulfil or challenge you. Medicine is an interesting degree that you can do so much with. It's not inherently difficult, but there is a lot of work to do all at once. Post-grad rotations and exams are expensive and require personal sacrifice.
Not everyone wants to stay in a training program until consultant level so physician associate, with two years study, post qualification stability and salary is actually quite a good deal.
It does sound as though you yearn for the depth and decision-making that comes with medicine and being a doctor though, so why not go for it!

I know it’s competitive OP but I would urge you to consider this
https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/medicine/scotgem-mbchb/