<p>This is a paragraph from this article that succinctly describes the difference between medicine and nursing.</p>
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Heres an example of nursing theory versus the medical model. Say you have a 65-year-old man who has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. The medical model knows that this means the left ventricle of his heart is weak and doesnt push blood forward into the body so that blood backs up into the lungs causing fluid to accumulate and producing difficulty breathing. If you give drugs to make the heart stronger or decrease the blood volume, the person gets better. The heart is the problem. </p>
<p>In nursing theory, the patient has congestive heart failure but the real problem is he cant breathe, cant climb stairs like he used to, doesnt have the stamina he used to have, etc. In other words, his normal functioning in life is disrupted. You have to give the drugs but you also have to address the social, psychological, and educational issues that arise whenever a person cant do what theyve always done. </p>
<p>The disease is the same, the focus of treatment is different. I will say the medical/nursing lines have blurred: a good nurse knows her medicine and a good doctor treats the whole person. You get the idea.
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<p>source:
Making</a> the choice between nursing and medicine</p>