Why the perception that Nursing < MD?

<p>It's me again. My D. dreams of Nursing, and is, as hundreds of CC members, brilliant, compassionate, and lives to serve others. She has no fear of the grungy aspects, and has an earnest concern to assist anyone, male/female, infant/elderly, with her head, hands and heart. She is a team player.
When she speaks of Nursing, she feels that she would like to go Direct-Entry, BSN, then work through to a DNP. 8-8.5 years. And, as you know with my previous responses, she loves USF.
Help me with some of the negative feedback i hear from others--you've guessed the canned responses from family/friends:
Response #1: "D. is too bright for Nursing--it would be like sending Cristiano Ronaldo to the LA Galaxy."
Response #2: "D. is brighter than 75% of the &*($#s I meet as MDs!"
Response #3: "USF is a safety school! How could D. want to settle for that?"
Please lend me your advice.. Thanks in advance.
Father of Fall 2013 College Freshman.</p>

<p>Why don’t you try saying this:
“My daughter just finished her freshman year of high school. Who knows how many times she may change her mind about what she wants to become and where she may want to attend school during the next 2-3 years? I think I’ll help her with her decision when we get closer to the time to make it and in the mean time just help her stay focused on getting the best possible grades so she has as many viable options as possible at that time.”</p>

<p>Almost everyone asked me why I want to be a nurse instead of a doctor…and I gave them an honest response: They are different professions, and I like the compassion and patient contact that nursing provides along with the opportunities for advancement and to work literally wherever you want. This is what the main point of my application essay was…and it usually shuts people up as well!</p>

<p>If USF is a safety, than your D will excel beyond all other students and graduate with high honors!</p>

<p>not to sound like Dorothy, but thank you aglages for your gift of patience. SingDance, i enjoy every one of your posts. elbeeen you’re very kind.<br>
as all of you can tell, this is a combination classic Nurse vs Doctor / heart vs others’ expectations (including overly invasive parent) thread.</p>

<p>Those questions stem from ignorance. Nursing is nothing like what doctors do. They are very different fields of study and the practicall application of each is also very different. So, feel free to ignore such ignorant questions. Treat them like you would any other rude question.</p>

<p>BTW, my daughter is studying nursing now and she’s heard all these questions too. She simply side steps them and refuses to be angered by such ignorance.</p>

<p>Bookreader, and everyone else, a sincere thank you.<br>
Thank you for looking beyond my helicoptering, and to the common dilemna many of you have faced.</p>

<p>I have posted in other places but I will restate here. Doctors plan care, nurses deliver it. That is the difference in a nutshell. Surgeons do the surgery but nurses guide and manuever the person back to health. Doctors see the patient for minutes, nurses are at the bedside for hours. It is all about what a person wants in the area of patient care. </p>

<p>The other big area is being a patient advocate. Nurses protect patient from physician actions that are not always in the patient’s benefit. I know someone who is a Labor and Delivery nurse. Doctors are always trying to move deliveries along by giving patients C-sections. The nurses have to keep standing up to the doctors to wait longer. Patients need nurses to speak in their behalf even when doctors try to pressure them otherwise.</p>

<p>Thank you Lakemom. This is a sincere and significant distinction.</p>