I intended to post this to accompany a post in "OldPreMeds.org", but for some reason, the "post photo option" was disabled (probably because of the hotel computer I am using)http://www.oldpremeds.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?fid/29/tid/41608/pid/55723/post/55723/#55723
Having been a nurse, I have a special respect for those nurses trying to make the switch to medicine, in part because they make great physicians, but not for the reasons you might think. Nurses are NOT "junior physicians", the nursing skill set does not contribute to the "medical model", it transcends it!
Nursing was not particularly useful early in medical school (I had been out for a while so I knew better than to try to use what minutia I could remember for medical school preparation) other than I had at least HEARD of most maladies, drugs, clinical skills, physical assessments etc. There was even some scattered resentment from a few nurses.
That said, my nursing was more useful for me in the clerkships (3rd and 4th year of medical school) where you have a leg up in interacting with patients and families ("patient centered advocacy" and "healing touch"; things I consider to be foundations of nursing are NOT taught in medical school).
The REAL thrill, I am pleased to report that my nursing has been the MOST valuable for me RIGHT NOW, in residency. Because of my understanding and regard for nurses, they have taken to me like a "duck to water".
I am never nasty or short if I am called at night, I knew from my own experience that nurses do not wake you at 2 am unless they NEED YOU. I always thank them and add "if this does not work or you need something else do not hesitate to call back", it seems the upside is that I am EASY to contact and thus they do it much earlier in the natural course than if I was an ASS (they are not afraid to call with a "gut feeling" that Mr Jones is "not doing well" versus waiting until Mr Jones meets ALL the stated criteria for sepsis). The result is that we have a great rapport, they have my back in a big way (as I have theirs) and the patient care is excellent.
I often ask, "what would be the least disruptive way to order treatment X?" (a VA nurse suddenly wheeled on me back in August and stated, "I have been a nurse for 35 years and that was the first time a doctor EVER asked me that") or "Would you accompany me on rounds?", "I would like your impressions on XXX, is the family doing OK?" or "As far as X is concerned I the orders are written thus to allow you to use you best nursing judgment, just indicate in your nurses note what course you have taken"
I digress
My point is this, DO NOT depend much on the nursing at first, especially for the heavy science and purely academic stuff, but DO depend (and do not forget) on the nursing attitudes and skills for the long term, you DO have an advantage that may not always be evident at first.
Richard
