Both doctors and nurses are obviously
important to the medical industry. One
provides opinions and diagnosis while
the other offers aid and physical
treatment. In short, they are both
complementary factors to what makes
a medical facility operate smoothly.
Thus, comparisons made between
nurses and doctors are to be made
carefully. To say that a nurse is at a
level lower than that of doctors is not
accurate as there are multiple positions
within the nursing vocation. It is the
same for doctors as well.

There are staff nurses, who are also
known as licensed practical nurses ,
registered nurses , administrative
nurses, head nurses and advanced
practice nurses , who are allowed to
make prescriptions like doctors.
Doctors who usually lead the pack when
it comes to a routine medical treatment
can also be differentiated to primary
care doctors (or general practitioners),
dentists, surgeons, and specialists of
various departments in healthcare.
In hospitals, nurses are the limbs while
doctors are the eyes and brains.

Neither
can work without the other’s presence.
Without doctors, the patient’s diagnosis
would not be delivered whereas without
nurses, the medical treatment and other
services would be put to a halt. Nurses
conduct every form of activity from
seemingly minor needs like changing
the bed sheets and fixing meals, to
drawing blood and handling medical
equipment and machinery.
Nevertheless, nurses are not authorized
to do any of these tasks without a
doctor’s approval.

They take the bigger
share of the tasks, whilst doctors take
the bigger portion of the responsibilities
and decision making. As for which job
is tougher to handle, the answer will
always be subjective. Interpreting a
patient’s results may be hard but
preparing the patient as well as the
machinery for testing and results can
never be proven to be an easier task.
Apart from that, doctors are limited to
their specialized field whereas nurses
are able to work across several wards
or units depending on their job
descriptions.

Doctors need to be
specialized in order to fully assess the
roots of an illness or a problem. For
nurses, their specialty is more task-
oriented and patient-oriented. Once a
doctor is convinced that a patient’s
condition is out of his specialty range,
he will refer the patient to a colleague
who has a better understanding of that
condition. The nurses, however, are to
inform the replacement doctor of the
patient’s condition and subsequently
follow up with the patient’s progress
until he/she leaves the hospital.
In addition, nurses enjoy a closer
relationship with their patients as
compared to doctors since they have
more direct contact with them. Doctors
also have a constant need to detach
themselves emotionally from a patient
so as to be able to continue with their
work.

As a result, patients will often
times identify better with nurses than
with doctors, usually showing their
preference by the form of the co-
operation they offer.
On top of that, doctors need to read a lot
and thus take a longer time to acquire
new and accurate knowledge whereas
nurses rely more on their experience to
provide the best treatment possible.

This is not to say that nurses do not
study and advance in terms of
education levels. Nurses in fact are able
to study for bachelor’s degrees ,
master’s degrees and doctorate degrees
in nursing.
Therefore, the more education a nurse
receives, the better the chances of
gaining better income levels. This
sometimes brings an overlap of
authority that becomes a source of
disputes between doctors and nurses.
Doctors generally have authority over
their patient’s conditions and treatment
and will then require the nurses to
implement certain procedures.

However, when priorities collide,
doctors may need to succumb to the
authority figures of Head Nurses or
Head Units since the latter group has
managerial control over a specific ward,
floor or unit. The same authority overlap
problem also occurs when new
practicing doctors first join a medical
facility. Experienced nurses tend to
question analysis given by the young
doctors since nurses’ knowledge is
based on actual past experiences, not
from theories. Nevertheless, in general,
the two share a mutual respect for each
other’s responsibilities.

One of the greatest differences between
nurses and doctors is salary. Nurses
have one of the most diverse salary
ranges since there are many different
levels within the nursing profession.
Staff nurses start off with an average
starting pay of $39,000 while registered
nurses usually earn an average of
$57,000 per year. Advanced practice
nurses are among a higher earning
group with nurse anesthetists earning
the highest—$157,000 per year.
General doctors earn an average of
$160,000 per year whilst physicians
that work in emergency rooms and in
surgery average a $240,000 yearly
income. Doctors with higher pays
usually get higher respect and a higher
societal status for being a walking
encyclopedia whereas nurses who go
about making life easier for the patients
may not get quite the amount of respect
they deserve. Of all the differences
between nurses and doctors, this
glaring disparity is one that has been
around for ages and will continue to be
a part of the medical profession for
years to come.


source http://www.nursingdegreeguide.org/articles/general/the_differences_between_a_nurse_and_a_doctor/

K

GOMD

lalasticlala, your submission is needed.

Issorite

wetin concern me with this one sef,assuming she talk salary for naira I go understand but dollars lol