Doctors vs Nurses
In any workplace, different members of staff carry out different roles to achieve a specific goal. According to Rosenstock, health services are essential for the care and treatment of the communities they serve.3 Even though doctors and nurses play distinctive roles in ensuring good health in society, most patients in the hospitals may not be able to differentiate between a doctor and a nurse. Whites argues that it is essential to recognize the variations between doctors and nurses in the health centres to avoid being treated by a nurse instead of a physician.4 Although doctors and nurses complement for the smooth running of a health facility, they differ in terms of their relationship with patients, specialization, and salary earned.
Doctors and nurses share the same purpose of saving a life by treating patients to the best of their abilities. According to Cody, as the doctor treats the patient through medication, surgery, and other medical procedures, the nurse works hand in hand with the doctor by taking care of the sick.1 Also, both doctors and nurses have to keep updating their knowledge regularly to improve their medical skills. For instance, while doctors attend conferences and participate in research projects with other doctors to discover the causes of various diseases and how they can be treated, nurses collaborate through seminars and workshops to sharpen their medical nursing skills. Since both professionals are in the same line of work, they face similar challenges such as insufficient medical equipment which inconveniences both the doctor and the nurse.
Doctors and nurses have three key differences. Although they work together for long hours to treat the sick, nurses spend more time with the patients as compared to doctors. Nurses interact with patients frequently to check on their recovery status while the doctor visits the patients periodically to recommend the next step of treatment. Also, doctors are more specialized than nurses; hence they are limited to their specific field. When a patient’s condition gets out of a doctor’s specialty, a colleague with a better understanding takes over. At the same time, the same nurse continues to follow up with the same patient until he/she gets out of the hospital.2 Apart from that, doctors earn a higher salary compared to nurses. The disparity between the number of wages earned by a doctor and nurse is excellent whereby, the yearly income for doctors range from $160,000-$240,00 while those of nurses range from $39,000-$57,000.2
In conclusion, although the primary functions of doctors and nurses have close similarities, they vary in terms of how they relate with the sick, their areas of specifications, and their income levels. Both doctors and nurses handle patients for treatment and proper care, face similar challenges in their places of work, and update their skills by attending seminars and conferences. However, Nurses have closer and frequent contact with patients as opposed to doctors. Moreover, since doctors are more specialized than nurses and have complex tasks, they earn more salary than nurses. The distinction between a doctor and a nurse is fundamental. The health service department should create a clear boundary between the two professionals. The specific roles of each unit should be outlined.
References
- Cody R, Gysin S, Merlo C, Gemperli A, Essig S. Complexity as a factor for task allocation among general practitioners and nurse practitioners: a narrative review. BMC Family Practice. 2020 Dec;21(1):1-7. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-020-1089-2
- Nursing Degree Guide. The differences between a nurse and a doctor [Internet]. Nursing Degree Guide; 2020 [Cited 2020 Apr 8]. Available from: https://www.nursingdegreeguide.org/articles/general/the_differences_between_a_nurse_and_a_doctor/
- Rosenstock IM. Why people use health services. The Milbank Quarterly. 2005 Dec;83(4). Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2690262/
- White P. Doctors and nurses: Let’s celebrate the difference between doctors and nurses. BMJ: British Medical Journal. 2000 Sep 16;321(7262):698. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1118566/