Schliesman 1

Baeli Schliesman

Mr. Rudebusch

Composition IV

7 January 2019

Do Nurses Deserve The Same Recognition as Doctors?

Often times, when you hear someone talking about a situation that happened to them in a

healthcare setting, you will hear them talk about how their doctor did everything for them. It is

very rare that you will hear someone say that their nurse did everything for them while they were

in the hospital, just because people believe that nurses don’t do as much as doctors do and for

this reason they don’t deserve the same amount of recognition. While doctors have received

more educational training, nurses have received more hands on patient care training. Although,

doctors may do many things to aid in patient care, nurses do just as much if not more than

doctors. Therefore, nurses should receive the same amount of recognition as doctors do.

Nurses do a majority of the work with patients. According to Nursing Degree Guide,

“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.” Nursing

Degree Guide also stated that, ​“When someone needs care, chances are they see a nurse first. If

something is starting to go wrong, it’s a nurse who’s going to notice. They can notify the doctor

and are often the first responder in an emergency. They are also vital for many—more

mundane—aspects of patient care, carrying out doctor’s order, administering medications, and

tending to patient comfort.” When you are put into a patient-care setting, a nurse is most likely to

tend to everything that you need. Even just walking through a patient-care setting, you will see

more nurses in patient rooms than you will see doctors.

 Schliesman 2

Nurses have a wider range of patient care training, where doctors have a wider range of

classroom training. ​While I was shadowing in the Prairie Lakes Emergency Room, when I had a

question about something that I experienced I would ask one of the nurses that was on duty and

they always seemed to have a very detailed answer for me. On occasion while I was shadowing I

would ask the doctor that was on duty and he/she was able to give me an answer but it wasn’t as

detailed as the nurses answer. There was a couple times where the doctor had told me that one of

the nurses would be able to better answer the question I was asking. Although, when I had a

question about the more educational part of my shadowing, such as the scientific names of a

patient's condition, the doctor that was on duty was able to give a better explanation than the

nurses were. Also while I was looking into the field that I wanted to continue to study in, I

noticed that in nursing, you were doing more hands on training with patients, whereas, in

becoming a doctor, there was more time spent in a classroom than doing hands on training. This

showed that when it comes to patient care the nurses are the ones in a healthcare setting that deal

more with patient care, whereas, doctors are the one who know more of the educational portion.

Nurses get more rest than doctors which allows them to the best patient care that they

can. While I was shadowing at the Prairie Lakes Emergency Room, one of the questions that I

asked both the doctors on duty and the nurses was how long each of their shifts lasted and how

many breaks they were able to have during those shifts. When I asked the one of the nurses, she

told me that they worked in 8 hour shifts and during those 8 hour shifts they got one 30 minute

break. She told me that most of the nurses used this break as their time to eat breakfast, lunch, or

dinner. When I asked the doctor on duty, he told me that the doctors in the hospital worked in 24

hour shifts and that they only got one 30 minute break. During each shift there is a maximum of
 Schliesman 3

4 nurses on duty at a time which allows the nurses to spread the patients evenly between them,

whereas, there is only one doctor on duty during each shift. Thus, showing that nurses are able to

take more time in between patients, where as, doctors have to see every patient and don’t get a

break in between.

Nurses spend more time with patients. According to the University of New Mexico,

“​nurses spend much of their time at the bedside — much more than physicians and other

leaders”. When I did my shadowing, I noticed that whenever a patient needed something it was

always the nurse who was the one to get it for them. Even when the patients were brought in and

being checked, it was the nurses who did all of it. When tests needed to be ran, it was the nurses

who went in and explained to the patients what they were doing and why they needed to do it.

While I was shadowing I noticed that with each patient that we saw in the ER, the doctor had

only gone into the room once or twice, whereas the nurses were in and out of the rooms. Thus

showing that, nurses are going to be the ones to most likely get everything that a patient would

need. This evidence also shows to me that since a nurse is always in and out of a patient's room,

it would be the nurse that would realize if something were to change that might affect the way

that they treat that patient.

Nurses have a higher sense of compassion. According to Debra Wood, “​Compassion

provides a sense to patients that their condition and concerns are being heard and acted upon,”

Wood also stated that, “Nurses that utilize compassionate behaviors can help foster feelings in

the patient that both the nurse and patient are working toward the best possible outcome for the

patient,” This paragraph falls into line with the previous paragraph. It goes along with it because

the evidence provided shows that the more time that patients spend with the nurses, the more
 Schliesman 4

they feel like they can rely on them to make sure they are well taken care of and that every need

that they need while in their care will be met. The last piece of evidence that is provided is

ultimately saying that the closer that a nurse and patient feel, the easier that it will be to get to the

root of why the patient is with the nurse.

Nurses stay with patients until the patient is discharged or transferred. According to

Nursing Degree Guide, “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.” While I

was shadowing, I noticed that when a patient was to go to get an X-Ray or some other type of

test, it was always the nurse who went into the room and informed the patient of what they were

going to do. I also noticed that from the second a patient came into the ER, there was a nurse

assigned to that patient and that nurse stayed with that patient until they left the hospital. This

piece of evidence provides insight that no matter where a patient may be, as long as they stay in

the same healthcare facility, the nurse will continue to follow the progress of that particular

patient until they leave that facility.

Nurses often act as a interpreter for a doctor. According to Lynda Lampert, “Nurses are

honest. When a prognosis is poor, nurses are the ones who are there to tell the truth to patients

and family.” Lampert also stated that, “doctors don’t really understand how to communicate with

a patient. They spout medical terminology, and that doesn’t get through to the patient. This is

why it is so important for a nurse to be present when a doctor speaks to a patient. They will

usually turn to the nurse to understand what was just said, and sometimes that interpretation
 Schliesman 5

requires hard truths.” The evidence provided in this paragraph goes along with how patients feel

more secure when a nurse is around. Nurses act as a mediator between patients, patients family

and friends, and doctors. Nurses are there to explain what the doctor had come in and told the

patient in a way that a patient is able to understand. For example, when I was shadowing we had

a patient who was diagnosed with Necrotising Fasciitis (flesh-eating disorder) and the nurse that

was assigned to that patients’ case went in with the doctor to give the news. Once the doctor was

done informing the patient of what the lab technicians found, the nurse stayed behind to explain

to the patient what was happening in an easier way for the patient and their family to understand.

The nurse also stayed back to have a short meeting with the family to decide how they wanted to

proceed after finding out the diagnosis.

Contrary to what many people may believe, nurses deserve the same amount of

recognition that doctors do. Nurses deserve the same amount of recognition that doctors do

because they do a majority of the work, spend more time with patients, and they stay with their

patients until the patient gets discharged and/or transferred. They also have a wider range of

patient care training, whereas doctors have more educational training and nurses get more rest

throughout the working day and even after work than doctors do. While having a doctor around

makes patients feel like they are getting the care they deserve, they feel better cared for and even

safer in their healthcare setting when a nurse is around too. Nurses deserve to have the same

amount of recognition as doctors do because they do just as much if not more for a patient.

 
 Schliesman 6

Works Cited

Lampert, Linda. “Why Are Nurses So Trusted?”

​Ausmed.com. ​25 July 2016, https://www.ausmed.com/articles/why-are-nurses-so-trusted/

Nursing Degree Guide. “The Difference Between a Nurse and a Doctor.”

nursingdegreeguide.org​.http://www.nursingdegreeguide.org/articles/general/the_differen

es_between_a_nurse_and_a_doctor/

University of New Mexico. “​Nurses Are the Future of Healthcare”

rnbsnonline.unm.edu.​ 14 October 2016,

https://rnbsnonline.unm.edu/articles/nurses-are-the-future-of-healthcare.aspx

Wood, Debra. “​Nurses’ Compassionate Care Affects Patient Outcomes”

travelnursing.com.​2016,https://www.travelnursing.com/news/nurse-news/nurses-compas

ionate-care-affects-patient-outcomes/