Re:Doctors and Nurses Are Running on Empty
by dragontamer on Wednesday November 25, 2020 @01:11PM
(#25212253)
I come from a largely nursing-based family.
Yes, the choice of going into nursing is largely a strategic choice, much like other life-long decisions (going to high school, going to college, getting a house. going into nursing, etc. etc.). In fact, a huge part of the calculus is knowing that US Citizenship is offered to nurses at higher rates (due to the nursing shortage).
Ironically: being a doctor is not a strategic choice despite making more money. You need to sacrifice another 10-years of your life in school and additional training, and going into virtually any other field will result in more money in most situations. Especially if you become a general practitioner: the most needed doctor (but the one that is paid the least).
Run the numbers of 10-fewer years of 401k savings in your youngest years as a 20-year old... as you go through additional schooling + residency. There's not a lot of money to be had here.
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So you have a point: money, citizenship, and more are offered to nurses and doctors. Because the roles are important and a lot of people (fortunately) agree that the role is important.
But that's not really how nurses / doctors think on the day-to-day level. They usually are thinking "Patient X doesn't listen to me. X would be in a better situation if they did Y".
Doctors / nurses can easily make more money by selling unnecessary prescriptions / unnecessary surgery / etc. etc. That's just the position of trust that they're in. The fact that they usually DONT do that is due to a sense of duty and Hippocratic oath. Doctors / nurses, if placed in a "pragmatic capitalist" setting, aren't to be trusted actually. Its due to culture and soft-reasons (a sense of duty. A sense of morals, a sense of ethics) that they remain ethical.
Not all doctors/nurses are ethical. But the vast, vast majority of them are ethical. Seeing things in a "greedy pure capitalist" way in the profession is grossly frowned upon. Because most people don't really see doctors / nurses as an adversary offering health services. A doctor / nurse is someone who is there to help you when you need help.
Yes, the choice of going into nursing is largely a strategic choice, much like other life-long decisions (going to high school, going to college, getting a house. going into nursing, etc. etc.). In fact, a huge part of the calculus is knowing that US Citizenship is offered to nurses at higher rates (due to the nursing shortage).
Ironically: being a doctor is not a strategic choice despite making more money. You need to sacrifice another 10-years of your life in school and additional training, and going into virtually any other field will result in more money in most situations. Especially if you become a general practitioner: the most needed doctor (but the one that is paid the least).
Run the numbers of 10-fewer years of 401k savings in your youngest years as a 20-year old... as you go through additional schooling + residency. There's not a lot of money to be had here.
--------
So you have a point: money, citizenship, and more are offered to nurses and doctors. Because the roles are important and a lot of people (fortunately) agree that the role is important.
But that's not really how nurses / doctors think on the day-to-day level. They usually are thinking "Patient X doesn't listen to me. X would be in a better situation if they did Y".
Doctors / nurses can easily make more money by selling unnecessary prescriptions / unnecessary surgery / etc. etc. That's just the position of trust that they're in. The fact that they usually DONT do that is due to a sense of duty and Hippocratic oath. Doctors / nurses, if placed in a "pragmatic capitalist" setting, aren't to be trusted actually. Its due to culture and soft-reasons (a sense of duty. A sense of morals, a sense of ethics) that they remain ethical.
Not all doctors/nurses are ethical. But the vast, vast majority of them are ethical. Seeing things in a "greedy pure capitalist" way in the profession is grossly frowned upon. Because most people don't really see doctors / nurses as an adversary offering health services. A doctor / nurse is someone who is there to help you when you need help.