Health Care Professionals Group

In your health experience would you say Nurses are typically better at their jobs than the doctor?

I always get better diagnosises, the Nurses guess correctly before the test come in. I had to push the doctor due screen for Lyme's but the nurse had diagnosed it months earlier just based on the symptoms. In the meantime I had a series of X-rays and scans and had my wisdom teeth removed because of Lock Jaw. I also think they have better bedside manner, and seem to have a better handle on multiple traumas and emergencies.

Public Comments

1. I feel the same way. In my experience I feel that doctors usually want to push me out of their office and just give me a bunch of tests. The nurses are usually more caring and empathetic- they talk to me and really seem to care about what's going on. A few years ago I got really sick and had to spend the night at the hospital- there were two really nice nurses who kept checking in on me and would sit and talk to me- it really made me feel a lot better. I think doctors are great, but I think nurses deserve more credit for all the hard work they do!
2. In my experiences, I've found nurses do most of the work in the diagnosing and care giving of patients. The doctors in attendance, are referred to for their expertise in decision making.
3. Doctors and Nurses have different jobs. Nurses are responsible for the day to day hands on care of the patient (for example, starting and stopping IVs, dispensing medicines, checking vitals signs, etc). However, Doctors are responsible for directing the care of the patient (for example, ordering and interpreting tests, prescribing medicines, major procedures, etc). Therefore, you are apt to see Nurses more often and thus they seem like they "care" more. A nurse may be taking care of 2-5 patients in a hospital whereas the doctor may be responsible for 10-30 patients. Yes, nurses can be good a diagnosing conditions and following their "gut reactions" based on experience. But, there are bad nurses just like there are bad doctors. So, to answer the questions, I would not say they are better because their jobs are different. There are good and bad nurses and good and bad doctors.
4. In my experience (which I'll admit isn't much), nurses have been much nicer and better at their jobs than doctors. It seems like they actually care about the patient and want to help them deal with their pain, worries, etc. Doctors, on the other hand, usually just want to treat everyone like specimens and not people. They're also less willing to accept new ideas and act like nothing is wrong if you don't show the exact symptoms their medical book says you should.