“Why would you ever want to be a nurse? Why wouldn’t you just become a doctor?”

This is every nurse’s favorite question. As a nursing student working her ass off to get a license, the implication that I’m pursing a useless career is frustrating. There is a widespread stigma surrounding this profession recently emphasized by Joy Behar on The View: nurses are the lower caste of the medical profession with frivolous responsibilities and minimal intelligence. In reality, nursing is its own independently functioning branch of healthcare. So why does this profession so frequently go without adequate appreciation? The societal representation of nursing must change. Nursing plays a crucial and unique role in the operations of a healthcare facility, and it deserves more recognition.

There are two approaches to take in addressing medical care: disease-centered and patient-centered. Doctors focus primarily on the former: assessing facts, diagnosing diseases, and treating conditions accordingly. This technical approach is universally familiar (and important!) in the process of healing. However, it drastically differs from an equally important patient-centered approach, a.k.a. the nursing process. This encompasses the personalized and holistic care of a person, rather than defining him or her as a medical condition. Nurses ensure your comfort and cleanliness, while simultaneously promoting your autonomy. They collaborate with doctors to individualize care plans based on your ethnicity, culture, and religion. They form genuine relationships with you and your family members. Nurses alleviate your concerns and constantly provide a reassuring, non-judgmental atmosphere. They advocate for your best interests, ensure you make informed and consensual decisions, and support you during your most vulnerable moments.

Nurses also operate behind the scenes; the profession is prevalent in research, management, and informatics of healthcare. Additionally, many nurses choose to pursue higher education. Nurse practitioners are similar to doctors in that they can diagnose conditions, prescribe medications, and order and interpret various tests. The amount of nurse practitioners and the legal scope of their practice have both radically increased throughout the years, further confirming nursing's prominence in its industry.

Nurses are not the people who couldn't get into medical school, and they do not serve as doctors' secretaries. Although I don't aim to trivialize the role of physicians, I do want to highlight significance of nursing as its own entity. As William Osler said, "The trained nurse has become one of the great blessings of humanity, taking a place beside the physician and the priest." Have more respect for those in the nursing profession, just as they respect you whenever you're under their care.