When choosing between nursing school vs. medical school, you should consider the differences in career pathway, curriculum, and licensure requirements. Compared to doctors, nurses spend more time building relationships with patients. They follow a holistic framework, focusing on providing patient care. Nurses can also enter the workforce faster than doctors.
If you have a keen interest in healthcare and want to work closely with patients, you might consider becoming a nurse or a doctor. When weighing whether to attend nursing school vs. medical school, you should closely examine what to expect from both options. Although nurses and doctors help patients, the medical model vs. nursing model and their daily tasks differ.
If you decide that nursing school is the right option, Concordia University Texas is here to help you achieve your career goals. With our Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) track, you can graduate in as few as 16 months after completing any prerequisites.
Our ABSN track is designed for students with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree or at least 60 non-nursing college credits. With our rigorous nursing curriculum, you’ll graduate fully prepared to deliver exceptional patient care.
Before applying to our nursing school, you’ll want to examine the differences between medical school vs. nursing school more closely, including what students can expect and career pathways. You should also consider whether a nurse’s or a doctor’s typical daily responsibilities appeal to you more.
Do Nurses Go to Med School?
You would only go to med school if you wanted to become a doctor. To become a nurse, you'll need to earn a nursing degree instead. It is possible for a registered nurse (RN) to attend medical school if they decide to leave nursing and become a doctor.
What is nursing school like? Discover what to expect from the ABSN track.
Understanding the Difference: Nursing School vs. Medical School
While nursing and medical schools teach students how to help sick and injured patients recover, their approaches are different, as reflected in their curricula. Other differences between nursing school vs. medical school include the time needed to graduate and the licensing requirements.
Focus and Curriculum
Doctors and nurses care for patients, but in different ways. This difference is reflected in the curricula for the different schools. Medical school emphasizes the disease process. Future doctors study the intricate details of how the body and its various systems and components work, such as how cells take in glucose and how blood is returned to the heart.
In contrast, nursing school emphasizes patient care from a holistic framework. Nurses spend more time with patients and consider all aspects of their care, such as support at home, health literacy skills, and medication management abilities. While future nurses also study medical science, they focus on the practical implementation of theory.
Another difference in curricula between the medical model vs. nursing model is that medical school curricula are generally divided by bodily system and science. In contrast, nursing school curricula are often sorted by work environment, such as pediatrics, care of the adult, etc.
Length of Time Before Entering the Workforce
Future doctors can expect a lengthy wait before they can enter the workforce. After earning a bachelor’s degree, which typically takes four years, they must then complete four years of medical school. Then, they need to navigate three to seven years of residency training.
In contrast, although nurses are highly trained healthcare providers, they can enter the workforce much sooner. A traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) track takes four years.
If you have a non-nursing bachelor’s degree or at least 60 college credits, you may be eligible to apply to Concordia Texas’s ABSN track. This accelerated approach allows you to graduate in as few as 16 months after completing the prerequisites. It’s quality nursing education, accelerated.
Clinical Rotations
Both medical school and nursing school have clinical rotations. However, nursing students typically begin clinical rotations much sooner. In an ABSN track, students may start their first clinical rotation in their first semester. In medical school, future doctors might not gain any practical experience until their third year.
Licensure Requirements
The licensure requirements are another important consideration when comparing medical school vs. nursing school. As a future nurse, you’ll need to pass the NCLEX-RN exam. You’ll answer questions on everything from patient safety to post-op patient care and more. You can expect to tackle numerous case studies for which you’ll need to apply the nursing process to determine the most appropriate clinical response.
Future physicians and surgeons must pass the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). This test isn’t taken all at once; it’s administered in three stages throughout a student’s medical education. The test covers everything from bodily systems to development and beyond, focusing on the disease process rather than the patient care process.
Nurse vs. Doctor: Roles, Responsibilities, and Career Outlooks
In addition to considering the differences in academic approaches, weigh the different roles and responsibilities of a nurse vs. doctor to determine the right career path for you.
A Nurse’s Role and Responsibilities
Nurses play a critical role in patient care. They typically spend the most time with patients, enabling them to rapidly identify potential problems and address them.
A nurse may do any of the following:
- Assess patients and document their information
- Administer medications and other treatments
- Develop and contribute to care plans
- Deliver patient and family caregiver education
- Serve as a patient advocate
Specific duties vary by nursing specialty. For example, medical-surgical nurses often care for post-op patients and perform wound care more often than oncology nurses, who focus on treating cancer patients.
RN vs. NP: Which nursing career is right for you?
Nursing Career Outlook
The career outlook for nurses is far more favorable than for physicians. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the job growth rate for all types of RNs is expected to be 6% from 2023 through 2033, higher than the national average for all occupations. This indicates that healthcare employers expect to hire about 197,200 new nurses during this time.
A Doctor’s Role and Responsibilities
Like nurses, a doctor’s specific responsibilities vary according to their specialty. An emergency room surgeon, for example, may perform appendectomies, while a podiatrist will treat bunions.
In general, a doctor may do any of the following:
- Review patients’ medical information and ask them further questions about their health
- Order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests
- Prescribe medications and other treatments
- Answer patient questions
- Refer patients to specialists
Career Outlook for Physicians
The job growth rate for physicians and surgeons isn’t as strong as for nurses. According to the BLS, the job growth rate is expected to be 4% from 2023 through 2033, the same as the national average for all occupations. This indicates a need for 34,500 new physicians and surgeons during this period.
Choosing the Right Path: Medical School vs. Nursing School
Which path is right for you? It’s important to weigh all the factors involved, such as:
- Your career goals
- How quickly you want to enter the workforce
- Your financial resources
- Importance of work-life balance
Keep in mind that medical students tend to accrue much more student loan debt than nursing students. In addition, nurses often enjoy a better work-life balance, particularly since some doctors must remain on call even when they aren’t at work.
Ready to Begin Nursing School in Texas?
When you’re ready to heed the call to become a nurse, you can build a foundation for success at Concordia University Texas. Our ABSN track offers a hybrid learning approach for greater convenience, along with exceptional student support via our Academic Success Coaches and dedicated nursing instructors.
Accelerate your pathway toward a career in nursing. Contact an admissions counselor today to learn about the next steps.