Both nursing and medicine are important in ensuring that people recover from illness and injury.
The duties of a nurse vary greatly, but it’s important to note that a nurse is not a doctor, yet a nurse needs to work closely with a doctor to ensure the best care for their patients.
Key Takeaways
- Nursing is a healthcare profession focusing on patient care and advocacy, while Medicine is the science of diagnosing, treating and preventing illnesses.
- Nurses work under the supervision of doctors, while Doctors are responsible for making medical decisions.
- Nurses are trained to provide holistic care, while doctors are trained to focus on the medical aspects of care.
Nursing vs Medicine
Nursing is a field of medical care specially trained to monitor, care and support sick or injured patients. A bachelor’s degree is necessary to become a nurse. Medicine is the field of healthcare that specializes in diagnosing and administering the correct treatment for a sick or injured patient. An MBBS or MD is necessary to practice medicine.
Health care professionals working in the medical field, specially trained to care for sick, disabled, or injured individuals, practice nursing.
They are responsible for monitoring the health of their patients, administering treatment, teaching and guiding patients and their families, and delivering health care services to patients and their families.
Medicine is a type of pharmaceutical drug that is used to cure patients with various diseases and conditions.
It is a general term that is used to describe any drug that is used for therapeutic purposes.
In this context, a person practicing medicine is a doctor or practitioner who is qualified to treat people with medicines.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Nursing | Medicine |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Nursing refers to the medical field that provides care and support to the patient. | Medicine refers to the medical field that is related to diagnosing and providing the correct medicine and treatment to the patient. |
| Degree | For becoming a nurse, a person has to pursue Bachelor’s Degree in nursing. | For becoming a medical practitioner, a person has to pursue MBBS or MBD, or MD. |
| Course Time | Usually, nursing courses range from 18 months to three years. | Usually, to practice medicine around 4-7 years is required to the least. |
| Duties | The duties of a nurse are to provide emotional and physical support to a person as prescribed by the doctor. | The duties of a medical practitioner are to diagnose and prescribe medicines to a patient. |
| Specializations | Usually, a nurse does not require any specializations. | Usually, doctors have to specialize in a certain aspect of medicinal treatment like heart, bones, skin, etc. |
| Annual Cost | Nursing costs less than medicine. | Medicine costs more than nursing. |
What is Nursing?
Nursing means that you are making sure that something is happening correctly. It is about providing care and making sure that someone is doing well.
A nurse is the one who helps people who are sick and injured feel better. If you are a nurse, you should take care of patients who are in the hospital, nursing home, or even their own home.
Nurses help their patients by taking care of them, making them take their medicine, and doing other things to help them feel better. Nursing is a very important job.
It is helpful to care for patients and give them the attention they need.
Nurses have varying specialties and must complete many years of training to practice. Usually, a person has to have at least a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing to practice as a nurse.
Or an Associate’s Degree in Nursing takes around three years.
They must have excellent physical and mental health and a lot of patience. Nurses work in hospitals, nursing homes, and other in-patient facilities.
As a nursing student, there are many options in your future, such as working in an emergency room, pediatrics, or hospice care.
What is Medicine?
Medicines are substances and products used to diagnose, treat, cure, and prevent disease.
Medicinal plants have been in use for thousands of years and are the world’s most important source of medicine.
They are available in many forms, including fresh, dried, and as a juice or extract.
It is important to keep in mind that medicine is one of the most regulated industries in the world.
This is done to ensure the quality of what is being sold and to avoid negative health effects on patients.
A doctor is a person who practices medicine. A doctor is called a physician in North America or a “medic” in colloquial speech.
A doctor who practices medicine is known as a medical practitioner in Commonwealth countries and a medical doctor (M.D.) or a physician in the United States.
A medical practitioner is someone qualified to practice medicine. They have been trained extensively to treat the issues that our bodies encounter in life.
They are trained in laboratories and the field by experienced medical practitioners. Usually, to become a medical practitioner, a person has to complete at least a Bachelor of Medicine Degree, which is of four years.
Main Differences Between Nursing and Medicine
- Nursing and medicine are highly competitive fields to get into. One major difference is that it is easier to be accepted into the nursing field than in the field of medicine.
- The nurse is the one who monitors the patient and their condition. The doctors are the ones who treat the patients and prescribe medicine.
- Nurses are also taught to be more empathetic towards the patient and are encouraged to develop a rapport while doctors, while still caring and compassionate, are trained to treat patients more efficiently and to have a more detached approach.
- While nurses learn about human anatomy and all methods of care, medical practitioners are also trained to have much more knowledge of human anatomy as well as medicines.
- While nursing focuses on patients’ social and emotional needs, medicine focuses on their physical needs.
References
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=A8O9AwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT13&dq=what+is+nursing&ots=ly-M5v2n0B&sig=goftLZyuNJOUNb2RuYXUbEU3shg
- https://pesquisa.bvsalud.org/portal/resource/pt/pah-42072
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S13536117
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
I think the article may need to go into more detail about the qualifications required to enter these respective fields. It would only be fair to provide readers with a more comprehensive understanding.
I appreciate the comprehensive comparison between nursing and medicine. It’s crucial for the public to be aware of the distinctions between the two as both are equally important. The article serves its purpose in informing the readers.
The article does a great job at outlining the differences between the two fields. I agree that it is easier to be accepted into the nursing field, not to mention a much shorter period to become fully qualified.
The article’s explanation about the differences between nursing and medicine seems a little too exaggerated and overly simplified. There are professionals in both fields with varying responsibilities that should be discussed further.
I’m a bit skeptical about the depth of the information provided in the article. I believe that there might be some underlying bias in the way it represents nurses and doctors, regardless if intentional or not.
I think the article does a great job of minimizing the doctor’s role in the respective fields. I’m of the opinion that both professions need to be treated with the same respect and acknowledgment. It’s not one’s job to play down the other.