"Charlie Morgan" wrote in message

Most Registered Nurses I know, (and I know quite a few), in an onboard
emergency, would concentrate on saving the life, and worry about
whether it was strictly legal later. They became nurses and remained
nurses because they are passionate about what they do.

Apparently you haven't known any who've worked a few years and have
experienced nurse burnout.


Most new doctors get their REAL training amd mentoring from Registered
Nurses. If your wife is an RN and works in a hospital setting, I'm
sure she can verify that for you.

Indeed she has. The brightest young physcians and medical students are
quick to ask nurses "what do I do now?"

Rob is correct that many MD's are
not as capable in emergency situations as many nurses. That doesn't
make them incompetent as Doctors. They just have different strengths
or areas of expertise.

Most physicians who've been in general (family) practice or internal
medicine for more than a few years are quite competent in emergent
situations, and far more capable of taking the measures necessary to save a
life than a nurse of similar years. As for ER physicians, there is no
comparison.

Some plumbers may also have carpentry skills,
and some anesthesiologists may have skills in orthopedics. Critical
care and emergency room nurses tend to be generalists,

The ICU and ER trend today is toward Clinical Nurse Specialists or Nurse
Practioners in such environments. They are highly-specialized and probably
as capable of saving lives as the physicians in their respective fields.
But first aid may not be their proverbial cup of tea, so to speak. They use
advanced techniques in their specialties and aren't really all that versed
in general concepts of first aid.

and are used to
making very quick and correct decisions on life and death matters
under pressure. They also get a lot of experience in a lot more areas
in a much shorter period of time than, say, a rheumatologist who has
been in private practice for 30 years.

They are with the patient for 8 or 12 hours shifts, but the rheumatologist
may see 50 to 70 patients per day, which broadens his scope of knowledge and
competence tremendously. While he may not see emergent patients, he was
exposed to first aid and emergency procedures during his medical education.
And he can give medications, start IVs, or perform a trache without waiting
for approval from afar.

Max