RN Nurse vs. MD/Physician?

Volunteer at the hospital - do that for a few hours, once a week - in order to get into medical school in the US you'll need to do that anyhow... While there, you'll get plenty of chances to ask people these things in person. Yes, it will help you decide. I volunteer with plenty of pre-med students, and a lot of them decide on other paths.

The best way to see what career would better suit you is to volunteer in a hospital. You will be able to see the different roles that a doctor and nurse plays in health care and be able to see the many other careers available in the hospital as well (respiratory therapist, OR tech, etc). In general, if you like being the decision maker, determining the course of treatment for the patient, being a problem solver (figuring out a diagnosis) then go down the physician route. In the ER, a physician would review the patient's chart, exam them, determine their course of treatment and meds. They may also put on casts, do sutures or help run a code. On a general floor, the physician would check up on the patient daily, review their chart and labs to determine what meds need to be given or adjusted, etc. If you like to spend more time with the patient, carrying out their specific medical needs, be a nurse. They would be responsible for giving meds, giving iv's, adjusting the meds doses, carrying for any daily needs the patient has. They will likely see the patient more than the physician because they are a little more hands on and they are on the floor with the patient all the time. It is really a matter of what suits you best personally. Yes you will have a larger salary as a physician, but you spend an additional 4 years in school (and 3+ years in residency) and come out with about $200,000 in debt. I highly, highly recommend volunteering in a hospital. Make sure you can volunteer on different floors (peds, ER, ICU, labor and delivery), as each floor is a little different so the roles of the healthcare providers are a little different.

Volunteer at the hospital - do that for a few hours, once a week - in order to get into medical school in the US you'll need to do that anyhow... While there, you'll get plenty of chances to ask people these things in person. Yes, it will help you decide. I volunteer with plenty of pre-med students, and a lot of them decide on other paths.

Depends on where you want to work. In my area, some of the larger, research type hospitals are only hiring BSNs and they are strongly encouraging their associates and diploma nurses to get their BSN. So, the salary difference is easy to see. Otherwise, there is little difference in the beginning. One major difference is that a BSN can move onto advanced practice (Nurse practitioner, nurse educator, anesthesia) with relative ease as they are already bachelors prepared. A BSN is a wise investment