Lawyers vs Nurses - CheddarDen

For a quick second, think about the hardest yet most crucial jobs out there in the world. Nurses and lawyers are high up on that list. They’re the worker bees that keep the foundational components of our society functional and fully operational. Are you reading this because you want to know how the working conditions vary for these professionals? Well, keep reading to find out.

Lawyers and nurses are both well-paid professionals. On average, Lawyers get paid more and there are approximately 1.4 million in the U.S., while there are nearly 4 million Nurses nationwide alone. It takes a minimum of 7 years to become a General Practicing Lawyer and 3 for a Registered Nurse.

These professions commit their lifetime to their career and occasionally have to deal with people they don’t want to but hold their ethical Code above personal preference. Keep reading as we unpack the relationship between Lawyers and Nurses, right down to their Ethical Code.

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They Both Follow a Strict Code of Ethics

The Code of Ethics is a guiding principle for professionals to conduct their business honestly and fulfill their professional responsibilities without personal afflictions. For example, a nurse who works in the ER cannot refuse to tend to patients because they stabbed someone.

Similarly, lawyers who specify in the criminal justice field cannot refuse to represent the convicted due to the crimes they’ve committed. Lawyers and nurses both follow their Code of Ethics very seriously and are strikingly similar. They must respect that everyone has the right to access medical treatment and be represented in law.

For lawyers, their “Ethical Code” includes how they operate their business, practice their profession, and deal with their fellow lawyers. For nurses, their Code is to ensure the responsibilities are kept and are executed with consistent quality.

They’re Both Professional Representations of Society’s Backbone

The makeup of society is based on social responsibility, human rights obligations, economic development, and sustainable integrity. Nurses and Lawyers represent the hardworking members of the backbone of our society. They ensure that people receive the services they have the right to.

Both being exceptionally important professions, there are a lot of specializations for both. There are plenty of specialties between them. Healthcare is a diverse and intricate system that needs dedicated nurses to operate them and efficient lawyers to represent them.

There isn’t a specific amount of each specialization, but here are fifteen of the most common you’ll find:

Types of Lawyers

Types of Nurses

· Bankruptcy Lawyer

· Civil Litigation Lawyer

· Contract Lawyer

· Corporate Lawyer

· Criminal Lawyer

· Employment Lawyer

· Estate Planning Lawyer

· Family Lawyer

· Immigration Lawyer

· Intellectual Property Lawyer

· Malpractice Lawyer

· Personal Injury Lawyer

· Real Estate Lawyer

· Tax Lawyer

· Workers Compensation Lawyer

· Cardiac Nurse

· Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist [CRNA]

· Clinical Care Nurse Specialist

· ER Nurse

· Family Nurse Practitioner

· Geriatric Nurse

· Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)

· Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN)

· Mental Health

· Midwife Nurse

· Nurse Educator

· Oncology Nurse

· Pediatric Nurse

· Preoperative or Surgical Nurse

· Registered Nurse (RN)

A Popular Profession

There are thousands of people waiting to step up to the challenge of these two professions that come with pretty tough working conditions. It’s wonderful that people are willing to dedicate their entire careers to bettering the services that drive our society forward.

Nurses are the most popular profession within the Healthcare sector in the United States. They have seen a gradual growth in graduates in these fields. There are currently approximately 3.9 million Registered Nurses across the country alone.

On the other hand, there are hasn’t been an increase in the workspace for lawyers. There are approximately 1.4 million lawyers across the United States alone. The country with the most lawyers per 100 000 citizens and, considering population sizes, Israel.

Both Professions Have an Emotional Component

Both nurses and lawyers not only have to under rigorous studying just to qualify, but they also have to have developed emotional intelligence. This doesn’t just mean that they must be able to deal with their own emotions. Still, both these professionals need to manage their clients by providing comfort and offering resolve.

These professionals need to have powerful communication skills within their team and those they are providing their services. Emotional intelligence is something that develops through years of practice and recovering from mistakes, but how the lawyer or nurse engages with their clients makes or breaks their experience and cooperation.

To read up a bit on emotional intelligence and how to develop it in your daily life; check out these books:

Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
The Triple Focus: A New Approach to Education by Daniel Goleman and Peter Senge

They Tackle Similar Stereotypes

When you think of a lawyer or a nurse? What is the visual depiction you have? A tall, charming male lawyer and a nurse with a short dress? Even if it’s your depiction exactly, it is definitely a common stereotype. Many factors influence our perception of a certain profession or person, especially social media, and film.

This continuous effort to render these things and adjust our perception isn’t going unnoticed. Things are changing. Nurses are typically associated with being a female profession. Well, things are changing for the good in the United States. There has been a massive 9.3% increase of male registered nurses in the States since 1970.

The same applies to Lawyers! There has been a huge increase in practicing lawyers across all specialties; particularly, women are gradually selecting to study law. Women now represent nearly 38% of the legal profession in the United States.

Who Brings Home the Bigger Paycheck?

Many argue that Nurses ought to be paid more and that Lawyers are actually getting paid way more than they deserve. This is a back-and-forth argument that can only be resolved regarding the type of specialization and where these professionals are working.

There are some specializations of Nursing that earn a lot more than some Lawyers. The income range for Lawyers is far wider than for Nursers. Only a very small percentage of lawyers bring home over $100 000 a year, while plenty of attorneys earns $80 000 per annum.

For Nurses, their income bracket is less wide. The average Registered Nurse brings in an annual average wage of $72 000 a year. However, certain specialties bring home some serious cash. For example, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist in parts of the USA can earn up to $181,000 a year.

It’s Not Easy Becoming a Superhero

Suppose you’ve watched any TV program that includes Lawyers. In that case, you’ll see that they spend time in the court but also in the library, always researching. For Nurses, have you just seen them go? They know how to be your most compassionate friend while stitching up someone and making the Doctor a nice cup of the team at the same time.

Many people are born with the gift to multitask and work under pressure; some have that incredible persuasive ability by just a flip of a hair. These outstanding characteristics, if you’re one of the fortunate ones, can only get so far. The rest of the world studies and put in the graft.

What it Takes to Qualify in the United States

The best lawyers in the world didn’t get there just because they went to Stanford or Harvard University. Okay, it helps… but hard work gets you the extra miles.

To become a Lawyer in the United States takes a minimum of 7 years if you study full time. Acquiring an undergraduate and three years of law school isn’t enough to land you a job. Most jurisdictions and states require graduates to become accredited by the American Bar Association [ABA] by completing their Juris Doctorate.

To become an accredited nurse in the United States takes approximately 3 years. However, this is greatly dependent on which specialty the nurse focuses on. For example, becoming a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist takes an estimated 11 years to achieve due to the amount of critical care experience needed to qualify.

Does It Matter Where You Qualify?

It is notable that where you study law greatly determines the path ahead for young attorneys. This shouldn’t alarm those who haven’t been able to get into any prestigious schools like Harvard or Yale University. They will be relieved to know that after years of experience and hard work overall, they’ll become more credible and eventually valuable.

On the other hand, some schools have a significantly higher investment in providing their students with the full-house experience to become top-quality nurses. The same rule applies to Law students; your expertise and dedication to your work are far more essential in the long run than the places you graduated from.

3 Law Schools to Consider Studying Law in the United States

If you were considering studying law and would like to apply for the best schools in North America, you’re in pretty good luck. Law schools in the US are amongst the best in the world.

For instance, the number one ranked law school globally is Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which is also the oldest University in the States. If Harvard isn’t your thing, check out these universities:

Yale Law School at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut and is ranked 4th in the world.
Stanford Law School at Stanford University in Stanford, California which is ranked 5th in the world.
Columbia Law School at Columbia University in New York, New York, is currently ranked 7th in the world.

5 of the Best Nursing Institutions in the World

If you’re planning on studying Nursing at college and want the best education and opportunities, the United States has ensured elite institutions and opportunities nationwide. Here are some elite schools to consider:

Case Western Reserve University is a small private school held in high regard and is situated in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, has a highly accredited reputation, with Nurses having easy employability and decent salaries.
The largest institution on this list is Clemson University in South Carolina. It has a successful employability rate for its students.

What’s a Day Like in their Shoes?

One of the perks of this profession is that it is not monotonous in the slightest. Both Nurses and Lawyers have a string of responsibilities and duties to uphold during their incredibly long shifts.

Lawyers work between 40 – 60 hours a week and, depending on their specialty, spend most of their days in the courtroom. In law firms, there are plenty of meetings occurring. If that’s advisory or colleagues discussing cases and strategies. If there are no court proceedings or meetings, Lawyers spend their time researching and learning more about the law.

Since Nurses don’t work regular 9 – 5, their long shifts clock up 40 hours a week. They’re usually picking up from the last nurse’s responsibilities and goes through a set of routine work before dealing with new work and clients. Depending on the specialty, some Nurses prepare for the operating theatre while others tend to their patients.

Can Technology Advance Their Careers?

Even though most Lawyers spend most of their time behind books and screens to conduct thorough research to best represent their clients. We also know that due to the digital world we live in, the mobility and accessibility of lawyers have improved efficiency and quality work at a cost-efficient rate.

Accessing data for lawyers has never been so simple; think about it – if someone mentions some detail for a case, you wouldn’t have to scratch through boxes; you’d just type it in search. The amount of time and energy this saves lawyers is invaluable.

Technology has also made breakthrough advances for the medical sector and not just in terms of medical equipment. Still, electronic recordkeeping makes patient files a lot more accessible. New data analytical features can offer suggestions for patient care and so on.

Conclusion

Overall, it’s safe to say that Lawyers and Nurses share many professional stressors, and both require a lot of dedication to survive in such climates. They both have pretty important roles that the mere thought of their absence should give you a fright.

Even though they might have clients or patients they might not want to work with, they both have a very strict Code of Ethics to abide by, with absolutely no exception to the rule. This ensures that every human these professionals encounter is treated with the care and respect they have the right to.

Depending on the specializations, it takes a minimum of seven years to become a Lawyer, while it takes 3 to qualify as a nurse. On average, Lawyers tend to earn more than Nurses, but this is also hugely dependent on the specialization of these professionals.

For a profession that plays such an essential role in keeping the gears grinding in society, gender discrimination and stereotyping still lingers. There has been an increase in male registered nurses since the 1970s and a massive spike in females studying law over the last 15 years.

References:

AACN: Fact Sheets

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Lawyers

Brainscape: Does it matter which nursing school you attend?

Law Offices of Bailey and Yarmo: Inside Look: A Day in the Life of a Lawyer

Coaching for Change: Emotional Intelligence Provides an Edge

CCBE: The Attorneys’ Code of Ethics

Crimson Education: The Best 11 Law Schools in the World (2021)

ECPI University: Managing Emotions as a Nurse

FirstLight: 5 Ways Technology Is Changing the Legal Profession

Five Books: The best books on Emotional Intelligence

Gouldson Legal: 6 OF THE BIGGEST STEREOTYPES ABOUT LAWYERS