Our NHS is stretched, strained, underfunded and understaffed. But that's not to say the medical professionals keeping it going aren't doing an exceptional job. One thing that happens more often these days – whether down to cuts or not – is that you might see a nurse when you would historically expect to see a doctor . Doctors have taken on new jobs in recent yers. It means they've left some behind. Many have been picked up by nurses, The Conversation writes. Here are five examples of lots of things nurses do particularly well these days – thanks to evolutions in training, medicine, and general procedures and practices. Getting things out of children's ears A common occurrence, and one that doesn't require a doctor. A study comparing the two in such situations found that nurses have a more than 90 per cent success rate in removing misplaced objects from kids' ears. Senior doctors did the job in just 15.4 per cent of cases, junior doctors half that. Diagnosing illnesses Yes, a far more surprising one that helping get pieces of Lego out of small ears. But in a recent study, there was no statistically significant difference between doctors and nurses when it comes to diagnosing and prescribing treatment to the regular illnesses people encounter every day. Running clinics You probably see a nurse long before you see a doctor when you enter a clinic. Sometimes, doctors aren't even there. And when they're not, care quality doesn't fall, according to research. Obviously, you need a doctor for certain things – but the day to day running of a clinic, generally, whether providing palliative care or dealing directly with conditions, is no better achieved than by nursing staff. Prescribing drugs Surely this is a doctor's work? Well, these days, midwives, pharmacists, physiotherapists and nurses all prescribe drugs – a role, historically, that was always and only done by doctors. One fact sheet on nurses giving out medicine showed that nurses are quicker than doctors - and get good results. Endoscopy Yes, putting long tubes in mouths or more upsetting places. This is a primary example of something nurses would have never done in the past, but are qualified do to now. Source
