Oh no, huh uh, not even a little bit.

What?!
I am watching some true crime show.  There is some "reporter" who is intermittently speaking about this nurse who was murdered.  One suspect was the doctor with whom the nurse was having an affair. The "reporter" says, "It was a bad idea for this doctor to have an affair with a nurse at the hospital where he worked, because she was his subordinate..."
What?!
What?! 
No.  I am NOT subordinate to a doctor.  We are teammates.  We have different scopes of practice, but I am NOT subordinate.
If he had a private practice and employed her in that office?  Then, yeah, but in the hospital?  No.  No. No. No. No.
That idea went out with metal freakin' bedpans.

There are many times when I cannot perform a certain function without a physician's order (administering narcotics, for example) but as an ED RN, I have a vast amount of autonomy that comes with a hefty dose of responsibility.  In many circumstances I will assess, initiate care and order labwork, radiology exams and even some medications sometimes hours before a physician is aware the patient is even there.

I have been trained and educated and mantain several certifications and constantly strive to improve my practice.  In the course of treatment a patient may spend a total of 5 minutes in the presence of a physician who may spend a minute and a half writing orders for that patient.  However, I will be the primary person that the patient sees throughout their care and I will be the one who notices changes in their condition and will act on those changes independently.  I will notify the physician of changes and will potentially receive new orders, but I am under NO obligation to follow those "orders" if they are not safe and reasonable for the care of my patient. 

I decide, based on my education and experience and the standards of care whether the "orders" I receive are appropriate and safe.  If they are, I will carry them out.  But let me tell you how many times I have had to just say no.  How many times I have had to say, "Are you SURE you want me to do that?"

Nurses are not mindless automatons waiting for physicians to tell us what to do.  And despite shows like House that would have you believe physicians carry out the total care of their patients.  In the words of that title character, "I don't use nurses."  No.  He doesn't.  Because that's fantasy land.  No physician in a hospital setting can accomplish the care of their patient without nurses. 

Consider this the next time you hear someone say that nurses are subordinate to doctors:

I can completely and effectively care for any patient without the aid/direction of a physician when it is necessary (and have).  But, show me one physician in any hospital setting who can give total care to any patient without the aid (and sometimes direction) of a nurse. 

/endrant