Do you think that nurses are just assistants of doctors? why or why not?

The previous responders, including some nurses, in many ways do not understand the role of an RN versus the role of a physician. These are two professions which interact, and coordinate their actions to improve patient outcomes.

Physicians make medical decisions, and write medical orders.

Nurses make nursing decisions. These are decisions affecting the patient's environment, nutrition, emotional and physical well being which do not fall under the physician's orders. Nurses also provide medications and medically ordered treatments as prescribed by a physician. Nurses have the responsibility to evaluate those orders and question, clarify and validate or refuse those orders not in the best interest of the patient.

Physicians see patients, on average, less than 10 minutes a day, RNs manage and coordinate the provision of care the other 23 hours and 50 minutes.

Regarding Nurse Practitioners in the US. They, in the case of most state nurse practice acts, do not work under the supervision of a physician, but in collaboration with physicians. NPs are independently licensed and make diagnoses and prescibe treatments and order testing based on protocols, has been expanded in many cases to mean, the NP uses this group of books as the guide for making the decisions. They do not work on the direct orders of a physician. In many states they open separate and independent practices.

A pharmacist follows the precsription of a physician and provides medications to a patient based on the orders of a physician. Is a pharmacist an assistant to a doctor. Physical Therapists provide physical rehabilitation services based on a prescription from a physician, does that make them the assistant of a doctor?

In the case of most of the 3 million nurses in the US, they do not work for the physician, they work for the hospital or health care organization. The doctor admits his patients to the facility. In almost all cases the physician is not an employee of the facility. These people are working as separate entities providing services which complement and are often enmeshed. But they are not master and servant.

There was a time in the US and in most other countries, when the physicians were employees of the hospital, and the nurses were not educated in colleges and universites, but were trained at the bedside to assist the physician. Those days have not existed for many decades.

it depends. most of them aren't they help doctor with surgery and help patient become comfortable and all that. they do most of the stuff for doctor.

No. A good, experienced registered nurse knows more about what is going on than a brand new doctor.

Also, nurse practioners can write prescriptions in many states.

I prefer going to see a nurse practioner when I get sick.

Good question.

Absolutely not. They are the front line workers, they know more about the patients condition than the doctors do as they are the ones performing hands on care.
I think nurses are the secretaries of health care, if you really want to know what is going on you don't ask for the manager you ask for his secretary, ha, ha.

Absolutely not. Nurses are trained health care professionals who can assess patients well. If they go on for their grad ed, and become an APN, such as an NP they can provide treatment under a physician's supervision. Because nurses have a different orientation to health and illness and tend to spend more time with patients and frequently their families they have valuable insights into top patient care.
Also some specialized nurses, such as those that work the ICU regularly SAVE patients lives because when the patient codes, they are there and the doc needs to be called. You can't wait for him--you MOVE.

No not really because there are nurse practitioners that work under doctors but really very much on their own.

I think it depends on where you work. I am a nurse and i work in a nursing home. I am responsible for 30 patients who I have to give their medications to, make nurses notes, write orders, usually do dressing changes and I am also in charge of making sure that the nursing assistants so there job. I do call the doctor if I need anything. But I am responsible for assessing any problems and reporting them to the doctor. I do not really assist the doctor much unless he is seeing patients, other than that it is more like I am calling him for orders not assisting him. So I would have to say no, but I can only speak for nursing home nurses. I would say yes for nurses that work in doctors offices or at some kinda health clinics.

No, because the role of nurses today involves many duties once considered, 'doctors duties'.