It is going to be tough to have a rational transatlantic discussion of this issue, since the medical systems in the US and UK are so radically different. In the US, we have registered nurses and vocational nurses (licensed practical nurses). Vocational nurses usually have two years of training past high school, and generally complete an Associate of Arts degree in the process. There is a two-year registered nursing program, in California and some other states, but almost a year of prerequisite courses are required. And 2-year RNs find themselves restricted after graduation, and are usually not allowed to serve in management positions without a four-year degree. And many registered nurses have master's degrees or doctorates, or other advanced certifications like nurse-midwife or nurse-practitioner.
If you're in the hospital in the United States, it's most likely that it will be a nurse who heals you - you'll be lucky to see a doctor for more than a few minutes a day.

I don't know what the situation is in the UK and Europe. I get the impression that both doctors and nurses have had a lower level of education. US physicians finish high school at age 18, and then attend a four-year undergraduate degree program before entering a four-year medical school. After completing a doctorate, there is a one-year internship and then "residency" for two or more years of specialty training.

And then they get fantastic salaries so they can pay off their student loans and liability insurance (and BMW payments). US Nurses get pretty good salaries, too - but it's hard to get wealthy on a nurse's salary.

There are non-degree nursing assistants and medical assistants in the US system, but there is debate about how much they should be used. Handling bed baths and bed pans may seem like good work for a nursing assistant, but bed baths and bed pans provide an excellent opportunity for assessment of a patient's health and potential problems.

-Joe, who supported an ex-wife through nursing school and is now married to a chiropractor-