Nurses and Doctors

[Syzygy]

Has anyone noticed that in TNG, both Dr. Crusher and Nurse Ogawa are officers?

It occurs to me that the nurses really ought to only be enlisted personnel. Otherwise, you could have situation where a nurse outranks a physician.

Imagine a nurse who's a Lt. Commander, and a new LJG physician interacting in sick bay....

It doesn't seem to work.

[Founder]

Rank has always been an iffy thing. Like the fact that ensigns are part of the senior staff?

I don't think there is ever a point where a nurse outranked a CMO though. I'm pretty sure they're careful with that. Just my guess.

[Lord Borg]

Rank doesn't mean anything when it comes down to who is in charge. If a Lieutenant, Junior Grade is the CMO (Unlikely, due to the low rank and the time needed for field experience, but lets go with it) and a nurse is a Lieutenant Commander, the CMO is still in charge. Like Founder said, it's probably not often done that 'underlings' are ranked higher, but I would imagine it's been known to happen. In either case, aside from rank, a Doctor would be higher then a Nurse anyways (Ironically, in any hospital I've been in, the nurse did the work, but whatever) because of just that, one is the doctor, one isn't.

It's the same thing down to who is in charge as Captain and say...First Officer, while often people are ranked bellow Captain, there's been situations where a Commander or a Lieutenant Commander was the Commanding Officer, and despite the rank was in charge because of his (or her) position.

In short, Rank doesn't always have much to do with who is in charge, and who isn't in charge. Now, take the position of CMO away from that doctor, and you just might have a case.