The first 4 years are basicaly worthless. I remember reading that the best doctors got their initial BS in engineering which has nothing to do with medicine. It simply shows they have a higher IQ than average and would have made superior doctors whether they got that engineering degree or not.

That leaves the only real difference (other than degree inflation) as being 3 years of residency, but most of the older generation of doctors effectively did the same thing entering into an existing practice or working in a hospital under an experienced physician.

If you climbed the ladder (like a lot of nurse practitioners do), the ADN+BSN took 5 years with 3-4 more years for the MSN or 4-5 years for the DNP.

Put another way, that nurse practitioner has MORE applicable years of schooling than a doctor who got some random degree with the handful of med prereqs then went to med school, internship, and residency. Lots of nurse practitioners also work in the field all the while they are in school which further increases their actual experience.

The real takeaway is that all these extra years, loans, and interest combined with fewer years to practice medicine translate into more expensive care without improving outcome.