This is a bad comparison. Nurses are equivalent to the IT helpdesk. Doctors are equivalent to the IT administrator or infrastructure engineer. So yes, we do need both positions, but frankly speaking, there is a greater need for skilled engineers in the United States to stop the drain of intellectual resources outside of the country than someone with an AS degree (or equivalent) who can draw blood... whoop dee doo.
I'd be a little concerned about the future of nursing with "Socialized Health Care" in the works. I'm sure there will be a lot of nursing jobs but I would think the demand will slow down a bit. Technology isn't going anywhere but the toughest thing about tech jobs is the need to constantly updating your knowledge, training, and education to keep up with the change in technology.
Nurses are vital to healthcare systems and doctors would be in big trouble without them. People will always need medical care regardless of what happens in the future.
There will always be a high demand for nurses and any job in the medical field. Sad to say but people will always be sick. In 2010 the demand is supposed to be higher.