If you could rewind and do it over again...

[NurseBanana]

For any of you ARNP's or higher-level nursing degree nurses out there: if you could do it over again, would you still stick with Nursing, or would you jump right into being a PA? People ask me all the time, "why a nurse? why not be a PA?" I realize the first thing they are thinking of is money. I have asked the opinion of different ARNP's and have gotten a mixed bag of answers: "No, because you have to work under a Dr. and also pay more to write scripts per year", "Yes, because you can start earning really good money a lot faster"....

Just wanted to know your opinions. I haven't decided whether I want to go the PA or ARNP route yet. I'm just getting started. But right now, one of those is my ultimate goal.

Happy New Year everyone!

[Spacklehead, MSN, NP]

Because honestly (speaking from my schooling experience), I feel that NP programs tend to teach the role with the mindset that the NP student already has a few years of clinical experience under their belt (hence the term "Advanced Practice Nurse"). An RN with a few years' experience has a very workable knowledge of patho, pharm; as well as good to excellent assessment/clinical skills. An NP program builds on those essential foundations - time is not spent going over basic patho/pharm/assessment concepts - those should already be well-developed if one has been a practicing RN. It's not a bad thing, and is in no way a knock against NP programs - but they are typically modeled for someone who has already been working in the RN role.

From what I've seen of PA curriculums and from friends who have gone through PA programs, they do get a more in-depth education in patho and perhaps pharm, as well as in assessment skills - because they may not have had it in their undergrad program and may not have been working in a healthcare field (remember, PA programs take applicants from various different backgrounds - they all aren't necessarily already nurses, medics, EMTs, etc.). They also spend more time in clinical rotations vs. NP programs (again, remember that NP programs were designed for those who have been RNs for a while who have years of clinical experience).

Now, if you asked me if an experienced RN should choose PA school over NP school - my answer would be completely different. An experienced RN would probably be wasting their time and money to choose the PA route; and some of the info learned would probably be redundant.

As for those new grads who claim they would work full-time as an RN while going to NP school so that they do have some experience prior to their clinical rotations, I wish them all the best. I think it would be very difficult (for me) to learn two new roles vs. being already knowledgeable in one and learning another.

I also want to make it clear that I'm not saying new grad RNs shouldn't become NPs right out of their undergrad program - I just know that from my personal professional experience, my years of being an RN have only helped me time and again as a NP. There are many things you will see as an RN that can't be taught from a text book - and believe me, things are rarely ever a "textbook" case.

[bluecloud]

Which states are more NP friendly and which are more PA friendly?

Or which, are equally accepting? Or neither?

I really haven't been able to find these statistics anywhere online, easily.

Thanks!