Should I go to school to become a nurse or PA?

[debbieprobe]

Hi! First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to read and answer my post!

Background: I am 40 years old, and just now starting a family. I have a BA in Psych, and an MA in Forensic Psych, and I currently work in mental health research. However, for various reasons, I NEED TO GET OUT OF MENTAL HEALTH AND RESEARCH!

I have always been interested in medicine and helping people, but as my parents get older and are increasingly expressing new health issues, I am thinking more and more "I wish I knew how to take care of them".

Question 1: Should I go to school to become a nurse or a PA?

Money is important, but more importantly is time. I am already in debt from my MA, and I am just starting a family, so I don't want to incur massive amounts of additional debt and not have time to see my future children. However, I am also used to making a decent salary and working a typical 9-5 schedule. Which career will be less costly (time and money) to get into, but will lead to decent pay without ridiculous work hours?

Question 2: If I chose nursing, what would be the best educational path to take? (see aforementioned educational background)

I believe to become a nurse, I could get an AA, BA, or MA (as long as I take the necessary prerequisites). Which degree would get me the most "bang for the buck"?

Question 3: Will I get over my fear of needles and seeing exposed bones, organs, etc?

I have no problem with feces, urine, vomit, deformities, scars, scabs, infections, etc, but I can't stand needles or seeing exposed bones, organs, etc. Can I get over this?

Thank you again for any direction you can give me!

[iluvgusgus]

PA school

[flyersfan88]

Question 1:Should I go to school to become a nurse or a PA?

-Nurse. Hands down, given your requirements. It's a 2 year degree for an associates, and most community colleges offer this at a pretty decent price considering what you will earn once you get going. Also, guaranteed employment. I don't know much about PAs, but I would imagine you have to find a doc willing to take you on. Most hospitals will hire you straight out of school as a nurse.

Plus, you work as a nurse for a bit and hate it, find a doc you like and likes you, maybe he'll put you through PA or NP school...

Man, I need to move to where you live. New grad right here with no job or promise of employment anytime soon. I'll go anywhere for guaranteed employment!

To the OP.....the market is not what it seems. It's very hard to get a job as a new graduate nurse these days. Not impossible. .. but no guaranteed employment in this saturated market.

[kasia122]

Depends on what you want to do. ABSN if you chose that route, no associates since you unlikely to get hired in a hospital. Personally I would go the PA school route, however its much harder to get in, more expensive, and more grueling. Ortho PA's or APRNs seem to have the best hours, since most surgery is elective and scheduled Mon-Fri

[whichone'spink, BSN, RN]

PA school.

[BlueDevil, DNP]

As a professional prepared at the masters level I think you would be miserable as a Registered Nurse. You won't have either much money or respect. I think NP is a superior route to PA for a lot of reasons, but in your case, PA makes much more sense. That's the only way to go, IMO.

[TraumaQueen57]

If you choose nursing the most lucrative field is CRNA, (anesthesia), or Nurse Practitioner. Personally, I would go for PA. You already have a lot of the educational background. Nursing has become ALL about the credentials and not about the patient, (from an administrative point) which trickles down. I have been in nursing over 3 decades, and this is just my humble opinion. You WILL get over your fear of needles.

[TraumaQueen57]

AGREE AGREE AGREE!!!

[BlueDevil, DNP]

Wrong thread, sorry

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

Why would you not just get a license for social work, and do that in a hospital setting, a home health setting, or a outpatient setting. It is not all acute mental health issues that a social worker deals with. Case management is also a thought.

To essentially start over without a guaranteed job, and yes, the hours are nuts, and the programs expensive. The flip side of that is you won't have to pay daycare if your husband is home at night and you are working--but burnout from little sleep is a concern. Most hospitals want a BSN. Most PA's work in ER's--which with your various gross outs, may or may not be a good thing.

My last thought is teaching. With a masters, can you teach at the college level, at the high school level--psych is a general ed course for any number of degrees, so I could see a need. Plus side is that if you teach at a university level (and some can be online--) you can usually attend said university for a greatly reduced (and some free) tuition.

Best of luck in your endevours!

[fivefeet05NP2B]

I agree with the above poster. But If you absolutely want to change careers completely, you have to take several things into account. First, when you say "decent salary", what exactly does that mean? Making $21-$23 dollars an hour as a new grad ADN is a huge difference from making $39-$45 dollars an hour as a PA or APRN. Of course for both options school will be time consuming and possibly put you in more debt but over a short time you will have made it back if you choose an affordable program. As a nurse, if you are used to regular hours and decent pay without back breaking work and already have an undergraduate degree, I would say PA school is the way to go If that undergraduate degree was not in nursing. Good luck :-)

[newohiorn, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

I should also have added that if I had it to do over again, I would go to PA school.

Also occurred to me that if you're going to be a PA working in the OR, you are, of course, going to see the bones and organs.