PA's make more $$ than NP's?!

Specialties NP

Published

I've considered NP school, and, after talking with several NPs who work in academics I was very disappointed to hear that PA's make more $$ than NPs. Especially since many NPs have years of nursing experience which I would think puts them at an advantage in advanced practice. And to think that an MA can go right into a PA program and make more $$ coming out? Or a secretary can go into PA school ( I know 2 secretaries/unit coordinators them from my work who had no patient care experience and got into renowned PA programs). And these people are writing prescriptions within 2 years? What have all of you heard about the pay? I think its ridiculous and if anything, NPs should be in the higher pay bracket. I'm not here to bash PAs, but if this is true it feels like a slap in the face for nursing. I'm curious, what have you heard about the pay? Does this matter, for me, it would.

Specializes in Med Surg.

I may be stating the obvious here (I do seem to have a gift for it), but in response to the OP, I have the following thought - Many academicians who are not ALSO practicing in the field have skewed sense of reality outside of academics. They may THINK they know about demand/salary/expectations in a particular field, but may not, in fact, have that information.

I've had instructors who are not actually in the medical field who have said opposite things from each other. Who to believe? Who knows where the information is coming from. If you really want to do the research on a particular field, talk to the people who are active in that field. And unless you plan to stay in your part of the country forever, then talk to people in different parts of the country.

So I would talk to NP's, PA's and hiring managers from different areas. Most professionals, I've found, are more than happy to talk about what they do. If you are going to put the time and money into advanced education, it is well worth doing the research before you start.

holy thread necromancy!

Anyway, the reality is that PAs do not make more than NPs, once you account for specialty and gender. A female surgical NP makes the same as a female surgical PA, etc.

Here's the latest comparison, PA-NP head to head per specialty

In some the difference is marginal, in others, significant.

National Salary Report 2011 on ADVANCE for NPs & PAs

Interesting stuff, thanks. I don't like that they do the gender breakdown at the end, I wish they'd include it by specialty.

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