I graduated college in 2008 from UT-Austin with a non science/health care degree. I have spent the past year working as a Clinical Tech (nurse aide) at Seton in a variety of specialties.
I've been going back between the NP and PA thing. I have a strong passion for science and medicine and spent a large portin of my life wanting to be a doctor. However, I am interested in the more acute specialties, such as trauma, surgery, ICU/CCU, and emergency medicine and those don't tend to be family friendly nor did I want to spend that much time/money in school, so med school went out.
I then started looking at the PA profession as we have a family friend who is a PA. I shadowed him a fair amount (he works in thoracic surgery) and then started branching out and shadowing in EM, orthopaedic surgery, dermatology, and pediatrics. All the doctors seemed to highly respect their PAs, the PAs were able to do a lot in surgery, and they seemed to learn the hard science with a lot of clinical hours similar to the doctors. It seemed pretty perfect.
However, I don't have any of the prerequisites, my GPA isn't so hot (2.4), and I'm not sure I am willing to put my life on hold for 5-6 more years. I know I am smart enough to do it (I can get straight As with only a moderate amount of effort) and I know I want to do it, but I just don't know if it is feasible.
I'm 23 years old, getting married in October, and my soon to be husband has a great job in Austin that he doesn't want to leave. By the time I would be able to start PA shool we would want to start a family and I just don't know if that will work out.
So, I started looking at NP programs. I don't know as much about NP as PA, so hopefully someone can correct me if my assumptions are wrong.
First off, it seems as though the NP programs have a lot of non non/clinical coursework and I don't understand how a class in "financial policy and planning" will make me a better clinical provider. Wouldn't it be better suited to get rid of those non clinical/science classes and replace them with classes that are more related to treating patients? Where is the indepth study of gross anatomy? Biochemistry? Genetics? Microbiology? Pathology? Also, why only 600-700 clinical hours? I realize that NP is specialized where PA is not, but in a master's level program, you'd think they could fit in more clinical hours as that is the best way to learn. Also, what do you guy's think about the DNP? I have no interest in teaching, research, or owning a practice. It seems as though the DNP is a mixture of a business degree, public health degree, and education degree.... none of which interest me. What is the point in suffering through a program I will hate when it won't make me any better of a care provider to my patients? Is it really necessary? If I do the MSN, will I be grandfathered in (if it is before 2015)?
Anyways - I don't have anything against nursing. My mom is a CNS and my uncle is a CRNA. They all provide wonderful care to their patients and ultimately, I am sure I will be happy with my job as an NP... it is just the schooling that I don't understand.
So, what do you guys think? Should I suck it up and pursue the PA route since that is my #1 choice? Should I give up having kids at the point we want to, potentially force my husband to leave his great job, and risk it being for nothing if I can't get accepted?
Or, should I just pursue the NP route? Although it isnt my top choice, it is still something I will be happy enough in. I know I can succeed at that route (I've already been accepted to the ADN program at ACC), I can stay local to the Austin area, and I will be a lot more confident that I will end up being able to provide advanced care to patients.
Any thoughts?
On a side note, how do you guys pick what specialty you want to go into? I was thinking about doing ACNP + RNFA so I could operate as well and work in trauma. Is it the ACNPs that work in the EDs or is that more FNPs? I get bored easily and like excitement and I love EDs. I know I would get bored just working in a routine office. I also love babies and the NICU and have thought bout doing NNP. I know you need experience for both and I don't really want to take the time to work in both areas, so how do you know?
I agree that it seems like you've already chosen the PA route - just go for it!
FWIW, my hubby is going through PA school as I am going through NP school. Each program is designed with a fairly different type of student in mind. PA school doesn't expect for you to bring much experience or medical knowledge to the table. NP school expects you to be an experienced nurse looking to progress into advanced practice. Hence the less clinical hours and "fluff" classes, which are designed with the thought that as a professional nurse, you will be learning more about your role as an Advanced Practitioner, plus other useful things like how to run an office, how to make the most money (finance classes, etc).
Depending on where you are, both programs tend to be very competative, and I worry that you will have trouble with a 2.4 GPA.
Good luck. :)
Whoa, where did you get this nugget!
Are you aware of the clinical experience requirements for PA school?
While the mandatory hours have declined as an average (as a function of the explosion in the number of PA programs), previous health care experience is VERY MUCH a part of the application and selection process. My local program, UW MEDEX, is one of the stalwarts w/ the average student having 5-10K hrs.
The other side to your coin is the direct entry RN-DNP tracks which obviate the nursing experience you portray.
Understand that the competition for seats means that even those schools which don't require experience will have applicants w/ strong HCE applying and driving up the averages.
Again, I agree that the average amount of HCE is declining, but the notion that most PA students have minimal/no HCE is inaccurate.
While competition may increased the actual experiences of a entering class
Many schools on that list that actually do require- accept "volunteering"
PCOM, Drexel & Arcadia...are ones I know of from my area who I have had friends attend directly out of undergraduate with volunteering
Maybe is is area dependent.
This is area dependent. Most of the programs that do not require medical experience are in the Northeast and Florida. The rest are scattered here and there throughout the US. Statistically the programs are different in that they have longer clinical and didactic programs. The two shortest PA programs require significant HCE. The two longest require none. The requirements are a product of local experience, competition among programs (lots of programs in a small geographic area) and the move to the Masters among those PA programs. Even among those programs that don't require HCE there is usually a fair amount of HCE among applicants. The only programs that don't really have much HCE are the direct entry programs (starting as freshman). These programs have a fairly drastic winnowing period and require shadowing and volunteering during the undergraduate portion.
Face it folks, PAs and NPs practice almost identically. The education is quite different but after a few yrs in practice most non physician providers end up at the same place.
I agree with this. The NP's and PA's that work in my hospital function in the same role. *In my experience* I find that the PA's happen to be more surgically oriented and the NP's more medically oriented, but I don't think its because they "can't" do either or, I think that the PA's who work here happen to like surgery better and the NP's prefer medicine because of prior experiences. That is just my experience and truthfully, there are PA's and NP's that I would trust my life with and others who I wouldn't let touch my dog.
My mom sees an NP in her GYN office and she loves her. My dad sees a PA in his PMD office and he prefers to see her, he thinks she takes better care for him than the doctor does. Both my parents feel that the PA/NP take the time out to explain everything to them, discuss alternative treatments and answer questions. This is what really matters in the end whether you are a PA or an NP.
You are 23 years old. PA school takes what...2 years if you go full-time? You will still be > 27-28 (allowing for a few years extra there) by the time you are all done and ready to have kids. NP school will be a much longer route.
TakeBack
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Whoa, where did you get this nugget!
Are you aware of the clinical experience requirements for PA school?
While the mandatory hours have declined as an average (as a function of the explosion in the number of PA programs), previous health care experience is VERY MUCH a part of the application and selection process. My local program, UW MEDEX, is one of the stalwarts w/ the average student having 5-10K hrs.
The other side to your coin is the direct entry RN-DNP tracks which obviate the nursing experience you portray.