Advice on Continuing my Nursing Education

[c27_AEMT, BSN, EMT-I]

I will try to keep this as succinct as possible. I am a nursing student and am planning for the possibility of continuing my education in some way. I know that this can be a somewhat controversial issue (especially with the politics of PA and NP) and have been researching all the professions I am interested in endlessly. I also have not ruled out med school.

Many people might ask why I am in nursing school. I genuinely want to be here and am working to set myself up for a job in a critical care job somewhere. I will move anywhere which helps (I think). I also have PALS and ACLS from my job on the ambulance and have been studying as many books on critical care, ekg, and IV drug guides as I can get my hands on. I have been doing this since the first semester.

As I have been doing this, I have realized that I may want to move into another area (NP. PA, CRNA, MD) and had questions that I would love some expert advice on. Before I get blasted for listing all of those different types of providers I would like to say that yes, I know they are different and yes, I think I would enjoy all of them but I want to make the best decision on which one to pursue. I like autonomy but also like working on a team and don't have any strong overarching desire to be the one with the final say but I also don't have a problem with that. Also, because of my financial habits, the difference of pay or cost of programs isn't really an issue. It will affect when I go to the school but that is about it. I have made pro/con lists and hopefully someone here has had the same difficulty I have had. I guess I can just see myself going any of these routes and being happy. I love learning and challenges and I know all of these have that in different ways. I have shadowed all of the above and enjoyed all of it. None specifically stuck out to me as my favorite.

Here are a few of the concerns/questions I had:

-the number of clinical hours for NP being low compared to PA

-Is there a way to have PA like mobility as an NP?

-Should I take the prereqs for PA/MED school even if I am unsure of what I want to do?

-Did any of you have the feeling that you wanted *more* than being an RN?

-I like peds and PICU now but I don't want to get 10 years down the road and then want a change having already done a NP program for it. Same with MD, which is why PA appeals to me although it would be a harder route or so I have been told by many (not just PAs)

Thanks for any feedback. I know I will probably get some negative feedback for planning so far ahead but this is my last semester of school and I want to be ready to hit the ground running when I land my first job. I have always been super meticulous like this and so far it has served me well. Thanks again!

[Atl-Murse]

You need to sit down and really think about what you want with your life. Asking random screen names to help plan your life only shows immaturity. Don't worry about what people think about your choices. If you want to be an MD/PA/NP/RN/CNA/EMT/Cashier/ CLOWN etc your life your choice. Good luck

[c27_AEMT, BSN, EMT-I]

I realize it is my choice. I have been researching it a ton and shadowing all of the above.

The reason I post it here is to see if there is anyone else out there who struggled with the same dilemma. Most of the practitioners I have shadowed knew all along what they wanted to be. Maybe by asking on here I can find someone who went through something similar and see if they have any advice.

I believe immaturity would be going into something not 100% sure it is what I want. I don't think it is immature to use all resources available to make a decision.

It isn't what people think necessarily, but what they have experienced when faced with similar decisions. Thanks for the reply.

[AspiringNurseMW]

If you are a nursing student and still torn about all these options after researching and shadowing I suggest you table them and work as an RN for at least a year, if not 2 or 3.You can focus on being a new RN, and then watch and work with different types of providers and get to actually see what it entails before deciding on a course.

Education is always going to be there, what's the rush if you are unsure?

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

The PA programs I'm familiar with will accept 'clinical hours' from paid positions in addition to those in a clinical practicum - as long as the total meets their ~ 1000 hour requirements. NP programs generally require 500 or more clinical practicum hours... paid positions do not count. Keep in mind that most NP programs will require nursing experience in that specialty also. This all factors into the actual cumulative clinical hours of graduate NPs. The APRN Compact was approved in May of this year... and is currently rolling out, state-by-state. The end result will be much more "mobility" for NPs than PAs.

I agree with PP - it's great to have a long-term goal, but you need to take it one step at a time. After you begin to practice, you may discover that you're attracted to an entirely different direction for career advancement. Wishing you all the best in your nursing education pathway.

[c27_AEMT, BSN, EMT-I]

Thanks. I do agree that it is a long way away. I guess I just got into thinking about it and wanted to have a solid plan.

With regard to the difference in hours do you feel NPs are prepared as well clinically than PAs? The PAs I know all had around 2000 hours of standardized training (clinical hours). My school requires I think 3000-4000 paid hours for PA admission requirements. When searching for an NP program do you just have to be careful about where you go since it isn't as standardized with a set amount of hours in each discipline? Also, how well do you feel prior experience helps? I guess it would depend on the type of experience but I've just heard from both NPs and PAs that PA is more rigorous. Is that usually addressed by self study as far as the medical knowledge goes?

Also, I wasn't very specific when I said mobility. I was more referring to the ability to move between specialties.