Debating on PA vs NP

[Simonruba]

Hello everyone, first off I appreciate anyone taking the time to read this and giving me any sort of input as I am extremely indecisive on this topic. A little about me:
I am a 19 year old male who is currently attending a mid-size private college in NY and pursuing a Health Science degree, on track to graduate in 3 semesters. I also recently got my EMT certification and have been volunteering at my local ambulance corp for the past 7 months as an EMS member, and really enjoy it.

I have been set on going into healthcare since high school, and I have multiple members in my family who work in the health care field who have been an influence on my decision. I am looking to go into primary care, and right now, I am having an extremely tough time deciding whether to pursue NP or PA. I know some of you may be thinking, you're so young, why don't you just go to medical school? The truth is, I am scared of all the loans after medical school and don't see it as a wise financial thing to do. For a while, after researching a ton of PA schools, I am baffled at how expensive these programs have become over the past couple of years, around $100,000 for the whole program, plus I have to account for rent, food, car, etc. I wouldn't be able to pay this during school so this could skyrocket with interest to almost or over 200k.

Or, I can pursue NP. I can easily transfer schools smoothly right now (commute to school 20 min away) and get my BSN within 2 years, graduate, and work as a RN. I would have about 20k of undergrad loans after graduating, live with my family who provide housing and food, and work my *** off for 2 years as a nurse and save as much money as I can, as I am about 45 minutes from NYC and could potentially get a good gig at hospitals/clinics near me. This would give me a good head start at NP school, with experience and savings of at least 75k+. After my experience as an RN, I will pursue an NP degree from a top ranked school where I can get as much clinical and hands on experience as I can

NOTE: I know that there is an abundance of horrible NP programs right now and how they don't learn nearly as much as someone who goes to PA school who has a bunch of set up rotations for them and rigorous classes. I am willing to go to a top ranked school and get as much education as I can to be a competent NP, which I know I can and will be if I choose to go this route.

With my savings after being an RN, I would have minimal loans graduating NP school because I saved so much. That way, I can start working as an NP and have no loan burden on my shoulders. Also, I feel as a PA, pathways are pretty limited. NPs have serious political advantage over them, and have autonomy. I want to work in education when I am older and continue to learn and move up and have potential in my career, and I feel as an NP there would be less obstacles then being a PA as I don't see many of them in administration roles or things of that nature.
Thanks again!

[Triplepoint, ADN, RN]

PA's generally seem very happy in their practice, and can work in many different specialties. They also seem to have a very solid medical education, and they can do procedures, if that is something that you might be interested in. NPs do have a political advantage, but from my observation, have less job satisfaction and many have questions about the quality of the education they received to become an NP. It cost a lot of money to become either a PA or an NP, but most people are able to work as RNs while doing their NP program. People rarely, if ever, work while going to PA school. This fact may swing the pendulum for you. There are also many, many more nurses than PAs, and therefore many more nursing schools, so if you want to teach in the future, my guess is that NP is a better choice for you. That said, what I would really think about is what type of work you want to be doing in the future, and what sort of educational background you would like for yourself. The educational backgrounds of NPs and PAs are not the same (different pre-reqs) and the medical model and nursing model also have differences. It is not an easy choice! Good luck with your decision!