How do you know that you want to choose to become an RN over a PA?

R2MD · Apr 18, 2005

It is NOT "absolutely false".
Here is a quote from the Doctor of Nursing Practice thread, just as ONE EXAMPLE
Please explain how this does not qualify as bashing. Also, do not come behind me and say that my post is "absolutely false" when it CLEARLY is not.

You take 1 example of bashing and turn it into the whole board is like that!!! That person was reprimanded and the whole site rules changed because of that one quote......if you read a little further you can see that all of the PAs on there told him he was wrong! Fine you dont have to visit the site but dont discourage others from doing so. If you think the board is so bad and you want to steer them in the nursing direction. Let them go over to the board and make their own decisions. It is not about which career choice is better but about which one is suited for each individually.

You know what.... I dont have enough time to sit on here and pick out all of the negative nasty things said about PAs and physicians on this board....that could take over a week, It is not worth my time or effort to do so!!!

O.K. and Max calling PAs "trailers" Oh I would expect that from a 22 year old student. Max, I would love for you to punch someone in the jaw! It certainly would serve a dual purpose. That would make one less idiot in nursing to give the rest a bad name. Also would show the person bashing others that they should shut up and stop being an idiot!

I am done with this topic. Some of us here and on the other boards have learned to get along. I suppose the mature educated bunch. Good Day...I'm done you can call me whatever floats your fancy boat!!

You two are just as bad as the person that posted the bashing comment on the other board. Sorry to see you stoop to that level.

ScarlettRN · Apr 18, 2005

first of all..are PAs compared to NPs more than they are compared to RNs? do PAs work closely with physicians most of the time or with staff members like RNs? why do some RNs go back to school to become PAs? are there PAs who work in the ob/gyn area? the ER (im pretty sure they work in this unit)? i havent yet begun my nursing program so I'm still deciding whether I should go into nursing or become a PA. In which areas do PAs work at hospitals? why is there a sudden boost in the demand for PAs? Why would a physician decide to hire a RN over a PA and vice versa? The two areas in which I want to work in are OB/GYN or the ER..what suggestions do you experienced nurses have for me? RN or PA??? Is there a big difference in what they do and their role in helping physicians? im only interested in working in hospitals..no clinics, no nothing but hospitals. Thank you in advance! I have so many questions :uhoh21:
does anyone know any forums for PAs so i don't have to bother nurses with those kind of questions? :)

PAs would compare closer to a Nurse Practicianer than to a Registered Nurse with a BSN or ADN. Scope of practice for them is normally the doctor's office, but I have worked in EDs where both PAs and NPs are considered "physician extenders" and see patients, functioning close to an MD's responsibilities.

In my personal observations, not researching or asking a lot of questions, the biggest difference I have seen is that on the floor of one hospital I worked in, the PA signed his own orders and the NP still had to sign the orders "VO Jane Doe, RN, FNP/Dr. Dolittle", which means verbal order. The NP also had to get the doctor to countersign her prescriptions if a narcotic was ordered.

Both are masters prepared, tho, and I don't think I have ever met a PA who was originally an RN. Just my personal observations, but I think most RNs go on and become NPs instead of PAs. Hope this helps.

BTW, if you are going to work ED in any capacity, you better have a strong stomach, because you still are exposed to the same things a nurse is exposed to. Except with a higher degree, there comes higher responsibility and therefore higher risk. So you have to maintain a clear head and be able to make decisions and give orders to nurses who will be older than you and KNOW if you are making the right decisions, orders, etc., by virtue of a lot longer in the trenches. There is no room for vacillation when it comes to life or death decision making.