Is there more demand for Physician's Assistants than for nurses?

Mommy2NQ · Aug 18, 2009

From my understanding I believe that the 26 months needed for a Physician Assistant is added onto a bachelors degree in science. Most states would require a masters degree. IMO

DanainOrlando · Aug 18, 2009

Good to know. I'm doing my research now. I have a bachelor's degree in journalism from a long time ago; I'm hoping that the B.A., plus the math and science classes that I'm taking at community college, would be enough, but I will call the admissions departments at a few schools to make sure.

Katnip, RN · Aug 18, 2009

I would say there are a lot more RNs out there than PAs. Two totally different roles.

A better comparison would be Nurse Practitioner to PA.

Each state and each school has different requirements to their PA programs.

geekgolightly, BSN, RN · Aug 18, 2009

As you already have a bachelors, if you can stand working closely with a doctor, and do not want to be at bedside all day, then I would definitely choose PA. They earn more, have prescription authority and can write orders.

An RN does not work all day with a doctor answering to his or her whim, which is a huge plus for me, but an RN earn less, has less power to do what is needed for the patient. An RN's job, if in direct care, is at the bedside all day. Some like that, some don't. I happen to like it, because I enjoy patient advocacy, but still, if I already had a bachelors I think I would choose PA.

noahsmama · Aug 18, 2009

If the length of the program is a consideration then, given that you already have a BA, an accelerated BSN program is another option to consider. Most ABSN programs are just 12 to 14 months. I did a 12 month ABSN program at Samuel Merritt in Oakland CA. One big drawback though is that the tuition is very high for most of these programs, but the advantage is that you're out there earning money a whole year sooner.

As someone else mentioned, the role of a PA is also very different from an RN, and varies from state to state. See if you can find someone who is already a PA in your state who's willing to talk to you about what they do.

Good luck!

CyclicalEvents · Aug 18, 2009

Here's some numbers that may be helpful

Job prospects. Overall job opportunities are expected to be excellent for registered nurses. Employers in some parts of the country and in certain employment settings report difficulty in attracting and retaining an adequate number of RNs, primarily because of an aging RN workforce and a lack of younger workers to fill positions.
Employment change. Employment of registered nurses is expected to grow 23 percent from 2006 to 2016, much faster than the average for all occupations.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Physician's Assistant
Employment is expected to grow much faster than the average as health care establishments increasingly use physician assistants to contain costs. Job opportunities for PAs should be good, particularly in rural and inner city clinics, as these settings typically have difficulty attracting physicians.
Employment change. Employment of physician assistants is expected to grow 27 percent from 2006 to 2016, much faster than the average for all occupations. Projected rapid job growth reflects the expansion of health care industries and an emphasis on cost containment, which results in increasing use of PAs by health care establishments.
Job prospects. Job opportunities for PAs should be good, particularly in rural and inner-city clinics because those settings have difficulty attracting physicians. In addition to job openings from employment growth, openings will result from the need to replace physician assistants who retire or leave the occupation permanently during the 2006-16 decade

thinkertdm · Aug 18, 2009

As you already have a bachelors, if you can stand working closely with a doctor, and do not want to be at bedside all day, then I would definitely choose PA. They earn more, have prescription authority and can write orders.
An RN does not work all day with a doctor answering to his or her whim, which is a huge plus for me, but an RN earn less, has less power to do what is needed for the patient. An RN's job, if in direct care, is at the bedside all day. Some like that, some don't. I happen to like it, because I enjoy patient advocacy, but still, if I already had a bachelors I think I would choose PA.

PAs and nurses serve completely different roles on the healthcare team. Although PAs work under the "supervision" of a doctor, they do not have one breathing down their neck, and most PA-physician relationships are collaborative.

work&play · Aug 18, 2009

As a PA you're next to a doctor during surgeries. Have the authority to prescribe meds. Your charts are checked by a doctor even if the doctor is younger than you.

Some PAs with years of experience hate the fact that MD fresh out of school are telling them what to do, but they do make a lot more than an rn. I heard of one raking about 290,000.00/year with overtime.

I had a difficult time working with doctors when I was just out of high school. I worked as a medical assistant and one of the almost always made me cry.

I personally prefer the bedside with no doubt.

DanainOrlando · Aug 18, 2009

I'm still in the research stage - I am going to spend this year at community college getting back up to speed at algebra, taking developmental psych, medical terminology, nutrition, A&P II, biology, microbiology, and chemistry. Most of the pre-reqs for PA seem to be the same as what I would need for RN.

I've got to be honest here - a big part of the appeal of the PA job vs. RN is higher salary. I know the jobs and duties are very different. I want to be in the medical field, I want to interact with patients, and I want to make a decent living at it.

I also want to be able to get a job when I graduate, and I know that's a struggle for new RN grads these days! I wonder if it's the same case for PAs.

CyclicalEvents · Aug 18, 2009

I'm still in the research stage - I am going to spend this year at community college getting back up to speed at algebra, taking developmental psych, medical terminology, nutrition, A&P II, biology, microbiology, and chemistry. Most of the pre-reqs for PA seem to be the same as what I would need for RN.
I've got to be honest here - a big part of the appeal of the PA job vs. RN is higher salary. I know the jobs and duties are very different. I want to be in the medical field, I want to interact with patients, and I want to make a decent living at it.
I also want to be able to get a job when I graduate, and I know that's a struggle for new RN grads these days! I wonder if it's the same case for PAs.

I don't know about where you are, but here PA is a masters program. You'd need a BS before applying. I'm assuming you don't have one of those.

TessaMae · Aug 18, 2009

Not sure if it is the same all over the country but in MA where I live, the PA programs are much more selective than the VERY selective nursing programs. I had a 4.0 and applied to nursing programs and 1 PA program. I was accepted to all of the schools that I applied to except the PA program. The two professions are completely different so I think it all depends on what you want, and money definetly should be a concern but not a driving force. You want to be happy

I'm still in the research stage - I am going to spend this year at community college getting back up to speed at algebra, taking developmental psych, medical terminology, nutrition, A&P II, biology, microbiology, and chemistry. Most of the pre-reqs for PA seem to be the same as what I would need for RN.
I've got to be honest here - a big part of the appeal of the PA job vs. RN is higher salary. I know the jobs and duties are very different. I want to be in the medical field, I want to interact with patients, and I want to make a decent living at it.
I also want to be able to get a job when I graduate, and I know that's a struggle for new RN grads these days! I wonder if it's the same case for PAs.