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

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I'm taking a bunch of science and math pre-reqs this year. I'm looking at various nursing program options and trying to decide what to pursue once I get all these requirements out of the way. But the average physician's assistant program is 26 months - and the average associate's program for nursing is two years - so the P.A. program is not that much longer.

Is there more demand for physician's assistants then there are for R.N.'s? Does anyone who has familiarity with the field have any insights into it?

Just nit picking; however, it is physician assistant not physician's.

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Specializes in MICU, neuro, orthotrauma.
I know. I know that either as an RN or a PA - and it will take me about 4 years to get either degree because of all the pre-req's that I need - it won't be a slam-dunk to get a job when I graduate.

However, I look at it this way - my prior profession was as a newspaper reporter - where there are definitely NO jobs, and the pay is horrible. I need to get a degree in SOMETHING new that I will enjoy doing, something which pays reasonably well, and there will always be a need for medical personnel, even if there's less hiring right now. If I graduate with a degree either as an RN or PA I am absolutely sure I will find a job sooner or later, especially if I am willing to move wherever there's a job offer.

I'm not so sure about that with any other profession that I can think of right now. Maybe computer engineering, but I hate that and I'm not talented in that area.

I just want to say I am really sorry to hear about the closing of so many newspapers. A friend of mine is a journalist, graduated from Harvard, and reading her feeds about the news industry is disheartening to say the least. Good luck in your journey to another rewarding career.

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I just want to say I am really sorry to hear about the closing of so many newspapers. A friend of mine is a journalist, graduated from Harvard, and reading her feeds about the news industry is disheartening to say the least. Good luck in your journey to another rewarding career.

I LOVE newspapers. I loved being a reporter. I can not believe the calibre of journalists who are being laid off right now; wonderful people with decades of experience and walls full of journalism awards...just kicked to the curb.

But I have to accept reality; the newspaper field isn't going to come back, and when newspapers go online-only they require far fewer reporters, and anyway, the pay is terrible. I topped out at about $18 an hour as a reporter. It's hard to get much higher than that - $25 an hour as a reporter is REALLY good money.

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I LOVE newspapers. I loved being a reporter. I can not believe the calibre of journalists who are being laid off right now; wonderful people with decades of experience and walls full of journalism awards...just kicked to the curb.

But I have to accept reality; the newspaper field isn't going to come back, and when newspapers go online-only they require far fewer reporters, and anyway, the pay is terrible. I topped out at about $18 an hour as a reporter. It's hard to get much higher than that - $25 an hour as a reporter is REALLY good money.

I have a friend that was laid off as a reporter and is now re-inventing herself-it's a big challenge!

otessa

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Well, on the bright side, as a reporter, I watched an autopsy, looked at crime scene and evidence photos, and was around dead bodies fairly often so I know that I can handle the gross stuff.

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I heard that taking two semesters of a second language looks good in your application to PA schools.

I work with a PA and he's siting next to me as I post. He says that he only has an AD from a community college, but will be returning to school in the Fall for a higher degree. I prepared his tax forms for the 2008. He made over 200k!

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If you do go for the PA check around the area you wish to practice--some areas don't use PA's very much and thus it would be difficult to find a job, but other areas use them quite a bit....it just depends on where you live.

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Specializes in ER, IICU, PCU, PACU, EMS.

I've been looking at PA schools in my area and they all require some varying amount of patient contact hours prior to applying for admission. Many have either volunteered or have become EMT-Bs to fufill that requirement. Do you have that in your neck of the woods also??

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For example this community college requires 2,000 hours of paid "hands on" experience.

http://www.rcc.edu/academicPrograms/physicianAssistant/prerequisites.cfm

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Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.

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 think the new RN grads struggling to get a job really depends on what area of the country you live in as well as what area of nursing you are aiming to specialize in. I personally was offered every single job I applied for as a new RN grad.

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For example this community college requires 2,000 hours of paid "hands on" experience.

http://www.rcc.edu/academicPrograms/physicianAssistant/prerequisites.cfm

You happened to pick one of the more old school programs. The average for matriculants is actually more like 10,000 hours. Despite drawing primarily from one county they manage to fill the program easily. On the average each student will have more than 2600 clinical hours in their second year (with a month off for vacation).

To the OP. The demand will largely depend on where you live. Where I am now there is little demand for new grad nurses (experienced nurses can get jobs but its still tough). PAs have a relatively simple time getting jobs (even new grads). There are probably 2-3 jobs posted for every new grad. Where I came from the market was very saturated and new grad PAs had a difficult time finding jobs (it was relatively easy for experienced PAs to find jobs). On the other hand new grad nurses had a relatively easy time finding jobs. It really depends on the area.

PA education is fairly standardized but the pre-requisites vary widely. Roughly 1/3 of the programs will require medical experience and roughly 1/3 "encourage" it. Most programs are masters but there remain a small number of certificate, associates and bachelors programs. As others have mentioned PA school can be very competitive. Some programs may have more than 20 applicants for each seat. It pays to research the program and apply broadly.

As others have said nursing and PA are very different professions using different skills sets. Both are vital but theres really not a comparison for demand.

David Carpenter, PA-C

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The 2,000 hours of hands on experience are required to apply to the program.

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