Is it financially feasible going back to an NP program?

[peanutp]

I am am almost 28 years old and currently working in public health. I toyed with the idea of going back to medical school the last two years but starting from scratch as a married student was looking to be a daunting 10+ year process I wasn't sure I was willing to undertake. I have looked into Masters Entry Programs in Nursing as a stepping stone into the Nurse Practitioner field. Though money is not the primary motive for wanting to move into a clinical field, it is a factor that I'm considering. My primary goal is to move away from a population-level approach in public health towards a one-on-one clinical role. I am trying to weigh the benefit of a year of pre-req classes followed by a 3 year Masters Entry Program (and any further training). I currently make $90k straight out of an MPH program, but I am wondering if an NP will lead to a drop in salary (though I am not sure what specific areas I am interested in, I seem to be moving towards pediatrics and specializing in an area like neonatology, cardiology, orthopedics, etc.). Does anyone have any advice on this?

[RHill9919]

Hi. I have no credibility, as I am still pre-nursing, but would like to give you my thoughts if you care to have them. I am also 27, married, with no children. I already have a degree but have since switched career paths to nursing. I did my year of prereqs, like you said you will. In the end, I want to go CRNA. Before I decided on CRNA, I was playing around with a few ideas of masters. From the research that I did, it really depends on where you want to be working for your salary. As a CRNA in Arlington, VA I'd make 20k more than a CRNA in Key West. So the geographical thing is my biggest concern. I also wanted to go to medical school, but the 10+ years sounded miserable and...anyway, nursing is the right path for me. You make decent money now from what you said, so I guess it's going to depend on what speciality you want for NP and where you live. Have you looked in to those specialities you mentioned above for your state?