MEPN program/PA program

hopefulnurse24 · Apr 6, 2012

Do you mean direct entry MSN programs? If so, I can give you some advice, as I originally was a pre-PA student, and I made some changes and decided on applying to direct entry MSN programs.

First of all, if you want to get into PA school, you HAVE to work for about 2 years doing direct patient care somehow. They want around 2000 hours of direct patient care. I was pre-PA for the longest time, because I was so set on working in orthopedic surgery, but as I volunteered in the operating room and shadowed many PA's and physicians, I found that it was actually incredibly boring and unfulfilling, at least for me. I am sure that actually performing the surgeries and doing the work is much more exciting, but it still wasn't what I thought it would be and I was incredibly disappointed. I was also struggling with the idea that I'd be taking almost all of the same prerequisites as someone who would be going to med school, and that med school is almost less competitive than PA school, due to the fact that there are so many more med schools out there, and that they don't require 2000 hours of direct patient care. PA schools also want you to have research, volunteer experience, and great test scores. It just seemed a bit crazy for me, to be doing all of this, and taking chem 1, chem 2, orgo, biochem, and genetics - all just to cut out 2 years (which you aren't really cutting out since you have to spend 2 years working), physics classes, and a residency. So as I struggled with all of this, I decided to volunteer in a different area of the hospital - pediatrics. I found that I truly loved this area, and that it was what I was meant to work in. I did research on nurse practitioners and found that this was EXACTLY what I wanted out of a career. I was sure that I'd have to get my BSN first, but then I found out about direct entry MSN programs, and I felt so relieved.

Some things to know - there aren't too many of these programs, and they ARE competitive. You need to have good grades in your prerequisites, a good upper division/last 60 credits GPA, and lots of volunteer experience and a compelling story for your statement of purpose. Also, this is different from PA school in that you typically have to pick your specialty when you apply, and once you pick your specialty and go to school for it, you are stuck in that specialty, similar to doing a residency in a desired specialty after med school. If you want to change, you have to go back to school. The specialties available are midwifery, pediatrics, pediatric critical care, pediatric acute care, neonatal, women's health, geriatrics, family health, psychiatric, adult care, adult critical care... and I know there's probably more, but I can't remember. The specialties offered vary from school to school. Schools you can look into are Columbia, Yale, University of Pennsylvania, Boston College, Vanderbilt, and Northeastern College, off of the top of my head. However, orthopedic surgery is not an option for nurse practitioners, as far as I know. Your GPA is very important, since both PA schools, and direct entry MSN schools are extremely competitive. I would spend time taking other classes and taking prerequisites over to boost your GPA. Your GPA is of utmost importance. Also, GRE scores hold a lot of weight. If I can answer anything else for you, please let me know.

emmidoniak · Apr 11, 2012

Thank you very much for your comment. I will definitely take your advice. I have been trying so hard to figure out what my best option is. I am actually meeting with a physician assistant this week and going to shadow her in surgeries so hopefully that will help me answer some of my questions. I have done a lot of research of the direct entry MSN programs. There are actually quite i few and Ive researched almost every school that has one. For PA though I know not all schools require hours. I have been calling and some schools require hours and some schools dont. But that was my dilema was that I knew i needed hours so I wasnt sure if I should do the accelerated RN program or the directy entry MSN program. Thats my confusion, but if I dont want to be a PA then the masters option would be best. I am sure some of my answers will be answered by the PA i am meeting with. Thank you for your information though. It was very helpful. I am going to be taking more prereqs this fall since i have not taken all my science classes.

hopefulnurse24 · Apr 11, 2012

They may say they don't require hours - but they typically won't take you if you don't have any. The pool is very, very competitive and they will take someone who has 2000 hours of direct patient care over someone who doesn't. It's hard to find a school who will take you without hours, especially without a near perfect GPA.