My I'm going to medical school

[synaptic]

Why I'm going to medical school. Ill keep this short and simple. How does this relate to everybody else? Read the entire thing and see, this explanation is not at all about me.

Overwhelming amount of masters level nursing programs. Never before besides law and maybe the MBA have I ever seen such a large amount of specific programs pop up. Every school in america seems to have a masters level nursing program in their academia. This includes the notorious for-profit schools that everybody excluding people who hold degrees from these institutions seem to loathe. Our credentialing bodies, by allowing all of these poorly regulated programs to pop up, have lowered them selves to the level of weaksause, bile-like vomitus.

decreasing job market. Again, with every soul in america for going an advanced practicing nursing degree, our job availability will decrease severely in the next few years. This has already began to take place, with many NPS across america, varying geographically of course, fighting for entry level jobs making substandard wages.

Low barrier to entry. This is where the nail gets hit on the head. Essentially, to keep enrollment high, higher level nursing programs (excluding a few from higher end schools) have DROPPED their admission standards, in fear that somebody will go to another program instead of their own. NO GRE, NO GPA, NO EXPERIENCE, NO INTERVIEW. I mean come on people, really??? Your so money hungry you will lower your admission standards just to get more applicants and provide more seats. At least in the medical world, schools keep it competitive, for which is mostly to make their school look better.

Role confusion. This is not prevalent everywhere, but even with all these nurses pushing for education of the np model to patients” a large amount of people still don't know what we are. PAGING DOCTOR NURSE, DOCTOR NURSE. I mean how ridiculous does that sound. DOCTOR NURSE??? while the DOCTOR NURSE complication may be DNP and PHD specific, there is much confusion to a nurse wearing a while coat, prescribing medication, etc (not anything wrong with it but it is confusing to patients)

Weaksause curriculum. I am sure there are very difficult schools out there that provide the MSN needed to obtain the overly sought nurse prackk” status, but many of these online programs at for-profit universities have really dumbed the requirements. I know of many schools that require no closed book tests, being the only one you take is your majorly feared BOARD EXAM, which was so notoriously easy i don't see how anybody can fail it. I think the hardest question I had was. SOMEBODY COMES IN WITH THAT BILE-LIKE- VOMUCKUS AND RIGHT QUADRANT UPPER PAIN IN THE ABDOMINALS AREA. WHAT LOLTEST DO YOU ORDER IMAGING WISE FIRST SO U CAN DIAGNOSE THIS PATIENT LIKE A 1337SAUSE NURSE PRACKK AND BE EPICLY LEET AND GET A LONGER WHYT KOAT. But anyway…. it is too easy, to short, and does not always prepare people for the level of knowledge required to do his or her job. If you disagree, then why do we aways get these ZOMG I CANT TAKE MY JOB ITS TOO HARD AND HARD AND I CANT FUNCTION, DIDNIT LERN ENUFF, HELP” posts on all nurses from these inadequate providers that went to the university of the FEENIX at western senator university and didn't even learn what lisinopril is? epic failure my fellow PRACKKS.

I could keep going but i will spare you all from my wonderfully notorious grammar and poor use of capitalization to go study the MCAT since medical school actually has requirements to get into it. By no means am I smarter or think I'm smarter than anyone else, but by taking this path I will have a much more rewarding career, more job options, and an overall better outlook than most (if not all) NURSE PRACKKS. None of this is due to any quality I possess besides the fact that I have been imbued with the knowledge that Low barrier to entry, overly easy schooling, hot popularity, and poor credentialing bodies will lead to a severely saturated market for current and future nurse practitioners, which I have chosen not to be a part of.

If anybody else wants to follow me through a more difficult and rewarding pathway than advance practice nursing can provide, you will reap the rewards of the hard labor you shall put forth, if not, enjoy the last few years of excellent salary guarantee (excluding excellent providers, which most people think they are but they are not even close) and wallow in your despair once your fighting for jobs that pay a couple grand more than RN positions.

Eat dirt you poorly managed nursing credentialing bodies, for imbuing all these poor people with high hopes and dreams which will burn in fumes faster than the dotcom bubble did.

THE PRACK BUBBLE WILL POP, ARE YOU READY?

#incoming hate

#pulverize the dead horse

#all of the people who cherish his or her APRN license will be super MADZLOL and be offended by this which is awesome

#hanging out under my bridge

#overly sensitive nursing population

Oh, and I also put down a 200k+ year job to do all this, for all you people who will be like "LOL YOUR BADZ AND NEED MORE SKOOL TO BE GOODS AND PROBABLY MADE LIKE 55K PER YEAR ROFL ROFL ROFL."

[BostonFNP, APRN]

It's certainly better than your average Joe can make for some specialties. However, they don't make that kind of money right out of med school. The amount of education and post med school education required to get there is mind boggling, not to mention expensive. I believe these docs earn every penny they make, but there is blood on every one of them. And they spend years paying off their loans and paying for malpractice insurance is a major hit. One needs to consider salary hand in hand with loan repayment and malpractice premiums. Those two things alone will eat up a disheartening amount of that paycheck, and we aren't even talking about federal and state income taxes. That a major OUCH for a profession which requires so much of them.

Absolutely.

[Farawyn]

I would! I have this determination to have an active license all the way into my 80s. I worked too hard for that damn thing.

Of course, I don't work very much any more, but I'm still out there! I'll be that PRN nurse who still shows up from time to time when she's old and still thinks everyone believes her hair is really brown because she "has really good genes."

Those are the best nurses ever.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

I would just like to clarify that I'm still VERY far from being in my 80s!!!!! And my hair is still "believably" brown!

[ambr46]

I had to stop reading. The post seems frantic and harried like a train going off the rails...into a place I do not want to go.

[blondenurse12, MSN, NP]

Overall, I disagree with the OP's attitude but he does make a few solid points. Not all NP programs are created equally. I am actually quite satisfied with the program I attended. I went to a state university with a solid reputation. They have about 500 applicants per year and take 50. Typically 10 either fail out or drop out of each class of 50. You must achieve an 80% or better to pass a class. You may only fail one class and re-take it to get a passing grade. If you fail more than one class, you are expelled. We had to complete approximately 1000 clinical hours to graduate and had to take rigorous pathophysiology and pharmacology courses.

In undergrad, I did think I wanted to be a physician. I, unfortunately, am not great at math so I couldn't pass calculus. But, in the end, I'm happy it didn't work out. I'm in much better financial shape than if I would have gone to medical school. I can diagnose and treat a myriad of issues, I'm not over here trying to perform neurosurgery. NPs have their place and most are good at it.

[twozer0, NP]

One point I think that needs mentioning on here is that school does not make the nurse. A better school can and will provide better resources for a person to achieve more. When I started my first job I thought I knew a lot but in reality, I knew nothing. I learned more my first year on the job than I ever learned in my ADN and BSN combined. This concept is true for a myriad of professions, especially allied health fields. Its easy to criticize the amount of programs popping up but like Boston pointed out it doesnt mean we will have a lot of bad eggs on our hand. I think those that chose schools with better resources will fare better in the transition but ultimately it is up to the person to become good at their job. I do think having a strong nursing background will provide for a better NP. There are equally bad docs as there are good ones and its like this with every job. If your heart is in it and you're willing to learn post school, the sky is the limit. I think this is why NP's have such great outcomes.

[cayenne06, MSN, CNM]

The debt is the bad part >.>

I will say though, that for the most part that whoever governs the nurse anesthesia group seems to have their stuff together pretty well. I know the market is also narrowing for CRNAs, but it also seems to be for anesthesiologists in a lot of areas. But i do not see the CRNA market to take a beating like the prackyprack market will. If only the ancc and aanp would follow suit.

Wonder if it's a coincidence that CRNAs, unlike any other nursing specialty ( going on recollection here so please feel free to correct me), is dominated by men.

[yohanes9]

I know a CRNA and he only works just two weeks per month and he is very smart and doctors love to work with him and he make around 380k a year, another APN in psychiatric office that make 180k a year, of course the psychiatrist who owns the practice make around 500k a year, but there's another MD who works in the same practice who makes 220k, what I'm trying to say is that every career has his rewards if you decided to go for more! And it is within every professional be a good doctor or a good APN or NP, I'm very proud to be an RN and hopefully and with honor get into anesthetist school! Just relax go what ever you wanna go and respect the rest who already love his/her career

[AtomicWoman]

I noticed the OP isn't responding any longer. All I have to say is, if you want to be an MD, then go to medical school. No need to bash NPs along the way. Before you apply to medical school, be sure to talk to medical students and MDs who are actually doing what you want to do. I teach in a setting where I talk to a lot of medical students and physicians. There is a lot of discontent among both groups. And in my NP practice, I see physician discontent up close and personal. If you are sure you want to go to medical school, then go. See ya.

[MeducateMe]

So let's say someone wants to work in medicine, but definitely wouldn't cut it as an RN personality wise. Why would they decide to become an NP rather than an MD? Because it's an easier path in general?

Genuine question, hopefully no one is offended by the "easier" wording I'm just curious. I've never really paid much attention to the nursing structure. I'm just now taking notice when a nurse treating me is an lpn vs rn.

[armychris]

So let's say someone wants to work in medicine, but definitely wouldn't cut it as an RN personality wise. Why would they decide to become an NP rather than an MD? Because it's an easier path in general?

Genuine question, hopefully no one is offended by the "easier" wording I'm just curious. I've never really paid much attention to the nursing structure. I'm just now taking notice when a nurse treating me is an lpn vs rn.

I think there might be some weight in being able to learn in a more "modular" format. If someone wants to take a break from school, for example, they can do that without compromising their end-game (Break at LPN, RN, BSN, Etc). Medical school doesn't have that same benefit.

Regarding the OP.. I've met crappy MD's and fantastic NP's. I find more of it has to do with the individual provider than the initials by their name. I know a few PA/NP's in the ER I'd see before several physicians.

[Rocknurse, MSN, APRN, NP]

Let's put it this way...it's rather juvenile to have a ranting meltdown that tears into an entire profession as a way of making oneself look better. It does, in fact, achieve the opposite. I've worked hard to get where I am, and I'm coming up to 8 years of schooling to make it to be an APRN, and I sure as heck am not going to let some tantruming little tyke belittle it. I'm sure you'll be sneaking back with your tail between your legs when it doesn't quite work out the way you'd planned. Better not have burned those bridges.