Not to be provacative but why not Physician's assistant....

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In light of the general unhappiness I see in the various threads with the profession of nursing, e.g., with employment prospects, the confusing array of continuing education options, the bad work environment, why aren't more people pursuing the physician's assistant option? If I may ask? And looking at this sight, isn't even allnurses.com a part of the problem - see the bottom of the screens where the RN to BSN programs are touted, for example.

H

What is the F in FNP? Also, "UT Researcher," where does one go to get an RN and NP in three years?

H

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The direct entry MSN programs are available to candidates to hold a previous bachelors degree in a non nursing field. They are often the shortest route to ARNP. 3 years sounds reasonable for these program. You essentially do an accelerated RN program initially (10-13 months) and then transition into the Master's portion. The challenges to these programs is that A) there aren't that many B) they can be QUITE pricey and C) they tend to be VERY competitive and you better have had a stellar GPA from your previous undergrad. While not the best choice for everyone, definitely a great choice for some.

The F stands for family ;)

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And looking at this sight, isn't even allnurses.com a part of the problem - see the bottom of the screens where the RN to BSN programs are touted, for example.

The "touting" of various nursing degrees on the bottom, top, and sides of the screen is paid advertising (by people who are looking to place their advertising where it will be seen by large numbers of nurses :)), same as most other websites -- it's not any sort of advocacy or recommendation of these programs by allnurses.com.

I've been a psych CNS for many years and have no interest in being a PA because I'm not interested in being anyone's assistant. As a generalist RN (for many years previously) and as a psych CNS, I am an independent professional responsible for my own practice. Also, I'm much more interested in and motivated by the nursing practice model than the medical practice model.

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.

I confess I've been tempted to go PA ever since the NP education level started transitioning to the clinical doctorate (DNP).

That said, I've seen PAs and NPs for my own personal health care, and appointments with NPs just feel different compared to appointments with PAs.

I like how I feel when I leave an appointment with an NP. There are real and significant differences between the two disciplines (NP and PA), even though they can act in the same capacity.

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In light of the general unhappiness I see in the various threads with the profession of nursing, e.g., with employment prospects, the confusing array of continuing education options, the bad work environment, why aren't more people pursuing the physician's assistant option? If I may ask? And looking at this sight, isn't even allnurses.com a part of the problem - see the bottom of the screens where the RN to BSN programs are touted, for example.

H

I've never looked in on PA message boards, but I'll wager that many of the topics there are negative as well..........the internet is just a good, mainly anonymous place to blow off steam.

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I considered PA at one point.

I once shadowed a doctor who described PA's this way: The PA does most of the work, the doctor comes in and gives the blessing and collects most of the money.

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Specializes in ER (PCT 2years).

because they are licensed to practice medicine with the supervision (not always direct) of a physician. It's two different jobs.

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Specializes in ER (PCT 2years).
I am a Nurse Practitioner and I love it! Why not PA? Because I work for myself! I am not an "assistant" but a "Practitioner!" I love the autonomy and independence that being a nurse practitioner offers, and that I have my own license and I practice on that. I don't have to ask permission from my supervising physician because I am my own supervising physician. If I need help then I can consult and/or refer. Also, I agree with the nursing framework of focusing on the whole person. Rather than treating the symptoms, I like to fix the underlying problem. I frankly don't understand why anyone would choose PA school. I did an accelerated program and got my RN and NP in a three year master's program. It's the best thing I have ever done.

PA's can do the same things. They don't have to ask "permission" to do something, and when PA's and NP's work in the same practice/unit, in the same capacity, they do the same thing. The original name for PA's was not "physician assistant" but "physician associate", and some PA schools, such as Yale, still use that name, and some jobs are listed as that. Supervision is something that many NP's bring up in criticism of PA's, however PA's typically do not have direct supervision, where the physician is watching them. PA's can diagnose, order tests, interpret them, call for consults, etc., all without the physician directly supervising them.

Why do people choose PA school? Because they want a degree that follows the "medical model". Because they want to be able to switch specialties when they decide to. Because they want to be trained in surgery (a much larger (30+%) of PA's are in surgery than NP's, and PA's can first assist. There are also PA schools, like Cornell, that focus on surgery.). For people that have an undergrad degree in a science, such as biology or chemistry, it's easier to go to PA school than NP, as it will be a 2 year program, instead of 3+. Also, yes, there are various degrees availabe for PAs, such as associates, bachelors, and masters. Most jobs as for at least a bachelors, and the profession is moving towards the masters level. Either way, all PA's with all degrees are taught to the same level, and all pass the national licensing exam for PA's, the PANCE. PA school is not based on the degree conferred, but on the knowledge taught and learned, which is the same in all degree programs.

Having said that, for RN's, it makes more sense to go NP/CRNA, as it only takes 1-3 more years, instead of going to get pre-reqs you might not have had (usually biochemistry, general bio, organic chemistry, as ADN/BSN have already taken A&P, microbio, etc.), then a 2-3 year program. I personally am interested in ACNP or CRNA.

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.
because they are licensed to practice medicine with the supervision (not always direct) of a physician. It's two different jobs.

What she said. PA-C and FNPs do almost the same thing (PA-C with more supervision and a little less range in practice than FNP) PA-C give medical diagnoses, write prescriptions, order diagnostic tests and interpret them (well they have to ave an MD confirm EKGs) can perform office surgery and procedures like excision, paps, ect.

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